When the Legislature voted in May 2007 to create the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, hailed the move as a "tremendous victory" for the Suncoast. TBARTA, he predicted at the time, will "have a huge impact in addressing our transportation needs." Barely 18 months later, getting TBARTA into a state in which it can do anything about the transportation problems in Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and four other counties in west-central Florida is proving a difficult task. ...more

October 18, 2008

You could tell something out of the ordinary was going on by the Sun Point Shopping Center parking lot, which was overflowing with cars. The onslaught of cars and people was because the new Big Lots officially opened at 9 a.m. Friday at 3048 College Ave. E. ...more

October 16, 2008

With Congress facing its lowest approval rating in memory, the mantra in Washington is that change is coming to Capitol Hill, and our west-central Florida representatives know it. ...more

October 16, 2008

Visionaries in the past have pictured people getting around town in their own personal helicopters or flying here and there with James Bond-style jet packs strapped to their backs. ...more

October 15, 2008

The region's transportation authority is a step closer to picking a permanent executive director. A special committee held interviews Monday and narrowed the list of applicants to three. Among the names for the job going into next week's final round of interviews is Bob Clifford, planning director for the Department of Transportation's District 7 in Tampa. ...more

October 14, 2008

Democrat Steve Donaldson is seeking to deny Republican incumbent Heather Fiorentino a second four-year term as Pasco superintendent of schools. ...more

October 11, 2008

Marsha Passmore, director of outreach for Hopewell Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, invites the community to the second annual Hopewell Lantern Ghost Walk on Oct. 31. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with music at McCall Park, Collins and Drane streets downtown. ...more

October 8, 2008

At some point, scientists and environmentalists agree, man's effort to slake his thirst often winds up hurting Mother Nature. ...more

October 7, 2008

River levels will dictate future water withdrawals. ...more

October 7, 2008