Top 100 Stories

Driver charged with DUI-manslaughter in death of North Carolina tourist in Dayton Beach Shores bonds out of jail

Flowers left at scene of DUI manslaughter on beach / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® /
Flowers are left at the scene of a deadly drunken driving crash that claimed the life of 45-year-old Elizabeth Braly visiting from North Carolina by a driver who crashed through a toll booth after hours.

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- The motorist that cops believe was intoxicated when he struck and killed a North Carolina tourist as she was walking on the beach in Daytona Beach Shores has bonded out of jail.

Elizabeth Braly, 45, was with her 21-year-old son and his wife walking on the beach around 9:30 p.m. June 24, a Tuesday, when she was struck by a vehicle driven by Shawn Doolan.

Children's Musical Theatre Camp to be held at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center

ORMOND BEACH -- The Children’s Musical Theatre Workshop conducts a three-week-long Musical Theatre Camp program annually in July at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center. The camp is for children from Kindergarten age through High School. The camp experience includes instruction in voice, dance, acting, and stagecraft.

This year, the camp program will culminate in the entire camp presenting a public performance of “The Music Man, Jr.” at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center at 7p.m. Thursday, July 24. The long running and beloved Broadway musical features such songs as “(Ya Got) Trouble,” “Seventy Six Trombones, and “Goodnight Ladies.”

Holly Hill spends $27,000 to purchase three new police cars

Photo for Headline Surfer® /
Holly Hill is getting new cop cars.
 

HOLLY HILL -- The City Commission voted unanimously to spend $27,000 to buy three new police vehicles to replace those aging in its fleet.

The funding comes from the city's reserves and was approved at the June 24 meeting of the commission. 

Ormond Beach Public Library to host free art classes

ORMOND BEACH -- Adults can try their hand at drawing during four free art classes at the Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St.Local artist Betty Travis will lead the classes from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on these Saturdays: Aug. 9: Introduction to drawing; Aug. 16: Drawing trees; Aug. 23: Drawing rocks & mountains; Aug. 30: Drawing flowers.

Tony Ledbetter: Abysmal failure as leader of Volusia County GOP

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Making the Grade / Headline Surfer®

Grade: F

Tony Ledbetter, divisive leader of Volusia County GOP / Headline Surfer®DAYTONA BEACH -- Tony Ledbetter has proven himself to be an abysmal failure since taking the reigns of the Republican Party of Volusia County from Stan Escudero following the 2012 elections.

Ledbetter's also proven himself to be divisive, polarizing and downright mean-spirited and even bigoted. He's alienated members of the media, the voting public and even people in his own party.

His alienation of Republicans running in primaries in this election cycle include District 3 School Board incumbent Stan Schmidt, District 5 County Council candidate Fred Lowry and District 3 candidate David Machuga. He did this by orchestrating  a vote of the executive committee in supporting their party rivals, which is proof of his utter idiocy.

Orange County deputies investigating death of 9-month-old baby at resort near Disney

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Lake Tiki Village / Child dies / Headline Surfer®Headline Surfer® graphic /
The locator map shows Lake Tiki Village, the scene of a 9-1-1 call by a family member of an unresponsive baby who Orange County deputies say died Saturday. The family was visiting from Louisiana.

WINTER GARDEN -- Orange County Sheriff's deputies are investigating what may have caused the death of a 9-month-old baby found unresponsive Saturday when they responded to a 9-1-1 call at the Lake Tiki Village resort six miles away from Walt Disney World.

The unidentified child died shortly after transport to a local hospital after deputies responded to to emergency call at 9:10 a.m. at the resort spread across 64 acres on US 192 -- a 10-minute commute from Disney.  It's a family setting with paddle boats, barbecue grills, tennis courts, and a playground. And the victim's family was visiting here from Louisiana when the incident occurred.

Violence continues unabated in Daytona: Woman charged with murder in alleged knife plunge into friend's chest

Violence in heart of Daytona endemic / Headline Surfer®Brenda Reynolds, charged with 2nd degree murder in Daytona stabbing / Headline Surfer®Photo and graphic for Headline Surfer® / Brenda Reynolds, shown here at left in a booking mug, is being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a second-dsegree murder charge in connection with the stabbing sdeath of a woman in her residence at 847 N.orth St. The electronic map shows more than  crimes in the past year within a 1-mile radius of the residence. 

DAYTONA BEACH -- The continuing violence that has gripped this city for the better part of four years now continued Friday night with a woman plunging a large steak kniife into the upper chest of a friend in her bedroom.

Volusia County mortgage fraud sentencings of two Daytona-area defendants put off until September

Hearing planned next month in federal court in Orlando for possible new trial

Ramara Garrett & Jim Sotolongo / Headline Surfer®Photo for Headline Surfer® / Ramara Garrett, shown at far left, was found 'not guilty', but her live-in boyfriend, and father of their baby girl, Joim Sotolongo, was found guilty in a mortgage fraud  trial and is awaiting sentencing.

ORLANDO -- The scheduled July 28 sentencing hearings for Jim Sotolongo and Stephanie Musselwhite have been re-scheduled to Sept. 13 in U.S. District Court in Orlando with a hearing on the possibility of a new trial sandwiched in between.