With illegal immigration and undocumented workers being among the hot-button issues of the day, there's no telling when the government might decide it's time for a crackdown. Whether a business owner thinks "illegals" are that big of a problem, no business owner wants it to become their problem. "This is one of the issues they're talking about in Congress," a local business law attorney, Debora Ann Diaz, said. "Maybe we don't have an illegal alien problem, maybe we just need to enforce what we have in existence." ...more

February 2, 2008

Twice, the arsonists tried to burn Rose Mohr out. The first blaze was small. On Sept. 25, someone broke into her store, the Massachusetts Avenue Farm Market, stole the cash register and intentionally set a fire with gasoline. ...more

January 7, 2008

SEBRING – Businesses in Highlands County that want to add employees in 2008 might be able to tap into a fund that will offset some of the cost. The Highlands County Economic Development Trust Fund was established by the county commission in 2006 to support the economic development goals of the county and to mitigate the possible negative effect of impact fees, which were initiated in January of this year. The program is designed to support the expansion of existing industry as well as the recruitment of new industry to the county. To be eligible, companies must meet certain criteria that include meeting minimum average wage requirements for new as well as existing employees and creating a minimum number of new jobs. Companies meeting the guidelines may receive $500 per new job with a maximum program benefit of $50,000 for each company. ...more

December 23, 2007

Back in its heyday, Hyde Park Village was the upscale place in Tampa to live, shop and dine. But today the mixed-use development is struggling. To restore its vitality, something's got to give. ...more

December 11, 2007

My goals for my children's education include development of a lifelong love of learning, higher order thinking skills, and the gift to become good world citizens in the age of a global economy. The best classes are those that encourage my children to think and apply knowledge across disciplines, not merely to memorize and regurgitate facts in isolation. Our schools are evolving to meet the needs of today's student and must continue to do so. Computers in the classroom were an important step in this process and now Highlands County is ready for the next. ...more

December 6, 2007

St. Petersburg Drive's glory days may soon return. Oldsmar officials hope recently initiated traffic-calming measures will spark an influx of new businesses along a roadway on which motorists are traveling slow enough to notice what's available. ...more

November 30, 2007

A program that encourages redevelopment of the community west of the University of the South Florida will come to a crossroads in October. ...more

November 21, 2007

AVON PARK — Amid the dirt and the construction cones that dotted Main Street for some time, David Greenslade of the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce is expecting a bit of an uplift in downtown, with some new businesses expecting to pop up by early November. The new Heartland National Bank branch previously told Greenslade it should be completed by the end of October, bringing the downtown area its first bank in more than a year, when the Wachovia branch closed its doors. The way he saw it, Greenslade expected the bank to bring back confidence for businesses to enter downtown, a part of the city that has been cluttered with vacant office space and several near-vacant buildings. "We're excited about the fact that they feel it's a great location for them," Greenslade said. If the Heartland National Bank goes as planned and remains in business, it could be part of a reversal for the downtown area. ...more

October 8, 2007

In 2003, one hundred people perished in an infamous nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I. ...more

September 25, 2007