AVON PARK — Sharon Buckler was waiting for her husband Wednesday morning at the Sebring VA Outreach Clinic. "The doctors here are fantastic," said Buckler, whose husband, Vietnam veteran James Buckler, was in with Dr. Andres Cordoba. "The service is great. The nurses are friendly." A year ago, a Washington Post investigation of Walter Reed Army Hospital showed peeling paint, holes in the bathrooms, mouse droppings, dead cockroaches, stained carpets and cheap mattresses. Decades ago, deservedly or not, some Veteran's Administration hospitals had terrible reputations. A quick tour of the Sebring VA Outreach Clinic showed no such problems. ...more

January 10, 2008

Hernando County residents continue to increase their demands for emergency workers. Calls for service to city and county first responders went up as much as 20 percent during the year, though the spike is considerably less than 2006's. ...more

January 5, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Watching firefighters shoot water through the flaming roof of his house wasn't how Tony Short wanted to spend Wednesday afternoon. ...more

January 3, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Watching firefighters shoot water through the flaming roof of his house wasn't how Tony Short wanted to spend Wednesday afternoon. ...more

January 3, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Watching firefighters shoot water through the flaming roof of his house wasn't how Tony Short wanted to spend Wednesday afternoon. ...more

January 2, 2008

AVON PARK — The sales office of a new housing subdivision was heavily damaged early Sunday, and the State Fire Marshall declared it the second arson in three days for the Avon Park area. The fire at 1200 S. Florida Ave. comes just two days after a Friday morning blaze that struck the New Life Ministries at 25 S. Verona Ave. ...more

December 31, 2007

AVON PARK — The sales office for Water's Edge at Lake Anoka was heavily damaged early Sunday, and the State Fire Marshall declared it the second arson in three days for the Avon Park area. The fire at 1200 S. Florida Avenue comes two days after a Friday morning blaze that struck the New Life Ministries at 25 S. Verona Ave. ...more

December 30, 2007

A fire displaced a mother and her two young daughters from their mobile home Monday morning. ...more

December 11, 2007

A Delaware City fire official says a 43-foot lobster boat heading to Miami for the winter caught fire in the Delaware River, but the two people on board were able to escape unharmed on a dinghy. ...more

November 26, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - They found his body Tuesday morning, next to a Dumpster behind the Genesis School, as parents dropped their children off at the private elementary. The man's belongings were stuffed in an old backpack. His clothes were soiled. ...more

November 21, 2007