Sitting here on this New Year's Eve morning it's early for me at 7 a.m., usually I have a cup of coffee and read the newspaper from my sitting area overlooking beautiful Lake Istokpoga and watching the birds and wildlife as the beautiful sunrise illuminates the woods. We who live on this lake do so because we choose to and are willing to deal with the bugs and the low water, high taxes and all the downsides that no one has control over. Last night I went to bed at 10:30 p.m. with the noise of airboats thumping and humming past the house until late into the night and waking me at 6:15 a.m. this morning. Having friends with airboats and enjoyed them myself years ago, I understand the fun and excitement they are to a lot of people, and feel that this being a big lake can be enjoyed by all the people if we all use it responsibly. ...more

January 3, 2008

Bucs players discuss Sunday's playoff game against the Giants and other topics: ...more

January 2, 2008

As children across the country fill out their holiday wish lists, one group of high school students remembered that Christmas is also a time for giving. ...more

December 15, 2007

A car struck a Bloomingdale High School student crossing a road to get to a school bus Friday morning, and, in the excitement, the pregnant bus driver thought she was going into labor and was taken to a hospital. ...more

December 8, 2007

BRANDON - A car struck a Bloomingdale High School student crossing a road to get to a school bus this morning, resulting in the teen being taken to a hospital and the bus driver – after calling in the accident – being checked to see whether she had gone into labor. ...more

December 7, 2007

The Tampa Bay History Center has a long history of its own. At the groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the museum that will be built on Channelside, former History Center Board Chairman Tom Touchton recounted he was first recruited for the project 19 years ago. ...more

December 4, 2007

Maybe it was fatigue. Maybe it was luck. For whatever reason, a familiar theme for Saint Leo soccer postseasons continued Sunday. ...more

November 12, 2007

A lot of folks are holding their breath, hoping that a deal goes through on Harder Hall Monday. ...more

November 4, 2007

In 2002, my husband and I began investing in property in Highlands County. This county has always been a great place to "get away from it all." The fishing is fabulous, the traffic less congested and the beauty breath-taking. We were extremely excited to be able to retire early in 2006 to an area that we both love and enjoy. Our excitement quickly disappeared as we reviewed our 2006 Highlands County property tax bills. Our taxes had increased by 62 percent! If this county had adequate staff in 2005, why would a small 3 percent decrease this year (2007) be such a big deal when increases of 62 percent and higher in the prior year should have more than covered any additional staffing needs for police and fire protection? I am sick of hearing how devastating this tax rollback is for the county. What about the tax increase from 2005 to 2006 that many of us have been burdened with? What happened to those extra funds? A 3 percent rollback is peanuts compared to the previous years' increase. ...more

October 20, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Where the beginning of a swimming season is a time to regroup, and the middle is a time to enjoy the sport, the end is where champions are decided. ...more

October 12, 2007