The sign on the gate in front of the blue house announced the good news to a neighborhood that has had little since Hurricane Katrina: "There's a doctor in the house. Make your appointment NOW!" ...more

January 14, 2008

AVON PARK — Sharon Buckler was waiting for her husband Wednesday morning at the Sebring VA Outreach Clinic. "The doctors here are fantastic," said Buckler, whose husband, Vietnam veteran James Buckler, was in with Dr. Andres Cordoba. "The service is great. The nurses are friendly." A year ago, a Washington Post investigation of Walter Reed Army Hospital showed peeling paint, holes in the bathrooms, mouse droppings, dead cockroaches, stained carpets and cheap mattresses. Decades ago, deservedly or not, some Veteran's Administration hospitals had terrible reputations. A quick tour of the Sebring VA Outreach Clinic showed no such problems. ...more

January 10, 2008

A committee of parents, teachers and students at Armwood High School voted unanimously Wednesday to keep a book in its media center after it was challenged by a parent who objected to an explicit passage. ...more

January 9, 2008

The job forecasts and projections for 2008 never stop coming. It seems that every futurist, economist and business analyst out there has his own take on the future. So who's right? ...more

January 6, 2008

There are big plans afoot to focus on orthopedics, neurosurgery and spine care as Mease Dunedin Hospital's celebrates its 70th anniversary with a $19 million expansion. ...more

January 5, 2008

LAKE PLACID –– Dave Alden remembers his brother-in-law, Wendell, fondly, although he was only a child when his adopted sister married. It was partly because Wendell's life was a success story but more importantly he always made time for Dave. That mentoring of honesty and setting a good example made a lifetime impact. Born in Vermont, Alden retired in 1989 as a project engineer with Kennicott Copper. He and his wife, Marie, traveled the United States and Alaska for two years before the snowbirds decided to find a warm place in Florida to land. While zigzagging across the state, they discovered Lake Placid and fell in love with this town of murals and caladiums. Dave feels that their secret to being married 48 years –– besides luck –– is that they love each other and have the same goals. Marie was the type who wanted to help people and he was brought up the same way. ...more

December 31, 2007

Comic books have long been part of Scott Sahle's life. He has read them, cherished them, collected them and - when need dictated - sold them. ...more

December 31, 2007

Twenty-five years ago, an auto salesman and a registered nurse from a Boston suburb moved to Tampa and planned to open a restaurant. ...more

December 20, 2007

Comic books have long been part of Scott Sahle's life. He has read them, cherished them, collected them and - when need dictated - sold them. ...more

December 20, 2007

A van traveling north on U.S. 19 Sunday night struck a motorcycle from behind hard enough to lodge the bike upright in its grill. ...more

December 10, 2007