More Hillsborough County third-graders are reading and performing math on grade level than last year, with some schools making double-digit leaps in the percentage of children considered proficient. ...more

May 22, 2008

SEBRING — The yearly infant mortality rate for Highlands County nearly doubled from 2003 to 2006, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. In 2006, more than half of those deaths came from parents living in Avon Park, and more than half the deaths in the whole county involved blacks. The stated-funded Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties, a pregnancy and infant care program, also noted a trend where more infants were killed by accidental suffocations instead of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). ...more

May 19, 2008

TAMPA - Troopers are responding to the scene of a reported collision between a train and truck near the border of Hillsborough and Polk counties, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. ...more

May 12, 2008

When Tiffany Duffie makes out her $995 rent check each month, she tucks a little money away in the family's house fund. ...more

May 3, 2008

TAMPA -- When Tiffany Duffie makes out her $995 rent check each month, she tucks a little money away in the family's house fund. For the past year and a half, the family of four has rented a two-bedroom unit at The Pavillions at Ballast Point in south Tampa. They love the location, near MacDill Air Force Base, where her husband is stationed. They look out on mature trees from a small patio where they keep the children's bicycles and outside toys. Money is tight, and Duffie said she fears that if her rent goes up, they won't be able to save for a down payment on a home. And because of the credit crunch, she worries the family might not qualify for a mortgage. "I really want a house," she said. "I want a yard for my kids. It would be so nice to have something to call your own." As the economy weakens, more people who would have qualified for home loans a few years ago no longer do. And scores of homeowners losing their homes in foreclosure are turning to apartments. Others who could qualify for a mortgage are opting for luxury apartments instead, seeking to wait out the housing bust. The mixture is starting to heat up Tampa Bay's apartment market, which has struggled to fill thousands of units the past couple of years as renters rushed to buy homes. Anticipating increased demand, developers are shifting focus, too, from home building to apartment construction. There are 3,646 units either under construction or recently completed in Hillsborough and Polk counties, according to Triad Research & Consulting. Another 12,300 units are proposed for construction this year or next in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties, the firm said. ...more

May 2, 2008

Residents of Briar Patch, Nature's Hideaway and Trinity West plan a gathering Saturday to discuss Progress Energy's plans for high-power transmission lines, which could cut through their neighborhoods. ...more

May 1, 2008

Progress Energy Florida will hold a series of informational meetings next week to discuss the company's plan to build about 200 miles of new transmission lines in a 10-county area that includes Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. ...more

February 22, 2008

More than 180 young singers from Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando and Polk counties descend upon Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church every week to raise their voices and explore the beauty of music. ...more

February 16, 2008

It began with one woman. Now, more than 180 young singers come to Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church every week to explore the beauty of music. ...more

February 16, 2008

It began with one woman. Now, more than 180 young singers come to Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church every week to explore the beauty of music. ...more

February 16, 2008