This past week, a strong group of elite gentlemen set off confident in their knowledge and skill, but they were overpowered by forces of nature. It is essential that the majority of us who are no match for their strength take utmost care before setting out on the ocean in even the best conditions. ...more

March 7, 2009

Troy Donaldson today earned the title of Pasco County Employee of the Year. County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano presented the proclamation to Donaldson for his bravery helping a traffic accident victim on July 30, 2008. ...more

February 24, 2009

This letter is to thank Robert K. Munsell, USAF retired, for defending John McCain. I am amazed at the junk people write based on things they know nothing about. The only one who can understand a combat veteran is another combat veteran. ...more

December 2, 2008

Linda Roma's life had purpose. She took care of her husband of 41 years as he battled several illnesses. She became a rock of support for her 33-year-old daughter, Jennifer, with whom she spent hours talking on the porch, shopping and drinking coffee. ...more

November 15, 2008

Schrader Elementary guidance counselor Irene Araneda has served Pasco County schools for nearly 20 years. ...more

November 9, 2008

Since 1998, Highlands County's population has grown from 80,500 to around 99,000. ...more

October 26, 2008

Anticipating the Supreme Court's expected late June decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which will decide the constitutionality of a D.C. law restricting gun-ownership rights, many analysts have turned to the Founders' writings in an effort to understand the Second Amendment. What analysts need to do - recognizing that language and word usage change over time - is turn to America's first dictionary. ...more

June 9, 2008

One year ago, my family moved away from Miami to find a better environment to raise our family. On the night of Dec. 17, we discovered how right we were in choosing the Town of Lake Placid. We lost everything in the fire that consumed our house at 367 Carole Road NW, but we gained an overwhelming sense of community. The efforts made by both the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department and the Placid Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, was an act we thought deserved acknowledgment. They disregarded personal safety to retrieve the only item of any value to my family, my little brother's ashes, who had passed away only a year ago. However, they did not stop there. They continued going back into the house despite the fire's refusal to be put out, or the roof collapsing all around them. For hours they fought that Phoenix and the cold weather of that evening's frost, to help a family they did not know, and to try and maintain a home they no longer recognized. Even while we were all aware that all was lost, they did not quit until the last ember was out. They came to us later and handed us pictures they had managed to rescue while dowsing flames. My family and I could not believe that these fire personnel were all volunteers. ...more

December 23, 2007

A Pasco County library courier was honored recently for helping a resident escape from a house in flames. ...more

October 3, 2007

SEBRING — The beaches will be full, boats will be out, grills will be fired up, and people will be looking for things to do this Labor Day weekend. All the more reason to pay special attention to your personal safety while you're enjoying your days off of work. "Just be cautious," said Nell Frewin Hays, a crime prevention specialist with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "Have a good time and enjoy yourself, but be responsible." The best tip Hays has for people may be obvious: don't drink and operate a motorized vehicle. ...more

September 2, 2007