A radio station's turkey-frying stunt turned into a recipe for disaster when an attempt to cook the frozen bird in a van resulted in the vehicle catching fire. ...more

December 18, 2009

After a morning that saw mainly uneventful light rain – with the exception of a strong thunderstorm that swept ashore in southern Pasco County about 8:45 a.m. – the highest risk of severe weather in the Tampa Bay area should be between 4 and 7 p.m., forecasters 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

Joe Maddon clapped his hands as he bounced into the kitchen of the Sallie House late Monday afternoon. ...more

December 18, 2009

Tampa Bay area residents will have more airline choices for traveling to Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss. ...more

December 18, 2009

If you belong to a credit union, some unexpected fees may be coming your way. At least three Tampa Bay Area credit unions are now charging members for using a debit card with their personal identification number, or PIN, at stores and gas stations. ...more

December 18, 2009

A storm whipped through the Tampa Bay area on Dec. 5, and the annual Letter Carriers' Toy Drive, which typically accounts for at least half of the gifts distributed to families in need by Toys for Tots, wasn't as fruitful as in past years. ...more

December 18, 2009

The Tampa Bay area should get one more day of fairly decent weather before a warm front moves in tonight, but a stormy Friday is expected with the arrival of a cold front. ...more

December 17, 2009

Forecasters see a possible break near the end of the weekend in the weather pattern we've been stuck with the past few weeks. You might even get your first real excuse to pull a coat from the closet by Sunday or Monday. ...more

December 17, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's passenger rail bill into law Wednesday in ceremonies in Tampa and three other cities while delivering the message that new rail equals thousands of new jobs. More than 150 Tampa Bay area elected officials, business people and transportation advocates turned out at a vacant lot just south of the intersection of Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, where a high-speed rail station is planned for a proposed Tampa-to-Orlando route. The bill will improve the state's chances at winning federal stimulus money for the high-speed rail line that could be built by 2014. It also will jump-start the $1.2 billion SunRail project planned for Central Florida, create a new statewide rail authority and dedicate additional state money to Tri-Rail, South Florida's faltering commuter line. The high-speed project could provide as many as 15,000 construction jobs beginning in 2011 if the Obama administration approves the state's $2.5 billion high-speed rail bid, state officials said in its federal stimulus application. "Jobs, jobs, jobs is what it's really all about," Crist said. ...more

December 17, 2009