With only 10 days left until Christmas, some Tampa Bay area charities are scrambling to meet the needs of more people asking for help in a struggling economy. And donations aren't keeping pace. ...more

December 16, 2009

City Manager Billy Poe announced late Tuesday that he hired Mike Sherman, a planner from Tallahassee, as the city's new community development director. ...more

December 16, 2009

There I was, sitting at my workstation, minding my own business, when it hit me like a runaway train: a barrage of e-mails, phone calls, press releases, news stories, Facebook posts, blog entries, text messages and Twitter tweets, all revolving around the rally for mass transit improvements in Hillsborough County and beyond. ...more

December 16, 2009

Working as curriculum coordinator for 20 years in Indonesia, Rolande Poulin found one of the ways to bond with fellow Americans was to play softball. ...more

December 16, 2009

Saying the Tampa Bay area has made "substantial progress" in reducing its groundwater withdrawals over recent months, the Southwest Florida Water Management District eased water restrictions Tuesday. ...more

December 16, 2009

The Academy of the Holy Names celebrated its annual Community Service Day on Nov. 18. There were 498 pupils who committed their time to benefit those less fortunate in 16 locations throughout the Tampa Bay area. ...more

December 16, 2009

Things To Do lists interesting upcoming events. For more Tampa Bay area happenings, see this week's Friday Extra. ...more

December 16, 2009

Friday night's Class 5A state championship meeting with the Plant Panthers is more than just a game for Manatee High School senior quarterback Brion Carnes, writes Joey Johnston. ...more

December 15, 2009

It was a great story, seemingly headed for a very happy ending. But the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four, headed to Tampa this week, must go on without Stanford University's 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker Janet Okogbaa. At Berkeley Prep, she became one of the most decorated prep players in Hillsborough County history. ...more

December 14, 2009

The issue: Union fundraiser spends 85 percent of collections on salaries and other expenses. Our opinion: A disgraceful practice that unions should cease and lawmakers should investigate. ...more

December 13, 2009