DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Headline Surfer is counting down the Top 100 stories of 2016 in the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford and Orlando metro area otherwise known as the I-4 corridor of Central Florida through Volusia, Seminole and Orange counties.
Among the top 5 contenders for the No. 1 story of the year in no particular order: The Pulse gay nightclub terrorist massacre; the ugliness of the presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; the continuing saga over homelessness in Daytona Beach; records tied or broken in NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway; and no relief from escalating violent crime, especially in Daytona and Orlando.
Here are the stories ranked 51-60:
51. 22-year-old Brazilian racer 'Pipo' Derani wheels the No. 2 Tequila Patron ESM Honda-powered Ligier to victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It comes as no surprise that after 24 hours of near non-stop action, the fastest car still running was the overall winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani, the 22-year-old racing prodigy from Brazil, taking the checkered flag in the No. 2 Tequila Patron ESM Honda-powered Ligier."To race against Antonio is a pleasure," Gavin said. "He's an amazing teammate, and I knew I was going to have my work cut out to beat him." In GT Daytona, Magnus Racing's Rene Rast nursed his No. 44 Audi R8 LMS GT3 to the finish line to hold off Nicky Catsburg in the No. 540 Porsche GT3 R by 3.048 seconds. Rast's co-drivers were John Potter, Marco Seefried and 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco rookie of the year Andy Lally, who picked up his fifth class win (and fourth in a GT car) in the Rolex 24.
The defending overall champion No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Prototype raced by NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson and IndyCar stars Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan suffered brake problems while running second and lost five laps in the eighth hour. But the coup de grace to the team's hopes for back-to-back wins came with 2 hours 50 minutes left, when Larson went off course in the West Hairpin and slammed nose-first into the tire barrier. Again, brakes were the culprit.
The defending overall champion No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Prototype raced by NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson and IndyCar stars Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan suffered brake problems while running second and lost five laps in the eighth hour. But the coup de grace to the team's hopes for back-to-back wins came with 2 hours 50 minutes left, when Larson went off course in the West Hairpin and slammed nose-first into the tire barrier. Again, brakes were the culprit.
"The four laps previous we started getting brake issues again," Larson said afterward. "They said it looked like I had just lost all my rear brake, but it was locking my fronts up pretty easy, so I started braking really early. ... "It didn't slow down enough to make the corner, and I drilled the barrier. We didn't have a shot to win anyway, but it does suck that we tore up a race car, and I'm disappointed."
The car left the track on a roll-back (though it did return after repairs), but Larson was unhurt in the crash.
52. New Volusia County School Board Chair Melody Johnson wants to see district make the A-grade
Headline Surfer video / Melody Johnson, the newly-installed chair of the Volusia County School Board, was interviewed by Headline Surfer in late November after a swearing-in ceremony for new board member Carl Persis and re-elected board member Ida Duncan Wright. DELAND, Fla. -- With Melody Johnson entrusted by her new and returning colleagues in a unanimous vote to elevate her from vice chair to chair and elevation of Linda Cuthbert to vice chair, along with John Hill, the re-election of previous chair Ida Duncan Wright and the election of Carl Persis, this is perhaps the most gifted school board lineup to date in this 21st century in setting policy for educational excellence in the Volusia County Schools.
Add to these five elected leaders, Superintendent of Schools Tom Russell and School Board Attorney Ted Doran and the potential to take the school district to the next level is clearly within grasp than at any previous point in time.
And Melody Johnson, who along with her husband, Nathan Johnson, adopted three sibling children to make a house a home in DeLand, then ran for a seat in 2014, against an entrenched incumbent, and won. Now, she is the chair. She and John Hill, who also won his seat in the same election cycle, are conservative when it comes to spending, but also supported increased funding expenditures enhancing the core mission of educating the district's students as demonstrated in working out a new contract and the end of labor strife over the summer with the teacher's union headed by Andrew Spar.
Johnson's top goal as outlined with Headline Surfer in a brief video interview after the swearing-in ceremony for Wright and Persis and other business at hand, is to take the school district from a B- to an A-grade rating as graded annually by the Florida Department of Education based on a complicated formula as a means of measuring academic success among the Sunshine' State's school districts.
That is something that is going to happen overnight, but it's not impossible as Johnson so eloquently points out in the interview: We went from a C to a B. I'd like to see us go to an A next."
