Paul Gordon pleaded guilty to organized fraud and was ordered by Judge Chet Tharpe to pay his victims nearly $40,000 in restitution. An 8 On Your Side investigation that began in late 2006 discovered a pattern in which Gordon falsely represented himself to customers on both sides of the bay as a licensed and insured contractor. ...more

December 19, 2009

The Plant High football team won its third state title in four years Friday night, beating Bradenton Manatee, 21-14, at Orlando's Citrus Bowl to cap a 13-1 season. One year after winning the Class 4A crown, the Panthers closed with 13 consecutive victories in bringing the 5A trophy to South Tampa. Plant led 21-0 at halftime, then held off Manatee's rally to become the first Hillsborough County football program to win three state championships in the playoff era. ...more

December 19, 2009

Funeral services will be held Tuesday for H. Doyle Harvill, former editor and publisher of The Tampa Tribune, who died of cancer Thursday. ...more

December 19, 2009

Legislation designed to crack down on rogue towing companies who prey on motorists in Tampa and Hillsborough County is headed for Tallahassee. ...more

December 19, 2009

A fugitive who fled from a work release program in St. Petersburg two months ago has been arrested in Hillsborough County, Pinellas deputies say. ...more

December 18, 2009

There I was, sitting at my workstation, minding my own business, when it hit me like a runaway train: a barrage of e-mails, phone calls, press releases, news stories, Facebook posts, blog entries, text messages and Twitter tweets, all revolving around the rally for mass transit improvements in Hillsborough County and beyond. ...more

December 18, 2009

After eight years behind bars, Jennifer Martin walked through the prison gates Wednesday morning a free woman amid the cheers of inmates left behind. ...more

December 17, 2009

The 12,800-acre Cone Ranch will someday be part of Hillsborough County's conservation lands program, county commissioners decided Wednesday. ...more

December 17, 2009

Just like their human families, many pets these days are treading on shaky ground. ...more

December 16, 2009

a barrage of e-mails, phone calls, press releases, news stories, Facebook posts, blog entries, text messages and Twitter tweets, all revolving around the rally for mass transit improvements in Hillsborough County and beyond. ...more

December 16, 2009