Central Florida

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are few sounds worse than that of a metal baseball bat swing made directly to the head of a human being by another and crushing the skull. 

That brutal scenario occurred for real the night of Nov. 23, 2021, when Steve Tilbury, an employee of Ritchey Autos on North Beville Road, Daytona Beach, retrieved a metal baseball bat from the back of his pick-up truck, walked into the car dealership, and up to a co-worker, 50-year-old Charles G. Cummings, who was seated at his desk doing paperwork. He then took a wild swing with all his might, according to shocked co-workers, connecting the fat end of the bat with the side of Cummings' head - causing the thud sound of the bat cracking the skull as the victim fell to the floor.

LONGWOOD, Fla. -- A Longwood cop was fired in early February 2021 following a co-worker’s complaint over the previous summer that he mocked her concerns about the coronavirus and hugged her against her wishes.

Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No.

OAK HILL, Fla. --  A 53-year-old woman was arrested on a felony animal cruelty charge in August for allegedly tossing a crate containing her ex-boyfriend's cat into the Intracoastal Waterway to drown.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- With the Orlando Magic possessing the worst record in the NBA (12-43), the team is not likely to be active in Thursday's NBA trading deadline.

HOLLY HILL, Fla. -- The occasional local political candidate known as “Crazy” Eddie Colosimo, whose ultimate claim to fame was founding the veterans support organization Bikers For First Amendment Rights, lost a three-week battle with COVID-19 back in August at the age of 79.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. --  SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched the Inspiration4 mission – the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit – from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Three men were arrested on multiple felony charges including animal cruelty and animal fighting after Daytona Beach cops busted a dogfighting ring back in early March and rescued more than 40 pit bulls.

DELTONA, Fla. -- A staff member at Heritage Middle School was arrested back in late December after she met with a 14-year-old student at 1:30 in the morning and smoked some marijuana with him before his parents discovered he was missing.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- “rePresent by Kenneth Grant Inzpirations, ” a FREE photography and art exhibition featuring local African American residents, opens today at One Daytona.