Johnson is determined to see it through with leadership that encourages open communication and cohesion among the school board members as well as with Russell and his cabinet, led by district CEOGreg Akin; and with school principals, teachers and support staff.
Two years ago, it was John Hill, who stood tall, in following through on his campaign promise to make changes at the top, leading to the sudden retirement of Superintendent Margaret Smith, who was long in the tooth, with the district seemingly settled in with a C rating.. Hill took heat from several militant parents, but stood his ground and the board then-led by Linda Costello, backed him. Then last year, Wright was given the chairmanship by her colleagues and Johnson was vice chair.
Costello decided not to seek another term and that opened the door for Persis to run in this election cycle. He is a former principal and Cuthbert is a former school teacher. Wright is an administrator at Bethune-Cookman University and so the line-up is very talented.
53. DeLand man, 87, who suffered facial fractures in home invasion weeks earlier, succumbed to injuries
Photos for Headline Surfer / Carl Husfeld, an 87-yar-old DeLand-area resident who lived alone, was taken off life support Thursday, Dec. 23, at Seminole County Regional Hospital in Sanford, Florida, having suffered multiple facial fractures struggling with a home invader when he was hit by an interior door onew or more times. His attacker remains at large with scant information released by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.DELAND, Fla. -- An 87-year-old man injured earlier this month during a home invasion of his home near DeLand by a lone burglar that left him clinging to life with multiple fractures to his face and head died today, a spokesman for Sheriff Ben Johnson said.
"The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the burglary as deputies search for the suspect responsible," Andrew Gant, one of Johnson's two civilian PIOs, said in a press release to Headline Surfer and other media outlets. "Carl Husfeld was injured on the morning of Dec. 8 after he interrupted the burglar entering his home at 12 Oak Circle."
Husfeld was taken to Florida Hospital DeLand, then Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford with fractures to several bones in his face and head. He was later listed in critical condition. Today, two days before Christmas, the elderly man was taken off life support.
"The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the burglary as deputies search for the suspect responsible," Andrew Gant, one of Johnson's two civilian PIOs shown here, said in a press release to Headline Surfer and other media outlets. "Carl Husfeld was injured on the morning of Dec. 8 after he interrupted the burglar entering his home at 12 Oak Circle."
Husfeld was taken to Florida Hospital DeLand, then Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford with fractures to several bones in his face and head. He was later listed in critical condition. Today, two days before Christmas, the elderly man was taken off life support.
Here's a brief synopsis of what happened that morning as told by the critically injured Husfeld to deputies, according to Gant: He was in his home around 6:50 a.m. when he heard someone breaking in. When Husfeld went to one of the doors in the house to investigate, he was met by a man he described as short, stocky and wearing dark clothing. Husfeld was hit in the face by the door during a struggle with the burglar, who took off. Investigators are reviewing evidence in the case, but no additional details are being made publicly available at this time such as what kind of weapon, if any had been shown or used besides the door, what items, if any, were taken from the house and whether the the intruder got into a waiting vehicle, while the investigation is active and ongoing.
54. Port Orange man arrested on attempted murder charges after stabbing his parents during Thanksgiving after mom shushes him
Photos for Headline Surfer / Edwin Daugherty, 34, shown above, has been booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail where he is being held on high bail on two counts of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his parents at Thanksgiving in their Costa Del Sol Drive home. PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Apparently his mother shushing him at the dinner table, sent a 34-year-old Port Orange man into a frenzy at his elderly parents' home as they were about to have Thanksgiving together, resulting in a vicious knife attack on both of them.
As a result of the bloody rampage, Edwin N. Daugherty , is being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on two counts of attempted murder this evening after he stabbed both of his parents in a Thanksgiving Day fight.
Deputies found Daugherty walking down the street when they responded to the 1:22 p.m. 9-1-1 call at 2336 Costa Del Sol Drive.
The father, Thomas J. Daugherty, 76, was rushed to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where he was later listed in serious-to-critical condition. The mother, Patsy Daugherty, 72, was listed in serious condition at the same hospital.
"Deputies believe Edwin became irate during an argument with his mother, and the argument became physical," Sheriff's spokesman Andrew Gant told Headline Surfer. "Edwin placed her in a headlock, then placed his father in a headlock when he tried to intervene. After pushing his father to the ground, Edwin grabbed a steak knife with an approximately 4-inch blade and stabbed Thomas multiple times in the chest. When Patsy moved in to help her husband, Edwin stabbed her as well."
