Local News Now

Photo for Headline Surfer / Retired Stetson University President H. Douglas Lee President is shown at left in this undated photo announcing his passing on Aug. 29, 2009.

DELAND -- The Stetson University community in August 2009, mourned the passing of Dr. H. Douglas Lee, of DeLand, who had just retired after 22 years as president of Stetson University.

Lee died during the early morning hours of Aug. 29, 2009, at Florida Hospital-DeLand of complications following surgery. He was 66.

The milestone comes in at No. 498 in Headline Surfer's countdown of the Top 500 Stories as part of its 5th anniversary.

OAK HILL, Fla. -- There is no greater symbols of family and friends than the laughter of children at play under the rays of the Florida sun, grandparents and such sitting in folding chairs in the comfort of the shade provided by stately trees and the parents of young ones alternating between fishing out some change for cotton candy and checking their electronic gizmos for messages or news alerts.

Homicides continue unabated: 5 slain by gunfire, 1 run over & another beaten to death

Headline Surfer snapshot locator map / Shots were fieed just before 5:48 a.m. Sunday in a room at the Sunshine Inn, 12 34 S. Ridgewood, where police found a man dead in room 108.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Gunshot blasts woke up guests inside the Sunshine Inn, a rundown motel on South Ridgewood and when cops got there, they found a black man in his early 40s dead in a pool of blood inside one of the rooms. Police received at least one 9-1-1 at 5:48 a.m. about shots being fired, but very little other than the frightened caller saying he heard the gunfire.

Photo for Headline Surfer / At left is a still snapshot from surveillance video of one of two men who fled Kohl's, 1682 Taylor Road in Port Orange, after sticking a handgun in the store manager's face.

PORT ORANGE -- The cops have issued a BOLO (be on the lookout) for two men who robbed the Kohl’s Department Store while armed with a handgun Saturday night.

Editor's Note: Here is the weekly message from Congressman Ron DeSantis, the Republican from St. Augustine, representing the 6th district that includes greater Daytona Beach...

Washington DC -- This week, it was revealed that the IRS had inappropriately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny, the Department of Justice had seized phone records of the Associated Press, and that the administration is apparently unaware of the actions their own agencies are taking. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Mayor Adam Barringer stood front and center before 500 strong Thursday night at the Brannon Center, promising their taxes would go down if they were willing to incorporate.

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / At left, Volusia County lawmakers are shown in a poster for Volusia Days. Maureen France and Carl Lentz, III, listen to proceedings in House legislative chambers. At right, State Rep. Dave Hood, R-Ormond Beach, discusses economic issues at the podium during Volusia Days at the state capitol.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The lawmakers who helped carry the message of jobs in Tallahassee during the Volusia Days event at the state capitol were recognized this morning by the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce.

EDGEWATER -- The City of Edgewater is currently seeking citizens interested in serving on the following municipal boards: Construction Regulation Board (electrical contractor), Recreation and Cultural Services Board, Economic Development Board and Citizen Code Enforcement Board.

Applications and additional information on each Board/Committee can be obtained on the City's website at www.cityofedgewater.org, or by calling by the City Clerk's Office at 386-424-2400 or visiting City Hall, 104 N. Riverside Drive.