Nicotine fiends who make it a habit to roll their own butts and save a few bucks will see their savings go up in smoke Wednesday when a new federal excise tax on tobacco kicks in. ...more

March 26, 2009

While the price of gasoline burned holes in the wallets of weary consumers last summer, one money-saving option for cash-strapped smokers caught on like wildfire. ...more

March 25, 2009

Santiago Carrasco, store manager of Tobacco Depot on Bloomingdale Avenue, said that about the time gas hit $4 a gallon, smokers with pipe dreams about saving a few bucks came in packs to his store to ask how – and how much it would cost - to roll their own cigarettes. But the do-it-yourself department that has been positively smokin' for some eight months is about to be extinguished, he said. An enormous price increase in conjunction with the federal excise tax that takes effect April 1 has already begun to snuff it out. ...more

March 20, 2009

Clayton Galleries is hosting an exhibit called "Found Works" by local artist Stacy Rosende. The title refers to the fact that more than 80 percent of the pieces in the show are prints made from found objects, mainly paper and wood. But there's also some cardboard. ...more

March 4, 2009

It's noon Friday. Nichole Leary just lit a 305 and sat down on the black metal bench outside the food court at Lakeshore Mall. ...more

February 7, 2009

In the heart of citrus country, people assume oranges are locally grown. ...more

February 4, 2009

Parts 1 and 2 of this story were published April 20 and 27. When four-year-old Lisa slipped into my apartment naked, for the second time, I tried not to look shocked. Gemma quickly said, "Oh, I never put clothes on that one at 'ome. She just gets 'em filthy. Once she even stuffed 'er dress down the commode." I forced a smile, "Would you like some coffee?" "Oh, bloody good idea, that." I led the way to the kitchen where Lisa had already opened my refrigerator and grabbed a carton of yogurt. She shoved it at me. "Open this." "Sure." I pulled off the aluminum seal and handed it back. "Let me get you a spoon." But she had already dug into it with her fingers. Gemma yawned, ignoring her daughter, while I poured the coffee. ...more

May 3, 2008

A veterinarian had been called to examine a 10-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. ...more

February 21, 2008

Sometimes it's easy to know when it's time to replace that dusty carton of ground nutmeg or cinnamon. Um, the fact that it's dusty is one clue. Another is a price tag on the bottom that reads "19 cents" (ah, the good old days). ...more

November 28, 2007