Mitch Traphagen
On Monday, come together to remember, to honor
“All of our freedoms and privileges are because there are those among us who will risk all...”
BOCC approves project that could bring the beach back to Apollo Beach
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a restoration / wave protection project that could bring the beach back to Apollo Beach ...
Star RVHS athletes sign scholarships
By Mitch TraphagenTwo standout Riverview High School athletes signed scholarships on Monday. Senior Shatisha Dukes signed with Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina on a ...
SCC service group cleans up at Mary & Martha House
For the Mary & Martha House, South County’s only organization providing a shelter and training opportunities for homeless and abused women and their children, every ...
From the flock, a church leader emerges
For the first time since Saint Anne Catholic Church was founded in Ruskin in 1956, a member of the parish has been ordained as a ...
Decades later, a big welcome home for WWII veterans
600 people welcomed WWII veterans home from an Honor Flight. Photo gallery below article....
Observations: Paradise and perspective in the sky
Not believing there will be a tomorrow is no way to live....
Respect for the dead, respect for the law
The state of Florida has fined the non-profit cemetery for numerous violations due to the extravagantly decorated graves....
Lost in Florida: So close, yet so far away
Vacationing close to home: The final installment of a series. Photo gallery below article....
Lost in Florida: The First City
Miami is like a whole 'nother country. Photo gallery below article....Author info
Mitch Traphagen
Mitch Traphagen is a photojournalist, columnist and online editor for the Observer News Publications. He is the recipient of 55 awards of excellence from the Community Papers of Florida for his photography and writing. He has worked for some of the nation’s largest corporations, as Press Secretary for a U.S. Congressman, owned and published a weekly newspaper, and produced a commercial documentary video on sailing. He is a Commodore in the Seven Seas Cruising Association (ssca.org). Mitch is a writer, photographer, sailor and traveler with a bit of a geek thing going on. You can visit his personal website at mitchtraphagen.com