Top 100 Stories

Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who has covered news in Volusia County since July 1996. He was a a reporter for 8 1/2 years with the Daytona Beach News-Journal before serving as a city editor for nearly two years with the Taunton (Mass.) Daily Gazette, while still residing in Central Florida and coming home on set weekends. He was briefly managing editor of the Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach weekly editions of Hometown News, editor in 2007 of former daily New Smyrna Beach Observer and was the city reporter for the Palatka Daily News. Frederick has written literally thousands of stories for daily newspapers in Florida, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Frederick created and launched NSBNEWS.net on April 7, 2008, with assistance from friend, Peter Mallory. NSBNEWS.net has grown from a small Web site with a couple hundred hits daily to a continuously updated media source for Southeast Volusia with 1,200 hits daily and several thousand page views. Frederick has amassed a small army of volunteer bloggers. He writes most of the Web site's stories, sells advertising to support the Web site and works tirelessly every day to ensure round the clock media coverage for greater New Smyrna Beach. Frederick and his wife, Sera, are fixtures at New Smyrna Beach City Commission meetings where they videotape highlights and they have amassed a video catalogue with more than 300 videos of community events and breaking news. Frederick was instrumental in organizing three successful candidate debates. He posted the Top 100 stories of 2008, and recently established a new investigative series: Show Me The Money." Frederick's Web site has grown to the point where its Web traffic is recognized and monitored by Google. NSBNEWS.net also has more than 2,500 e-mail subscribers who receive breaking news alerts.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Despite the entrenched recession, Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno in his final state of the county address today said the government run here is strong.

"I believe we have one of the most stable, if not the most stable and professionally-run government in Florida," said Bruno, who is term-limited and in his final year.

Courtesy photo / Tiffany and James Pembertonlived in Daytona Beach about a year. Both were found dead Sunday in their Breakers apartment, victims of an apparent murder-suicide.

DAYTONA BEACH -- An Iraqi war veteran shot and killed his wife and then turned a rifle on himself in a murder-suicide over the weekend, Daytona Beach police said.

The wife was identified as Tiffany Pemberton, 25, and the husband, Jason Pemberton, 28. Both were found in their residence at 778 Jimmy Ann Drive No. 1614.

OAK HILL -- This little city, famous for Mosquito Lagoon and more recently the demise of its police force, has a connection to Super Bowl lore. It's the winter home of Miami Dolphins great Larry Csonka.

Wrestling fans all over the world mourned the May 20, death of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who died in a single vehicle crash in Pinellas County, which an autopsy revealed was caused by a heart attack. He was 58.

NSBNews.net photos by Henry Frederick / Oak Hill Commissioner Doug Gibson stands in front of the Volusia County Sheriff's Air-One helicopter behind City Hall on Thursday evening during a VCSO open house.

OAK HILL -- Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson played host to some 100 residents during an open house on the city hall grounds to commemorate six months of law enforcement service to the small city since its police force was disbanded.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The SPCA is sponsoring two pet shot clinics Saturday:11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kmart plaza on State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach, and from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Family Dollar store on U.S. 1 in Edgewater.

These clinics are open to everyone and a veterinarian will be on hand to perform the shots. They only take cash at the clinics. If you need more information, please call 386-748-8993.

Florida Press Club
IRE (Investigative Reporters & Editors)
National Society of Professional Journalists
North-Central Florida chapter Society of Professional Journalists