Local News Now

Photos for Headline Surfer / The Cudas warm up before the big game at St. Joseph's in Montvale, NJ, losing 49-13, Saturday night. The Cudas, led by head football coach Lance Jenkins, shown in the grey shirt, visited New York City and Ground Zero while in the Big Apple prior to the game. The Statue of Liberty can be seen far left behind them.

MONTVALE, NJ -- The New Smyrna Beach High School Cudas big trip to the Big Apple had its good points and its bad points: The good is that the squad got to visit Ground Zero and the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. The bad is the Cudas lost to nationally-ranked St. Joseph's Regional of Montvale, 49-13. at Overpeck County Park in Palisades Park.

By Tom Coriale

DAYTONA BEACH -- So, I've calmed down a bit following the Thursday evening Budget hearing.  There were two votes against the tax increase, but there were five that voted for the maximum increase of 10 percent.

Photo for Headline Surfer /  Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad, shown here, will be the featured breakfast speaker Tuesday of the St. Cloud-Osceola Greater Chamber of Commerce.

ST. CLOUD -- Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad will address Osceola County leaders Tuesday about transportation projects and how they impact the economy of Osceola County. He is the featured speaker at a breakfast hosted by the St. Cloud-Osceola Greater Chamber of Commerce.

Photos for Headline Surfer / Though he was acquitted of murder in the slaying of unarmed Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman finds himself in a national media spotlight amid new gun accusations levied by his estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, who called 9-1-1 and claimed he threatened her. He's shown in this Lake Mary police video snapshot being taken into custody Monday for several hours while Shellie Zimmerman is shown at a press conference that afternoon in Lake Mary with her attorney.

LAKE MARY -- One thing is certain from Monday's domestic spat between George and Shellie Zimmerman that led to her 9-1-1 call: The gun she claimed her estranged husband threatened her with is not the same one used to kill Trayvon Martin.

Photo for Headline Surfer / This 7:02 a.m. snapshot from the state DOT traffic cam on I-4 shows traffic at a virtual standstill in both directions in the vicinity of Lake Mary Boulevard due to a fatal crash overnight.

LAKE MARY -- Interstate 4 is at a snail's pace this morning as the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that occurred just before 2:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near the Lake Mary Boulevard exit.

Traffic is backerd up in both directions for several miles so it's an area you will want to avoid.

Headline Surfer will bring further details as they become available to the 24/7 internet newspaper.

Photo for Headline Surfer / Christophe Noblet's tennis expertise has earned him a coaching promotion at Stetson University.

DELAND -- Stetson University Director of Tennis Pierre Pilote announced that Christophe Noblet has been promoted to associate Head men’s and women’s tennis coach effective today.

“Christophe has done very well so far and is very worthy of this promotion,” Pilote said. “Both the men’s and women’s teams will benefit from his new role within the program."

Photo for Headline surfer / Krtisty Nandoo, 19, of Apopka, was the driver of a Mustang that struck a boy on a bicycle and then fled the scene -- State Road 436, east of Thompson Road -- as shown in the locator map here on Monday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. 

APOPKA -- The motorist behind the wheel of a Mustang was a mere three years older than the 16-year-old boy on a bicycle, whose body was thrown onto her windshield before bouncing off as she fled the scene of the deadly hit-and-run.

Photo for Headline Surfer / A manhunt Wednesday resulted in the apprehension of convicted sex offender Luis Alberto Hernandez Dejesus who earlier in the day broke free from a deputy in New Smyrna Beach.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 31-year-old convicted sex offender who broke free from a Volusia County Sheriff's deputy in New Smyrna Beach earlier in the day Wednesday, was apprehended and taken into custody just after 11 p.m., an agency spokesman said.

Luis Alberto Hernandez Dejesus stayed hidden for several hours after fighting with a Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputy and escaping his arrest while still handcuffed But he finally came out of hiding late Wednesday night and when he did, deputies nabbed him.