The Santa who every December would visit our county commissioners, Richard Conover passed away this December. Our Christmas card greeting card sent to Richard at the nursing home in Clewiston was returned, marked "Deceased." A phone call verified the sad notation. This gregarious, fun loving, sometimes serious personality that so marked Richard is gone, but the many little jokes and jabs, directed mainly at our county commissioners, will linger on as we recall them. Many of us will miss getting an unexpected birthday greeting card from Richard, accompanied with a line or two, kidding (with kindness,) the fact that we are one year older. Why Richard's family decided not to have a memorial service to honor Richard's time amongst us remains a mystery. We hope that this little notice will remind people of this big bear of a man, whose gruff demeanor sometimes masked his "soft" side. ...more

January 10, 2009

Messiah Lutheran Church's Migrant Ministries recently hosted a Christmas outreach for 400 "families of the fields." ...more

January 7, 2009

Leo and Marilyn Malinowski brought Christmas cheer to Tampa General Hospital recently in the guise of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The couple, who hail from Naples, have visited TGH every Christmas since 2004, when Leo Malinowski spent 89 days in the hospital after a car accident. On this visit, the Malinowskis made stops at Rehabilitation Services, the Cardiac ICU and, of course, the Children's Medical Center. ...more

January 7, 2009

Messiah Lutheran Church's Migrant Ministries recently hosted a Christmas outreach for 400 "families of the fields." ...more

January 7, 2009

Ursi Heppner of Port Richey wants to know what happened to Christmas. ...more

January 7, 2009

She doesn't normally impose on perfect strangers, but there was something about the situation that impelled Allysa Forrest to dig deeper. ...more

January 7, 2009

items ranging from clothing, appliances, knick-knacks, food baskets, kitchenware, toiletries, etc.? The unwanted list is staggering. ...more

January 6, 2009

Hundreds of people came to Centennial Park in Ybor City on Sunday to celebrate Three Kings Day. The celebration included traditional Latin and Christmas music, dancing, special foods, a Nativity play and other activities. ...more

January 5, 2009

Dear Abby: My daughter, "Giselle," is scheduled to have serious surgery soon, and she has forbidden us to come to the hospital. She wants only her husband to be there. ...more

January 4, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - It's an annual problem for some parents. Schools close just before Christmas for a two-week winter break. But some parents don't have the time off. ...more

January 1, 2009