Area food banks say they have never seen the local economy so bad and the need for emergency donations of food so great. ...more

November 14, 2009

Locals who wax nostalgic about a department store that stood on State Road 60 for close to 50 years will be charmed by a new holiday ornament that depicts in 24-karat gold-plated a longtime landmark that closed in 2000. ...more

November 4, 2009

Each month, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 139 sends 25 CARE boxes to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Legion, SAL and Auxiliary Post 139 pack and prepare the boxes and pay the postage. All supplies are donated by members of American Legion, Auxiliary, senior ladies groups and through private donations. ...more

September 2, 2009

Days before Gov. Sarah Palin is scheduled to leave office, the former vice presidential candidate is facing yet another legal distraction: An independent investigator found evidence she may have violated ethics laws by trading on her position as she sought money for lawyer fees. ...more

July 22, 2009

As of 7:30 a.m. today, Hillsborough County's jails housed 3,479 inmates, up to 70 percent of them arrested for drug or drug-related crimes, said sheriff's Col. Gary Terry. ...more

March 24, 2009

Nature's Classroom was rededicated the other day to mark the completion of a $4 million renovation of the environmental education center on the banks of the Hillsborough River. ...more

March 16, 2009

President Barack Obama said today he is allowing federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells because "medical miracles do not happen simply by accident," and promised his administration would make up for the ground lost under his predecessor. ...more

March 9, 2009

The Meals on Wheels of Lake Placid received a cash infusion Monday when Harold Owen, District 8 director with the Glades Electric Roundup Trust, turned over a $3,500 check for its food grant program. ...more

March 4, 2009

There are about 1,500 active players in the National Football League. According to the organization Gridiron Greats, approximately 15 of them responded with money late in the regular season during a fundraising day for retired players battling medical and financial issues. The retirees took their case to the public Thursday at a news conference in the Super Bowl media center. ...more

January 30, 2009

The University of South Florida will seek approval Thursday from the state Board of Governors to develop a pharmacy degree program. Given the state's financial woes - USF has already had to cut its budget by about 15 percent in the last year - this may seem a bad time for the university to be adding programs. ...more

January 28, 2009