Local News Now

DELAND -- Division of Forestry crews have contained the brush fire at Clark Bay Road and East International Speedway Boulevard in DeLand. The fire, reported at 6:25 p.m. Sunday, topped out at 15 acres.

Eight new brush fires were reported in Volusia County on Sunday and all are contained, Volusia County spokeswoman Pat Kuehn said. 

Sea water temperatures at Ponce Inlet ranged from 77 to 80 degrees. Surf and pier fishermen reported catching a lot of whiting and a few bluefish and black drum. The pompano catch has significantly slowed down. Ladyfish and large Jack Crevalle have been giving good fights to the anglers fishing in Ponce Inlet. The shrimp run has started in the Halifax River.

Courtesy photo / Port Orange police were at the scene of a grisly murder earlier today 3800 block of Sunset Cove Drive.

PORT ORANGE -- Police have identified the woman found murdered early this morning in her Sunset Cove Drive home as 53-year-old Laura J. Hill and that the medical examiner's office determined she was killed by "blunt force trauma," meaning she was likely beaten to death.

Her daughter, 25-year-old Angela M. Hill, found serious injured, but conscious, by Port Orange police officers shortly after 2 a.m. underwent surgery at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach and is listed in critical, but stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Port Orange police were alerted by the Sheriff's Office in West Baton Rouge, La., that there had been a high-speed chase on Interstate 10 resulting in a crash and that the two men inside the vehicle were apprehended.

PORT ORANGE -- One woman in her mid 50s was found murdered early this morning and her grown daughter critically injured inside their home in the 3800 block of Sunset Cove Drive, Port Orange police said.

The crime scene was discovered at 2:10 a.m., when police went to the home in the Sunset Cove subdivision at the request of the Sheriff's Office in West Baton Rouge, La. Officials in Baton Rouge were out with a crashed vehicle they had apparently pursued on Interstate 10 with the murder suspects inside.

Courtesy photos / Thanks to the Pastime Princess and the Dolpinview Restaurant, with a little assist from NSBNews.net and the power of the Internet, Tia Winn-McDonald of Edgewater, has enough money for her trip to Las Vegas to compete in the Miss Teen United States pageant July 7-15. She still needs to raise another $1,000 to cover personal expenses, but at least her trip is now covered.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When Tia Winn-McDonald put out a plea on her Facebook page for help with fundraising for her upcoming trip to Las Vegas, NSBNews.net stepped up to the plate with a story posted just after midnight Sunday on its website and then posted a link to the story on Facebook with reminders Tuesday and Wednesday.

Courtesy photo / Circuit Judge returns for a second stint as chief judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit that includes Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties.

DELAND -- Circuit Judge William A. Parsons will lead the Seventh Judicial Circuit as chief judge beginning July 1. Elected by the 42 circuit and county court judges in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties, Parsons will have administrative supervision over all courts in the 7th Judicial circuit which includes Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties, during his two-year term.

If you don’t think American people are resilient just turn on your television and watch the survivors of the recent tornadoes in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and other Midwest states wander through their devastated neighborhoods trying to identify which rubble pile used to be their home so they can try to find some of their belongings.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The New Smyrna Beach Little Theatre will hold auditions from for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, and Sunday, Aug. 28, at the theater, 726 East Third Ave. on the beachside.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis.

Courtesy photo / John Delevan

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Edward Jones Financial Advisor John Delavan of New Smyrna Beach recently received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award for his outstanding business building skills and client service efforts over the past year. The award was named for the firm's former national sales manager, Jack Phelan.

Only 147 of the firm's more than 12,000 financial advisors received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award.

NSBNews.net photos by Henry Frederick / The weekly Observer newspaper had been a fixture in New Smyrna Beach for nearly a century where members of the public could stop by and look at the archives, chat with the editor or take out an advertisement. All of that changed six weeks ago when Michele and Robert Lott moved the operation from Flagler Avenue to their Edgewater home. To date, they haven't told their own readers why.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The weekly Observer newspaper has reached a new low, even in this economy.