Doesn't it seem like every time you turn on your TV set or open your newspaper, you see an advertisement for a new financial product? ...more

February 17, 2008

Tucked away in the northeast corner of Hillsborough County are two boys' soccer programs that consistently produce winning squads, standout players and, when they meet one another, amazingly close matches. ...more

February 5, 2008

The frenzy of parading started Saturday night and didn't end until dawn Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the annual Carnival. Dancers dressed as slaves push a huge float representing the ship that brought the Portuguese royal family to Brazil two centuries ago. Hundreds of drummers in golden conquistador outfits propelled the 4,500-member group from Mocidade de Independente down the parading lane of Rio's "Sambadrome," an 85,000-seat venue built for the annual samba "school" competition. ...more

February 5, 2008

SARASOTA — Daija Barrett's tears told how close the Avon Park girls basketball team came to a rematch with the Sebring and an extension of its season, as the junior reluctantly relived the final seconds of Friday's Class 4A–District 10 semifinal game against Booker. "My father has told me time and time again that free throws win games," Barrett said. "It was a lot of pressure, but as a player you want the ball in your hand to win the game. It just didn't fall for me tonight." ...more

February 3, 2008

•The guy in the red suit is bringing new movies to the theaters, so when you're bored with that new Wii, go see a movie. "Juno," "The Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep" and "The Great Debaters" all open Tuesday. ...more

December 24, 2007

LAKELAND — "There still not taking what we do in practice and bring that to the mat," said AP coach Lee Elder after watching many of his team underachieve during the George Jenkins Eagles, losing 45-24 in a dual meet on Wednesday. "It's frustrating to see this," AP coach Ed Brown said. "We work hours and hours in practice, but when the whistle blows, some of us still don't know what to do. "That is where we lack in experience with such a young team." ...more

December 14, 2007

BRANDON - A car struck a Bloomingdale High School student crossing a road to get to a school bus this morning, resulting in the teen being taken to a hospital and the bus driver – after calling in the accident – being checked to see whether she had gone into labor. ...more

December 7, 2007

President Bush is expected to announce today an agreement with major mortgage companies to freeze interest rates for five years for financially troubled homeowners - a plan advocates say will help forestall a major foreclosure crisis but some conservatives say amounts to a bailout of people who made bad financial decisions. ...more

December 6, 2007

Despite the doom and gloom you might hear about the real estate market, people are still buying and selling homes, says Jeff Shaw, president of Century 21 Shaw Realty Group. ...more

November 25, 2007

The day shoppers have been waiting for is here. It's Black Friday, which marks the start of the holiday retail shopping season - even though some stores have had their trees trimmed and their holiday ditties playing for weeks. ...more

November 23, 2007