On several occasions, while volunteering at the church service centers in Avon Park, I would ask some seemingly able bodied aid recipients the reason why they were not working. Quite often, the answer given was a lack of transportation to get to and from work on a regular and dependable basis. At first I questioned that response but, upon reflection, I concluded that the lack of public transportation in the Avon Park-Sebring area is more than just an inconvenience; it is definitely a real hardship for many of our constituents. In fact last month, while traveling along Memorial Drive I stopped to pick up a walker and asked him where he was heading. He said "Homer's Restaurant." He informed me that earlier that morning he had been called to come in to work on his day off, and to start working by 8 a.m. Unfortunately, due to a lack of transportation, he had started walking the six mile distance to Homer's and had managed to reach that point at approximately 8:45 a.m. After dropping him off at the restaurant, he proceeded to thank me and rushed off to his job. ...more

February 16, 2008

Web sites operated by numerous states to help consumers compare pharmacy prices for prescription drugs often have missing and sometimes outdated or inaccurate information, a nonpartisan health research group has found. ...more

February 14, 2008

Obama Wins Big In South Carolina This Section, Page 6 ...more

January 27, 2008

As a registered nurse that has had her eyes opened wide of late to how broken our medical profession is, I just wanted to share this little tidbit. ...more

January 20, 2008

Early voting begins Monday. Find out where the presidential candidates stand on issues crucial to the nation's future. Their takes on Iraq, the economy, health care and more are on a page you can take with you whether you vote early or on Jan. 29. ...more

January 13, 2008

PROPERTY TAX PRIMER What's at stake - and who wins and who loses - in the property tax amendment voters will decide Jan. 29? We untangle it for you. ...more

January 12, 2008

TAMPA - Floridians' personal incomes rose slightly faster than the national average in the third quarter of this year. ...more

December 19, 2007

Patrick Lynn Whaley, who knows he has HIV, agreed Tuesday to engage in a sexual activity for $200, Hillsborough County deputies say. ...more

December 19, 2007

These days, lots of important decisions about your life are being made in Tallahassee. How much property tax you will pay, what kind of insurance you can buy, whether public education and health care will be funded adequately. Increasingly, however, these decisions are being made in private, without the scrutiny of the public and the media. ...more

November 24, 2007

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, served in the Iowa Legislature for 15 years before being elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and the U.S. Senate in 1980. A Baptist, his areas of focus are integrity of the charitable sector, alternative fuels, health care and agriculture. His work in bringing to light issues of concern has resulted in nonprofit groups undertaking significant reforms. Some of those organizations include the Nature Conservancy, the American Red Cross, United Way, and the Smithsonian Institution. ...more

November 6, 2007