Yesterday I went to a store to make our annual Christmas card from a photo of my daughter. It is very easy to do and there are dozens of choices for a card background, but to my surprise, none are actually Christian. It struck me as odd that they are making a profit off of Christmas but excluding the Christian aspect of it. Oh, there were Santas and snowmen, snowflakes, poinsettias and such. There was Hanukkah and other religions represented but no manger scenes, no angels, no Virgin Mary and no Jesus. ...more

December 15, 2009

The red-hot housing market has gone so cold, State Rep. Denise Grimsley has introduced a House bill to impose a three-year moratorium on impact fees. ...more

March 12, 2009

The Santa who every December would visit our county commissioners, Richard Conover passed away this December. Our Christmas card greeting card sent to Richard at the nursing home in Clewiston was returned, marked "Deceased." A phone call verified the sad notation. This gregarious, fun loving, sometimes serious personality that so marked Richard is gone, but the many little jokes and jabs, directed mainly at our county commissioners, will linger on as we recall them. Many of us will miss getting an unexpected birthday greeting card from Richard, accompanied with a line or two, kidding (with kindness,) the fact that we are one year older. Why Richard's family decided not to have a memorial service to honor Richard's time amongst us remains a mystery. We hope that this little notice will remind people of this big bear of a man, whose gruff demeanor sometimes masked his "soft" side. ...more

January 10, 2009

Jon Gruden has been there. With the Bucs counting on help from a Philadelphia team that could take the field having already been eliminated from playoff contention, Gruden expects the Eagles to go all-out late Sunday afternoon against the Cowboys. ...more

December 25, 2008

"Fabulous." "Amazing." Herb Somers often hears those words as people stop in front of his home at 5303 Lakewood Road, about two miles south from Hammock Road, and view his Christmas lights display. ...more

December 24, 2008

IRA KAUFMAN'S POWER RANKINGS 1. Titans. No Haynesworth, no Vanden Bosch, no problem. ...more

December 23, 2008

Barbara Cominoli found several ways to cut back on spending for the holidays during the recession. She scaled back her Christmas card list to save money on stamps. ...more

December 17, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Getting into the holiday spirit is simple at the Upper Tampa Bay Park. ...more

December 9, 2008

Some Brandon residents would like one of the area's newest public schools to be named in honor of one of its oldest residents. ...more

September 17, 2008

Former Hillsborough County middle school teacher Stephanie Ragusa sent a text message to the boy to say she was freaking out because the Hillsborough County School District's office of professional standards kept calling her. ...more

August 8, 2008