I think the Tampa Theatre and I came into being the same year. Maybe I haven't held up as well, but it still gives me a thrill to go there and sit in the audience waiting for that glorious organ to come rising up from the stage, with the most wonderful music filling the hall. For a few moments, I'm a kid again, and we're singing to the bouncing ball on the screen. Oh, I never got over the thrill of it. ...more

June 8, 2009

Mother Nature appears to be the cause of the May 13 fire that destroyed Lake Placid's Main Street America Restaurant. ...more

June 2, 2009

Please Hispanic community, let's not play the identity politics game over Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination. She should be confirmed or rejected on the merits of her record, not ethnic background. ...more

June 1, 2009

The death of Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter in a bizarre accident adds an awful chapter to the boxer's troubled life. ...more

May 27, 2009

Every time I read a letter about the noise at the bombing range, the noise! I think about a friend of mine, Fran, whose husband was stationed here and was an airplane mechanic during World War II. Fran lived in a travel trailer and Wayne, her brother-in-law, was training to be a pilot. When he would come back in from a training mission, he would buzz her trailer and rattle the dishes; she would yell "Wayne I'm going to hit you in the head!" or something like that. ...more

May 21, 2009

The "grapevine" is a wonderful instrument, quite similar to the telephone. You can get all kinds of information that you don't normally get anywhere else. For instance, I heard on the "grapevine" that they are going to cut county employees hours to save more money for other government pork jobs. ...more

April 29, 2009

A 9-year-old boy accidentally drowned in Lake Cannon in Polk County, deputies said today. Sony Georges was reported missing late Sunday. Deputies found his body this morning in the lake. ...more

April 27, 2009

April 26, 2009 ...more

April 26, 2009

The brother-in-law of actress Katie Holmes was found dead in a home in Sarasota at age 48, officials say. ...more

April 16, 2009

Leto football players will honored at a signing ceremony on Friday. Ken McAllister and Adolfo Navarro will both sign with Erie Community College. McAllister, a starting defensive end whose brother Demonte signed with FSU, was second on the team with three sacks. He also had 42 tackles last season. Navarro was the Falcons second-leading receiver with 12 receptions for 199 yards and 1 touchdown. ...more

April 15, 2009