Volusia News Now

WINTER SPRINGS -- A 72-year-old Winter Springs woman in a flashy new Chevrolet Corvette hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and slammed into the Goldenrod Post Office, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The yellow Corvette sustained some front-end damage and took out a large window of the post office, but neither the driver nor any postal works or customers were hurt in the 1:55 p.m. Monday crash at the post office, 7501 Citrus Ave and Goldenrod Place.

Ruth Lawyer, who was wearing her seat belt, was attempting to park her new sports car when the mishap occurred, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Kim Montes said. She said Lawyer was issued a ticket chargingh her with careless driving.

By Pavlina Osta

PORT ORANGE -- I talk with Academy Award winning actress Shirley Jones about her tour in Florida. We talk about her days as the mom in the hit show of the 1970s and still a favorite pop TV show, "The Partridge Family" (which was based on the real life story of The Cowsills) and we talk about some great people she’s loved working with like Jimmy Stewart and Steven Speilberg. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 21-year-old biker apparently speeding was killed when he slammed his Suzuki sport bike into a minivan in front of him Saturday night while both vehicles were heading south on U.S. 1 near Skyline Drive, New Smyrna Beach police said.

Wade A. Althafer was pronounced dead at the scene of the 8:50 p.m. accident. The driver of the Chrysler minivan was not hurt.

"He was (going) at a high rate of speed when witnesses said he locked up his brakes," Sgt. Christopher Roos said told NSBNews.net.

Alright, it’s official now as far as I am concerned. The world has gone nuts. I read where someone is now starting to clone hamburger.

By Bob Tolley

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When it came to selling out to the developers, only City Commissioner Lynne Plaskett said "no" at Tuesday night's meeting at city hall.

What went down at the Tuesday city commission meeting was just another example of the total disregard and disrespect of the citizens of New Smyrna Beach by its "supposed" elected officials, four of whom -- Mayor Adam Barringer, Vice Mayor Judy Reiker, Jack Grasty and Jim Hathaway -- voted to put their developer-friend's interests before the interest of the citizens.

The mayor, vice mayor and other two commissioners did this by giving $500,000 from our reserves to fund the placement of utilities for their development buddies, who refused to pay for their own utilities (which were readily available by the way) out of their own pockets.

NSBNews.net photo by Henry Frederick / Southeast Volusia Advertising Chairman Dave Kosmas listens as officials with James Moore & Co. go over details of an audit showing bonuses given to since-fired Director Nicole Carni and more than $6,000 paid to her minor daughter.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The long-awaited audit of the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority has been released at a public meeting and it's especially damning to since-fired SVAA Director Nicole Carni.

NSBNews.net will have more details shortly.