SEBRING — It came in the mail last week, although it's dated Jan. 15, a collection notice from FEMA. "I have no idea why they sent this," said Gail Fotheringham, 57, a grandmother who lived in a FEMA mobile home for 18 months with her daughter and three grandchildren. "You have not paid the amount you owe the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Mobile Home Rental," said the letter, which seeks a balance due of $1,357.58. Mary Hudak, a spokeswoman in Atlanta, said FEMA, on an ongoing basis, is collecting money owed to the federal agency for a variety of reasons. After the hurricanes of 2004, which ravaged Central Florida, FEMA provided $1.184 billion in assistance to individuals and households in Florida, and hundreds of mobile homes to families in Highlands and Hardee counties. "If people needed money, FEMA advanced it to them," Hudak said. But they were expected to pay back the federal government. ...more

February 16, 2008

Smoking is good. At least it is in John M. Angelini's case. The usually reviled habit provided the impetus for his 20-year collection of more than 500 cigarette lighters. About half of them are lighting up the Hudson Regional Library in a display that opened last week. ...more

February 6, 2008

My favorite childhood Christmas gifts were china tea sets and child-sized pots and pans. It's no wonder I grew up loving to cook and bake. ...more

December 15, 2007

My favorite childhood Christmas gifts were china tea sets and child-sized pots and pans. It's no wonder I grew up loving to cook and bake. ...more

December 14, 2007

AVON PARK — Baby Alexa Hall is gone but her spirit may carry on in the hopes and smiles of three others. The family of the 3-month-old, who died as the result of shaken baby syndrome Tuesday, has donated the baby's organs to help save the lives of three babies in three far-off cities. The infant was brought to the Florida Hospital of Sebring's emergency room early Monday after having difficulty breathing. She was flown to the St. Joseph's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Tampa, where doctors determined she had suffered from shaken baby syndrome and was brain-dead. Alexa was taken off of the life support Tuesday after her organs were harvested for transport across the country. ...more

November 16, 2007

It's no surprise this year's holiday shopping season is coming sooner than last year's. Chances are, your kids are getting their wish lists together, and those new items won't be left off. ...more

November 4, 2007

Marital troubles ignited a July 17 fire that started inside a closet in the master bedroom and spread throughout much of a home in the Rosewood at River Ridge subdivision, authorities say. ...more

November 1, 2007