So you really think $75 per month county combat pay for our warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan is a "wonderful gesture." Maybe you (and the commissioners) should rethink the idea. It is perhaps a noble thought but one that is very apt to get bogged down in bureaucratic red tape which will surely spoil the original purpose. For one thing, you say it will go only to those "on the front lines every day." Does that mean a wounded soldier evacuated to the rear for a week of medical treatment loses his stipend for that month? How would any soldier establish that he/she was on the front lines every day? Worse, in lands where suicide bombers and IEDs abound, where are the front lines? Someone driving a fuel truck to an isolated helicopter base may be in a lot more danger than someone patrolling a pacified neighborhood. ...more

December 30, 2007

A sharp rise in inflation has provoked fierce criticism of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - not only from his reformist opponents, but also from senior conservatives who helped bring him to power but now say he is mismanaging the economy. ...more

December 28, 2007

Schools are custodians of our children, so any precaution they take to keep our kids safe is a welcome gesture. Take for example new dismissal procedures at Park Elementary School. Starting next year, parents or guardians who pick up the school's students are required to have a card in the dashboard that has the names of the children they will be picking up. ...more

December 27, 2007

The loud boom interrupted Dustin Hall's Christmas. He had just finished eating dinner and was resting on the sofa when he heard the sound. ...more

December 25, 2007

When I was 11 years old, there wasn't a lot of reason to pine for a stack of presents piled under a Christmas tree. ...more

December 25, 2007

It appears the Highlands County Commission is going to step up and do something good to support our troops who have been serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a wonderful gesture and sure to help any local soldiers who have been serving their country and placing themselves in danger. If approved – and it appears it will be – any soldiers who have served in a combat role will receive a $75 per month stipend, for every month they serve in combat, from the county, which could mean an extra $900 per year depending on amount of time. Commissioners are considering this instead of giving a property tax break, which would only benefit troops who own homes. Veterans officials suggested making it a stipend for all combat soldiers, instead of just property owners, since so many of the troops in harms way are young and just getting started with their lives. Some other Florida counties are offering the property tax rebate, but Highlands County would be one of three counties offering stipends. ...more

December 21, 2007

Hillsborough County Animal Services, 440 Falkenburg Road, has set up an Animal Angel Tree in its lobby for people to make donations to the shelter. ...more

December 15, 2007

Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Harrison spent 28 years trying to keep Hillsborough County roads safe, and next week the county will rename the stretch of road where he was killed this year in his honor. ...more

December 1, 2007

BRANDON - Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Harrison spent 28 years trying to keep Hillsborough County roads safe, and next week the county will rename the stretch of road where he was killed this year in his honor. ...more

November 30, 2007

There was a time when things were simply black or white. Yes or no. Good or bad. Today, thanks to lawyers, liberals and political correctness, we have a lot of gray areas mixed in with a bunch of maybes and a gaggle of what ifs. You've heard of the 40 shades of green of Ireland popularized by Johnny Cash. Well we have the 40 (at least) shades of gray. Nobody can do any wrong because their actions seem to be permitted somewhere within the boundaries of one of the gray areas. I guess that today Moses would come down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and their 40 amendments – each. ...more

September 29, 2007