When Daisy Alvarez heard the story of a 3-year-old with eye cancer, she knew she had to help. As a member of the Leo service club, Alvarez led the group of Leos to raise $2,800 for him. Because of her hard work, she has been nominated as Leo of the Year by the Lions Club, […]
Continue ReadingOwner’s Report: The Big Job of Plant City High School Principal
If you ask any of the readers of the Plant City Times & Observer or the citizens of Plant City to name the hardest job in Plant City, I suspect that many will overlook an obvious one. This job is responsible for providing a service that many consider one of the most important in terms […]
Continue ReadingMy View: Change the way you see
The development of technology was supposed to reduce stress in our lives by allowing machines to do the work that people had to do by hand for thousands of years. Instead it seems that life has become less carefree than it used to be. Cell phones allow us to be reached at more times and […]
Continue ReadingNamaste: Yoga studio opens in Plant City
The plaza of sea-foam painted businesses nestled between the south side city staples of Walmart and Sonic are a break from suburbia and give off a beach-like, island feel to a passing car or gazing shopper. In this cluster of commerce is one new addition to Plant City: The Koa Yoga studio. The studio, owned […]
Continue ReadingOwner’s Report: What should the Bruton Memorial Library be in 2030
Nationwide, public libraries are changing. What started as buildings of books about many subjects — fiction and nonfiction — are morphing. In Plant City, Judge James Bruton and his wife, Quintilla Geer Bruton, partnered with the Plant City Women’s Club in the early 1950s to start the Bruton Memorial Library. Operating as a department of […]
Continue ReadingTeen Take: Graduation is first taste of the real world
From the time we are aware of our graduation date, our view on walking the stage is framed with shimmering high school gowns and the iconic, synchronized tossing of caps. In reality, cap tossing is not allowed, in fear that a corner of the sharply cut headwear will poke a graduate in the eye. And […]
Continue ReadingFriends in the Park getting help
There are some exciting changes happening with the Friends in the Park program to combat homelessness in Plant City. The Friends in the Park program will be transitioning to the Winter Visitor’s Center on Dort Street starting in June. This new facility will provide a more comfortable environment with climate control, bathrooms, and ample seating […]
Continue ReadingPCHS cosmetology students win state competition
At Plant City High School, the cosmetology department and special needs program mingle to create something that is a cut above. Aspiring beauticians style and care for the beauty — inside and out — of special needs students. It is this relationship that allowed cosmetology students Chloe Christie, Chloe Fuson and Emily Rosenbaum to snag […]
Continue ReadingMath exams won’t be counted in overall grades
By Jeffrey S. Solochek | Tampa Bay Times Florida school districts that planned not to count state end-of-course algebra and geometry exams as 30 percent of students’ grades turned out to be prescient. Department of Education K-12 Chancellor Herschel Lyons informed districts on Monday that the results won’t be available in time, anyway. In a […]
Continue ReadingRoadside Wildflowers
By Devon Higginbotham | Florida Native Plant Society Ordinarily, the drive from Plant City to Tallahassee is too long and boring to handle without substantial amounts of coffee. But this spring, I was delighted to find the roadside ablaze in wildflowers — enough to skip Starbucks. For years FDOT has mowed the right-of-ways along its […]
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