The strong winds that have plagued anglers for weeks abated in early November. I finally got a chance to put the boat in the water without a small-craft warning in effect. In fact, I was surprised to step outside one morning last week and find it dead flat calm. ...more

November 14, 2007

VALRICO - They have the diapers, the scrapbooks and a crib filled with stuffed animals. ...more

October 11, 2007

AVON PARK — Amid the dirt and the construction cones that dotted Main Street for some time, David Greenslade of the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce is expecting a bit of an uplift in downtown, with some new businesses expecting to pop up by early November. The new Heartland National Bank branch previously told Greenslade it should be completed by the end of October, bringing the downtown area its first bank in more than a year, when the Wachovia branch closed its doors. The way he saw it, Greenslade expected the bank to bring back confidence for businesses to enter downtown, a part of the city that has been cluttered with vacant office space and several near-vacant buildings. "We're excited about the fact that they feel it's a great location for them," Greenslade said. If the Heartland National Bank goes as planned and remains in business, it could be part of a reversal for the downtown area. ...more

October 8, 2007

The signs are up at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. The parking lot is striped. Opening Day is on the horizon. ...more

October 7, 2007

The damage to Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle's left wrist turned out to be three times worse than originally diagnosed. ...more

September 24, 2007

Time is creeping up on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. The toll road, built in the 1970s, showed its age in March when a concrete chunk the size of a toaster fell onto a downtown parking lot near Jefferson Street. ...more

September 3, 2007