Erin Stawarz can easily call her parents to baby-sit or suggest toys for Christmas, but one topic remains taboo: asking them to help pay for their grandchildren's college tuition. ...more

October 5, 2008

As anyone who knows anything about K-12 education realizes, a school with an indecisive or less-than-fully competent principal soon finds itself in a bad way. Principals who don't have good assistants, especially at the high school level, will have a hard time doing their jobs. This is why the Pasco County School District is trying to lure more people into its slightly shallow pool of potential principals and assistant principals. ...more

October 1, 2008

Everyone's feeling queasy these days watching the financial markets plummet due to the sub-prime loan fiasco. Younger folks, however, at least have time on their side. Senior citizens are seeing their life savings tank with little time for a market rebound. It sends a powerful message that whatever a person has saved for retirement might not be enough, unless it's protected from market influences. For most people, that isn't the case. ...more

September 24, 2008

Here's a sobering thought that nobody seems to be raising: If we had followed the plan to privatize Social Security by investing in Wall Street securities, then this week's meltdown of our financial system would be eating up the retirement plans of millions of seniors. And the government bailout of major financials - at a discount - would have cost all Americans even more than it's costing us now. ...more

September 19, 2008

On Aug. 28, my husband, son and I attended the Sebring City Council meeting to voice our opinions on the fire assessment proposal. Our intention was to state our case as to the burden it would put on our income. ...more

August 31, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Longtime school board member Marge Whaley has endorsed Steve Donaldson, the Democrat and Gulf High School social studies teacher who is trying to unseat Superintendent Heather Fiorentino. ...more

August 30, 2008

only the Golden Boy's tantalizing matchup with Manny Pacquiao might not be his final bout after all. ...more

August 29, 2008

For the second time this year, the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will be looking for a new executive director. ...more

August 20, 2008

DADE CITY For the second time this year, the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will be looking for a new executive director. Tony Lister, who was selected to serve as the chamber's director in April, has resigned. In a resignation e-mail, Lister said he would work full time at the chamber through Aug. 27 and then on a part-time basis as needed. Lister, 37, previously was a teacher at Wesley Chapel High School. In April 2005, Lister was elected unopposed to the San Antonio city commission to fill a seat left open by the retirement of four-term Commissioner Dennis Phillips. In March, the chamber severed its ties with longtime director Phyllis Smith. Smith resigned March 12 but had agreed to stay on while a new director was selected and settled into the position. ...more

August 19, 2008

Both new and established homes in Sun City Center include estate homes, single-family houses and villas. These homes range from just over 1,000 to nearly 4,000 square feet of living space, easily meeting the needs of nearly every home buyer. ...more

August 17, 2008