Volusia News Now

Joe Paterno's longstanding career came to a halt at Penn State at mid-sean when he was fired amid shocking allegations in early November that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had sexual contact with at least 10 boys dating back to 1998, including lewd activity in the men's shower.

The 67-year-old Sandusky admitted to showering and horsing around, but maintained his innocence. A Pennsylvania grand jury handed up indictments with 50 charges against him.

Snoopy is reunited with his owner, Bob Johnson, on Friday.

DELTONA -- Snoopy the pit bull made a lot of friends on Facebook during his nearly month-long quarantine for nipping at another dog -- more than 24,000 of them -- and on Friday he was sprung from doggie jail to his Deltona owner.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, a pair of three-time NASCAR champions,  led the field of five among racing's greats for this year's NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Gerry Burkatovsky, shown in the larger photo, is charged with murder in the throat-slash slayings of Michael Shaffer and Danny Edwards, whose bodies were dumped in Edgewater, according to law enforcement.

EDGEWATER -- Police Chief Dave Arcieri remembers the bodies like it was yesterday -- two stabbed men with slashed throats found in a remote area of the edge of the city near Interstate 95. It was obvious they were killed elsewhere and discarded here.

Buzzards flying overhead drew the attention of passersby on Opossum Road and the grisly find, which led to Edgewater police response.

Photos for NSB News by Angela Carter / Some 200 people cross the Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. Bridge over U.S. 1 from the West Side to downtown New Smyrna Beach on Monday in honor of the MLK holiday. Some rode their bikes like 3-year-old cousins  Miley Jackson and Kirsten Jackson.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Young and old. Black and white. People walked shoulder to shoulder Monday in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

LAKE HELEN -- Bud Budzinski, owner of the Elusive Grape in DeLand, will discuss “My life and times in wine” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Hopkins Hall, 192 Connecticut Ave., in quaint Lake Helen.

Budzinski has served as a food and beverage manager for a major hotel chain and opened and operated several restaurants in the area. His presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Lake Helen Public Library.

For more information on the event, please call Pam Swanto at 386-228-1152.

Former Tampa Tribune metro editor Tim Dorsey makes a return visit to the New Smyrna Beach Library next month.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- New York Times best-selling author Tim Dorsey will discuss his newest Serge Storms novel, “Pineapple Grenade,” at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S. Dixie Freeway.

Dorsey, a former night metro editor at the Tampa Tribune, is set to publish his 15th novel featuring Serge Storms, a homicidal antihero. A book signing will follow his talk, and books will be available for purchase.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Some 200 strong led by Allen Chapel AME Church pastor Lorenzo Laws: They marched, they prayed, they sang -- all in respect to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Passenger traffic at Daytona Beach International Airport increased 11 percent in December compared with the previous December.

The airport saw 39,839 passengers traveled through the county- operated airport compared with 35,955 passengers in December 2010. For the 12 months ending December 31, the airport recorded 550,986 passengers, an 11 percent increase over the prior 12 months.