Local News Now

Courtesy photo. Volusia Sheriff's deputies have a warrant for the arrest of this man, Robert Bittle, accused of robbing and beating a 16-year-old boy near New Smyrna Beach.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Volusia County Sheriff's investigators are seeking the public's help in locating a 20-year-old man charged with luring a teenager into the woods near New Smyrna Beach on Saturday and then beating and robbing the victim.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Volusia County spokeswoman Shelley Szafraniec asks: "Are you curious about Volusia County’s estuaries, oysters, mangroves,
and common problems associated with invasive plants?"

Then she encourages you to make plans to attend a Chicken Island restoration workshop from 10 a.m. - noon Saturday, April 4, at the Marine Discovery Center, 162 N. Causeway.

The workshop, formatted as a demonstration, will feature activities such as oyster-mat making, a tour of the greenhouse, and information on the roles of oysters and red mangroves in the estuary.

I saw a headline the other day that got me thinking. It said something to the effect that President Obama is going to make sure there are more higher paying jobs available in this country.

Do we need more higher paying jobs? Haven’t the higher-paying job people put us in this mess? If we think back to after World War II and the guys came home, suddenly we needed more houses, more infrastructure, more hospitals for the birthing of the Baby Boomers and on and on.

Attention parents: There is an opportunity of lifetime for your children to fish a youth tournament fashioned after a real fishing tournament on May 16. Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida's Mid Coast Chapter, which encompasses Volusia, Flagler, St. John's and Seminole counties and south to Titusville in Brevard County will hold its inaugural Youth Inshore Classic Fishing Tournament on that date.

This will be a full scale adult style tournament, but is for anglers 17-years-old and younger. It is a "Catch, Photo, and Release" targeting only Redfish, Trout and Jack Crevalle.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Taking advantage of New Smyrna Beach's scenic and environmental beauty, the city's water taxi service is increasing its fares from $12 to $15 as of Wednesday as it transitions from a grant-operated program to a community-backed entity.

The Marine Discovery's taxi off the North Causeway provides 45-minute trips on the Intracoastal waterway to Inlet Harbor in Ponce Inlet, where along the 12-mile route, seafarers get an up-close view of dolphins, birds and other acquatic life, as well as breath-taking vews of the shoreline

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Habitat for Humanity welcomes everyone to its second annual Casino Night at Gilly's Pub 44 on Saturday, April 11.

Tickets are $20 per person, which includes 2,000 gaming bucks, free food all night, open bar during the first hour and drink specials all night. The event starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., at Gilly's Pub 44, 1889 State Road 44, across from the NSB Regional Shopping Center.

There will also be a silent auction, a 50/50 drawing, door prizes and a 5-day vacation giveaway as well as a huge cheer basket.

Courtesy photo. Erwin Mettler, 61, a convicted child sex offender, was arrested at his residence near New Smyrna Beach on 12 counts of possession of child pornography, the Volusia Sheriff's Office said today.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 61-year-old registered sex offender was found with several images of child pornography in his residence near New Smyrna Beach and was arrested Wednesday, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said this afternoon.

Courtesy photo. Capt. Budd Neviaser's son, Jim Neviaser, poses with his trophy. It's Spring turkey season and Capt. Budd has the latest information in his blog below.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- An overnight fight between two cousins outside a bar resulted in both of them being cut with a knife and one of them getting arrested earlier today, New Smyrna Beach police said.

Giles Lamar Hankins, of New Smyrna Beach, refused medical treatment for facial curs after a 12:37 a.m.Sunday fight outside Mr. C's Bar & Grill, 225 Dimmick St., police said. Police had received a call prior to arriving on scene "that a knife was involved and someone had been stabbed," according to a report filed by Sgt. Valerie Joyce.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Christopher Trull the middle of the threeTrull brothers, who absconded from his probation nearly three years ago after a brief imprisonment for his role in the fatal attacks on a group of Spring Breakers here in New Smyrna Beach, was captured Thursday night in Nassau County after police there responded to a domestic violence call.