Local News Now

Editor's Note: This write-up by Michael W. Gerowchowski is being published exclusively in the Sunshine State via HeadlineSurfer.com as a public service for online readers.

By Michael W. Grochowski

ATLANTA -- Spring is officially here. Before you get started with your spring cleaning, perhaps another matter deserves some dusting off—that long-term financial plan. April is National Financial Literacy Month—the perfect time to spring into action when it comes to planning your financial future.

Headline Surfer® celebrating 5th anniversary by recognizing outstanding individuals

Photo for Headline Surfer® /

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bike Week starts Friday and what better way to introduce the nation's largest motorcycle rally than recognizing Michael Politis, selected as one of the Headline Surfer® recipients of a lifetime achievement award for service to greater Daytona Beach for his motorcycle safety advocacy and biker rights.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  -- The future is now at Daytona International Speedway, thanks to two historic votes in less than 24 hours involving municipal and county governments.

Graphic for Headline Surfer® / The snapshot map shows the portion of Budinger Road in St. Clouds where the speed limit was increased to 30 mph.

ST. CLOUD, Fla. -- It's now legal to drive 5 mph faster on a stretch of Budinger Road between Profress Bouelvard and 17th Street for a maximum speed of 30 mph, according to city officials.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will hold a public Scoping Meeting 6 p.m.Thursday, March 20, at the Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 East Dakin Ave.

The purpose of these scoping meetings is to provide the public an opportunity to learn more about the Commission's environmental review process, and to verbally comment on the SMP Project. Representatives from Sabal Trail, FSC, and Transco, as applicable, will be present one hour to each scoping meeting to answer questions about the respective SMP Project component. Affected landowners and other interested parties are encouraged to attend and to give their comments on the issues they believe should be addresses in the EIS.

YouTube upload / Video by Simon Besmer / Volusia County Beach Patrol rescues occupants of this motor vehicle, swept into the surf in Daytona Beach on Tuesday afternoon near the Silver Beach Approach. A rescuer carries two of the children to shore in the snapshot at left.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A South Carolina woman drove her van into the surf with her three children inside just south of Silver Beach, before all were rescued and the vehicle became completed submerged.

One of the children reportedly told rescuers, "Our mommy's trying to kill us, please help."

Photo for Headline Surfer® / Kelly Ann Balerdas had obvious signs of trama to her body, Kissimmee police said, of the unsolved homicide of March 6, 2004.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – It was almost a decade ago ago that 22-year-old Kelly Ann Balderas was found slain in her motel room at the former Breeze Inn, located at 900 E. Vine St. by the hotel manager in well-being check after she hadn't bee heard from by friends for three days, Kissimmee cops said.

The locale is now a drug treatment facility. And it is near where Banderas's mother, mother, Diana Bryan, will be holding a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. Saturday, in remembrance of her daughter who was beaten to death. The homicide remains unsolved.

The vigil will be at the corner of Damon and East Vine streets, said Stacie Miller, spokeswoman for the Kissimmee police force.

It was 10 years earlier on March 6, 2004, that Kelly Ann Balderas's body was found at 4 p.m. in her hotel room with obvious signs of trauma to her body, Miller said.

Grassroots GOP conservative & school board member juggles civic & family roles

Photo for Headline Surfer® / Amy Lockhart is shown in a portrait pose in her successful run in 2012 for the Seminole County School Board.

LAKE MARY, Fla. – In just two short years, this Lake Mary public servant demonstrated the "can do" attitude in delivering on her campaign promises midway through her 4-year seat on the Seminole County School Board in addition to myriad duties in several civic posts and balancing it all out with her most treasured responsibilities: family and faith.

So it's easy to understand why Gov. Rick Scott didn't blink an eye Friday in piling on even more responsibilities on Amy Lockhart, appointing her to an open seat on the Seminole State College of Florida District Board of Trustees.

The 39-year-old Lake Mary wife and mother of two school-age kids previously served as chairwoman of the Idyllwilde Elementary School Advisory Council.

Photo for Headline Surfer® / A still image was made from a security camera of a robbery mid-day Friday at the IHop.

KISSIMMEE -- City cops responded at 12:15 p.m. today to the International House of Pancakes at 1715 West Vine Street after a man walked up to the cashier, implied he had a gun and demanded cash, before walking out the door with a wad of money.

"He threatened a server and demanded money from the register, Kissimmee police spokesman Stacie Miller told Headline Surfer®. "After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect left on foot. No one inside the restaurant was injured during the incident."

"He threatened a server and demanded money from the register, Kissimmee police spokesman Stacie Miller told Headline Surfer®. "After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect left on foot. No one inside the restaurant was injured during the incident."

Photo for Headline Surfer® / The largest proposed residential-commercial development in the history of Daytona Beach, the so-called Russian Towers, approved by the city last year for location at water's edge east of the Seabreeze Boulevard Bridge, already is six months past a scheduled groundbreaking and may be on shaky financial ground.

DAYTONA BEACH -- With an August groundbreaking that came and went with no dirt moved and growing whispers in recent days that the $150 million Russian Towers condo-hotel development may prove to be a bust rather than the economic boom propagated ad nausea in the News-Journal.