Maureen Lafferty is anti-fur. Anti-fur in her tub. Anti-fur on her towels. And anti-fur in the drain. ...more

January 1, 2008

Drive through any subdivision and the sea of "for sale" signs swims across your vision like a row of landlocked vessels. ...more

December 24, 2007

Cold, hard, cash has always been "legal tender for all debts public and private" in the U.S.A. It says so right on the face of every dollar bill. That means it's accepted everywhere, right? Wrong. Next time you want to rent a car, don't offer to pay cash. It will probably be refused. Recently, I reserved a car with a major nationwide rental company, via the Internet. But when my husband and I went to pick up the vehicle, the local office of that company insisted we present a major credit card, which we did not have in hand at the time. Then they even refused cash on the barrelhead as an alternative. We use only debit cards; it keeps us from spending money we don't have. With virtually every other business in town, that makes us the very best, most-preferred, kind of customers, but not at this establishment. ...more

December 23, 2007

With Christmas approaching fast, the next couple of weeks will bring the seasonal decorations and sights that shine every year. Among the green and red lights, the eggnog and the menorah, another seasonal spectacle will emerge. ...more

December 22, 2007

AVON PARK — Memorial Elementary School is scheduled to open for classes in August, but first the school district has to resolve water/sewer service issues for the school. The School Board of Highlands County and the city of Avon Park are at a stalemate over water reclamation piping. Avon Park wants the school district to pay about $180,000 for the installation of more than 9,000 feet of "purple pipe" to transport reclaimed water. It is quite possible the school district would spend that money not knowing when the reclaimed water would be available to the school site, according to a letter the school board approved Tuesday to send to the city of Avon Park. It is likely to be three to five years before any reclaimed water is available for irrigation use at the school. "The school board is being asked to completely fund the master infrastructure required for this area," the letter states. ...more

November 24, 2007

The $23 billion water bill that President Bush tried to kill is plump with pork, but it's not the fiscal disaster he claims. More importantly, it funds projects of critical importance to Florida and other parts of the nation. ...more

November 10, 2007

a Sunday ritual - while growing up in Hudson, then trading their finds for cash. ...more

November 5, 2007

Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani quarreled over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each claiming greater commitment than the other in a debate in the nation's struggling manufacturing heartland. ...more

October 10, 2007

In the late 1940s, my friends and I did all kinds of jobs to earn spending money. We were between 9 and 12 and didn't get allowances. These were still hard times, and many families had to struggle to make ends meet. ...more

October 9, 2007

Investing in depressed employees can cut absenteeism while improving workers' health, a study suggests. ...more

September 26, 2007