Asked if he could put the argument into perspective as to what may have set him off, Gant, replied, "I'm told his mom shushed him, which set off an argument that turned physical and ended with the stabbings."
"Deputies believe Edwin became irate during an argument with his mother, and the argument became physical," Sheriff's spokesman Andrew Gant told Headline Surfer. "Edwin placed her in a headlock, then placed his father in a headlock when he tried to intervene. After pushing his father to the ground, Edwin grabbed a steak knife with an approximately 4-inch blade and stabbed Thomas multiple times in the chest. When Patsy moved in to help her husband, Edwin stabbed her as well."
Asked if he could put the argument into perspective as to what may have set him off, Gant, replied, "I'm told his mom shushed him, which set off an argument that turned physical and ended with the stabbings."
Witnesses who were sitting at the dinner table next to the kitchen told deputies they saw Edwin stab his parents before leaving the residence.
Deputies recovered the knife in some bushes about a block away from the house, Gant said. Edwin Daugherty was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was to be held without bond.
A review of online court records by Headline Surfer show Edwin Daugherty was previously Baker Acted - involuntarily committed for at least 36 hours in the psychiatric ward at Halifax Health Hospital, but no other information was available in that incident. He also was previously charged with battery on an elderly person, but the charge was dropped and no other information was available.
55. Missouri parents here on Disney vacation killed in I-4 crash in DeLand leaving daughters who survived orphaned
Photos for Headline Surfer / Greg and Sarah Moyer are shown fronm a Facebook profile picture. In the inset, a Sheriff's helicopter airlifts their injured daughters to a hospital in Orlando. Not much is left of theor vehicle, which firefighters had to cut apart to get to the victims.
DELAND, Fla. -- A Missouri family reportedly were eastbound on Interstate 4 near DeLand on Sept. 25, after finishing their Disney vacation and were planning to spend a final afternoon at the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona, but they never made it.
Greg Moyers, 40, a muffler shop owner, and his wife, Sarah, a McDonald's restaurant manager, had both scraped and saved to be able to take their girls Haley, 13, and Sophia, 8, to Disney, friends of the family told reporters.
But while that portion of the family vacation was a thrill, fun in the Sunshine State ended tragically in a mid-day crash on I-4 that took the lives of the parents, who were pronounced dead at the scene. Their two daughters were airlifted to Orlando's Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Sophia was the more critically injured of the two, but both were expected to survive their injuries.
While en route to the beach, a 2016 Ford Focus drifted into Greg's Moyers' 2007 Nissan sedan on which forced the Moyers' vehicle to skid off the interstate and into a tree
The driver of the smaller car, Charles King, 43, of New London, NC, was not injured, the Florida Highway Patrol said, but criminal charges were pending completion of an investigation. The double fatality left the Moyer sisters orphaned back home in Missouri.
56. Karen Holbrook hired as interim president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Photos for Headline Surfer / Karen Holbrook, shown above, the former president of The Ohio State University, is the new interim president of ERAU, replacing John P. Johnson, who retired after 12 years as president.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Karen A. Holbrook, Ph.D., became the interim president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 18, replacing John Johnson, who retired after 12 years at the helm of the private institution which specializes in aerospace and engineering with campus here in Daytona Beach, Prescott, Ariz., and
Her biggest claim to fame in getting the job was her tenure as president of The Ohio State University from 2002-2007.
Holbrook earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a doctorate in biological structure at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where she served as a postdoctoral fellow in dermatology, faculty member and research administrator.
She was selected by the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees chaired by Mori Hosseini, owner of ICI Homes in Daytona Beach and an alumnus.
Here is what Holbrook assumed as the interim president: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's oldest, largest, and most prestigious university specializing in aviation and aerospace. It is the only fully accredited, aviation-oriented university in the world. Embry-Riddle has traditional, residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. Embry-Riddle's Worldwide Campus provides educational opportunities to working adults at locations in the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition, degree programs are offered through Worldwide Online via the Internet. Combined annual enrollment for all campuses is nearly 29,000 students from all 50 states and 106 nations. In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, 181 faculty members were involved in research and other sponsored projects totaling 205 active awards and 91 new awards. Externally funded grants and contracts for the year totaled more than $16 million. The annual operating budget of Embry-Riddle is approximately $359 million.
