[Times photo: Jennifer Davis] 'It's their team' Kids with mental and physical disabilities find their talents and build their self-esteem as they play on a Little League team just for them.

Quicker building permits expected
But permits for construction seaward of the state Coastal Construction Control Line may not become any cheaper.

Plan calls for stricter parking downtown
Residents, concerned about visitors using up street spaces, ask for 90-minute limits and 24-hour enforcement.

Letters manage to find way home
What might happen if mail is addressed to Pinellas Park even though the actual address is Largo, Clearwater, St. Petersburg or Seminole?

45 graduate from Admiral Farragut Academy
Eight graduates are leaving with ROTC scholarships and an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Fire Board okays new firetruck
LEALMAN -- Fire Board members unanimously agreed to pay about $169,000 for a new fire truck for a station they plan to open in the next few weeks.

Member of Lealman Fire Board resigns
LEALMAN -- Sharon McManus has resigned from the Lealman Fire Board after less than two years on the job.

Around the world in 491 days
A couple in their 60s sail 28,500 miles and see 22 countries -- with 48 rolls of toilet paper and four laptops -- before returning to Tierra Verde terra firma.

Kids' reading club turns 10,000 pages
Guest speakers such as the mayor tell children in a Melrose Elementary class what is so wonderful about reading.

Wal-Mart to start building in fall
The Pinellas Park City Council clears the way for the supercenter by granting several requests from the company Thursday.

Nope, that sheen in Blind Pass isn't oil
Renourishment at nearby Upham Beach wasn't the culprit. The stuff on the water is perfectly natural.

Details of 15 books aren't lost on team
A Largo school again wins the Battle of the Books, designed to spark excitement about reading.

Catholic charity hires a new top director
The switch at the St. Vincent de Paul Society occurs as the agency prepares to start a major expansion of its services.

Boys and Girls Club shows off clubhouse
Money from a fundraiser has been used to paint, renovate restrooms, buy four new computers and fix up a library used for tutoring sessions at the Southside club.

Downtown business district set for revamp
Federal grants are clearing the way for extensive changes for storefronts. Business owners are looking forward to the work.

Boulevard bound for a touch of class
Pinellas Park officials release designs for two sections of Park Boulevard that they hope will help transform the roadway.

Illness forces resignation
PINELLAS PARK -- Citing health problems, Ethel Connolly has resigned from the Board of Adjustment.

Sports
Swim team off to a slow start
Six girls come out for the team, but organizers say they need more kids to keep the summer program going.

U.S. amateurs rule in International Challenge Matches
SEMINOLE -- The International Challenge Matches the past two weekends could be considered an unqualified success if you ask the originator, Jerry Krauss, whose Seminole, Sunrise and Sunshine lanes hosted the goodwill funfest.

Delie stalks, then charges to win in Sprints 5K
If a runner wants to win a race, is it better to take the early lead or hang back and stalk?

A State Cup first for Raiders
When teams take the field in the Florida Youth Soccer Association Snickers State Cup in Pensacola, history will be made by the Northeast Raiders Youth Association.

Eckerd, SPJC teams had good, bad years
School is out for summer, which means the bats, balls, gloves, racquets, clubs and running shoes have been put away for another season.

Letters
Put a moratorium on installing sod
It is my understanding that a person traveling through some of our Southwestern states is likely to encounter mile after mile of desert-like landscape, replete with scrub foliage, cactus and barren ground. It is only near the cities and towns that the greenery of lawns, trees and cultivated gardens prevails. This reflects the true nature of those areas of our country.

Guest column
Speech gives lifetime of inspiration
The year was 1931. I was 11 years old, in the seventh grade at the James Madison Morton Junior High School in Fall River, Mass. The week before Memorial Day, our school celebrated in a big way. The stage in our auditorium was adorned with baskets of flowers, ribbons and our country's flag.