Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying Thursday that he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals. ...more

July 4, 2008

Most homeowners will net a savings of $200 to $300 on average from this fall because of Amendment 1. ...more

June 22, 2008

Parents in the Woodmont community off Gunn Highway successfully protested a planned bus stop and got the school district to change it. ...more

June 14, 2008

Tainted tomatoes highlight how Congress forfeited some food-safety opportunities in the new farm bill. ...more

June 11, 2008

Randy Goggin of New Port Richey says charge Barack Obama has a Muslim background is bogus but there are other reasons not to vote for him for president, such as his liberal voting record in the Senate. ...more

June 11, 2008

Parents in the Woodmont community off Gunn Highway successfully protested a planned bus stop and got the school district to change it. The Hillsborough County school district is eliminating stops and adjusting bus routes to make its transportation system more efficient. But some of the proposals have worried parents for their children's safety. In Woodmont, families were concerned about students having to wait at the corner of Gunn Highway and Cain Road. The walk from the Woodmont houses down Cain is narrow with drainage ditches on both sides and no sidewalks. The traffic and speed on Gunn also bothered them. John Franklin, general director of transportation, met with about a dozen parents in the neighborhood last week on the final day of school to see the route himself. Afterward, he recommended moving the stop off Gunn farther in on Cain Road. Franklin told parents in an e-mail that a safety review showed Cain Road did not have a four-foot walking path as required due to the culverts. The community instead will have two stops that do not require walking down Cain. One stop will be at Cain Road and Piney Lane Drive. A second will be at Piney Lane and Pine Bay Drive. It is a reduction from the four elementary school stops that the neighborhood had last year. Barbara Boler, the parent who brought the Gunn Highway issue to Franklin's attention, said she and others were grateful for the attention and consideration the transportation office gave their concerns. ...more

June 10, 2008

A planned federal hearing on penalties that cell phone users pay for canceling their contracts early may be expanded to include a discussion on similar fees for ending cable and Internet services ahead of schedule, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said in an interview. ...more

June 1, 2008

School board members have approved a controversial boundary change despite parents' complaints that they were not informed about the plan. However, board members did change procedure so future boundary proposals will be presented to all affected parents. ...more

April 15, 2008

The Hillsborough County Commission plans to delay consideration of four proposals that would boost development potential in Lutz, Keystone and other parts of Northwest Hillsborough County. Commissioners had been scheduled to consider on Thursday a proposal by Stephen J. Dibbs to remove more than 300 acres from the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan. The property is on the north side of Lutz-Lake Fern Road, west of Suncoast Parkway. Dibbs also has proposed boosting the development potential on 36.6 acres within the tract to allow suburban-style development. Commissioners said Wednesday that they will reschedule those requests for 6 p.m. Feb. 28 in their second-floor chambers at the Frederick B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. They also have delayed consideration on two other requested changes to the long-range plan. One would boost development potential on 58 acres on the north and south sides of Van Dyke Road, west of Gunn Highway, until next year. The other would allow the extension of public water and sewer lines into rural areas, provided specific conditions are met. Both of those requests have been delayed until next year. ...more

February 6, 2008

In a bow to political reality, President Bush's final State of the Union speech on Monday night will skip bold proposals in favor of ones the country has heard before, a modest approach for a White House that prides itself on big ideas. ...more

January 26, 2008