Local News Now

Photo by Pat Kuehn for Headline Surfer / Circuit Judge William Parsons issues the oath of office to Volusia County Chair Jason Davis on Thursday morning.

DELAND -- Today was about respect and Jason Davis stood tall as he and most of his new colleagues were sworn in to office by Circuit Judge William Parsons before a packed house in the renamed Frank T. Bruno Council Chamber.

Bruno, term-limited after eight years as Volusia County's first elected chair was there in name only, though his former campaign manager Mike Jiloty was in the gallery, two months removed from a crushing defest to Republican Dorothy Hukill for a state senate seat.

Today was all about the new chair -- Jason Paul Davis, a 50-year-old combat veteran and one-time local radio producer who defied the odds and knocked off two of the biggest political heavyweights Volusia has seen in the last decade.

A woman was robbed at gunpoint of cash and prescriptions at 218 N. Dixie Freeway in New Smyrna Beach just after 11 p.m. as shown in this locator map.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 26-year-old petty criminal robbed a woman of cash and medicine at gunpoint Wednesday night, but he couldn't outrun the long arm of the law even after ditching his getaway car, New Smyrna Beach cops said.

Eddie Selph was taken down by a K-9 dog and arrested after a brief chase through a wooded area and charged with armed robbery. Here is a synopsis of what happened in the 11:09 p.m. pursuit as described by Sgt. Valerie Joyce: Regina Krouse, 36, told cops she had been robbed at gunpoint of cash and prescriptions at 218 N. Dixie Freeway.

 SANFORD -- Before the mass murders in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., no gun-related slaying created such a national uproar than that of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who crossed paths with gun-toting neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. It's the No. 1 story in Headline Surfer's ranking of the Top 10 Florida stories of 2012.

Videos produced by Multimedia Editor Serafina Frederick / Volusia County Chair Jason Davis sat down with Headline Surfer Editor/Publisher Henry Frederick for an exclusive indepth video interview in Frederick's New Smyrna Beach home on Dec. 31. Here is that hour-long interview in three video segments.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Volusia County Chair Jason Davis of Edgewater cites the three "Ps" that led to his successful and overwhelming victory in the Nov. 6 general elections: Pavement, personality and perseverance.

Though he officially took over as county chair when the ball drop to the new year, per the county charter, Davis will be sworn in Jan. 10, a largely ceremonial function.

Please click the videos for an indepth interview focusing on how Davis dealth with being the clear underdog and political outsider, how he won so handily and how he's handling crtitical media coverage focusing on a decade-old arrest that was dropped and dredged up again with a big front page story. Davis also highlights his priorities and his approach to governance and leadership.

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NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The days in 2013 are already slipping by as resolutions follow. We’re all getting back to the normal rush of life as the holidays get packaged up for next year, exchanged for something better, or put to the curb.

Is It Possible to Eliminate Stress? The question is easy, but the answer is more complex.

The primary reason for eliminating stress in our lives is to increase pleasure and decrease pain.

Human beings have 5 major goals: