TAMPA - A week before DeAndre Wallace's 20th birthday, Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta sentenced him to spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting a Hillsborough County sheriff's detective. ...more

May 8, 2008

Republican John McCain was forced to clarify his comments Friday suggesting the Iraq war involved U.S. reliance on foreign oil. He said he was talking about the Persian Gulf War and not the current conflict. ...more

May 3, 2008

What do you and your significant other fight about? Probably money. I've been reviewing surveys on this topic for more than a decade, and money often finds its way to the top spot as a cause of marital tension. And, not surprisingly, the most frequent cause of divorce. ...more

February 24, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative will host an export informational meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26. The meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. at the Lake Placid Conference Center, 2665 Placid View Drive. Lunch will be provided. ...more

February 23, 2008

There is no other freedom as we are enjoying here in the U.S.A. I have enjoyed 53 years of "the life" here and 49 years of this as a naturalized citizen. What a country. ...more

February 21, 2008

I have just finished reading Greg Palast's "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" and if you are interested in how your government really works, I recommend it. However, it has made me eat my words. I once said that "Dubya" was not good at anything he did. After reading this book I find that he is really good indeed at sleazy, manipulative, underhanded dirty politics. Oh, I don't give him all the credit. A man of his limited abilities couldn't do this all on his own. No, he had plenty of help. He has been indulged by a powerful and wealthy family who has supported his candidacy for president in every way imaginable. And his advisors were able to manipulate him to their own good and well-being. The rest of us are bearing the fruits of these selfish and failed policies. When I think of the young men and women who faithfully invaded another country and died or were maimed and changed for the rest of their lives, my heart bleeds for them. We are on the brink of recession and in debt to China and Japan among others and the outlook is bleak. So, to whom do we look to save us? ...more

February 19, 2008

Highlands County residents should feel great pride in the firefighters who protected numerous houses and buildings during this week's wildfire on Henscratch Road. These brave men and women stood tall, and sometimes alone, protecting structures as flames raced toward them. When you think about it, their actions were extraordinary. ...more

February 14, 2008

As Sheriff of Hillsborough County, I want to assure Mr. Brian Sterner, as well as the citizens of Hillsborough County, that this incident will be investigated to the fullest. ...more

February 13, 2008

What happened in Highlands County? Is is not important enough for family time to allow our hard working men and women truck drivers to come home and find a safe place to park the big rig for a short period? Is our truck driver husband or wives values not important, or have we forgotten this and just decided to be hard-nosed about it? There are plenty of empty parking lots in the county. What's the big deal? Why can't truckers park there without incident? Truckers are not destroying property or harming anybody. They just want to see their families. ...more

February 10, 2008

The local officials and newspapers are bashing Amendment One, but the state and the people want local officials to reduce spending to get the taxes under control. But, what do our local commissioners do just in the last couple of weeks? They create four new director positions at salaries ranging from $65,000 to $123,000. They don't care what we the people want or what the state says needs to be done. They snub their noses at the governor and legislature. Hopefully, our state officials will stand up like men and women and force these out-of-control politicians to do what the people want. If not, you will see more leaving Florida than coming. ...more

January 29, 2008