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NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Nicole Carni had finally taken a day off from her high-pressure job as director of the Southeast Volusia Advertising Director and New Smyrna Beach Visitor's Center to serve as a chaperone for her 6-year-old boy, Allario, and his Samsula Academy classmates on a Friday morning trip to Canaveral National Seashore.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The sickly Risso's dolphin that beached itself on New Smyrna Beach has died, officials at SeaWorld Orlando confirmed this morning despite Friday's heroic effort by a small group of beach-goers to rescue and care for it at water's edge.

By NIKKI GOLUB

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The adrenaline of going out to “cover a story” Friday wore off immediately after seeing the beached dolphin and was replaced with a knot in my stomach. Here I was taking pictures of this sick, stressed sea mammal while brave locals and out-of-towners braced with a bucket and some towels did their best to help the dolphin. They had hope.

A Volusia County Sheriff's deputy walks inside the crime scene tape outside the Burger King parking lot in DeBary on Monday afternoon following a bloody situation inside where a man shot a server multiple times at point-blank range, killing her.

DEBARY -- The corner of Dirken Drive and Sunrise Boulevard in this quiet enclave off exit 108 of Interstate 4 sits a Burger King, where customers come and go, through the drive-thru with the normal hustle and bustle of fast food. All of that changed in the flash of a gun blast this morning with the server falling back from the counter and her attacker jumping over and unloading several more rounds while standing over her, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

The victim has been identified as 38-year-old Heidi Shelmire and her accused killer is Jesus Morales, 41, who is charged with first-degree premeditated murder.

The comment shown in this snippet from the Volusia County Sheriff's arrest report was made by accused killer Jesus Morales as he was being taken into custody Monday in the gunshot slaying of former girlfriend Heidi Lynn Shelmire at the DeBary Burger King. 

DEBARY -- No court order was going to keep Jesus Morales from gunning down his former girlfriend, Heidi Lynn Shelmire, whom authorities said he shot in cold blood Monday morning at the Burger King where she worked, uttering to a deputy after his capture in nearby woods: "I've been picturing in my mind for six months about blowing that bitch's head off."

The first question most people ask when they find I’ve moved to Ponce Inlet is, “Can you see the Lighthouse?”