Human interest

Marilyn Shamblin

Dispatches From Next Door: A woman and a horse, learning to trust again

PLANT CITY — The petite blond in the middle of the round pen lets a rope and riding whip roll from her fingers onto the dirt. A horse, charcoal and white, circles warily. There is much he doesn't know about her. Why she's here. Why — since he was rescued last summer, his teeth rotten and skin drooping — she has com …

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  1. Is it okay to laugh at Miss Utah?

    Human Interest

    The ritual of sitting down at night to watch a nationally televised beauty pageant is becoming a relic in American culture, usurped by the ritual of sitting down the morning after to watch the video of the pageant contestant who gave the dumbest answer the night before. This year's Miss USA winner of the unofficial …

  2. Miss USA crown goes to Connecticut contestant, while Miss Utah blunders

    Human Interest

    LAS VEGAS — The newest Miss USA is leaving a white-collar job behind for the glamour and excitement that go with her new role — and she can't wait.

    Host Giuliana Rancic looks on as Miss Utah USA Marissa Powell answers a question, poorly, from a judge during the interview portion of the 2013 Miss USA pageant.
  3. Couple marry in swamp where love bloomed like rare orchid

    Human Interest

    COPELAND

    The bride wore a long white dress and muddy boots. She yelled "HOOTEEHOO!''

    Mike Owen and Donna Glann-Smyth are married in the Fakahatachee Strand State Preserve, where they met. Park manager and minister Renee Rau, right, performed the ceremony. To see a video, go to Links in today’s Times at tampabay.com.
  4. Military news: Two young men complete basic training

    Human Interest

    Air Force Airman Aaron J. Marks-Tesney, son of Kathleen Tesney of St. Petersburg, has graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. He is a 2012 graduate of Osceola High School.

    Aaron J. Marks-Tesney
  5. May birth announcements

    Human Interest

    Chen, Jing and Jesse Menefee, St. Petersburg, a boy, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, 11:30 a.m., May 23, 2013, Bayfront Medical Center, St. Petersburg.

  6. Can a porn star have it all?

    Human Interest

    Early morning, on a US Airways flight from Los Angeles to Tampa, Taryn Stone cradles a bonsai tree and chats with a gray-haired man who just bought her two shots of Jameson whiskey.

    Sadie Holmes (Taryn Stone, really) fights off “robotic” arms while shooting a scene in a studio in Pinellas Park. Stone, 23, would earn $300 for the two-hour shoot from the Tampa man who runs League of Amazing Women, which promotes “comic-book peril and sexy bondage.”
  7. After Bangladesh factory collapse, she finds the world in her closet

    Human Interest

    I'm a terrible shopper. I hate malls and outlets, seldom order online.

  8. Dispatches From Next Door: A woman and a horse, learning to trust again

    Human Interest

    PLANT CITY — The petite blond in the middle of the round pen lets a rope and riding whip roll from her fingers onto the dirt. A horse, charcoal and white, circles warily. There is much he doesn't know about her. Why she's here. Why — since he was rescued last summer, his teeth rotten and skin drooping …

    Marilyn Shamblin
  9. Son's gift gives family's memories strong roots

    Human Interest

    “Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!" I shouted.

  10. Opening Lines: Shades of fatherhood

    Human Interest

    I've always envied boys with rotten dads. I was reminded of this strange yearning as I reread The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.