'You either laugh or you cry' [Times photo: Amber Tanille Woolfolk] Her car, prized wheelchair, handmade walking stick and more were stolen. Now the recovered car has died. But a single parent and her daughter keep their chins up.

New lawmaker defines his priorities
Education, health care and coastal construction are issues newly elected state Rep. John Carassas says he will soon get to work on.

State halts roofing for licensing check
Roofing on Mirabella townhomes hits another tangle.

Ex-judge is too ill for inquiry, city says
Pinellas Park may ask a Tampa lawyer to investigate allegations of a "hit list" in the Police Department.

Pfeiffer cast green magic about school, community
ST. PETERSBURG -- Bob Pfeiffer had a touch of magic about him.

Curfew is unnecessary, ineffective
St. Petersburg's City Council gave preliminary approval last month to an ill-advised, and possibly unconstitutional, teen curfew proposed by council member Jay Lasita.

Gallery on Central gets the star treatment
Tampa-based Minaret Films shoots several scenes of a comedy, The Gray Area, at SoHo South Gallery.

2 new businesses boost plaza
Ace Hardware and Maxi Mall join a rejuvenated Maximo Plaza. All the plaza's storefronts are now full.

Neighborhood briefs
Pinellas Park to host bike safety rodeo Saturday

Upham Beach may host concert series
St. Pete Beach welcomes the prospects of a new form of entertainment for the area.

Visiting officer compares Dutch, U.S. police work
The officer from Amsterdam looks at community policing in St. Petersburg as he winds up a U.S. tour.

City considers areas for dogs to run free
The neighborhood would have the final say on a fenced, 1-acre space within Coquina Key Park.

Lowe's likely will be open 24 hours
PINELLAS PARK -- The city's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a request to allow a new Lowe's home improvement store to be open 24 hours a day.

Trampolines are fun until a crunch or snap
Just when you'd finally gotten your kids to stop jumping on the bed, the Olympics makes a gold medal sport out of it.

Margaret Dickins, donor and volunteer
ST. PETERSBURG -- Margaret E. "Cuddles" Dickins, a philanthropist and noted volunteer for numerous local charities, has died at 72.

Women's fall fundraiser combines food, fashion
Some people really know how to make an entrance.

Crews work on Pinellas Trail overpass
Scheduled to open by July 2001 where the trail meets Pasadena Avenue, the structure will keep bikers and joggers 17 feet above the traffic.

Don't ever try to solve Dollop Problem yourself
Will the meeting please come to order?

Plan to buy parcel for Eckerd store flops
Developers say the property on which the Apple Family Restaurant and a strip mall sit was too expensive.

Golf course clubhouse project clears hurdle
The zoning commission approves the Mainlands project -- with restrictions -- but the Pinellas Park council must also agree.

Neighborhood notebook
Bicyclists lobby for safer streets

First half of season is a snap for Gibbs
More than midway through the season, there are tight races in the Pinellas Youth Football Conference and the Suncoast Youth Football Conference.