Ed Kaberna tells a story of a guy- he assumes it was a guy - who backed his truck up to a pay phone in Manatee County, wrapped the phone in heavy chains, and pulled the whole thing out of the ground, 4-inch concrete foundation and all, for a couple hundred dollars in quarters, nickels and dimes. ...more

August 4, 2008

THE WACKNESS *½ Like "Definitely, Maybe" from earlier this year, the coming-of-age dramedy "The Wackness" asks us to dig deep within our nostalgia wells and reminisce about the mid-1990s. ...more

July 31, 2008

Plant City police contributed in a multi-agency investigation that last week broke up a drug ring that stretched as far as Texas and Mexico and led to multiple arrests, including several in the Plant City area. ...more

July 30, 2008

Tucked in a corner at the Deschutes Brewery, barrels that once aged fine wines and whiskeys are nurturing beverages that are challenging drinkers to think of beer more like wine. ...more

July 29, 2008

Home prices are in free fall. Unemployment is rising. Consumer confidence is plumbing depths not seen since 1980. When will it all end? ...more

July 22, 2008

On any given night, music lovers leaving the St. Pete Times Forum seem to continue the party on the way to their cars. ...more

July 2, 2008

It is only good manners, before delivering a collective atomic elbow to America's top female golfers, to acknowledge their playing field has drastically changed. Unlike years leading up to the mid 1990s, no longer is the LPGA a red, white and blue intramural league. More so than even its male counterpart, the women's pro tour has gone global. ...more

June 26, 2008

Who knew that kiddie flag football could become big business? I9 Sports, a Brandon youth sports company dreamed up by a 39-year-old sports fanatic, has grown to 115 franchises in 28 states. On Saturdays, from Florida to Hawaii, franchisees erect canopies with the i9 Sports logo on city and church sports fields. They hold flag football, soccer, cheerleading and other contests for thousands of youngsters. ...more

June 25, 2008

WINTER HAVEN – Polk County sheriff's deputies hope new information will help them find the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a woman in a wheelchair last week. They tentatively have identified the car as a light blue or silver early to mid-1990s Toyota Corolla or Camry. ...more

June 11, 2008

The Tampa City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on purchasing a new police radio system. The acquisition is long overdue. ...more

June 4, 2008