Local News Now

Headline Surfer® graphic / The 1700 block of S.R. 44 near the roadway’s intersection with West Canal Street is where bicyclist Shariema Smith was struck by a hit-and-run driver as shown in this locator map at left.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When Shariema Smith was hit by a motorist during the early morning hours of Sept. 9, she was riding her daughter’s bicycle, which was destroyed.

But thanks to the generosity of Tom Menzel and Green Pedal Ministries, Zaria Smith, the victim’s 12-year-old daughter, was given a brand new bicycle.

Photo for Headline Surfer® / The vehicle shown here from a surveillance video snapshot was used asa battering ram in the burglary of a DeBary convenience store.

DEBARY -- Thieves used a truck to smash the front doors and then grabbed nearly $9,000 worth of cigarettes from inside Lil Sammy's Citgo, 600 S. Charles R Beall Blvd., at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Headline Surfer® is counting down the biggest stories from the year that was in the award-winning 24/7 internet newspaper's multimedia platform in words, sight and sound. So what ultimately will be the No. 1 story?

Photos for Headline Surfer® / Accused bank robber Michael N. London, 63, is shown in a police mugshot on Friday, a far cry from the Santa Claus get-up shown at far left in a surveillance video still from Monday's armed robbery of the Port Orange Sun Trust branch on Nova Road.

PORT ORANGE -- If you thought the man dressed in the Santa outfit who held up the Sun Trust Bank two days before Christmas was having a bad hair day, imagine what an eye opener he was to Port Orange cops who nabbed him outside his residence earlier today, sans the holiday get-up.

Maximum of 4,500 tickets printed

DAYTONA BEACH -- Your odds of being struck by lightning in a given year is one in 750,000. The odds of winning Powerball are one in 175,223,510. So the odds are definitely more in your favor in if you purchase a $50 ticket for a drawing in mid-March for a custom-built 2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide valued at $35,000, in the Daytona Chamber of Commerce's drawing of the "Official Bike Week Motorcycle." Oh, and as for the odds of winning the flashy Harley, it's one in 4,500.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Though neither is from Daytona Beach, that didn't stop Mayor Derrick Henry from capitalizing on the PR that comes with welcoming new-found celebrities Alex and Sierra of the X-Factor reality show with keys to the city during a performance Thursday night at the bandshell on the "world's most famous beach."

Homicide may be result of stray bullet; investigators interviewing possible gunman

Headline Surfer® locator / 3220 Cadehill Drive in Deltona as shown in this snapshot graphic is the locale of a fatal shooting this Wednesday morning.

DELTONA -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after gunfire this Christmas morning that claimed the life of a 69-year-old man shot in the chest. His name has not been released.

"Deputies are investigating to determine whether a stray bullet may have caused the death," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer®.

Deputies were dispatched to 3220 Cadehill Drive after the Sheriff’s Office’s Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call at 10:02 a.m. that a man had been shot.

Photo for Headline Surfer® / At left is a snapshot from surveillance video inside the Sun Trust Bank branch, 3865 Nova Road, showing a man in a Santa Claus get-up on Monday afternoon robbing the bank while displaying a wrapped package he insinuated was harmful, as in an explosive. The fake Santa left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. The package turned out not to be harmful.

PORT ORANGE -- Just two days before Christmas, a man in a Santa get-up with stocking hat, fake white hair and beard, robbed the Sun Trust bank branch, after placing a package on the counter while standing in front of a teller and passed her a note demanding cash and insinuating the package was harmful.

"An undisclosed amount of US currency was given to the male, who left the package on the counter prior to exiting the bank," Port Orange Police Lt. John Jakovenko told Headline Surfer® on the 3:13 p.m. robbery at the SunTrust, 3865 Nova Road.

Photo for Headline Surfer® / Shown at left is Gov. Scott's annual family Christmas card to Florida residents.

ORLANDO -- Gov. Rick Scott has a holiday message he wants to share with Floridians through media outlets like Headline Surfer®.

"Ann and I wish every family a very Merry Christmas," the governor said on behalf of his wife, in an e-mail Christmas card sent to daily media outlets throughout the Sunshine State on this Christmas Eve.

"We are most excited to spend our Christmas as the proud grandparents of three grandsons- two of which will be celebrating their very first Christmas this year. We wish you every joy this Christmas and the many blessings of family, friends, health and peace in the new year."