Horticulturist offers advice on how to identify trees that might not last in the event of a hurricane. ...more

June 22, 2008

Jim Smetzer, chairman of the Blueberry Shop 'n' Stroll organizing committee, says the event went well but concerns from the public about a shortage of blueberries was welcomed. ...more

June 21, 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

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

TAMPA - Officials from Tampa and the local Catholic diocese dedicated an 80-unit apartment building today for the low income seniors who Msgr. Laurence Higgins called "forgotten people". San Lorenzo Terrace was built on 8 acres owned by the Diocese of St. Petersburg with a $6.6 million federal grant and started accepting residents in January. It is expected to be full by the end of this month. ...more

June 9, 2008

The new Memorial Drive school is nearing completion and will open in August. A traffic light will be installed at Memorial Drive and Valerie Boulevard, but I have not heard of any plans to install sidewalks in the vicinity of the new school. Sidewalks for the children who walk to the new school should be a top priority. The very minimum requirements should be sidewalks on Manatee Drive from Valerie Boulevard to Memorial, and on Memorial Drive from Valerie Boulevard to the new school. The safety of the children should have top priority. ...more

June 2, 2008

'He Was Our Hero' Thank you to all the residents of Dade City and Pasco County who participated in the recognition of our hero, Marcus Mathes. ...more

May 28, 2008

BRADENTON — Civil rights leaders are pressuring the Bradenton Police Department to end the practice of stopping walkers at night in one part of the city for not using sidewalks and for walking on the wrong side of the road. ...more

May 25, 2008