Local News Now

Finished second to Scott Stiltner among field of four in Aug. 26 primary

Photos for Headline Surfer® /

PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Larry McKinney, former president and CEO of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, who finished second in a crowded field in the Aug. 26 primary for a seat on the Port Orange City Council, has withdrawn his candidacy with less than three weeks to go before the general election.

"Today, I am withdrawing from the race for District 4 City Council in Port Orange," McKinney said in a prepared statement emailed to Headline Surfer® late Friday night. 

Two eldest kids dead; third clinging to life in hospital

Photos for Headline Surfer® /

PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- A domestic quarrel between a married couple on the verge of divorce ended in bloodshed before dawn today in the Spruce Creek Farms subdivision after the wife ran out of the house and the husband taking aim at their three children -- killing two of them in the process -- before shooting himself to death.

Editor's Note: Morton Culligan of DeBary, a citizen watchdog (shown here at far left), who often appears at Volusia County Council meetings, and an attendee at a HeadlineSurfer.com public candidate debate for the at-large County Council seat at the Oak Hill City Hall back in June for which candidate Pat Northey (shown here far right) was a no-show, wrote the following after Thursday'sCounty Council meeting and sent it to local media outlets. Culligan was reacting to Councilman Joshua Wagner's criticism of Northey for the mailer on County Council at-large incumbent Joyce Cusack (shown here in the middle). Culligan's reference to 'Fast Freddy' is Fred Lowry, candidate for the district 5 seat Northey now holds, but is term-limited in, which is why she's challenging Cusack. Lowry is battling fellow candidate Rich Gailey of DeBary, who won the August primary:

DELAND, Fla. -- Whats next? Big Spat at Volusia Council meeting. Pat Northey slips back into the gutter -- again.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Nicole and Mike Kirkland of Edgewater dressed up their 1-year-old son, Nolan, as a shark, three years ago for the New Smyrna Beach Halloween parade.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Margie Patchett, the no-nonsense co-founder and executive director of Volusia Tax Reform, interviewed three candidates for Counry Council and as such is the featured newsmaker interviewee for today's Headline Surfer® multimedia presentation of The Sunday Conversation.

SANFORD, Fla. -- SunRail trains are operating on a normal schedule with the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, with 34 regularly-scheduled train trips per day, a DOT spokesman said.

"As usual, the first train leaves Sanford at 5:06 a.m. and the last stop of the day is in DeBary at 10:18 p.m.," Florida Department of Transportstion regional spokesman Steve Olson said.

Please check www.sunrail.com for the schedule and regular pricing options.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Then-Winter Park Vice Mayor and City Commissioner Karen Diebel talked up Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach as though she was her only real opponent in the 2010 elections, but in doing so, she perhaps under-estimated the strength of her own GOP party rival, Sandy Adams.

Big mistake!

Teen girl hasn't been seen or heard from since Saturday

ENTERPRISE, Fla. -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in finding 17-year-old runaway Charise Torres.

Charise took off on Saturday night from the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home in Enterprise and hasn't been seen or heard from since by her caregivers, authorities said.

"While she isn’t believed to be in any danger, Charise is on medication for a diagnosed medical condition," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer® on Tuesday. "Because of her condition, authorities are anxious to find Charise to make sure she’s O.K. and receives necessary medical care."

Sheriff's spokesman: Ankle monitoring device found in Burger King bathroom

DELTONA, Fla. -- The search has ended for an inmate who failed to return to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach after a court-authorized furlough to attend a funeral over the weekend.

Andrew Rodriguez, 27, was captured at 11:01 p.m. Monday after an anonymous call led Sheriff’s deputies to his whereabouts.

"Late Monday night, a tip received through Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida led deputies to the house on Evergreen Avenue," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer® this morning shortly after his capture.

"Just as deputies were heading into the house to search for Rodriguez, he bolted out of a side door and was quickly captured without offering resistance."