[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] Conrad Palermo scans the water of the Alafia River with binoculars during a safety patrol.

'We're the eyes and ears'
Civilian volunteers in Brandon's Flotilla 74, a unit of the Coast Guard auxiliary, teach classes and conduct patrols.

Cameras put focus on residents' likes, dislikes
A Riverview project provides residents with cameras, so officials can see the good and bad of the community.

RSVP
A look at the upcoming week

Briefly
A quick look at what's going on

What's in a name: Thonotosassa
Flint quarrying attracted American Indians, who called the area the "flint place."


Briefly
Hearing to examine Miller Road traffic
Hillsborough County will hold a public meeting to discuss traffic problems along Miller Road from Washington Road to Crosby Avenue at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Valrico Elementary School, 609 S Miller Road.

Day tripper
Small world, big imaginations
The beauty of Kid City, a museum for children, is that it gives kids a chance to use their creative skills to interact and pretend.

Dover
Remote racers: Have remote, will race
The dirt track at Dennis Culver's home draws a growing crowd of fans of remote-control race cars and trucks.

Farmer's market
Sweet bounty: Lithia Ridge Farm & Apiary
A Lithia woman builds a business from a hobby of caring for bees. She sells about 800 jars of their honey a year.

Front Porch
Room for palettes, palates
Artist Victoria Pierce Fricot made the corner of her dining room her studio.

Here & Gone
Here's a look at some new businesses in the area
SPICK-AND-SPAN: Quality Plus Cleaners opened at 1258 E Brandon Blvd. in June. The store offers dry cleaning, carpet cleaning, alterations, shoe repair and more. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. 571-2770.

Hillsborough
HCC program needs a few good homes
Local families are being recruited to house 17 Central American students who are here studying aquaculture.

Homes
Make his day - just stay away
Driving uninvited onto the heaven the Durrances have nurtured for three decades will earn you a long cold look.

I live here
Room with lots to view
"I can sit in the back of the boat and watch the moon come up . . . Dolphins swim by almost every day."

Lane Ranger
Barring tsunamis, county can keep traffic flowing
When you hear the phrase "hurricane preparedness," the first things that come to mind may not be the communities of Riverview and Lithia.

Lunch with Ernest
Helping children get home
Chris Card lives in Tampa, but is a familiar face to many in Brandon, and not just because he was recently featured in a national advertising campaign sponsored by Verizon.

Married to the Military
Not much peace to be had on leave
My husband earns 2-1/2 days per month to use as leave or vacation time. This amounts to 30 days per year.

Milestones
Valrico student honored
Timothy White of Valrico was one of 21 nationwide winners of the Sears Craftsman $1,000 Scholarship.

Notebook
County seeks action on Galvin House
The Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday accepted its staff's recommendation to urge the First Baptist Church of Brandon, owners of the historic Galvin House, to either preserve the building at its current location or move it to another site.

People
His American life: Father Gary Dowsey
It didn't take long for the new parochial vicar at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, a native of Great Britain, to warm to life in Florida.

Zoning
Company seeks zoning to move Galvin house
A quick look at some local zoning issues

Letters: Developers get free pass from residents
Re: Are fee waivers no longer needed? July 4.