Several weeks ago, a Chinese businessman finally succeeded in having one of China's largest cities put budget plans online for more than 100 city departments. He had fought for years to compel city governments to publicly disclose their budgets. ...more

March 14, 2010

It was a day of posturing and zingers in the U.S. Senate race Wednesday, as GOP primary opponents Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio each sought to portray himself as the job-saving, limited government advocate and his opponent as the big spender. ...more

March 10, 2010

Class-size limits and school funding top the Highlands County School district's legislative priorities, which school board members and Superintendent Wally Cox will stress in the next few weeks during trips to the state Capitol. ...more

March 5, 2010

LAND O' LAKES - As full compliance with Florida's class-size amendment looms this fall, Pasco County school district officials are hoping the state Legislature can help them avoid the staffing and financial turmoil they see as almost inevitable. ...more

March 3, 2010

Not too long ago, Florida schools ranked at the bottom of the national barrel, known for being overcrowded and underfunded. Elected leaders were shortchanging parents, children and teachers and failing to invest in our state's long-term economic prosperity, which depends on a highly skilled and educated workforce. ...more

February 12, 2010

Local schools are holding their own in keeping class sizes small. All of the Hillsborough County School District's schools fall under the class-size limits set by the constitutional amendment passed in 2002. Right now, those numbers are calculated using school averages. ...more

February 8, 2010

Florida property taxes dropped by $2.28 billion, or 7.5 percent, over the past three years because of tax-cutting measures approved by the Legislature and voters, as well as falling real estate values, according to figures presented to a legislative panel this week. ...more

February 6, 2010

Every traditional Hillsborough County school falls under the class-size limits set by a 2002 amendment, but those limits will get more restrictive in August. ...more

February 5, 2010

Gov. Charlie Crist said this morning he'll ask the Florida Legislature to spend 2.6 percent more for every public school student in the state next year and use some of the money to boost pay for teachers who obtain national board certification. ...more

January 25, 2010

In the matter of Falcon Heene, the 6-year-old boy who stashed himself - or was stashed by his parents - in the attic while a frantic world thought he was adrift in a homemade balloon, let us stipulate a few things: ...more

October 23, 2009