Here is what Karen Holbrook assumed as the interim president: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's oldest, largest, and most prestigious university specializing in aviation and aerospace. It is the only fully accredited, aviation-oriented university in the world.
Embry-Riddle has traditional, residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. Embry-Riddle's Worldwide Campus provides educational opportunities to working adults at locations in the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition, degree programs at all levels are offered through Worldwide Online via the Internet. Combined annual enrollment for all campuses is nearly 29,000 students from all 50 states and 106 nations.
In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, 181 Embry-Riddle faculty members were involved in research and other sponsored projects totaling 205 active awards and 91 new awards. Externally funded grants and contracts for the year totaled more than $16 million. The annual operating budget of Embry-Riddle is approximately $359 million.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Holbrook was a biomedical researcher and NIH MERIT Award investigator. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a doctorate in biological structure at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where she served as a postdoctoral fellow in dermatology, faculty member and research administrator.
In a letter to the ERAU community, Holbrook said in part that she was "very excited about assuming the interim presidency at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, adding she has have seen "incredible changes in virtually every aspect of the University (all three campuses)—from the physical plants at Daytona Beach and Prescott to the academic programs and the ability to recruit high-quality and committed faculty to the increase in the research enterprise and industrial partnerships. Embry-Riddle students have always been motivated and self-directed and are invested in the success of their institution as well as their own career development. The changes, overall, have been dramatic and attest to excellent leadership and commitment at all levels of the institution."
57. Photo Opp - Daytona-area insurance exec Tony Grippa mugs it up with ex-GOP presidential candidate George Pataki
Photos for Headline Surfer / Above, retired Brown and Brown, Inc. executive Tony Grippa post this pic showing him with former New York Gov. George Pataki, who was among the early exits from the 2016 GOP race for president.Still, it's not every day one gets a snapshot in the Big Apple with a former two-term governor, no less. And Ormond Beach's Grippa, a former VP at Brown and Brown, seized the moment. "
Just ran into governor George Pataki during my business trip to NYC," Grippa posted on his Facebook page back in late October. "What a great guy! Need more people like him running for office."
Still, it's not every day one gets a snapshot in the Big Apple with a former two-term governor, no less. And Ormond Beach's Anthony 'Tony' Grippa, a former VP at Daytona Beach-based Brown and Brown, Inc, seized the moment.
"Just ran into governor George Pataki during my business trip to NYC," Grippa posted on his Facebook page back in late October. "What a great guy! Need more people like him running for office."
Then again, as if Trump's performance in the third and final debate with Hillary Clinton Wednesday wasn't bad enough, the Republican outsider certainly didn't make any new friends last night during the nationally televised Al Smith Dinner, attended by Hillary Clinton, too, who was far more gracious and less abrasive.
58. Chase Tramont After Port Orange Council win: 'I will represent you with great honesty and integrity'
Chase Tramont's big dog did his part to get the word out of his candidacy for a seat on the Port Orange City Council. In the inset, Tramont is shown with campaign supporter Deborah L. Keith and a partially obscured Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys, whose district 3 territory encompasses New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill and the area of Port Orange south of the Dunlawton.
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- With his Aug. 30 primary victory assured, Chase Tramont was eager to take his seat on the Port Orange City Council dais.
But alas, he had to wait until won't happen until after the Nov. 8 general elections.
"To the people of Port Orange, one concrete promise that I can make to you all is that I will represent you with great honesty and integrity," Tramont said in a statement on his Facebook profile page.
Tramont continued, "Whatever I do, I do with great passion, character and commitment. As a pastor, teacher, mentor, and coach, I know what it means to be a true servant. I consider it the highest honor to now serve you as your City Councilman-elect."
Tramont defeated Sarah Jones, receiving 6,5550 votes or 59.83 percent to her 4,398 votes or 40.17. Both were first-time candidates for public office and were vying for the seat on the city council currently held by Don Burnette, who won the three-way primary for mayor, with nearly 42 percent of the vote. But because Burnette fell short of the threshold of 50 percent plus 1 vote to win the top municipal post outright, Burnette will face fellow candidate Ted Noftall, who finished second in the primary.
