The development of a new Hess gas station at the corner of State Road 54 and Eiland Boulevard has stalled while county officials wait for the builder to provide a traffic study. ...more

June 2, 2008

Sales tax holidays for hurricane preparation are no more this season. With money in short supply, the Legislature did not renew the tax relief on hurricane supplies that Floridians enjoyed for three years. ...more

May 29, 2008

Another week, another rumbling train of tornadoes that obliterates entire city blocks, smashing homes to their foundations and killing people even as they cower in their basements. ...more

May 28, 2008

Children who have never eaten at a restaurant, visited a zoo or ridden a Ferris wheel are missing popular life experiences. ...more

May 28, 2008

NEW TAMPA - Children who have never eaten at a restaurant, visited a zoo or ridden a Ferris wheel are missing popular life experiences. Their chances for high scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test also might be harmed. The state released the latest round of FCAT test results, the third-grade reading and mathematics scores. While most schools saw gains, some still lagged behind county and state averages. Many of those schools serve students who are unable to afford experiences such as visiting a fair or zoo. ...more

May 22, 2008

The most frequent question mothers pose to the founders of baby newsbits.com is where to find a good babysitter. ...more

May 7, 2008

Cinco de Mayo. Around here it's less a holiday than an excuse to stretch a long weekend through Monday. It's another reason to fire up the grill and sit outside in the prequel to another Florida summer. ...more

May 5, 2008

I thought I was going to need oxygen the last time I went to the grocery store and the cashier announced my final total. Suddenly, all of those news stories about rising food prices hit home. ...more

May 2, 2008

WASHINGTON - President Bush acknowledged that the economy is weakening, but expressed hope that tax rebates that start going out on Monday should help shore things up. ...more

April 25, 2008

DUNDEE - Investigators have identified the man killed by a Dundee police officer in the parking lot of a grocery store late Thursday night, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported. ...more

April 11, 2008