Volusia News Now

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / A bus leaves New Smyrna Beach High school for the afternoon commute as shown in this recent shot while students wait for their turn to board as shown in the inset photo.

DELAND -- With at last eight children hit by cars while walking or riding bicycles to or from schools across Volusia County, Sheriff Ben Johnson wants to make sure there are no such mishaps involving children coming onto or off school buses because of motorists not obeying the the rules of the road.

With that concern in mind, he's ordered his deputies step up traffic enforcement to protect students getting on and off school buses.

Mayor's Message

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The city commission just approved the budget for the new fiscal year, Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2013.

Through the combined efforts of our commission, the city manager, assistant city manager, department directors, city employees, and business partners, we were able to further reduce expenses and reduce the millage rate, i.e. lower taxes!

There is something for everyone at the annual Port Orange Family Days from Oct. 4-7 at the Port Orange City Center.

PORT ORANGE -- The Port Orange Family Days targets much of its activity toward youngsters, but serves also as a showcase for achievement by students at area schools.

Examples: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, bands and choral groups from elementary and middle schools will rotate in concert on the stage of the Parker Amphitheater in City Center;

Headline Surfer video produced by Serafina Frederick / 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Four Freshmen closed out the 2012 New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival on Sunday night at the Garlic restaurant and Headline Surfer was there with exclusive video coverage to capture the magic for you.

Pat Rice of the Daytona Beach News-Journal poses for a photo with State Senate GOP candidate and State Rep. Dorothy Hukill following a debate with fellow candidate Frank Bruno, a Democrat and Volusia County chair. Rice moderated the private debate put on by The Tiger Bay Club.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Jason Davis, the upstart county chair candidate snubbed in an earlier Tiger Bay Club debate that featured fellow candidates Carl Persis and Ted Doran, remained an after-thought Tuesday with a new debate between dist. 8 State Senate candidates Dorothy Hukill and Frank Bruno.

With the appearance of egg on its face after Davis finished second in the Aug. 14 primary to Persis to force a runoff in November, Tiger Bay turned to the biggest political heavyweights, Republican State Rep. Hukill and Democrat Bruno, Volusia's county chair. 

Mayor's Message

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The commissioners and I heard loud and clear from residents at the Sept. 5 community meeting at the Brannon Center on how they feel about a workforce housing development on the North Causeway. They don't want it.

While this was not a city-initiated community meeting, I attended along with my fellow city commissioners to learn specific details about the proposed development "The Causeway Landings" and to hear what the several hundred residents had to say about the project.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Hours after the Egyptian mob’s 9/11 anniversary assault on our embassy in Cairo, a well-armed terrorist team attacked the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, setting the building afire and killing American Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US diplomats.

Al-Qaeda is fond of simultaneous terrorists attacks but, other than timing, there are too many differences between the two incidents to suggest to me that they are linked. In Cairo the assault was mounted by a large unarmed mob, possibly egged on by the Muslim Brotherhood or their Salafist Islamic rivals.

Courtesy photo exclusively for Headline Surfer / Robert Fortner of DeLand, a Republican state committeeman from DeLand, cheers during Mitt Romney's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

TAMPA -- Robert Fortner, a GOP state committeeman from DeLand liked what he heard from Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in his acceptance speech at the convention.

"He gave us what we wanted to hear," the 68-year-old retired custom automotive car and boat manufacturer said on his way back to his hotel. "He had a job to do to accept the nomination and he delivered. He was very positive for the country's future."

NSBNews.net photo by Henry Frederick / The former Dunn Lumber building off the intersection of US 1 and West Canal was torn down in December 2010 and vacant since then. Video coverage inside.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The city recognizes something needs to be done about improving the aesthetics of one of its key intersections: US 1 and Canal Street. The CRA will hold a meeting Thursday in the City Commission Chambers, 210 Sams Avenue. Two hours have been set aside for citizen input beginning at 5 p.m.