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Courtesy photo/Lt. Jill Danigel of Edgewater Fire-Rescue. Four people were slightly injured when a car rear-ended a Votran bus picking up a passenger early Monday on U.S. 1 in Edgewater.

EDGEWATER -- Four people received minor injuries when a car rear-ended a stopped bus picking up a passenger in the northbound lane of the 100 block of North Ridgewood Avenue just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, Edgewater Fire-Rescue officials said.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Mayor Sally Mackay congratulated Mullinax Ford Mercury during Tuesday night's City Commission meeting for its "2008 President's Award" as among the top Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships in the country.

"This is great for New Smyrna Beach," the mayor said, "We really appreciate our businesses."

HOLLY HILL -- Two men who were ripped off of $12,000 during a drug deal that went bad called the Volusia County Sheriff's Office Monday night seeking justice.

Deputies investigated the case into the night, arresting one suspect
early Tuesday morning and obtaining a warrant for a second suspect," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. "The money hasn't been recovered."

OSTEEN -- Fire crews continue to work the lines around the 4,500-acre fire near the Lake Harney Woods subdivision. Today fire crews will continue to establish and widen lines around this growing fire.

In addition to the main fire, crews are plowing lines around a separate fire about a half-mile west of the large fire. This fire, which covers about 150 acres, began when a burning ember from the original fire was picked up by wind and traveled over the fire line. This fire is deep in the woods and not threatening any structures or roads.

DELAND -- Members of the Florida Division of Forestry Interagency Incident Management Blue team have established an incident command post at the Little Big Econ State Forest office, 1350 Snowhill Road, Geneva, to manage the multiple brushfires in parts of Brevard, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

More than 100 personnel locally and from throughout the state are working together to contain seven large brush fires and numerous small
ones in the Central Florida area. At this time none of these fires are threatening any homes or structures.

Volusia County:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Carol Kelley, principal of New Smyrna Beach High School, was welcomed back to school this week after being out since March after a car accident for which she suffered a broken pelvis and hip.

Though still confined to a wheelchair, Kelley returned to school, an occasion recognized on the high school's Web site with: "Welcome back, Dr. Kelley!"

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida has 58 confirmed cases in the following counties: one in Osceola, Alachua, Indian River, Marion, Clay, Collier, Lake, Manatee, Flagler, Seminole, Okeechobee, and Duval, two in Orange, Brevard and Sarasota, 3 in Pinellas, 7 in Lee, 8 in Hillsborough, and 11 in Dade and Broward each.

New confirmed cases:

* Broward: a 14 year-old female
* Dade: a 10 year-old female

There are three probables in the following counties:

* Palm Beach has 1 and Okaloosa has 2.

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson will hold a media availability at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Incident Command Post for the Central Florida wildfires, located at the Little Big Econ State Forest office, 1350 Snowhill Road, Geneva.

Prior to meeting with reporters, the Commissioner will view the wildfires from a Division of Forestry helicopter and will meet with fire and emergency personnel on the ground.

COUNTY ANNOUNCES SITES FOR SUMMER FOOD PROGRAM

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Volusia County’s Human Services Office will sponsor a Summer Food Service Program for children at 75 sites throughout Volusia County from June 15 through Aug. 14.

The program provides nutritionally balanced meals regardless of race, color, sex, disability or national origin, said Pat Kuehn, county spokeswoman. The programs are approved for areas in which 50 percent or more of the children qualify for free and reduced price meals during the school year.

OSTEEN -- A little bit of rain late Monday afternoon was welcomed by fire crewsworking the 3,000-acre fire threatening the Lake Harney Woodssubdivision in southern Volusia County, Volusia County officials said.

Division of Forestry crews worked through the night to plow lines around the growing fire. The fire extends from State Road 46 (to the south east of Lake Harney Woods subdivision), has run through the east end of the subdivision (heading northwest), and extends to Lake Harney Road off of Maytown-Osteen Road in Volusia County.