In a country teeming with resources the world covets, President Bush sought on Wednesday to soothe African fears about U.S. interests on the continent. He said America is not aiming to make Africa into a base for greater military power or a proxy battleground with China. ...more

February 21, 2008

Oil prices ended the year near $96 a barrel, or 57 percent higher than where they began, and analysts expect rising demand and geopolitical instability to keep upward pressure on energy costs early in 2008. ...more

January 1, 2008

SEBRING — John C. Alleyne, a horticulturist and former university professor, traveled the world, from the Caribbean island republic of Trinidad to the world's highest mountains in Nepal, before deciding to settle in Sebring. He's finishing his second week as the new director of the Highlands County Cooperative Extension Service and says he feels lucky to be in this county, rated No. 2 among the state's 67 counties in citrus production. Alleyne won't be directly involved in helping the citrus growers, as his specialty is commercial horticulture. Citrus work, he said, is handled primarily by the extension office's citrus agent, Tim Hurner. ...more

December 17, 2007