TAMPA - She is a daughter of Tampa society, blessed with a close-knit, affluent family that took cross-country vacations in Edwardian vintage cars. Her dad was crowned El Rey XXVII of the Knights of Sant' Yago. She graduated from one of the Bay area's most respected Catholic high schools, the Academy of Holy Names. When the Florida Legislature created a new judicial seat in Hillsborough County, friends and family fanned out across the county, knocking on doors and raising more than $100,000 for her campaign. They helped the 35-year-old lawyer become the youngest judge ever elected to Hillsborough County's circuit court. So when Monica Sierra announced last week that she was giving it all up — the $145,000-a-year job, the comfortable safety net of family, the Mercedes-Benz — many were aghast. It wasn't just what she was throwing away, it was what she was throwing it away for: evangelical and humanitarian work in the Middle East. ...more

February 1, 2008

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Monica Sierra will resign her seat effective Feb. 1. ...more

January 24, 2008

TAMPA Hillsborough Circuit Judge Monica Sierra will resign her seat effective Feb. 1. ...more

January 24, 2008

A lawyer twice jailed after raising the ire of local judges has had her license to practice suspended by the Florida Supreme Court. ...more

January 17, 2008

Eddie Sutton To Coach South Florida rest of season. That's what the graphic headline on ESPNews screamed Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ...more

December 26, 2007

Riverview's wrestling program is enjoying a resurgence this season with the return of Coach Wili Sargable. ...more

December 17, 2007

The Rev. Brian James apologized to his congregation Sunday morning, admitted he had an addiction to Internet pornography and asked for forgiveness. ...more

December 17, 2007

The Rev. Brian James will deliver a message this morning unlike any other during his seven years as pastor of one of New Tampa's oldest and largest churches. ...more

December 15, 2007

Circuit Judge Monica Sierra is taking an unpaid three-month leave of absence to work on a humanitarian project in Israel. ...more

November 28, 2007

Rick Tocchet still has time to serve before he will be allowed back behind an NHL bench. ...more

November 2, 2007