Editor’s note: This letter was sent to local and state political leaders, including Plant City Mayor Mary Thomas Mathis, Vice Mayor Rick Lott, city commissioners Bill Dodson, Billy Keel and Mike Sparkman, City Manager Greg Horwedel, City Attorney Kenneth Buchman, City Clerk Kerri Miller, Director of Planning and Zoning Mark Hudson, Florida state Rep. Dan […]
Continue ReadingMY VIEW: Mislabeling a tragedy won’t bring solution
During the past month or so, I unashamedly admit that I stayed glued to the television, watching the George Zimmerman trial unfold. In doing so, I had the ability to record the trial and play back only what happened in the courtroom. I found the trial to be tragic, sometimes outrageous and extremely fascinating. The […]
Continue ReadingLETTER TO THE EDITOR: Education needs restructuring
Dear Editor: How is it, that with all the tax dollars allotted to educating our youth in America, we only rate in the middle of the world’s standings? The United States spends more money on education than any other country in the world, yet we still get these less-than-expected results. The answer is waste, fraud, […]
Continue ReadingLESSONS FROM THE FIELD: Are you prepared for these storms?
As my family and I begin to settle into the normal flow of being back home, we now have to make sure that we are prepared for the Florida stormy season. The unexpected rain showers may only last a few minutes, but, if you are caught out in them, you would think you were standing […]
Continue ReadingMY VIEW: Dennis Ross: Remove Eric Holder from office
I urge President Barack Obama to remove Eric Holder from his position as Attorney General. The Department of Justice has forced journalists to hand over its records and has allowed broad seizure of phone records of all Verizon customers. And we’re now reading reports of the Department of Justice allowing the National Security Agency to […]
Continue ReadingOWNER’S REPORT: Remember: They work for us
One of the many rights that America recognizes and protects for its citizens is the right to elect those who govern us. As we speak, Americans have chosen a government in Washington, D.C., that believes in the great importance of government and government programs in our daily lives; in using the power of government to […]
Continue ReadingLETTER TO THE EDITOR: Flat tax would restore prosperity
Dear Editor: One of the latest of the numerous scandals of the present administration is the IRS targeting law-abiding conservatives and Christians. And remember everyone: This is the same organization that is going to control your health care! What a joke! There is no doubt that this is deplorable behavior and should have dire consequences […]
Continue ReadingLIFE LESSONS FROM THE FIELD: What color will you contribute?
Have you ever looked at a stained-glassed window? Why? What is the appeal? To the regular eye, it is just a bunch of colored pieces of glass stuck together with glue. Nothing special … or is it? It is often not the colors that draw us in but rather the picture created from these kaleidoscopes […]
Continue ReadingPAST & PRESENCE: Examining Plant City’s black heritage
A historical marker was dedicated to the Bealsville community May 13, sponsored by the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council. Bealsville was founded by freed slaves in 1865, after the end of the Civil War. Let’s take a look at two significant black communities in the Plant City area. We have recently come across a 2005 […]
Continue ReadingOWNER’S NOTE: ‘Buy local’ column misses the forest for the trees
In a recent column in Townhall Magazine, Managing Editor Elisabeth Meinecke published a column, titled, “Does Buying Local Hurt the Poor?” In it, she analyzed current proposals for the federal government’s dispensing of food aid to the poor who shop at roadside farmer’s markets. For the record, I agree with the 24,000 Facebook Likes Meinecke […]
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