Instead of being populated with squad cars, the parking lot of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office District 4 facility was recently transformed to a festive destination with food stands, musical performances and more than 2,000 visitors. ...more

March 25, 2009

Civic activist Janey Baldwin drove home her point at Tuesday's debut of the budget and finance standing committee that the entire affair was a waste of time. ...more

March 4, 2009

The women came loaded with shoes, purses, dresses and household items. ...more

March 4, 2009

At least one of more than 14,000 special applications available for the Apple iPhone was born in Brandon. ...more

February 11, 2009

I first saw "A Chorus Line" on Broadway when I was nine years old and loved it - the music, the lyrics, the choreography. Happily, the revival now playing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is exactly as I remember and just as terrific. ...more

February 6, 2009

As America prepared for a new president to take office, Carrollwood Day School took a day last week to look back on a historical campaign. ...more

January 21, 2009

As America prepared for a new president to take office, Carrollwood Day School took a day last week to look back on a historical campaign. ...more

January 21, 2009

The bids are in for the proposed judicial center. Now it's a matter of grading them. ...more

January 18, 2009

It wasn't until Jude met Jenny that the 3-year-old autistic boy understood what happy people look like. Jenny, a green trolley car with a human face, had a furrowed brow when her wheel buckled and she got stuck on a track. But after being rescued by friends, she smiled broadly - and that's when something clicked for little Jude Baines. ...more

January 16, 2009

As America prepared for a new president to take office, Carrollwood Day School looked back on a historical campaign on Monday. The private school hosted its first political forum, the brainchild of high school humanities teacher Kenneth Grodd. He assembled a nine-member panel with seven teachers and two students who spoke about election issues before a middle and high school audience. They dissected why Barack Obama won and mistakes John McCain made during the campaign. They talked about how the environment, the economy and the Middle East affected voters' choices, and what was ahead for Republicans and Democrats in the future. "This is part of that rigorous education that we owe you," high school humanities teacher Kelly Benedetti told students at the assembly. Teachers want to go beyond a traditional high school curriculum and force them "into the world that awaits you," she said. Carrollwood Day School offers an International Baccalaureate program for all of its students, from preschool through high school. International Baccalaureate follows a global curriculum and emphasizes community service, culminating in an intensive diploma program in high school. Stephen Orbison, who coordinates the school's diploma program, moderated the political forum and said it was a great way to recap a campaign season that was "electrifying, exhilarating and polarizing." "One cannot deny the 2008 campaign has rejuvenated interest in American politics," Orbison said. ...more

January 14, 2009