SEBRING — Half pipes, hubbas and pole jams will replace double faults and lobs at Camp Sparta. And Josh "Oreo" Jones, 14, of Sebring won't miss the tennis court. He lives within walking distance of the camp. Jones has been working and skateboarding evenings after school and on weekends for two months to convert the 6,000-square-foot tennis court into a skate park. The Camp Sparta skate park is just one of many. The area is packed with professional quality skate ramps and rails made by amateurs. Many are professional quality. Frank Branca III owns Gatorboard Skate Shop in Sebring and said local skaters are building off-street places to skate, rather than riding curbs and railings on public property. ...more

May 23, 2008

SEBRING — Barbara Walker, 71, of Sebring, puts in four hours a week volunteering at the Highlands Regional Medical Center's gift shop because that's all she can find time for in her busy schedule. Retirement after 45 years with the school board as a cafeteria manager at E.O. Douglas School and then Sebring High School hasn't slowed her down. Walker volunteers or is associated with at least six groups, that do everything from helping the elderly to organizing the annual Juneteenth Festival. ...more

May 18, 2008

Regarding "Resident 'Disturbed' About Marina Basin" (South Tampa News & Tribune, Feb. 2): ...more

February 5, 2008

More than 50 families on Wallcraft Avenue are petitioning the city to install fire hydrants on their street between MacDill and Lynwood avenues. ...more

December 12, 2007

The rate of drug users who fatally overdose on methadone, a prescription that curbs heroin addiction, is skyrocketing at an alarming pace, a new Justice Department study shows. ...more

December 6, 2007

In an effort to clean up pollution that washes off new subdivisions and shopping centers, state regulators are writing new stormwater treatment regulations that could change the face of development in Florida. ...more

October 29, 2007

The developer of Seven Oaks remains on schedule to begin widening Bruce B. Downs Boulevard by early next year, provided the company can avoid conflicts with work planned by neighboring Wiregrass Ranch, state highway officials say. ...more

October 27, 2007

Ivy Zelman's view of the U.S. housing market is gloomy, but it's probably the most realistic. ...more

October 26, 2007

SEBRING — Although the downtown Circle and its surrounding streets could use some sprucing up, officials say they don't have plans to mess with a good thing. ...more

October 24, 2007

The developer of Seven Oaks remains on schedule to begin widening Bruce B. Downs Boulevard by early next year, provided the company can avoid conflicts with work planned by neighboring Wiregrass Ranch, state highway officials say. ...more

October 23, 2007