When it set sail on its maiden voyage in 1936, the Queen Mary was the most celebrated ocean liner since the ill-fated Titanic of 1912. ...more

September 7, 2008

Bob Reina, successful businessman and animal lover, has a goal of eliminating animal euthanasia in Hillsborough County. ...more

September 5, 2008

Bob Reina, successful businessman and animal lover, has a goal of eliminating animal euthanasia in Hillsborough County. It's a tall order. The county's Animal Services euthanizes about 20,000 unwanted animals a year. But Reina says he thinks he can use video and Internet technology to tap into the public's vast reservoir of compassion and find help. On Thursday, the county commission accepted Reina's offer to use his Talk Fusion video marketing company to boost donations and volunteerism at the county's animal shelter on Falkenburg Road. ...more

September 4, 2008

Irony is a useful tool in framing perspectives. It can be mildly amusing when your dentist's name is Dr. Paine or your lawyer is Crooks, or perhaps you've heard of the plumber named Leake? ...more

November 12, 2007

Florida Board of Governors Chairwoman Carolyn Roberts is such a disarming presence that one might imagine she swayed Gov. Charlie Crist's opposition to university tuition increases with little more than one of her warm, reassuring pats on the hand and a few soothing words in her lilting Southern drawl. ...more

October 21, 2007

SEBRING — Lynn Mison's heartbreaking story of domestic abuse, which eventually led to the murder of her children by her ex-husband, captivated an audience at a domestic violence seminar Friday morning at South Florida Community College. "I wish I didn't have to tell my story, I wish it didn't happen, but it did," Mison, of Sarasota, told the crowd of more than 40 people. "I was abused during my marriage, which led to the abuse of my children after my divorce." Avi Kostner, Mison's ex-husband, was spared the death penalty by jurors after he pleaded guilty to killing his children Geri, 12, and Ryan, 10, in June 1994. ...more

October 8, 2007