Local News Now

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for today's 34th annual Budweisrer Shootour at Daytona Internationl Spedway.

Driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex drew the pole position for the shootout. Making his second career Budweiser Shootout start, Truex peeled off the No. 1 wrapper on the Budweiser bottle.

"Came here with a plan and I'm sticking to it," said Truex Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota owned by Michael Waltrip Racing,  on his strategy of winning the 75-lap non-points race.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Two St. Pete cops lost their lives in a shooout with a man on Jan. 24, the first killed in the line of duty there since 1980.

DAYTONA BEACH -- This Friday's Daytona Area Chamber of Commerce "Eggs and Issues" will look at the pros and cons of gambling with legislation being considered in Tallahassee in addition to a possible referendum in Volusia in Novemeber.

The 7:45 a.m. breakfast will be at Gene's Steak House, 3674 W. International Speedway Blvd. 

Gambling is on Florida's government radar. What does it mean for our state and Local tax base? Our economy? Our tourist market? Are their any social problems associated with it? Both sides of gambling will be discussed with special guest speakers: Daytona Beach Kennel Club's Dan Francotti and No Casinos Inc.'s Paul Seago. 

NSBNews.net photo by Henry Frederick / Former New Smyrna Beach Mayor Sally Mackay confers with her "Hub" group's attorney, Bill Preston, during Monday night's City Commission meeting.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Former Mayor Sally Mackay's Hub artist rental program on Canal Street was approved tonight by the City Commission as a de facto Community Redevelopment Agency, a move that essentially puts the CRA out of business as a governing body.

The CRA couldn't act on the program earlier this month because it's down to four members and one of them, attorney James C. Petersen, its acting chairman, had a conflict of interest and had to abstain, leaving the board without a quorum.

ORMOND BEACH -- A 24-year-old man was killed early this morning on U.S. 1 after he lost control of a 2006 Lamborghini while speeding, crossed the median and struck a steel pole resulting in the vehicle bursting into flames with him pinned inside, Ormond Beach police said.

A passenger, 40-year-old Vanessa Bain, escaped with minor injuries in the 3:44 a.m. accident. Police did not indicate if she or the young man or someone else was the owner of the high-priced sports car.
200 Block N. US-1, Ormond Beach Fl.

The world is abuzz with speculation and assumptions as to the cause of death of Whitney Houston, found dead in a room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at the age of 48, on the eve of the Grammy Awards. What I can say with certainty is that artists have it hard; that there is often a certain self destructiveness to those gifted with creativity is hardly a secret.

Robert Champion, a 26-year-old drum major with the Florida A&M University marching band, collapsed and died within an hour of a hazing incident the night of Nov. 19, during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body a tragedy that not only made headlines, across the country. An autopsy by the the Orange County Medical Examiner's office determined the death of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University student a homicide.

EDGEWATER -- Teenagers are not qualified to talk back. Experience of life is the true qualifier to have any spoken word allowed. I deal with teens on a daily basis and find their insolence far from cute.