Loss Of Tranquility For the past few years our holidays have been ruined by pounding, loud music in the neighborhood. I've telephoned the police but was told by a deputy their hands are tied because they have no decibel meters. Apparently, Pasco County gave the decibel meters to Code Enforcement, which, by the way, closes at 5 every evening and is closed on the weekend. ...more

December 31, 2007

In recent months, state standards for pool safety have become a muddy mess. ...more

December 23, 2007

Daystar, the agency that helps the poor and homeless on property at the United Methodist Church on Lazella Street, has been found in violation of the county's zoning code. ...more

December 1, 2007

Last week, Highlands County lost a piece of its past. It was the inexorable march of time that touches each one of us living, breathing souls. But when Lonnie Curl, Robert Allen Baker and Ray T. Graddy departed from life, they took with them a part of Highlands County that was young, and in some minds –– still pristine. Curl was a former Sebring police chief. So was Baker. Graddy was a postmaster. They were all longtime county residents and had been active in public service. They helped shape the county's destiny in visible and invisible ways. They were the area's living history. Their lives also interspersed. All three graduated from Sebring High School. Graddy and Curl both received the Most Valuable Man award for their contributions to the Sebring Fire Department. ...more

November 20, 2007

Hillsborough County and Tampa could face a combined $85 million hit if voters in January approve a constitutional amendment designed to lower property taxes. ...more

November 14, 2007

The small sign with the Lakota prayer greets visitors who come to Gram's Place and wait patiently outside the red door. ...more

November 7, 2007

AVON PARK — With both major precincts counted, an unofficial count had Mayor Sharon Schuler almost 100 votes ahead of the next-highest candidate for mayor, while Avon Park Middle School teacher Al Hinson held a sizable lead in the council election Tuesday night. Schuler, with 329 votes, will likely remain mayor for another three years as she holds an insurmountable lead over former Gordon Marshall in the mayoral race. Marshall, with 223 votes, is a distant second, while Ed Dickerson had 159 votes and Gonzalo Lezama 47. Schuler said she wasn't expecting it. Truly. "Everyone has an opportunity to win," she said as she came to the supervisor of election's office to see the vote counting. "I'm very happy." Hinson, meanwhile, has 250 votes, holding a solid lead over Paul Miller's 202 backers, Michael Shirey's 177 and James Rahenkamp's 140. Hinson, reached by phone Tuesday evening, was cautiously optimistic that he would hold on to the lead. "I thought it would be close," he said. "I feel good... I guess the people went out and voted. Hopefully it's official but I am happy." ...more

November 6, 2007

Scott Miller is headed back north. New Port Richey's city manager has reportedly accepted a job as administrator of Leavenworth, Kan., a city of about 35,000 on the banks of the Missouri River, Mayor Dan Tipton said. ...more

November 6, 2007

Once, they were dream homes, with views of the golf course, a marble-floored music room, servants' quarters and a taste of the good life behind the gates of some of Tampa's most posh communities. ...more

November 3, 2007

The giant posters of two local television meteorologists have come down. On Monday, the city ruled that WTVT, Channel 13, now is in compliance with the sign code, said Curtis Lane, director of code enforcement. ...more

October 30, 2007