Tampa Tribune review of "Speed Racer" video game ...more

May 23, 2008

We've all heard the phrase "no one is irreplaceable," and it's true. It's also true that some people carry so much institutional knowledge of an operation that while they may be replaceable, it's going to hurt. Sometimes the pain subsides quickly, and sometimes it lasts a long time, but either way, it hurts. When Sebring City Manager Bob Hoffman and Highlands County Administrator Carl Cool call it a career in a few weeks, we're losing important resources for one of our cities and county. The good news is that they are being replaced by extremely capable people, but the loss still is there. Hoffman and Cool have been on the job a long time around here. It's unusual for people in their professions to last so long in one place. Industry wide, city managers and county administrators often make enough enemies over the course of five years or so that they move on. The decisions they have to make ruffle feathers, no matter how well they do their jobs. It says a lot that they held their positions for so long. ...more

May 10, 2008

Tampa Tribune review of "Advance Wars: Days of Ruin" video game ...more

February 14, 2008

System: Nintendo Wii Publisher: Ubisoft ...more

February 8, 2008

It's no surprise that South Florida Community College's President Norman Stephens received a positive evaluation. He's as good as they come in his position anywhere in the nation. The fact is, our area is filled with leaders who do a fine job. Stephens has continued a tradition of excellence at SFCC. If anyone's been critical of his leadership, we haven't heard it. That's amazing because rarely does anyone in a position of power maintain such high regard from so many people. Even many outstanding leaders, due to the tough decisions they have to make every day, generate a few enemies along the way. City managers, county administrators, school superintendents and a number of other key positions are tasked with difficult jobs that require decision making that upsets some people. Often those jobs have a high turnover. A lot of city administrators around the country last about five years and move on, due to their inability to be effective. ...more

February 1, 2008

Most of us can easily picture a scene in which a villain is forced to talk by tough good guys who find out just in time how to stop a ticking bomb that would have destroyed a city. ...more

January 31, 2008

Some people in Highlands County don't like hearing that to attract a top-level county administrator that the wages must be drastically higher than what's currently being paid. The truth, though, is that you get what you pay for. Highlands County and our cities have gotten off light on what they pay administrators. Elsewhere across the United States, these are well compensated positions and for good reason. City and county administrators must juggle so many constituents, and try to make the most people happy while looking out for the well being of whatever entity they serve. Sometimes making people happy and doing what's best are impossible to balance. ...more

January 16, 2008

System: Nintendo Wii Publisher: Nintendo ...more

January 4, 2008

A man accused of being a "sleeper agent" sent to spy on Saddam Hussein's enemies in the United States was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison for lying about his ties to the former regime. ...more

November 28, 2007

Kenneth Odom didn't understand what had happened to his wife of two years Thursday. ...more

November 10, 2007