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 ReadingOwner’s Report
Owner’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 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 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 […]
Continue ReadingOWNER’S REPORT: City manager provides sneak peek at luncheon
In a country founded on the premise of federalism, the organizational effectiveness and fiscal health of all levels of government are vital. Under federalism, the United States has three levels of government: national, state and local. Unlike many countries, we divide the important public functions among these levels, so each level can better focus on […]
Continue ReadingOWNER’S NOTE: Watch those signs, know your fines
By Felix Haynes | Founding Publisher What’s the biggest safety risk you take when you drive a motor vehicle? Texting or talking on your cell phone while driving? Could be, especially if you’re like me. Before I bought a car with a hands-free calling feature, I used to dial and talk on my cell phone while […]
Continue ReadingPUBLISHER’S NOTE: The walls to economic development
By Felix Haynes | Publisher Our country, and Plant City, have been mired for four years in the longest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Whether you look at economic charts or you drive around Plant City and see all the vacant buildings and storefronts, our economy is hurting. The questions on everyone’s […]
Continue ReadingPUBLISHER’S NOTE: Report to the community
On July 4, a new community newspaper was born in Plant City. Dedicated to sinking deep, local roots here, we opened with a high level of community excitement and interest. Since then, we have published nine weekly editions, and the emotional support from the community has only gotten stronger. Ninety-nine percent of opinions expressed to […]
Continue ReadingPUBLISHER’S NOTE: Who gets the credit?
By Felix Haynes | Publisher A high percentage of Plant City’s businesses are small businesses, started by one or more entrepreneurs and providing jobs to their fellow citizens. President Barack Obama recently called into question who should get the credit for all our small businesses. “If you own a business, you didn’t do that,” he […]
Continue ReadingPUBLISHER’S NOTE: Observer returns hometown news to Plant City
By Felix Haynes | Publisher Surely, some Plant City residents will think: Why would anyone want to start a new weekly newspaper in Plant City? Newspapers are dying, or so the conventional wisdom goes. The answer, friends, is our passion for Plant City and this community we love. We believe this community is special. We […]
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