Alonzo Browne was close enough to tap a burn victim's boot, but flames kept him from doing any more. Browne watched in horror as the man apparently burned to death about midnight after a series of explosions at a commercial garage near Chamberlain High School, West Busch Boulevard and North Boulevard. ...more

February 6, 2008

MVP PROFILE Nature Coast grad is taking first steps toward becoming a professional racecar driver. ...more

February 1, 2008

LAKELAND - Budwin Brace and his wife Loma divorced just days before she was found beaten to death 21 years ago inside her Lakeland home. Suspicion quickly focused on Brace, then a successful Pasco County builder. He was later convicted of forging his wife's signature on documents surrendering ownership of property they owned in common. He served more than a year in state prison. ...more

February 1, 2008

Chris Friel has spent the better part of his life dreaming about becoming a professional racecar driver. ...more

February 1, 2008

I recently dropped my Contender boat at Performance Marine in Lake Placid to investigate an oil leak coming from the port motor. Although I purchased the boat used, one of the reasons I bought it was because of the 4-stroke Yamaha motors and their reputation for reliability. The motors were out of warranty for over two years yet I called Yamaha to discuss the problem and see if there was a history associated with the bad lower seal. Jeff from Yamaha was very receptive and a real pleasure to talk to although he did not know if he would be able to help me. Jeff in turn contacted Performance Marine and discussed the problem with the mechanic, Broward. Long story short, Yamaha is sending me a new power head at no cost. That is what I call service above and beyond what is normally expected of a business entity. ...more

January 28, 2008

An article in Jan. 22 Tampa Tribune, showed our Fords of the future. They were made of plastic bottles and soy seats. How interesting, I thought. Jay Leno should pick up on that. We could be stranded out somewhere and if hungry, always eat our seats. It sounds like Bart Simpson saying "Eat my shorts." ...more

January 24, 2008

The beauty of riding in Europe is that you don't have to ship your bike overseas. Nor do you have to spend a month on MapQuest searching for the best roads. ...more

November 4, 2007

My 2-year-old has had four ear infections this past year. The most recent one lingered, even though we bombarded it with antibiotics. My pediatrician finally decided to send me to an otolaryngologist to see about getting tubes in her ears. ...more

September 6, 2007