Winifred and Walter J. Dean married in 1944 and soon after bought a lot in Brandon on which to build their home and raise a family. The parcel, a block north of Brandon Boulevard at Ridgewood Avenue and Morgan Street, cost $125. ...more

November 24, 2007

Just out of high school and married barely a week, 18-year-old Winifred Dean saw her husband off to war in 1944 and boarded a bus for home. While Walter J. Dean joined his World War II field artillery unit bound for Okinawa, Japan, Winifred Dean prayed for her husband's safety. ...more

November 21, 2007

THE VILLAGES - Retirees zip around in personalized golf carts from polo matches to the basket-weaving club to Wal-Mart. Days of the week are denoted by tee times. Sunset is washed down with a cold beer or margarita at outdoor happy hour. The backdrop is a town square, where a faux-rustic facade and classic oldies pumping from speakers festooned on street lamp posts make visitors wonder if Gene Kelly might emerge for an encore of "Singin' in the Rain." ...more

November 19, 2007

WCI Communities Inc., the Florida-based developer of upscale condominiums and homes, said Wednesday it will cut 21 percent of its work force as part of a restructuring spurred by the difficult housing market. ...more

November 7, 2007

A teen charged in the brutal rapes of two Zephyrhills women was denied bail Monday, despite pleas from his family. ...more

November 6, 2007

Determined residents of this retirement community packed Community Hall on Tuesday to make their case why South Bay Hospital should not be allowed to move six miles north to Big Bend Road in Riverview. ...more

October 31, 2007

SUN CITY CENTER - About 1,000 people turned out today for a public hearing on South Bay Hospital's proposal to close its operation in this retirement community and move about six miles north to a facility it wants to build on Big Bend Road in Riverview. ...more

October 30, 2007

After the storms of 2004 ravaged homes in the Tiki Village mobile home park west of U.S. 19, elderly residents decided to do something to protect their properties. ...more

October 30, 2007

Walking on a treadmill and exercising daily is routine for Harry Seckman, who has diabetes. Now the 84-year-old is working on his flexibility to help him better maintain his balance. "I don't fall down, but I stagger a lot," said Seckman, a 10-year resident of Regency Oaks retirement community in Clearwater. Regency Oaks hosted an Active Aging Expo on Sept. 20, and Seckman was among about 300 participants. The draw for him was the "Sleeping Well" workshop, because his wife isn't getting enough zzz's. ...more

October 18, 2007

Dogged by suggestions that he's too old to be president, John McCain often has said he should bring his mother to campaign stops to demonstrate his good genes. On Wednesday, he did. ...more

October 18, 2007