This letter is to address the recent termination of "Coach" Earnest Perkins. As a parent of a student-football player at Avon Park High School, I have witnessed the influence this man has had on not only my child, but his friends also. I have had a chance to be around and listen to them talk about the coach and these guys have a lot of respect for him. ...more

December 16, 2007

It's the time of year when we make favorite family dishes, and some of those are pies. Treasured recipes are passed down through generations, and it's worth it to do a crust from scratch. It might seem daunting, but pie crusts are actually very simple. The first step: believe in yourself. Making a pie crust requires a little practice and "also a large dose of an I-can-do-this attitude," said Maggie Kroboth Green, an editor of the 75th anniversary "Joy of Cooking." Many cooks use a food processor to mix the dough. It is quicker, but it's easy to overprocess if you're not careful. It's important to process just until the dough starts to form large clumps and not to process until it forms a ball. If the dough forms a ball in the processor, chances are it might turn out tough. ...more

December 12, 2007

The Springstead High junior advanced to the Nov. 2 Class 2A Finals at the Central Florida YMCA Aquatic Center in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard butterfly. ...more

November 20, 2007

What would Florida State-Florida week be without some good old-fashioned trash talk? The Noles took the early lead Monday afternoon when junior LB Geno Hayes said FSU intends to do something no one else has been able to accomplish: Shut down Gators QB Tim Tebow, considered the Heisman favorite. ...more

November 19, 2007

There is no exact way to measure how much Brandon's football program has improved the past year, but there were plenty of indications Friday night. ...more

November 17, 2007

Check back for regular scoring updates. ...more

November 17, 2007

Joanne P. McCallie knew she was in basketball country by the inordinate amount of phone calls and letters and e-mails she received. ...more

November 13, 2007

The Passing Of A Queen Charlotte Rosenberg left a mark on Plant City. She was the first queen of the Florida Strawberry Festival in 1930. And with her passing last month, Plant City loses "a part of history," says Patsy Brooks, general manager of the festival. "It's the passing of an era." ...more

November 4, 2007

In a finding sure to affect the presidential campaign, Republican voters are now skeptical of the value of free trade, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. ...more

October 7, 2007

CHARLOTTE - OK, let me have it. The Bucs are 3-1 after demolishing Carolina on Sunday and they looked totally the part of a playoff team. Before the season started, I thought they'd be 1-3 at this point. This was one I automatically wrote off as a loss. I was wrong. Let me have it. ...more

September 30, 2007