Top 100 Local Stories of 2014

LAKE HELEN, Fla. -- KC Cichon was such a mystery as the city manager of Lake Helen, there's no photo readily accessible to even show what he looks like.

He quit as city administrator in October after 22 months on the job, having given a verbal notice to the mayor, in August, but submitted no formal letter of resignation when he left. Some say it was Kent Cichon who had run several city officials out of city hall and wore out his own welcome as a result, while others say it was the city elders themselves who pushed him out the door.

Photo for Headline Surfer® / Eugene Blackwell, Sr., 45, remains in jail on attempted murder charges in the shooting of his 18-year-old son, Eugene Blackwell, Jr.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A dad shot his 18-year-old son multiple times during a domestic dispute on Father’s Day, New Smyrna Beach cops said.

Eugene Blackwell Sr., 45, was arrested on a charge of attempted murder for allegedly shooting his son, Eugene Blackwell Jr., 18, after a domestic argument turned violent, police said.

The victim was airlifted to Halifax Medical Center shortly after the 6:34 p.m. shooting. He underwent surgery at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach for multiple gunshot wounds.

SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. -- "Appearances can be deceptive." So goes the one-liner in the comedy spoof on espionage in the 2008 movie, "Burn After Reading." Such a one-liner could apply to local resident Phillip Moore, who rides a biycle like the dim-witted Brad Pitt character, Chad Feldheimer.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dr. Thomas Murphy, a Chicago-area cardiac surgeon who raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona, now known as the Rolex 24, at Daytona International Speedway, died Nov. 21. He was 80 years old.

Murphy was on the Specter Werks Sports Team that droves a Chevrolet Corvette and finished 28th overall in the 1999 Rolex 24 sports car endurance race. Other drivers on the team were Jeff Nowicki, Rick Mancuso and Mike Farmer. It was Murphy's lone time in the world class sports car race.

Remembrance of Murphy's run in the 1999 Daytona sports car endurance race and his death comes in at No. 78 in the HeadlineSurfer.com countdown of the top 100 stories of 2014.

ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic weren't going anywhere last season while the Los Angeles Clippers had a chance to come out of the Western conference for the NBA finals, which made for a new lease on life for "Big Baby" Glen Davis.

SANFORD, Fla. -- A man who was cash-strapped offered an undercover woman police officer posing as a prostitute a chicken dinner and $3 n exchange for sex during a sting in early November, Sanford cop said.

Of the seven men arrested in the sex sting, the offer by 32-year-old Steven Torres of Melbourne was the lone barter offer leading to his arrest for solicitation of sex, police said.

The chicken for sex offer comes in at No. 80 in the HeadlineSurfer.com countdown of the top 100 local stories of 2014.

BUNNELL, Fla. – A Palm Coast man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl was convicted after trial by a jury and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on Sept. 17.

Shaun Everette Whitt, 32, was convicted of sexual battery on a victim under 12 years of age, a first-degree capital felony, and engaging  in sexual conduct with a minor, a first-degree felony.

Assistant State Attorney Christina Opsahl prosecuted the case, outlining the frequent and repeated sexual abuse on the 11-year-old victim by Whitt during the previous year when she was 11 years old. Physical evidence in the victim's own bedroom and a medical examination presented at trial corroborated her claims that Whitt routinely forced himself on her when she as home alone while her mother was at work.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hey Orlando Magic fans, you can rejoice: Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets were a bust in the NBA playoffs back in May.

Howard and the Rockets, the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 54-28 regular season record, were bounced out of the first round in just six games by the Portland Trailblazers, 99-98 on a Friday night.

Howard and his Rockets' quick exit from the NBA playoffs comes in at No. 84 in the HeadlineSurfer.com recep of the top 100 local stories of 2014.