Sure, Election Day 2009 will scare moderate Democrats and make passage of Obamacare more difficult. Sure, it makes it easier for resurgent Republicans to raise money and recruit candidates for 2010. But the most important effect of last week's elections is historical. It demolishes the great realignment myth of 2008. ...more

November 8, 2009

In December, J.D. Power and Associates praised WellCare Health Plans Inc. for "outstanding customer service experience" in handling customer calls about their Medicaid and Medicare benefits with WellCare. ...more

March 22, 2009

In December, J.D. Power and Associates praised WellCare Health Plans Inc. for "outstanding customer service experience" in handling customer calls about their Medicaid and Medicare benefits with WellCare. Two months later, federal regulators suspended Tampa-based WellCare from signing up new Medicare clients, citing "persistent" failures to handle customer appeals and "immediate need" calls, such as patients unable to get critical drugs entitled to them. ...more

March 20, 2009

"Irreplaceable," by Stephen Lovely (Voice, $24.95) ...more

March 8, 2009

I was a cigarette smoker for over 42 years and like most smokers, I tried just about everything to quit. Over the years I wasted a lot of money on patches, gum and pills. Desperate and feeling out of control I made a call to Jon Spiegel at the Hypnosis Center in downtown Sebring. I knew nothing about hypnosis and actually had some reservations and skepticism about it. ...more

January 23, 2009

With apologies to Francis P. Church, who was editor of the New York Sun in 1897 when "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" was first published. ...more

December 24, 2008

Fidel Castro praised Barack Obama Tuesday as smarter and less warlike than John McCain, but stopped short of endorsing either U.S. presidential candidate. ...more

November 4, 2008

A private company seeking to open a charter school for Hernando County's dropouts will come before the school board Tuesday with more detailed information and a key addition to its resume. ...more

November 2, 2008

You can see it on the faces of people you pass on the street. Something's different. Maybe it's the glow of cheeks flushed a bit less red by approaching heat exhaustion. Maybe it's the extra bounce that comes with a 2 percent drop in afternoon humidity. Maybe it's the excited grin as Floridians across the state anticipate the most wonderful time of the year: the end of the hurricane season. ...more

October 5, 2008

President Bush on Wednesday warned Americans and lawmakers reluctant to pass a $700 billion financial rescue plan that failing to act fast risks wiping out retirement savings, rising foreclosures, lost jobs, closed businesses and even "a long and painful recession." ...more

September 25, 2008