Seven years in the making, a mother's vision for a playground accessible to all children finally is nearing fruition, thanks, in part, to the contributions of family, friends and community volunteers. ...more

January 30, 2008

Seven years ago, Stefani Busansky had the idea of building a playground that was accessible to all children. ...more

January 29, 2008

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Central grad makes second road appearance against USF, this time as West Virginia's leading scorer. ...more

January 28, 2008

They cheered as he went by in the pre-game lay-up line. They roared every time he touched the ball, and jokingly jeered when he gave it up to a teammate. 'Give it to Alex' they cried over and over again. ...more

January 28, 2008

Do you think your wife's new pants make her look fat? ...more

January 23, 2008

NORTH PORT - As family, friends and the community mourn 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee, authorities are adding to evidence that led them to a shallow grave near Toledo Blade Bouelvard and Interstate 75 on Saturday. ...more

January 21, 2008

A new designer boutique has joined the ranks of Hyde Park Village shops. ...more

January 2, 2008

SEBRING — As the cops reporter, most of what I write about, the daily crime in Highlands County, is generally depressing, with an occasional laugh from some of the dumber crimes. ...more

January 1, 2008

On Nov. 1, there was a front page article about a convicted sexual predator named Dale Leland, titled "Family, Friends Plea for Man in Court." It was full of quotes from his friends, neighbors, co-workers and lawyer, all vouching for him. Dale already confessed to detectives. Evidence supported the charges and he was found guilty by the jury. Yet, despite the conviction, these character witnesses implied that the sweet, innocent girls lied, making Dale the victim. MSNBC ran the series, "To catch a predator." Predators would meet "underage" targets online, using sexually explicit language. When the predator showed up for pre-arranged sex, the MSNBC investigator spoke briefly to him, then allowed him to leave. Once outside, local police quickly arrested him. The series concluded with the trial and sentencing of each. Without even touching their underage victims, every predator was convicted. Among them was a doctor, a college professor and a child services worker, all liked and respected in their communities. Like Dale, probably many vouched for them. ...more

November 27, 2007

With reference to your Nov. 1 first page story "Family, friends, plea for man in court," I have a comment and a couple of questions, the second of which is beyond your area of responsibility to answer. I would like to have been in court to show whatever support I could for my good friend Dale Leland. Question one. In a case involving inappropriate touching, isn't that adequate without you having to describe it in detail? ...more

November 10, 2007