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When it comes to fishing, the bite is definitely in the early morning way before nine o’clock. 

After Standard & Poor’s downgraded America’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ it was only a matter of time before markets around the world responded with deep drops. The Dow lost more than 634 points here at home today and the slide will most likely continue. Usually the markets rally during a presidential speech but not today. Citibank shares dropped more than 16% today and BankAmerica dropped 20%.

Recently, I spoke to a group of professionals about addictions and although I knew the material well, I still noticed that for about 2 days before and up until 15 minutes into the presentation at the conference I had the butterflies or what others call a nervous stomach every time I thought about giving the presentation.

Courtesy photo / If you see this man, Donald Bennett, reported missing by his family in Lake Hellen, please call 9-1-1 immediately as he has medical issues related to Alzheimer's.

LAKE HELEN -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating an 81-year-old man who rode away on a bicycle from his house near Lake Helen Tuesday evening and has failed to return home.

Donald Bennett left his house at 1210 Deer Run Court at about 1 p.m. He has Alzheimer's and takes medicine for the condition, but did not have any with him when he left.
His family reported him missing at 3:40 p.m. He regularly takes bike rides, but is usually only gone for about an hour.

Bennett is 5 feet 4 and 140 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a cream colored baseball cap with a Castrol logo on it, a blue shirt, blue polyester pants and brown loafer shoes. He wears a medical bracelet.
Bennett was last seen pedaling on a black trek mountain bike.

Anyone who spots Bennett is asked to call 911 immediately.

Courtesy photo / Donald Bennett, the 81-year-old Lake Helen man reported missing Tuesday by his family was found safe earlier in the day Thursday.

LAKE HELEN -- Donald Bennett, the 81-year-old man last seen pedaling his black trek mountain bike on Tuesday when he was reported missing by his family in Lake Helen, was found safe today in Orange County and reunited with loved ones, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

Donald Bennett left his house at 1210 Deer Run Court at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. His family was worried because he has Alzheimer's and takes medicine for the condition, but did not have any with him when he left. But when he failed to return home from his bike ride after an hour, the Sheriff's Office was called by family members. 

This story had a happy ending, though.

"A citizen saw him at a convenience store near the intersection of Piedmont Wekiwa Road and East Semoran Boulevard in Apopka," Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said. "The citizen had seen his picture in the news, recognized him and reported his location to local law enforcement. A family member was notified and went to a police sub station in Apopka to pick Bennett up."

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Municipal and county officials will participate in a ribbon
cutting ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 24, to mark the official completion of the nearly $800,000 South
Orange Street Streetscape and Parking Lot Improvement project.

The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. on S. Orange Street near its intersection with Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach.

NSBNEWS.NET photos and videos by Henry Frederick / Jim Nelson, the city of New Smyrna Beach's tennis pro, moonlights as a driver for "NSBFree," which shuttles people for free all over the New Smyrna Beach beachside and even parts of the mainland near the North and South Causeway bridges such as Canal Street. The people in the vehicle are surfers from Barbados here for a surfing tournament Saturday near the South Jetty. NSBNews.net went along for a ride with Nelson and the surfing visitors.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- They say there's no such thing as a free ride, but residents and visitors alike in New Smyrna Beach beg to differ with "NSBFree."

OAK HILL -- Former Oak Hill cop M.J. Eberhart and his wife, Theresa, both pointed the accusing finger directly at City Commissioner Ron Engele at Monday's meeting for his role in the demise of the police force and that scenario is likely to be repeated again when the commissioners vote on a contract proposal from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.