It’s my favorite time of the year. It is getting cooler and the humidity levels are dropping from somewhere around the surface of the sun to about bearable. But that’s not why it’s my favorite season. It’s because, as I drive around Plant City, I see fields being prepared for succulent strawberries. This season, I […]
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Tales from the farm
We didn’t get clear directions. “Just come down Futch Road,” Fancy Farms owner Carl Grooms told Plant City Times & Observer and In the Field Publisher Karen Berry in a phone call earlier in the week. We are in Berry’s 4Runner. In the Field Editor Sarah Holt is in the passenger seat. I’m in the […]
Continue ReadingMake positive changes
I went to Europe in the summer of 1992, and one of the places I visited was Berlin. Walking along parts of what used to be the Berlin Wall, I picked up a small piece of it as a keepsake. This concrete barrier that once split that city into east and west zones seemed permanent […]
Continue ReadingFaith Matters: Bells are ringing
School is back in session. Are you ready Plant City? As I write this, I think back to the days when my children began school. As any parent can understand, they are days of mixed emotions. I was glad to see them headed off to school after a long summer, but I also realized I […]
Continue ReadingLittle league, big heart
Dear Editor, On Aug. 1, 2015, during the second inning at the National Baseball Conference, in Kansas, a 9-year-old batboy for the Liberal Bee Jays was fatally injured by an on-deck player taking a practice swing. Neither one saw it coming. Kaiser Carlile succumbed to his injuries the following day. It quickly became world-wide news, […]
Continue ReadingThe need for transparency
Dear Editor, Recent articles regarding the funding of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce point out that funding provided to the chamber was not used for what it was originally planned and apparently only became public knowledge when the chamber was asked directly by Commissioner Mike Sparkman how it was spent. It irritates me […]
Continue ReadingWe need real communication
Until around 2008, Plant City enjoyed a strong economy. In the early 2000’s, our economy was so strong the community was able to conduct fundraising campaigns for several Plant City nonprofit organizations, which raised $2 million to $3 million each. When the national economy weakened into recession, Plant City followed suit. With area-wide support […]
Continue ReadingPlaying in the Puddles
Does your front yard resemble the Everglades? A river of grass? Are white ibis, probing for crayfish and minnows, wading through the fresh-water estuary that used to be your back lawn? Do you need to don your muck boots just to get the newspaper? Welcome to Central Florida, summer of 2015. Not since 2004 when […]
Continue ReadingTake a step back and ground yourself
When what you feel seems overwhelming, a technique called grounding may help you. Grounding involves recognizing details in your immediate surroundings that distract you from heavy emotions. Notice what pictures are on a wall or the kinds of trees growing in an area. Doing this furthers your ability to put some distance between you and […]
Continue ReadingThere’s something brewing at PCHS
The room is packed. Susan Sullivan flits from one end of the classroom to the other, greeting those who walk in. With a positive reputation from Tomlin Middle School, she is taking what she has learned as principal of TMS and amplifying it in her new role as Plant City High School’s principal. Then there’s […]
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