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By Douglas Gibson

OAK HILL -- I want to take this opportunity to wish any and all a happy and safe Fourth of July today and through the extended holiday weekend.

It's holidays like this where family and friends get together for a barbecue, perhaps go the beach or Mosquito Lagoon right here in Oak Hill. Or maybe maybe venture on up to Daytona International Speedway for the races or catch the fireworks shows in Edgewater or New Smyrna Beach. 

Whatever your Fourth of July plans and above all else, please keep your family and other loved ones safe. And remember one too many can lead to disaster and a lifetime of regret.

As a Florida state trooper before retiring, I saw more than my fair share of the deadly consequences of drinking and driving.

Photo for Headline Surfer / Donna Jane Bennett, mayor of Oak Hill from 1992-'99, died 10 years after her tenure as mayor.

OAK HILL -- Though she was mayor of Oak Hill for the better part of the 1990s, not much has been chronicled the on the relatively short life of former Mayor Donna Jane Bennett, who died unexpectedly in 2009. She was 57.

Bennett's passing comes in at No. 494 in Headline Surfer's Top 500 countdown as part off its 5th anniversary coverage.

Family and friends paid their final respects to the life-long Oak Hill resident in a May 19 service at the First Baptist Church, with the Rev. Emerson Bolton, Sr., officiating.

Bennett died three days earlier at Florida Hospital Ormond Memorial. The circumstances that led to her passing were kept private.

Photo for Headline Surfer / Gov. Rick Scott reflects on meaning of holiday.

NAPLES -- Gov. Rick Scott released the following statement Wednesday from Naples on the eve of the nation's independence celebration: “Ann and I join all Floridians in celebrating our freedom as Americans and remembering our country’s great heritage this 4th of July holiday."

Scott continued: "As we spend Independence Day with our family, we are reminded of those who cannot do the same because they have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. This week, we honor those who have served in the past and are serving our country at home and abroad today."

Photo for Headline Surfer / At left is a poster announcing a contest seeking a new name for the City of Oak Hill with prizes for winning entries.

OAK HILL -- The poster says it all: Wanted! Motto for the City of Oak Hill.

"Obviously, we want to promote our city," Oak Hill Mayor Douglas Gibson told Headline Surfer, echoing the verbiage in the Old West wanted poster.

As he rightfully pointed out, Orlando has a great motto: The City Beautiful. And Daytona's is known around the globe: "The World's Most Famous Beach."

So why not Oak Hill?

"We have endless possibilities for a bright future for our city," said Gibson, elected in November. "A motto would be great."

Headline Surfer videos and photos / A black bear climbed up a tree in downtown New Smyrna Beach just before sunrise Saturday and didn't come down until after sunset. Headline Surfer has exclusive video.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The city by the sea is known for its shark bites and 'Cudas football, but black bears? One just happened to hang out in a tree at the corner of Magnolia and Canal streets all day Saturday until sunset when it climbed back down and scampered away.

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / These birds were seen recently in a small pond fountain across from the Edgewater City Hall.

EDGEWATER -- A gathering of exotic birds took a swim on a warm summer's day in a small  pond foutain across fthe street from the Edgewater City Hall on Riverside Drive.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Having failed during his first term to get Congress to approve his insidious cap and trade bill, which would have “skyrocketed” the cost of electricity and done irreparable damage to the US economy, Barack Obama is trying again, as we always knew he would. This time, knowing that he does not have to face the voters again, he is flouting the Constitution (no surprise there), end running Congress and misusing his executive authority to order the Environmental Protection Agency to falsely extend the authority of the Clean Air Act to draft and impose severe limitations on the amount of carbon dioxide that power plants may emit.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Fifteen minutes after the City of Edgewater lights up the night sky on the Fourth of July with a spectacular fireworks show, the city of New Smyrna Beach will do the same. The fireworks shows in both cities will conclude the Souhtheast Volusia Advertising Authority's inaugual New Smyrna beachweeks.