In the classic Bill Murray military comedy "Stripes," Murray's character, John Winger, gets dumped by his girlfriend, who said she needs someone who will grow with her. "Talk about massive potential for growth!!" Winger, a committed and newly jobless slacker, shouts as the girlfriend walks out of his life for good. We flashed back to that scene when we read the comments John Hagen offered after being named the president of the Pasco Economic Development Council. ...more

November 25, 2009

The new year brings hopes and challenges. Locally, people and businesses in South and Central Tampa have expectations and goals for their neighborhoods. Here are a few of them: ...more

January 7, 2009

"The Man Who Invented Christmas," by Les Standiford (Crown, $19.95) ...more

December 21, 2008

With white lights twinkling, Santa Claus and his reindeer float away the holidays on Lake Roberta. Off and on for nearly half a century, the jolly elf has been a buoyant presence from Thanksgiving into the new year. ...more

December 8, 2008

The holidays are a time of good cheer ... but with the good, you can always find some bad. And that includes bad holiday fashion. ...more

December 7, 2008

A paper being published Friday in a British medical journal concludes that happiness is contagious - and that people pass on their good cheer even to total strangers. ...more

December 5, 2008

Here's how to avoid common holiday fashion don'ts. ...more

December 3, 2008

It was supposed to be a winter wonderland. When Beach Park's Howard Hilton was planning the Great Tampa Snow Show, he envisioned smiling kids, Santa Claus spreading good cheer, frolicking reindeer and lots of snow. A giant Christmas tree would hulk over the festivities, and there would be a massive, five-story ski slope. ...more

August 28, 2008

Tourist spots are up and running, but plenty of work remains before the Big Easy can loosen Katrina's grasp. ...more

June 21, 2008

This may be the best time to go to New Orleans. Tourist crowds are down, but spirits seem way up ...more

May 23, 2008