NSBNEWS.net: Volusia County / State

DELAND -- The State of Florida will increase vehicle registration fees Sept. 1, but residents whose birthdays are before Dec. 1 can beat the rate increase by renewing early, says Pat Kuehn, a Volusia County spokeswoman.

Residents whose birthdays are:
● on or before Aug. 31 can renew at the current rate by Aug. 31;
● in September can renew early at the current rate by Aug. 31;
● in October can renew early at the current rate between July 1 and Aug. 31; or
● in November can renew early at the current rate between Aug. 1 and 31.

PORT ORANGE -- A precautionary boil-water notice remains in effect for
385 homes in the Spruce Creek Fly-in subdivision west of Port Orange, according to Volusia County officials.

Utilities crews shut off water to the homes from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday,, so Spruce Creek Fly-in public works staff could install a stormwater line on Roscoe Turner Trail. The water was shut off the same time frame Wednesday, as the installation project continued.

HOLLY HILL -- City Manager Tim Harbuck will leave his post Oct. 8.

Harbuck, tabbed as an interim in February 2008, before being given the permanent job a month later, made his announcement Tuesday at the City Commission meeting, saying it was time to do something else.

He was Holly Hill's development code administrator when he was chosen to replace Joe Forte, who left as city manager for a position with Seminole County as a deputy manager.

No replacement was announced Tuesday night.

DELAND -- A 47-year-old Mexican citizen living in Volusia County, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a marijuana trafficking operation in Central Florida that was busted in October 2007, the Florida Attorney General's Office has announced.

Heriberto Banuelos Jimenez, 47, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to traffic in 25 pounds or more of marijuana, according to Sandi Copes, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office, in announcing the sentence Friday.

DEBARY -- The public is invited to enjoy an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration at DeBary Hall Historic Site from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday, July 4.

Activities at this free outdoor party are geared toward all ages. A disc jockey will play patriotic music, and attendees can compete in a number of events, including pie-eating contests. Participants may bring a picnic lunch or purchase refreshments on site.

PONCE INLET -- Volusia County’s Environmental Management Division is asking the public to help find a nesting loggerhead turtle that disappeared from the beach in Ponce Inlet early Monday morning.

According to sea turtle specialist Jennifer Winters, a loggerhead turtle crawled onto the beach to nest near the Beach Street ramp, possibly after low tide at 2:30 a.m. The turtle’s tracks went up the ramp west of the gates and ended at the pavement.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Tuition at Daytona State College is going up 8 percent this fall, a measure approved Thursday by the college's Board of Trustees.

The tuition hike is allowed by the Florida Legislasture because of shrinking funds to support the college's $85 million budget. A full-time student will pay close to $3,000 for two semesters, an increase of more than $300 over this year.

DSC also has a branch campus in New Smyrna Beach.

DELTONA -- A woman clerk was shoved by a gunman when she initially refused his demand for cash at a Deltona convenience store early Thursday morning, before he reached over the counter and took money, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

There were no shots fired or any serious injuries in the 1:42 a.m. robbery at the Kangaroo Store, 2910 Howland Blvd.

DELAND -- A third person in Volusia County has been confirmed as suffering from swine flu, according to a story published Friday on the Orlando Sentinel's Web site.

"A spokeswoman for Florida Hospital DeLand said a patient whose identity is not beingdisclosed was admitted for a pre-existing chronic medical condition and was at high risk for complications," the Sentinel reported. "The patient was listed in critical condition."

Florida has had 562 cases of swine flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A 9-year-old boy from

Courtesy photos. A man approaches the counter at the Super 8 Motel in Ormond Beach Thursday night, then jumps over it and rifles through the cash register with a clerk sitting right there. She was unharmed.