Less than six months after the death of one of its own, East Bay High School ensured the memory of one of its students will live on for years to come. ...more

November 12, 2008

Donned in a crown and sash and carrying a bouquet of roses, Shari Beaubien looked more like a pageant queen than a school principal. ...more

June 4, 2008

TAMPA PALMS - Donned in a crown and sash and carrying a bouquet of roses, Shari Beaubien looked more like a pageant queen than a school principal. The Chiles Elementary leader was treated to a surprise assembly Thursday so her students could wish her farewell. Beaubien, who has lead Chiles for the past seven years, is leaving to become the district's supervisor of elementary education. ...more

May 29, 2008

Eddy Arnold, 89, whose mellow baritone on songs like "Make the World Go Away" placed him among the most successful country singers, died Thursday outside Nashville days short of his 90th birthday. ...more

May 9, 2008

Spirit Of Christmas Lives On Monday evening, after enjoying a thoroughly entertaining Las Vegas-type variety show by Tony Orlando & Company (including the real Santa Claus) at the Show Palace Dinner Theater in Hudson, I met Betty Batzlaff from Zephyrhills. She was a very pretty lady, attractively dressed, with a delightfully charming personality who lit up the room with her smile and her eyes. I noticed she was almost the last person to leave the theater and offered my assistance with getting up and out of her chair. She graciously accepted and informed me that she was waiting patiently with the hope to meet Tony Orlando. She wanted to tell him all of the happiness he had brought into her life throughout the years with his music and variety shows; and, yes, she had seen his show in Las Vegas years before. ...more

December 30, 2007

Nov. 15, 1997 was a special day our family will long remember. With the words, "I do," our youngest daughter and the love of her life became man and wife –– a brand new family of two ready to step out on their own. At the reception, the groom danced with his mother to the song she requested. It was "I'll Be Home for Christmas." His birthday is Dec. 24. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Photos of the day can still be found throughout our home nearly 10 years after the event. They now share space with photos of the two children who eventually made them a family of four. As our daughter and son-in-law prepare to celebrate their 10th Anniversary, we find ourselves naturally thinking back on their wedding day. We recall dancing together to "New York! New York!" and Bill dancing with Lyn's Mom to "Chicago, My Kind of Town." Ah, yes, all wonderful memories to treasure. And then, there's the memory of a somewhat unusual incident that's lasted in a most unique way. Minutes before our daughter was to toss her cascading bouquet of roses and ivy into the eager arms of one of her bridesmaids, Lyn retrieved a small scissors from her purse. She quietly proceeded to snip off many long strands of the green ivy. The bride, her grandmother, and father looked on in wonder. Lyn merely said, "Trust me." ...more

November 2, 2007