This letter is being sent to address concerns of infrastructure and ongoing maintenance regarding the Oak Hill Cemetery located in Lake Placid. Our parents started visiting Lake Placid over 50 years ago, purchase property and have lived there full time for over 25 years. Our father (deceased since 2005) would many times refer to Lake Placid as God's country. However, the town does not seem so special when visiting the cemetery; as we understand, a town responsibility. It is difficult enough to lose a loved one but when visiting the cemetery which is in such disrepair; it only creates additional sadness and anxiety. Mom and dad decided a long time ago that they wanted to remain in Lake Placid, even after burial. One might ask why. ...more

November 17, 2009

It's impossible to criticize parents who want to watch their children perform in school activities. It's not so difficult if these same parents have little or no interest in how their children do in the classroom. It's clear, though, that our local schools have a problem, and it has more to do with parents than kids. ...more

November 8, 2009

Southwest Airlines passengers accustomed to seeing long check-in lines at airport ticket counters will find additional incentives to use the airline's self-service kiosks. Southwest has enhanced its kiosks with functions to allow passengers to modify their itinerary on the day of travel, choose a new flight or add themselves to a stand-by list for a different flight. ...more

August 3, 2009

The only inkling passengers had that something was wrong on the Continental Airlines flight over the Atlantic Ocean was when an announcement came over the loudspeaker asking if there was a doctor on board. ...more

June 18, 2009

NASA is repairing a leaky hydrogen gas line on Endeavour's fuel tank in hopes of launching the shuttle on its space station construction mission Wednesday, four days after the first try was called off. ...more

June 14, 2009

Mr. Hensley, you were right on target in your column about Lyn Roche. We have truly lost a lady who was a servant of God with that something extra that radiated from her soul. I am a member of the Alzheimer's Caregivers Group that Lyn and Bill organized and ran, and the love and energy that she and Bill invested is untold. The main lesson given each week was "it is all about love." They exemplified this in their daily lives, as well as assuring the caregiver that by keeping this as our number one priority we can accomplish our task of taking the very best care of our loved one. I have lost a friend; we have all lost a friend (as we all believe that we were her best friend) and I will miss the sound of her saying my name in that special way, but I can just imagine how thrilled she was when she heard her "Master" say her name last Wednesday. ...more

May 9, 2009

Mention Kamran Joyer and many local sports fans would know the name. The Wesley Chapel senior was a three-star Rivals.com guard in football who signed with the University of South Florida. ...more

March 25, 2009

The school district will take some steps to ease overcrowding at Explorer K-8. ...more

March 25, 2009

Sometimes good ideas have to be put on hold during desperate times, and considering Florida's economic climate, that time is now. We support a bill sponsored by Rep. Denise Grimsley that would postpone impact fees for a set period of time, although we differ on the length of the postponement. ...more

March 13, 2009

"Oh, it's sore, but not too bad." Some people are like that. I had driven my mom down to visit someone in the intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital, and she had taken off her jacket and was trying to put on the required gown mask and gloves. That's when I noticed one arm was swollen so much she looked like Popeye. ...more

February 6, 2009