Local News Now

ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic have waived guard Gabe Pruitt, President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Otis Smith announced Wednesday night following the team's preseason game vs. Miami.

Pruitt, who did not appear in either of Orlando's two preseason outings,  was third on the depth chart at point guard behind Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics out of USC.

Headline Surfer (formerly NSBNews.net ) video and photos by Sera King / Edgewater police have a new law officer to help take a bite out of crime: Karma, a Belgian malinois, partnered with officer John Tarr. Karma gets ready for his next command, all of which are given in German, taught to him as a puppy in his native homeland where most police dogs are bred. Below, Karma shows how big his jaws are, carrying the arm protector used in training. 

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- So what is the most exciting aspect of a police dog's job? Why that's "Catching people," New Smyrna Beach k-9 cop Bruce Holcomb answers.

Headline Surfer photos / Above: A memorial outside the New Smyrna Beach Police Station recognizes police officer Roy L. Nelson Jr.  and his k-9 partner, Caesar, killed in the line of duty on Aug. 13, 2005.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Before the new police station was built last year, the only public recognition of canine officer Roy L. Nelson Jr., and his dog, Ceasar, was a photo in the lobby of the former facility.

From Galleria di Vetro to Clancy's Cantina, something for everyone on a sunny Saturday

NEW SMYRNA BEACH --What would a Christmas-themed Wine Walk at Art Walk on Flagler Avenue be without baked goods?

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running-mate Paul Ryan held a big rally during Biketoberfest at the Daytona Beach Bandshell.  So, too, did First Lady Michelle Obama, even closer to the election at the Ocean Center for her husband, the president. Both are among the contenders for Headline Surfer's No 1 story of 2012.

NEW SMYRNA -- Join us as we continue our countdown the Top 100 stories of 2012 from here in New Smyrna Beach and across Volusia County. We've only just begun with a few entries as the calendar continues to wind down.

BUNNELL -- A 3-year-old boy was killed after being struck in the head by a tree cut by his 12-year-old brother mid-morning Friday, Flagler County deputies said.

The toddler, Joseph Demillo, was in his grandfather's yard on County Road 304 in western Flagler County when his older brother was cutting down a dead tree that was 6-inches thick. The little boy apparently wandered into the path of the falling tree and was struck in the head by a branch, deputies said of the 9:55 a.m. accident.

The boy was rushed by his grandfather to the intersection of County Road 304 and U.S. 1 where a Flagler County ambulance picked him up and transported him to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Vince Carter is gearing up for the NBA season on Christmas day with his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, who open up at home against the team they beat in the finasls last season, the Miami Heat.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The Dallas Mavericks have good reason to be pleased with the addition of Vince Carter as the NBA season begins Christmas Day. Carter, the Mainland High School McDonald's All-American, known as "Vinsanity," practiced for the first time Thursday, slowed by tendinitis in his knee.