Although he has been playing soccer since he was 9, Osvaldo Ayra-Soto feels like he's just now hitting his stride. ...more

January 19, 2008

PALATKA -- The following are the Florida Sports Writers Association's state high school boys basketball polls, sponsored by Beef O'Brady's. Records and first-place votes are in parentheses. ...more

January 15, 2008

Wendy Fricke knew something was wrong when her husband didn't pick up his cell phone. ...more

January 14, 2008

PALATKA -- The following are the Florida Sports Writers Association's state high school boys basketball polls, sponsored by Beef O'Brady's. Records and first-place votes are in parentheses. ...more

January 8, 2008

Christmas comes out of nowhere on State Road 50 east of Orlando, just as you start to catch your breath from miles of Disney-spawned sprawl. ...more

December 22, 2007

The following is the Florida Sports Writers Association's state high school boys basketball poll, sponsored by Beef O'Brady's. Records and first-place votes are in parentheses. ...more

December 18, 2007

PALATKA — The following is the Florida Sports Writers Association's state high school boys basketball poll, sponsored by Beef O'Brady's. Records and first-place votes are in parentheses. ...more

December 12, 2007

AVON PARK –– Some people dream of sailing off into the sunset upon retirement, but only a few actually try it. Bill Stephenson spent 40 years in Vermont with his own agency as a manufacturer's representative selling agricultural and industrial machinery. His wife Mildred, affectionately known as Midge, had been his office manager. Upon retirement in 1995, they set sail. While on the Intracoastal, they lost an engine in Cocoa Beach. Some friends owned property at Lily Lake in Frostproof and invited them to stay there while their boat was being repaired that summer. "During that hiatus, we agreed that our age was beyond our ability to sail and then we got involved with the Union Congregation Church," Stephenson said. ...more

November 5, 2007

Canadian mystery novelist Maureen Jennings said she felt terrible that a man died while trying to rescue her from rip currents. ...more

October 24, 2007

RIVERVIEW - To the Purcells, Shelby wasn't a dog but their baby, who squeezed onto the couch to watch television and bounced on their trampoline. To Renea Bell, the dog seemed vicious, leaving two punctures in the calf of her 9-year-old niece. Wednesday, the Purcells questioned why a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy had shot and killed the animal instead of calling animal control officers. Meanwhile, Bell expressed relief that her niece was not seriously hurt. ...more

September 19, 2007