The national Amber alert program began in 1996 after the slaying of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas and has spread to all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national Amber Alert Symposium is this week in Tampa and included a candlelight vigil Tuesday. The program is designed to coordinate the efforts of law enforcement, transportation officials and the media. In the past three years, organizers said, there have been more than 50 cases in which the abductor heard about the Amber alert and released the child. ...more

October 28, 2009

Nearly all Amber Alert cases result in the child's safe return, an official with the national program said today. ...more

October 27, 2009

Department of Transportation officials said they won't try to ram through an unpopular road project against the city's wishes. ...more

March 11, 2009

City Commissioners are keeping an eye on Tallahassee as state legislators debate the $1.2 billion commuter rail deal with railroad giant CSX. The 61-mile commuter rail line linking Tampa and Orlando would have a direct effect on Dade City because dozens of additional freight trains could be rerouted directly through the town on their way to a massive new rail hub in Winter Haven. ...more

March 4, 2009

Hernando County's beleaguered mass transit system, seemingly on life support since the day it debuted due to low ridership numbers, appears to have been spared from death yet again. ...more

January 29, 2009

Repairs are expected to begin today on the southbound lanes of the 56th Street bridge, which has been closed since Thursday after workers replacing a handrail noticed the road and four of the bridge's beams had separated by an inch or two. ...more

January 26, 2009

Tampa Bay area transportation officials expect that more than 10,000 people will rent cars the week of Super Bowl XLIII. ...more

January 22, 2009

Bay area transportation officials expect more than 10,000 people will rent cars the week of Super Bowl XLIII. The Monday and Tuesday after Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 saw about 10,800 cars returned to Bay area rental agencies, meaning at least that many drivers – virtually all from outside the area – will be tooling around Tampa ahead of or just after the Feb. 1 game. Given that scenario and the fact several roads around Raymond James Stadium and in downtown Tampa will be blocked off, locals might be better off staying home. ...more

January 21, 2009

Causeway Boulevard will be closed between 78th Street and Maydell Drive tonight, Thursday and Jan. 19 to 22 to accommodate a road widening project, state Department of Transportation officials said. ...more

January 14, 2009

When Florida Department of Transportation officials chose a Colorado company early last year to build 10 railcars for its new Orlando commuter system, they knew the company was in financial trouble. ...more

January 11, 2009