ST. PETERSBURG - Attempted armed robberies of two different cabbies this morning left one with a bullet wound, police said. ...more

July 10, 2008

A man arrested in the hit-and-run death of a police officer was found strangled in his cell, and investigators focused Tuesday on guards at the suburban Maryland jail, which has a history of security lapses. ...more

July 2, 2008

I must confess I'm no great fan of George Will's writings, but in his column "Immigration Fuels American Innovation" (Other Views, June 26), I can see his point that the United States should relax its immigration laws to allow more educated people into this country. When Will sounds the clarion call to the world to "send us your Ph. D.s" (but keep your peasants home), it validates and reinforces my opinion. The point is brought into focus when one considers companies like Google, Yahoo and Intel, whose founders or co-founders include a Russian, a Chinese and a Hungarian Jew. ...more

June 28, 2008

Sitting and watching is not James Shields' thing. His teammates call him Big-Game James, but at this point the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander would settle for any game, big or small. ...more

June 19, 2008

TAMPA - A young man told sheriff's investigators that he helped throw a brick through a sliding-glass door, burglarized a house and stole a 12-week-old puppy – that later was abandoned, authorities said. ...more

June 13, 2008

Regarding "Congregation Weeps For Pastor, His Son" (front page, May 14): Forrest Pollock will be remembered by the greater Brandon community as a leader who inspired many and whose faith in the Lord helped to focus the church he led. But to the neighborhood to which he belonged, he will be remembered as Dawn's husband and the father to Brooke, Courtney, Preston, Hope, Blake, and Kirk. He was the neighbor at the end of the circle, who took evening walks with his wife, borrowed your shovel to do some landscaping, and drove a little too fast around the corners. He was a man who always showed interest in the lives of his neighbors and his neighbors' children. ...more

May 19, 2008

When John Callea sat down for his first cup of coffee at the Rising Sun Cafe, he knew then it was going to be the place to start his day. ...more

May 12, 2008

Newlywed owners hope to revitalize downtown Brooksville; cozy café includes new menu and longer hours. ...more

May 11, 2008

Many thanks to Progress Energy for their response in restarting our power on Sunday, April 27. We contacted them at 2:30 a.m. and had power by 4 a.m. The young man who responded to the call was very pleasant with a great attitude. A special thanks to Chris. Progress Energy needs more employees like you. ...more

May 5, 2008

It must be apparent that after 50 years of the embargo you have only succeeded in inflicting poverty and pain on several generations of the poor people of Cuba. The Castro brothers have never missed a meal, yet the vengeful attitude generated by the failure of the Bay of Pigs continued to be the core philosophy behind our economic embargo, which only punishes people born long after 1958 and the fall of the Batiste regime. Representatives Ros-Lehtnen and the Balart brothers have labored to inflict these policies, not with any real hope of bringing down the Castros, but rather due to a refusal to recognize that it is over, that Cuba would be a happier place, all 11 million of its citizens, if the revenge and punishment were abandoned. ...more

May 5, 2008