Archive

ORLANDO -- A 24-year-old African elephant died Tuesday at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom after a brief, isolated illness.

Tumpe, a female, had moved to the Animal Kingdom in 2007, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

In recent months, the elephant had been suffering from skin sores and gastrointestinal problems, according to Disney, despite ongoing medical care by medical staff onsite, including blood , bacterial and viral testing, ultrasound and laparoscopic surgery.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The citizen who first wrote to the city earlier this year to question the validity of the Angler's Club lease agreement with the city for primate riverfront propety is at it again. He e-mailed the city again last night demanding answers as to the veracity of the longstanding lease he and others have dismissed as a "sweethart deal" that favors the rich.

Harvey T.K. Mitchell continued his call for an independent outside counsel, something at least two other residents -- William Kolesczar and William Gerhartz -- asked for at the March 10 City Commission meeting.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Spring begins Friday, but its beautiful weather is here already. Residents and visitors - including many spring breakers - are getting
out and enjoying Volusia County’s beaches, but are reminded to stay safe while enjoying the 47 miles of county beaches, officials say.

I read a very interesting article today about recycling and reusing nuclear waste. You know, that stuff the government has terrified us about for years and has buried in Yucca Mountain . Whenever the notion of more nuclear power plants comes up the first thing that happens is the chatter about the waste. What will we do with all the waste?

Come to find out, we can reprocess this material with relative ease and effectiveness. The problem is the government has made that process illegal.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Award-winning fiber artist and quilter Lauren Austin will appear at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, as part
of the Live in the Library arts and entertainment series. Austin will show her newest work documenting recent projects in Kenya and the Bahamas and will discuss her experiences, techniques and life-long obsession with fabric.

Her quilt, “Journeys Begin from Home,” was one of 44 selected worldwide for the Historical Society of Washington’s exhibit, “Quilts for Obama,” to celebrate President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

PORT ORANGE -- The 36th annual All-County Jazz Band and Orchestra Festival will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at Spruce Creek High School, 801 Taylor Road.

The concert, featuring more than 100 musicians from Volusia County public schools, is free of charge to the public.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A service is planned 11 a.m. Friday for the Rev. Hal Marchman, a founder of the Stewart-Marchman Center and longtime chaplain for the Daytona International Speedway.

The 89-year-old Marchman died Sunday at Indigo Palms, an assisted living center.

The memorial service at Central Baptist Church, 142 Fairview Ave., will celebrate Marchman's achievements.

He was pastor of the church from 1959 until he retired in 1987. He also co-founded the Stewart-Marchman Center, a substance-abuse treatment agency, now
called Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH --. A 17-year-old Mims girl is the first shark-bite victim for 2009 in Volusia County, where a record 24 attacks were reported last year.

The girl was surfing just south of Ponce de Leon Inlet Wednesday evening when she got nipped, a bite small enough that Band-Aids were used and stitches averted, the Beach Patrol reported.

This year's shark season has gotten off to a later start compared to 2008, when the first bite was Feb. 17.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Black College Reunion is expected to bring heavy traffic in the Daytona Beach area and Votran riders could experience delays, interruptions and route deviations beginning today and continuing through Sunday night, Volusia officials said.

The routes that could be affected by BCR are 1 A/B, 8, 10, 17 A/B, Trolley, Night Service and Sunday Service.

Dear Friends,

This week we have been celebrating Sunshine Week – recognizing Florida’s open government laws. We serve the people of Florida with openness and transparency every day. However, every year during this week, we strive to find new ways to make state and local government more accessible to the public. To achieve this goal, today we launched a new
Web site, www.FlaRecovery.com.