Almost done with the holiday shopping? There's still time to enter our holiday photo contest. The contest ends at midnight Dec. 31. ...more

December 19, 2007

Be the first family to start the New Year in Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney. TBO.com is offering readers a chance to win a 4-day/3-night Walt Disney World getaway that includes a stay in the Cinderella Suite and Walt Disney World Resort. ...more

December 18, 2007

SEBRING — Going home for a turkey dinner will be a little easier for teachers and families with school children next year with the school calendar featuring the entire Thanksgiving week as a holiday. Deputy Superintendent Rodney Hollinger told the school board recently the district should consider taking the whole week off because many teachers already take the Monday and Tuesday off before Thanksgiving requiring a higher number of substitutes to be brought in. The School Board of Highlands County approved its 2008-09 student calendar Tuesday with no school for the fourth week of November. ...more

December 13, 2007

Dad may be long gone. Mom may be in jail. Their abused or neglected children, shuffled among foster homes or reunited with an errant parent for one more chance, need someone to speak for them. ...more

December 12, 2007

TAMPA - Raynell Franklin likes having a place where he can talk freely with friends who understand what he's going through. ...more

December 3, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Teachers and other school employees in Pasco could be one step closer to long-awaited raises after the Pasco County School Board meets Monday evening. ...more

December 2, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Teachers would receive pay raises averaging 4.05 percent under a tentative contract agreement reached between the Pasco County School District and the union representing school employees. ...more

November 21, 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