In late 2007 Rick Renedo, an executive with wireless services provider T-Mobile, had an ominous vision: Corporate America was about to collapse. ...more

February 21, 2009

For years there was an annual late-summer rite that occurred all around Florida. The local sheriff, in good economic times or bad, would suggest in a public fashion the bad guys were winning the upper hand and the sheriff's agency needed more money to put extra personnel and equipment on the street to take back the initiative. These days, however, Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats is cutting spending in response to the drop in revenue the county is experiencing as a result of the collapse of the Florida housing industry and the nationwide economic recession. ...more

February 21, 2009

In response to your Feb. 16 editorial ("State Lawmaker's Bark Aimed At Wrong Tree"), you failed to realize the huge costs that euthanizing dogs and cats have on local governments. ...more

February 21, 2009

For years there was an annual late-summer rite that occurred all around Florida. The local sheriff, in good economic times or bad, would suggest in a public fashion the bad guys were winning the upper hand and the sheriff's agency needed more money to put extra personnel and equipment on the street to take back the initiative. In Pasco County over the decades there have been spirited battles between the sheriff of the moment and the County Commission, which under state law can make cuts in Sheriff's Office spending. ...more

February 21, 2009

Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital is positioning itself to remain in good financial health in these stressful economic times, according to one of its administrators. Don Evans, Helen Ellis Memorial's chief operating officer, told city commissioners Tuesday night the 168-bed hospital is moving ahead with plans to gain certification to conduct open-heart surgery in about two years. ...more

February 21, 2009

The weaker retailers are tumbling toward bankruptcy as the recession continues. ...more

February 20, 2009

The stimulus package is a terrible piece of necessary legislation. Its flaws are gaudily obvious. The bill was written in monopartisan secrecy, weighed down by irrelevant spending, considered in a rushed, uninformed debate and passed on a party-line vote. The law contains provisions that seem to weaken welfare reform and invite trade disputes. ...more

February 19, 2009

Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern thinks what this town needs are community gardens. What with the tough economic times, she says what we should be doing is putting vegetable gardens where there are vacant lots. She's talking about putting them all across town, from Hyde Park to New Tampa. ...more

February 18, 2009