Two longtime friends of mine died last week. One was the renowned cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey. I first met him as a young reporter in Houston in the late '60s and we kept up over the years. He lobbied me to write about health issues and the importance of research. I occasionally asked him for medical advice, which he was always happy to give. A brilliant man with fingers so long he might have been a concert pianist, Dr. DeBakey invented many of the instruments now used in operating rooms and pioneered procedures that have extended human life. ...more

July 16, 2008

On June 19, my husband went into Florida Hospital Lake Placid for a routine appendectomy. The surgery went fine, but two days later he came down with shortness of breath and we soon learned he had a pulmonary embolism. The fear we all felt was unexplainable. ...more

July 3, 2008

A love for competition drives most athletes, but Rays RHP Grant Balfour would rather save it for April through October. The 30-year-old reliever longs for the day he doesn't have to come into somebody's spring training camp and win a job. ...more

February 23, 2008

The Hernando County School Board is in for a marathon day of meetings, with numerous issues up for discussion today. ...more

February 19, 2008

C.J. Huffman, 29, New Port Richey ...more

January 25, 2008

When Fire Chief J.J. Morrison returned to work a year ago, he thought his health issues were a thing of the past. ...more

January 25, 2008

When Fire Chief J.J. Morrison returned to work a year ago, he thought his health issues were a thing of the past. ...more

January 24, 2008

After Hops and later Houlihan's closed their doors at 14303 N. Dale Mabry Highway, managers at GrillSmith say they have the goods to be the location's best restaurant. ...more

January 9, 2008

There was nothing Juanita Looper couldn't teach. A former "Teacher Of The Year" for Brooksville's Eastside Elementary School, Looper, 55, was in her 30th year of teaching, after teaching every grade level. ...more

January 8, 2008

After Hops and later Houlihan's closed their doors at 14303 N. Dale Mabry Highway, managers at GrillSmith say they have the goods to be the location's best restaurant. ...more

November 24, 2007