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(Photos by Dale Smith) Linda Davis models evening wear from Thrifty Threads, 217 Canal St., during the Girls Night Out segment of Christmas on Canal. In the group photo, participants salute the audience.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – Fashion comes in all styles and sizes. From the elegant and the sophisticated, to the practical, whimsical, and yes, even the silliest. But no matter what was worn, the models wowed the audience during the Girls Night Out fashion show that is a part of Christmas on Canal.

Think back on your fondest Christmas memories: They are most likely about shared moments and experiences. Few people remember the gifts they gave or got last year, let alone last decade. But we do remember those special cookies only Mom knows how to make.

Studies have shown that memories are made from experiences. Experiences that are unique and meaningful have been shown to have lasting imprints in the brain versus short-term gratification of a thrill that last little more than a day or two. Ever wonder why kids can hardly recall what they got for Christmas a week later?

After a great mini-Thanksgiving vacation with a friend, practicing for the school play that I’m in, studying for semester exams, and dealing with the stacks of homework, I’m ready for a weekend to sleep. That’s right; the semester at New Smyrna Beach High School is almost over as the school year hits its half way mark.

In his treatise, "The Heart of Man: His Capacity for Good and Evil," early 20th-century German philosopher and social psychologist Erich  Fromm noted: "The chief danger for mankind is not the fiend or the sadist. It’s the little man with too much power. In a business deal he could destroy an opponent; in a political position he could destroy the world. "

I was reading and forgot to turn off the television when as usual something I heard got my goat. The news was on and they are reporting on the freeze in pay for federal employees. They showed a woman who asked the reporter “How are we going to make it?”

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(Photo by Dale Smith). Adele Aletti, owner of Gone Bonkers, 314 Flagler Ave., wraps festive garland around the handrails of her shop, as she readies for Light up Flagler on Friday and NSB Christmas Parade on Saturday.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – When Adele Aletti made the decision to move to New Smyrna Beach in 1988 to open a store on Flagler Avenue, she said she thought she had gone bonkers.

“Really, I did,” she said Monday, remembering having second thoughts of “Oh, what have I done?”

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NSBNEWS.net video by Sera Frederick.

New Smyrna Beach's finest, led by Police Chief Ron Pagano, are gearing up for their big move to the new police headquarters. Check out our exclusive video coverage of an open house held there. 

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH –  Police Chief Ron Pagano has good reason to smile these days.

South Daytona Fire Chief Tad Derr named president-elect of Volusia Fire Chiefs Association

http://volusianews.net/content/354060-south-daytona-fire-chief-tad-derr-named-president-elect-volusia-fire-chiefs-associati

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Courtesy photo

South Daytona Fire Chief Tad Derr expands his emergency services experience with two new appointments.

SOUTH DAYTONA -- On January 1, South Daytona Fire Chief Tad Derr will assume the role of president of the Volusia County Fire Chiefs’ Association. In addition, he was recently appointed vice chair of Daytona State College Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board.

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Courtesy photos.

Carlos Negron, 39, Orlando, shown here, turned his estranged wife's father's Stone Island home into a literal bloodbath early Monday. A day later, Volusia County Sheriff's investigators had no answers as to what caused him to shoot to death Lara Negron, 41, and her 73-year-old father, Philip Spinney. The Negrons' 11-year-old daughter witnessed the carnage and ran into the street for help after it was over.

DELTONA -- As expected, autopsies performed on 39-year-old Carlos Negron of Orlando who shot and killed his estranged wife and her father before turning the gun on himself in the father's Stone Island home early Monday, was ruled a double-murder suicide by the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office.

Lara Negron, 41, and her father, Philip Spinney, 73, died as a result of gunshot wounds.