Top 100 Volusia County Stories

Courtesy video and photo. State Attorney John Tanner hired Jon Kaney, the preeminent expert civil attorney on Florida open records law, to represent his interests in keeping a grand jury report investigating his office sealed. Kaney is the counsel for the Daytona BeachNews-Journal and married to the newspaper's publisher Georgia Kaney. The News-Journal challenged the legality of keeping the grand jury report sealed through the hiring of outside counsel. Tanner ultimately won, but lost his elected office to relatively unknown R.J. Larizza, who was backed by police unions opposed to the incumbent. 

DAYTONA BEACH -- State Attorney John Tanner won a battle with the help of an old friend, but lost a war.

NSBNEWS.net video by Sera King. Oak Hill police Sgt. Robert Walker gives NSBNEWS.net a tour of the flooding situation during Tropical Storm Fay.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Tropical Storm Fay dumped a lot of water over Florida, with DeBary, Deltona and Osteen getting the worst of it, though all areas of Volusia County had to deal with the precipitation and wind. Not only did the county suffer $13 million in property damages during Aug. 18-24, but a tourist drowned in the surf.

Courtesy video. NSBNEWS.net photo by Sera King. In the video, Barack Obama addresses an enthusiastic crowd at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach At right, supporters of Barack Obama show their support at the corner of Canal Street and U.S. 1 in New Smyrna Beach on Election Day.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Here is how NSBNEWS.net led its story on the early returns showing Barack Obama's historic victory for president: Barack Obama's mesage of "change" resonated big with voters nationally tonight with huge wins in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and the New England States as he closes in on 338 electoral votes compared to 150 for John McCain. The threshold for the presidency is 270 electoral votes.

Courtesy video and photo. New Smyrna Beach photographer and surfer Kem McNair has received worlwide recognition for his July 3 photo of a 5-foot spinner shark that jumped behind two surfers near the South Jetty. "When the water is clear and you ride wave, you can see them while riding your surf board," he said, adding he was standing in 3 feet of water when he captured the shark with his camera. "We see sharks like that two to three times a day," McNair said. "I shot him in half a second -- three frames. Before I could get him again, he was gone. People can't belive a shark can jump out of the water like that, but I've seen it many times."

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- If 2007 was the "Year of the Shark" in Volusia County with 22 bites, then 2008 had to be the "Year of the Shark Part Deux" with 24 bite victims. Just ask 6-year-old Zane Atcha of Deltona.

Courtesy photos. Corrections officer Donna Fitzgerald was murdered by an inmate at Tomoka prison -- stabbed 25 times on June 25 while she was working alone in a section of the prison with 13 inmates. Enoch Hall, a lifer, is charged with capital murder and faces the death penalty, if convicted at trial.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Corrections officer Donna Fitzgerald was a single mother working extra hours at the Tomoka Correctional Institute when she was savagely attacked the night of June 25 -- stabbed 25 times to death by an inmate already serving two life sentences, according to authorities.

Courtesy video and photos. Ryan Lochte didn't have a problem playing second fiddle to Michael Plelps. After all, the Volusia County son won gold as well  in Beijing. At right is Lochte and beach volleyball gold medal winner Phil Dalhausser.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Michael Phelps was the big star of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, but local son Ryan Lochte, the 24-year-old Spruce Creek High School and University of Florida graduate, was pretty good, too, winning a gold with Phelps and an individual gold in the 200-meter backstroke -- beating the world record.

NSBNEWS.net video by Sera King. Virginia Larzelere could be released from prison in eight years or even sooner, despite a life sentence in the killing of her dentist-husband, Dr. Norman Larzelere.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Virginia Larzelere, the condemned mastermind behind the 1991 shotgun slaying of her Edgewater dentist-husband for a $2.1 million life insurance payout was all smiles Aug. 1, at the Justice Center because even though she was sentenced to life in prison, the death penaty was no longer at play.

Courtesy video. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 on the final lap with drafting help from teammate Kurt Busch to beat Tony Stewart coming off turn 4.

DAYTONA BEACH -- With four laps to go in February's 50th running of the Daytona 500, Tony Stewart had the lead, which he kept, until coming off turn 3 of the final lap when Ryan Newman took the high side and with a push from teammate Kurt Busch, beat Stewart to the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway.