SEBRING — Imagine, they said back in the 1970s, when an Arab oil embargo sent gasoline prices skyrocketing from 25 to 50 cents per gallon. Imagine. We could grow our own fuel. We could make alcohol from corn and potatoes and soybeans, and our cars could run on it. It burns cleaner. It's cheaper. It's renewable. It's made in America. But it turns out, ethanol isn't the miracle fuel it's cracked up to be. ...more

June 22, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Play ball, but don't forget the ibuprofen. Allan Chipps plays catcher and at 90 years old is the oldest player in the Lake Placid Senior Softball League. He exceeds the minimum age requirement by 40 years, although for those who sport hair beneath their caps, the common color is gray. Participants are required to have reached the half-century mark and no one old enough is turned away. Even with five teams of 13 members each, there is a waiting list of eight prospective sluggers for the games played at Lake June Ball Fields. ...more

February 7, 2008