Burnette received 4,865 votes or 41.73 percent, to Ted Noftall's 3,796 votes or 32.56 percent and Lance Green's 2,996 votes or 25.7 percent. As the top two vote-getters, Burnette and Noftall will square off in the Nov. 8 elections. The winner of the Burnette-Noftall runoff will succeed Lance Green's father, Mayor Allen Green, who is term-limited. And Chase Tramont will inherit Burnette's council seat.
Tramont, 36, married with four children and a US history teacher at Spruce Creek High School, reflected on his situation the morning of the primary.
"I awoke at 6:15 to pouring rain outside," the city councilman recalled. "This was disappointing because I and some volunteers were scheduled to hold campaign signs on Dunlawton at 7 am. While on the way to drop my daughter off for school at 6:45 I called my friends Maria Mills-Benat, Renee Carlton and Steve Johnston to let them know that due to the rain I do not expect to see them this morning. Their response? 'We've got our umbrellas and we're out here already.' I cannot begin to describe how humbling that moment was. It was similar to the feeling that I got the day I received my first contribution check. These moments were incredible reminders that it's not about me. It is something so much bigger than just me."
Chase Tramont and Sarah Jones squared off in an Aug. 25 videotaped debate sponsored and moderated by Headline Surfer on Aug. 25 at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange and attended by 45 citizens.
Two other debates followed that night: Port Orange City Mayor with candidates Don Burnette, Lance Green and Ted Noftall, and the third debate was for Volusia County Chair with incumbent Jason Davis and two of his three challengers, Ormond Beach Mayor Ed Kelley and Orange City Mayor Tom Laputka. A third challenger for Davis' seat, Greg Gimbert, was a no-show, announcing ahead of time he was not going to attend a debate moderated by a "roach."
Kelley won the primary with 38,985 votes or 47.01 percent, to Davis' 19,233 votes or 21.93 percent, to Gimbert's 14,110 votes or 17.02 percent, to Laputka's 10,596 votes or 12.87 percent. Because none of the candidates reached the 50 percent plus 1 vote threshold for the primary win outright, Kelley and Davis, the top two vote-getters, will square off in the Nov. 8 general elections. Chase Tramont excelled in the debate and was subsequently endorsed by Headline Surfer. Here is the link: ENDORSEMENTS: Chase Tramont for Port Orange City Council.
59. Two killed in plane crash at Spruce Creek Fly-in community near Port Orange
Photos for Headline Surfer / A plane crash on Dec. 27 that claimed two lives is shown upside down - not far from the Spruce Creek Fly-In gated community, as shown by the sign in the inset.PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Two people were killed two days after Christmas when their plane crashed into a front yard in the Spruce Creek Fly-In community of Port Orange, a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said.
The crash of the 2009 single-engine Epic LT happened just before 6 p.m. in the area of 22 Taxiway Lindy Loop, Sheriff's PIO Andrew Gant said in a press release to Headline Surfer.
"One of the witnesses who reported the crash told a 9-1-1 dispatcher he saw the aircraft fly into the fog, and that the plane was 'in an inverted flat spin when he came out of the fog.'" Gant said. "'He came right over the house – I knew he was in trouble,' the caller told the dispatcher."
The plane crashed into a yard but missed striking any homes in the neighborhood. No injuries were reported by anyone on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the crash to investigate the circumstances. Authorities on Dec. 29 identified the victims as follows: the pilot, Daryl Ingalsbe, 67, and passenger Debra Solsrud, 51.
60. VCSO: Creepy Clown pranks in Volusia County schools don't materialize
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Hoax threats and other creepy clown posts have been making the rounds all across the country, and they really took off on Sep. 30 in schools in Volusia County, officials with the Sheriff's office said.
"We want you to know our schools are safe," VCSO spokesman Andrew Gant told Headline Surfer. "While we encourage everyone to report things that seem strange and potentially dangerous -- involving clowns or otherwise -- the many rumors circulating today about clowns killing or kidnapping people have been debunked and put to rest. It should go without saying, but we want everyone to know that trying a clown prank of your own or making a false report about one is a bad idea. You could cause more trouble than it's worth, for yourself and the rest of us."
Still, out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff's deputies responded to various schools throughout the day on this Friday, in response to chatter among students about clown pranks. Among the schools: Heritage, River Springs Middle and Pine Ridge High School.
Gant said deputies dealt with "mostly just rumors and sharing of images from social media," but he pointed out, there were no local pranks on or at schools that he was made aware of.
RECAP: