New federal help for the big mortgage lenders and first-time homebuyers could help revive Tampa's housing market. The quicker markets stabilize, the less taxpayers will have to pay in the complex bill with an unknown price tag. Read more »

Does anybody think this will be good for the state's economy or quality of life? Drilling off the state would do little to lower gas costs, at best a few cents per gallon, and would not even be available for seven years or more. It makes no sense to risk Florida's coast for such a puny payoff. Read more »

This Independence Day, renew your commitment to energy independence through better gas mileage for our cars, innovation, an end to profiteering, conservation and transit. Read more »

President Bush is threatening a veto if the bill reaches his desk. He says the bill would hurt the economy by, among other things, raising the price of electricity. The bill's defenders, including Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa, say the transition to homegrown or renewable fuels will save money in the long run. Read more »

Castor is championing issues she has long favored - health care, the physician's shortage, education - and she's working with Republicans to get things done. Read more »

NY TIMES EDITORIAL The House has acted swiftly to deal with some of the shameful conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... worthy provisions would mandate more physicians for the system and a moratorium on outsourcing medical needs to private contractors. Read more »