Roger Edward Mitchell, 72, died April 7, 2015, in Plant City. Mr. Mitchell was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and moved to Plant City in 2002 to retire. He served 22 years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO4). After serving in the Navy, he worked for Lockheed Martin as a […]
Continue ReadingObituary: TJ Kimbrough
TJ Kimbrough Jr., 28, died April 7, 2015, in Tampa. Mr. Kimbrough’s passion in life was cars, but his main love was his daughter. He is survived by daughter, Schuyler Alma Kimbrough; mother, Penny Mendoza (George); dad, David Rhew; father, Troy Kimbrough; brother, Kevin Kimbrough; sisters, Jenny Foreman, Angelina Mendoza and Tiffany Fuller; grandparents, Linda […]
Continue ReadingObituary: Genevieve Leitner
Genevieve Stinson “Jenny” Leitner, 89, of Plant City, died April 7, 2015. She was born in South Carolina in 1925, and moved to Plant City in 1944. She was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Plant City and the Plant City Woman’s Club, and an active volunteer with the Florida Strawberry Festival. She […]
Continue ReadingObituary: Daniel P. McRae
Daniel Patrick McRae, 59, of Plant City, died April 8, 2015, after a long, painful battle with cancer, which he fought with much courage. He loved his family and enjoyed playing the keyboard, doing genealogy research and making good desserts, especially for his kids. For many years, he worked for Eckerd’s in Plant City and […]
Continue ReadingObituary: Melba ‘Juanita’ Norman
Melba “Juanita” Norman, known by many as “MeMa” or “Aunt Nite,” 90, of Lithia, died April 10, 2015. She was a life-long resident of Lithia and active member of Welcome Baptist Church. She is survived by daughter, Pearl Aspenwall; grandchildren, Keith Williams (Debbi) and Vickie Williams Gorney (Paul); three great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces […]
Continue ReadingObituary: James ‘Nimp’ Whittley
James J. “Nimp” Whittley, 69, of Plant City, and formerly of Lakeland, died March 29, 2015. He was born, reared and educated in Lakeland. He moved to Rochester, New York, in the early 70s, and lived and worked there for over a decade. In the early 80s, Mr. Whittley moved back to Florida and established […]
Continue ReadingLithia man killed in crash
Brian Manning, 44, of Lithia, died April 13, after driving off the roadway in his 2015 Chevrolet Corvette. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, at about 7 p.m., Manning was driving westbound on Channing Park Road, a residential, undivided roadway in Lithia. He was traveling at 80 miles per hour. He drove left of center, […]
Continue ReadingBroken-Hearted
Paul Hetrick spent the summer of 2009 outside in the relentless Florida sun, with a paintbrush in his hand and a community-driven motivation in his heart. He had been asked to produce a mural that would bring life to an ordinary wall in downtown Plant City. This week, Hetrick returned to the 14-by-70-foot work of […]
Continue ReadingPCHS grads launch business to end poverty
Fueled by their goal to help families around the world escape the poverty cycle, two young residents of Plant City have already enacted a plan to provide necessities for mothers and their children. The students’ ability to add the positions of CSO and CEO to their resumes is just an added bonus. Last semester, Bijen […]
Continue ReadingMathis Wins
It was the first time since 2008 that two candidates ran for the same seat on the city commission, and incumbent Mary Thomas Mathis was able to hold on to it. According to the most recent numbers available at press time, Mathis won 1,062 votes (71.71%), and the defeated candidate, Hasani Jackson, won 419 votes […]
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