Local News Now

HOLLY HILL, Fla. -- At 55 and out of the marriage scene for a decade now, the last thing political consultant Maureen France wanted to deal with was the hassle of a wedding, especially with family and friends in two separate locates more than 600 miles apart. So she and her longtime beau eloped.

YouTube download / AP video / Highlights of this day in history: Last U.S. combat troops leave Vietnam; Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. killed in World War II; N.J. Gov. McGreevey to resign after declaring he's gay; Russian sub Kursk explodes; Director Cecil B. DeMille born. (Aug. 12)

OVIEDO, Fla. -- Seminole County deputies arrested an Oviedo man for firing a weapon into a house, criminal mischief and firing a weapon under the influence of alcohol.

LAKE HELEN, Fla. -- Adults can make dreamscape paintings at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Lake Helen Public Library, 221 N. Euclid Ave.

"The budding artists will use dyed inks to create individualized paintings on tiles and nonabsorbent paper," Pat Kuehn, Volusia County information specialist, told Headline Surfer. "Each painting will develop according to the way the inks are applied, blended and spread. No two will be the same."

LONGWOOD, FLA. -- Talk about creepy! Some guy was trying to get inside a Longwood-area woman's home through the pool area, looking into windows and trying to open a door once inside the screened-in porch surrounding the pool under the cover of darkness, a Seminole County Sheriff's official said.

SANFORD, Fla. -- I have learned a lot more about who I am through my coursework online in pursuit of a Master of Arts degree in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University.

I never dreamed I'd be back in school pursuing an advanced degree 33 years after receiving my BA in Political Science with Specialization in Public Administration with a concentration in Writing from Central Connecticut State University. But here I am today doing just that since March with nine more months to go.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation raised nearly $140,000 at its annual Dinner Celebration and Auction featuring NASCAR driver Austin Dillon at the Daytona 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway, event organizers said.

This year's big draw was Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. The funds raised came through sponsorships, live auction sales and tickets for prizes.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Members of the Volusia County Council, along with other dignitaries and business leaders, will celebrate the grand opening of TeleTech during a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. at 260 Jimmy Ann Drive.

TeleTech is a customer experience provider headquartered in Colorado, with more than 48,000 employees worldwide. The company was recruited to the area by Team Volusia Economic Development Corp., over competitive locations in Mobile, Alabama and three cities in Texas.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- County Manager Jim Dinneen has given rookie Sheriff Mike Chitwood lots of goodies since he took office on Jan. 1: In fact, Daytona's former top cop was able to reward his bright young gal-pal campaign manager, Janelle Homan, with a plumb job as a PR specialist shooting videos and feel-good pics with a salary of $54,000 a year. That's a whopping 20 grand more than what a starting deputy would make if Chitwood were to actually hire one.