A grandfather is a special gift for those of us lucky enough to be blessed with one or two. ...more

October 4, 2008

Diners got a surprise this week when Pasco County sheriff's deputies shut down the Morrison's Countryside Buffet restaurant during lunch Wednesday. ...more

September 27, 2008

Diners got a surprise this week when Pasco County sheriff's deputies shut down the Morrison's Countryside Buffet restaurant during lunch Wednesday. The restaurant at 5420 Gall Blvd. was closed for not paying rent. The landlord filed an eviction notice Aug. 8. "In a commercial eviction, the defendant is required to make a deposit for back rent to the clerk of court within five days," said Meredith Wester, attorney for the landlord. "If they fail to make a deposit, they waive all their defenses." ...more

September 26, 2008

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Heather Fiorentino, left, and Veterans Elementary School Principal Donna Busby sing at the school's dedication ceremony Wednesday. At right, Lucianna Alvarez, a member of the Veterans Elementary Super Heroes Chorus, sings with the group in the cafeteria. ...more

September 25, 2008

The Nebraska Cafeteria is the second stop on our third edition of the Tampa Underbelly Tour, during which a group of friends and I eat at as many off-the-beaten-path places as we can endure during an entire afternoon. ...more

September 17, 2008

About 250 people crowded into the cafeteria at Burns Middle School on Sept. 8 for the second in a series of seven town hall meetings Superintendent MaryEllen Elia called "open mic time." ...more

September 17, 2008

About 250 people crowded into the cafeteria at Burns Middle School on Monday for the second in a series of seven town hall meetings Superintendent MaryEllen Elia called "open mike time." ...more

September 9, 2008

Ever since John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, many have lavished praise on her decision not to have an abortion after she and her husband learned that their youngest child, Trig, would be born with Down syndrome. Do those telling Palin "attagirl" and "way to go" have any idea what challenges and struggles Trig's parents - and all of us who care for children with special needs - live with every day? Though everyone cheered the Palin family in Minnesota last week, will those people be there for that little boy and his family when their support is really needed? ...more

September 9, 2008

A Seven Springs Middle School student was arrested Friday after a search of his backpack revealed a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun with a round loaded in the chamber, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported. ...more

September 6, 2008

A Seven Springs Middle School student was arrested today after a search of his backpack revealed a loaded 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported. The 12-year-old student, facing a charge of possession of a firearm on a school campus, was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center. The gun was found when an administrative assistant saw students looking into a backpack and acting suspicious, the sheriff's office reported. The staff member asked what was in the bag, and the boy, a seventh-grader, said it was a BB gun, the report states. The boy said he brought the gun to school to show to a friend, the report states. ...more

September 5, 2008