CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, 31; Julian McMahon, 40; Maureen McGovern, 59; Betty Thomas, 60 ...more

July 27, 2008

Justina Altieri's story is rooted in tragedy. But it by no means defines her. ...more

July 2, 2008

Young woman rises above horrific night when she was a child. ...more

July 1, 2008

In 11 tournament appearances this year, Lorena Ochoa has won six times, including her second major championship. She has finished out of the top 10 only once. At 26, the native of Guadalajara, Mexico, recently set an LPGA Tour record for being the youngest player to reach $2 million in earnings. But it has been a difficult year. ...more

June 26, 2008

My thanks to Martha and Claudia Olivares for inviting me to the Montessori Children's Year End Step Up and Graduation Ceremony. There were 21 children who will be going on to another school. Every time I am lucky enough to attend one of these affairs I am amazed! They dance, sing and do sign language. I don't remember anyone in my past school years being this bright. The dedicated teachers, volunteers, and Mr. Filip, the music teacher who directed and produced this awesome program with great patience and care for so many children. ...more

June 16, 2008

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jessica Castillo, 12, just finished the sixth grade at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. She was chosen writer of the year by teacher Sharee Romaine, who wrote, "I wasn't planning to choose a writer of the year until this student's 'Heart of Christ' paper was turned in to me." ...more

June 7, 2008

For the first 16 minutes of the Plant City boys basketball team's Class 6A-Region 2 final against Orlando Evans, it seemed destiny was on its side. ...more

February 24, 2008

They're Two Of A Kind First, Lauren Danielle Smith was named Miss Congeniality at the Florida Strawberry Festival pageant. Then her identical twin, Kristen Elise Smith, won the queen's crown. "We look so much alike and enjoy the pageantry so much we know that if just one of us makes it, it could have just as easily been the other," Kristen says. plantcity.tbo.com ...more

February 10, 2008

Like the greeting cards she's now marketing, Ivette Mayo's career evolved through fate rather than design. ...more

December 30, 2007

BELLEVIEW — A holiday treat. That's what the Sebring girls basketball team enjoyed by blasting Pine Ridge (Deltona) 41-29 in Thursday's first round of the Lady Rattlers Holiday Tournament. The Class 3A Blue Streaks improved to 11-4 on the season as Whitney Wells scored a team-high 12 points, while Chelsea Davis chipped in with eight points and Benita Grant added six. "Our defense was solid," said Sebring first-year coach Mike Lee. "We rebounded well and showed a lot of patience on offense." ...more

December 29, 2007