Top 100 Stories

62. VCSO: Hillsborough appliance theft suspects tracked to Deltona & nabbed with U-Haul truck

Top 100 Local Stories of 2014 in Central Florida / Headline Surfer®
E Parks, alleged Hillsborough appliance thefts / Headline Surfer®A Higgins, alleged Hillsborough appliance thefts / Headline Surfer®McKinnie, alleged Hillsborough appliance thefts / Headline Surfer®J Johnson, alleged Hillsborough appliance thefts / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® /
Evan Parkes, Adrain Higgins, Alexander McKinnie and Jermaine Johnson, were all allegedly involved in the theft of household appliances emanating from Hillsborough County and ending in Deltona as shown with their jail mugs here at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. 

DELTONA, Fla. -- Deputies gave an assist to investigators in Hillsborough County two days before Thanksgiving after a group of theft suspects drove a stolen U-Haul truck full of stolen appliances from Tampa to a residence in Deltona, according to a spokesman for Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.

Hillsborough deputies investigating a break-in at 13523 Staghorn Road near Citrus Park determined that appliances taken from the home had been moved to Avon Park in a stolen U-Haul truck.

63. Deltona man kicked out of Planet Fitness in Orange City after complaints about his anti-abortion T-shirts

Top 100 Local Stories of 2014 in Central Florida / Headline Surfer®
Mike Amaroso of Deltona in abortion controversy / Headline Surfer®Abortion controversy at gymn in Orange City / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® /
Mike Amoroso holds up one of his anti-abortion shirts that got him kicked out of a Planet Fitness that had him featured in a WFTV news report that went viral.

ORANGE CITY, Fla. -- A 70-year-old pro-life supporter from Deltona was reportedly kicked out of the Planet Fitness in Orange City twice for wearing T-shirts with anti-abortion messages that drew complaints from several other patrons, according to a story published in November by WFTV in Orlando.

Among the slogans on the T-shirts worn by Mike Amoroso and deemed offensive by some at the workout facility: "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart" and "Pray to End Abortion."

64. Orlando Magic sign free agent Ben Gordon

Top 100 Local Stories of 2014 in Central Florida / Headline Surfer®
Ben Gordon signed by Orlando Magic before 2014-15 season / Headlinev Surfer®Photo for Headline Surfer® /
Hoping to get more offensive punch for the 2014-'15 NBA season, the Orlando Magic turned to free agent shooting guard Ben Gordon.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic signed free agent guard Ben Gordon, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced July 11, and per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Ben (Gordon) brings valuable experience to our team,” Hennigan said of the signing. “His competitiveness and ability to score and stretch the floor adds versatility to our backcourt and overall roster. We are excited to welcome Ben to the Orlando Magic family.”

In memoriam: Steve Byrnes among the best & brightest of NASCAR media personalities at Daytona & other tracks

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Headline Surfer® YouTube downloads / Videos by FOX Sports /
Video 1: NASCAR Race Hub remembers the life and career of Steve Byrnes, who died at the age of 56 after a long bout with cancer. Full Episode - April 21, 2015.
Video 2: Favorite memories of Steve Byrnes - NASCAR Race Hub - April 22, 2015.
 
Photos for Headline Surfer® / Steve Byrnes' motorsports broadcasting career is wrapped around NASCAR and tracks like Daytona International Speedway and star drivers such as Tony Stewart.

Steve Byrnes / Headline Sufer®Steve Byrnes with Tony Stewart / Headline Surfer®DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In thinking of NASCAR beat writers and analysts names like ESPN's Bob Pockrass, the Daytona Beach News-Journal's Godwin Kelly and the AP's Jenna Fryer come to mind.

Whether doing a feature profile on a driver, reporting on penalties handed out following a race or even daily tweets on any number of subjects, these three come to mind.

On the television side, analysts and reporters like Dr. Jerry Punch, Jaimie Little and even Alan Bestwick who switched to IndyCar Racing with ESPN come to mind.

Oak Hill structure fire guts residence; leaves family homeless

Oak Hill fire destroys home / Headline Surfer®
Photos and videos for Headline Surfer® by Sue Hansen Payne /
Orange flames arw visible in the raw video of the fire scene, which left a family homeless Wednesday in Volusia Couhty's southern-most coastal city.

OAK HILL, Fla. -- It took 18 firefighters from Volusia County, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Brevard County a couple hours to full extinguish a two-story wood-framed home at 212 Gaines St., early on this Wednesday afternoon that left a family homeless.

An adult female was in the home at the time, but was able to get escape the flames without any injuries, but the house was completely destroyed by the fire, which was visible to responding firefighters.

New Smyrna Beach hires Greg Anglin of Cocoa as city's fire chief, effective May 18

Greg Anglin is the new fire chief of New Smyrna Beach / Headline Surfer®Photo for Headline Surfer® /
Greg Anglin of Brevard County, a veteran firefighter and fire services administrator,will take over as chief of New Smyrna Beach next month with an annual salary of $90,000.
 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida native has been selected as New Smyrna Beach’s next fire chief.

The City Commission is expected to confirm Greg Anglin to lead the department at its next regular meeting, Tuesday, April 28, in City Hall Commission Chambers, 210 Sams Ave.

“We received 42 applications from around the country including many very strong candidates,” New Smyrna Beach City Manager Pam Brangaccio told Headline Surfer®. “The interview panel and I feel Chief Anglin has the expertise and leadership skills to fit well internally with the department and in our community.”

65. Pace car catches fire during Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Top 100 Local Stories of 2014 in Central Florida / Headline Surfer®
Pace car catchs fire in 2014 Sprint Cup Unlimited at Daytona / Headline Surfer®
Headline Surfer® YouTube download / Video by Fox Sports /
Chevy SS pace car catches fire with 20 laps to go in in the 2014 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona as shown in screen shot and in the video on Feb. 18.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Maybe it was the full moon. Whatever the reason, one of the most bizarre scenes in the last 20 years took place on the track at Daytona International Speedway during the final stage of the Sprint Unlimited: The pace car caught fire.

Mori Hosseini: Embry-Riddle 'grateful and indebted' to John Johnson who is retiring after 12 years at the helm

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Photo for Headline Surfer / John Johnson, who is expected to officially retire as president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University by early summer, if not sooner, poses with one of the planes on the campus, among the best private institutions in the nation for aspiring pilots and aerospace engineers.
 
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer

66. VCSO: Pot grow operation discovered after Deltona house fire; occupant arrested

DELTONA, Fla. -- Deltona firefighters and state fire marshals investigating a Dec. 3 house fire in Deltona discovered a marijuana grow operation inside, and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office arrested the man who lives there.

 

67. Couple with young children living with woman's corpse in Holly Hill given prison sentences; house demolished

Top 100 Local Stories of 2014 in Central Florida / Headline Surfer®
House of death in Holly Hill / Headline Surfer®Scalise / Headline Surfer®LaDuke / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® /
Nicole Scalise and Todd LaDuke, since sent to prison, squatted in a Holly Hill home for at least a month with their two young boys and the corpse of the homeowner, Tiffany Kain, (shown below) but told law enforcement they didn't know her boy was in a locked bedroom. They were arrested on Halloween 2013, when cops found the body, and the house was torn down in January 2014. 

Tiffany Kain / Headline Surfer®HOLLY HILL, Fla. -- Like a scene out of a horror movie, a Holly Hill married couple raised their 4- and 6-year-old boys in the same house with a corpse until Halloween 2013, when cops moved in with warrants for their arrests on drug charges -- at that time unaware the body was in the residence as well.