No one ever lost an election or a vote in the Legislature overestimating Mike Fasano's charm. Whatever other skills the veteran lawmaker and current state senator brings to a political showdown, he packs them in a velvet glove. ...more

November 25, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - No one ever lost an election or a vote in the Legislature overestimating Mike Fasano's charm. Whatever other skills the veteran lawmaker and current state senator brings to a political showdown, he packs them in a velvet glove. ...more

November 15, 2009

The late George Carlin would have enjoyed Timothy Jay's presentation at Saint Leo University. ...more

February 28, 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 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

If you are still undecided about which presidential candidate to vote for, a helpful decision-making moment is at hand. ...more

August 23, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama has stood before a lectern adorned with a faux presidential seal. ...more

August 17, 2008

District 5 county Commissioner Jack Mariano faces fellow Republican Rich Jenkins in the Aug. 26 primary. The winner will face off with Democrat Ginny Miller in November. ...more

August 15, 2008

BRADENTON — One of Julia Earl's daughters constantly asks her grandparents where her mommy is. They tell her that mommy is sleeping. ...more

June 24, 2008

The Rev. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, arranged more than 18 months ago to visit the Rev. Forrest Pollock, the senior pastor at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. ...more

May 26, 2008