Deltona

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.

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."

Incumbent has never lost an election & plans to keep that streak intact Nov. 4

DAYTONA BEACH -- At-large Councilwoman Joyce Cusack knew the so-called Waverly investigation was a farce -- a certifiable "witchhunt" -- from the onset pushed by the likes of her opponent, district 5 term-limited Councilwoman Patricia Northey.

Headline Surfer® graphic / Labor Day turned tragic with the drowing of a 20-month-old boy in  swimming pool on Ferendina Drive in Deltona as shown in this locator map.

DELTONA -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a frantic 911 call at 7:45 p.m. about a lifeless baby boy, only 20 months old, being pulled out of a relatives' swimming pool at a in thre 1300 block of  Ferendina Drive on this Labor Day evening.

"Adults at the scene were attempting CPR while awaiting the arrival of deputies and paramedics, but they reported that the child wasn’t responding," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer®. "Emergency units began arriving at the house about two minutes after the call was received."

Campaign over for Deltona City commissioner Webster Barnaby

DAYTONA BEACH -- The recount for the at-large county council primary between Webster Barnaby and Pat Northey is over. And now so is the campaign of Barnaby as Northey moves on to a November showdown with incumbent Joyce Cusack.

Comeback over for Phil Giorno with third place finish

Headline Surfer® graphic / At left are the results of the Aug. 26 primary for the Volusia County Council District 5 seat showing Rich Gailey with the win, Fred Lowry, Jr., finishing second and Phil Giorno finishing third and out of the running, and all three shown from left to right. Gailey and Lowry will square off in November.

DELTONA -- Rich Gailey won Tuesday's primary for the County Council District 5 seat on the County Council, but not by enough to avoid a Nov. 4 runoff with second-place finisher Fred Lowry, Jr.

For Phil Giorno, who finished a distant third, a comeback on the dais didn't materialize and hid campaign is now over.

Ex-County Chair Phil Giorno worth consideration

Headline Surfer® photo / Rich Gailey, candidate for Volusia County Council district 5, is endorsed by Headline Surfer® with fellow candidate Phil Giorno of Deltona recognized as an alternate endorsement by the award-wining 24/7 internet newspaper.

DELTONA -- The maturation Rich Gailey has shown since his initial run two years ago against an entrenched incumbent has been truly amazing.

And Gailey's hard work on the campaign trail brings hope for the folks of Deltona, DeBary, Enterprise and Osteen in reversing what has been an abysmal two years under term-limited incumbent in Patricia Northey.

And this endorsement is as much about the past as it is the future. Gailey is that future and his presence on the county dais is desperately needed now.

DEBARY -- Lisa Gailey understands and fully supports her husband in his quest to win elective office and represent the interests of Volusia County's forgotten area.