The remnants of Tropical Storm Alma dumped rain on Honduras and Guatemala on Friday, as officials in Nicaragua and Costa Rica cleared trees from roads and repaired roofless homes. ...more

May 31, 2008

Counting every tree on public property in the city of Dunedin can be a difficult and costly task, but local parks officials want to try. City Manager Rob DiSpirito said such a tree inventory would give the city a wealth of information with which to better manage the urban forest on its land. The inventory would also improve public safety, he said. ...more

May 24, 2008

A new generation of building codes, enhanced and tweaked from the destructive experience of recent storms, is one thing disaster planners and building officials are counting on to prevent that from happening. ...more

May 23, 2008

A popular and charismatic pastor of an evangelical Baptist church dies in an airplane crash. He was flying a single-engine Piper airplane with his 13-year old son at his side. There are front-page headlines and grief throughout the community. It is a sad story. But it is a tragedy that should not have occurred. ...more

May 20, 2008

Pinellas County firefighters will head to Brevard County today to battle brush fires that have burned hundreds of acres and threatened hundreds of homes. ...more

May 12, 2008

Florida strawberry growers are still reeling from last month's freeze. Since the Jan. 3 freeze, strawberry production has dropped more than 30 percent compared with last year, costing growers and farmworkers more than $15 million, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association said Friday. Initially, industry officials projected a 10 percent to 15 percent loss. ...more

February 2, 2008

Of all the disappointed people heading home from Saturday's canceled Children's Gasparilla Parade, maybe the biggest frown was on the face of Darrell Stefany, the event's organizer. ...more

January 22, 2008

SEBRING — Homeowners at Hammock Estates, a retirement community compromising of manufactured homes, should feel more secure if another hurricane hits. A $15 million state grant program awarded most of the 112 homeowners at the 55-and-older park money of up to $3,500 worth of improvements. The work should limit any damage from high winds. Ron VanHouten spearheaded a community-wide drive to cash in on the state program and hopes that building improvements will cut homeowner insurance rates. "Not only is their house not going to blow away, it's not going to blow over and damage a neighbor's house," said VanHouten. "It gives us peace of mind if a hurricane comes and we might have to go to a shelter, but when we get back, we'll still know our house is going to be intact." ...more

January 21, 2008

With only three seconds remaining in regulation, a trip to the District 6A-7 championship game and advancement to regional postseason play was put in serious jeopardy for Countryside High Wednesday night. ...more

January 16, 2008

East Bay is a confident team entering the Class 6A-District 8 tournament beginning Tuesday at Durant. And the Indians should be. ...more

January 14, 2008