"I love Florida weather!" shouted Al Roker to more than 200 cheering spectators gathered in Centro Ybor this morning for a chance to meet him and get a few seconds of face time the "Today" show. Roker, in town as part of NBC's Super Bowl XLIII coverage, got a taste of Ybor City during several live reports from in front of a cigar store on Seventh Avenue. ...more

January 29, 2009

Arguments that Max Horn shot Joe Martell in self-defense have failed to persuade a judge. ...more

January 29, 2009

About 112 members of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Patel Conservatory joined in festivities at the Jan. 19 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in College Hill. ...more

January 28, 2009

NBC's "Today" is getting ready for a Super Bowl visit to Tampa that includes a special two-hour edition on Sunday morning with Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and Ann Curry live from Raymond James Stadium, and Matt Lauer at the White House. ...more

January 27, 2009

The football event of the season has been canceled. No, not the one at Raymond James Stadium. The one with scantily clad women playing tackle football at Caliente Spa and Resort, a clothing-optional community. The Lingerie Bowl has been officially canceled, Stephon McMillen, a spokesman for the Lingerie Football League, announced Sunday in an e-mail. ...more

January 26, 2009

A small ferry overloaded with holiday shoppers sank in central Vietnam on Sunday, killing at least 40 people ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year. ...more

January 26, 2009

A small ferry overloaded with holiday shoppers sank in central Vietnam on Sunday, killing at least 40 people ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year. Most of the dead were women and children. ...more

January 25, 2009

Lightning center and No. 1 overall draft pick Steven Stamkos is making the transition this season from junior star to NHL regular. Throughout the season, the 18-year-old from Markham, Ontario, will share his experiences with Tribune writer Erik Erlendsson to give readers an insight into a new way of life during his rookie journey. ...more

January 25, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama may be making the rounds in Washington, but his face lined the route of Tampa's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Monday in College Hill. Standing along the street in a new Obama T-shirt, Arthur Chester was in a good place in more ways than one. He had a good view of the festivities and of the future. "I never thought I'd ever see it," he said. "This is a dream. This is a dream that is happening for all the right reasons." All along the route, thousands stood, in some places seven or eight deep, cheering every float, every marching band and every elected official. "Everyone's excited. Everyone has come together," Anita Sturks said. ...more

January 20, 2009

CELEBRATE HIS LEGACY Celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy will be going on across the Bay area today. Tampa's parade begins at noon and wraps up at 4 p.m., with proceeds from the festivities benefitting a scholarship fund named for King. ...more

January 19, 2009