Florida, Volusia County | featured news

DAYTONA BEACH — Seabreeze product Daniel Pigott's liner to left gave Daytona a three-run lead in the third Thursday, and the Tortugas were able to hold on from there for a 3-2 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs in front of 3,558 fans at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.<p class="MsoNormal">It was the fifth consecutive win for Daytona (16-11 in the second half, 53-44 overall), and second consecutive over Charlotte (11-17, 56-42).

FLAGLER BEACH - The City Commission took the first step Thursday toward challenging a county land-use change that could allow Sea Ray Boats Inc. to build a larger parking lot.The much-debated issue drew comments from members of the community attending the city board's meeting, as well as from the commissioners themselves.Commissioner Jane Mealy, who spoke against the land-use change at two recent county meetings, expressed her frustration with those proceedings.“It was like we weren't speaking,” she said.

Flagler County deputies are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man they say used stolen credit cards to purchase items at a Palm Coast retail store.The Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon issued a press statement and released surveillance video, which purportedly shows the suspect walking out of a Target located in the Palm Coast Landing at Town Center shopping plaza. A Target loss prevention manager said that the suspect used credit cards belonging to a woman whose car was recently broken into, using them to buy gift cards and make purchases.

Attention nurses with a Master's Degree: If you want to get your doctorate but are worried about money or time, UCF has a program for you.The school is now offering a loan to completely cover the cost of online classes.

DAYTONA BEACH - A long-awaited project to widen LPGA Boulevard's bottleneck could soon move forward after a number of delays including a miscalculation that will force two cities to relocate utility pipes.Volusia County had hoped to begin widening a roughly half-mile stretch of LPGA from Jimmy Ann Drive to Derbyshire Road this spring, but crews found Daytona Beach and Holly Hill had utility pipes that were going to conflict with stormwater pipes being laid by the county, said Gerald Brinton, the county's director of engineering and construction."It didn't do anything but affect the time,&

Stetson University junior Donald Payne is no stranger to national accolades, and the honors have started early for the Hatters' record-setting safety.
Payne was one of 22 players selected by The Sports Network to the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. Seven of the players on the list, including Payne, were finalists for the 2014 national defensive player of the year award.

A sexual offender could face a mandatory life in prison after a jury took less than 15 minutes Thursday to convict him of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child younger than 12.Meshac Abentego, 43, was arrested on July 18, 2014 after the child's mother reported he molested the child. If Circuit Judge Leah Case accepts prosecutor's request to designate Abentego a prison releasee reoffender, then he must be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Sharks alive! Daytona International Speedway got a cameo role in a Sharknado movie. And why not, given Volusia County's claim to fame as the shark bite capital of the world?
For months, there had been tantalizing hints, after reports surfaced that NASCAR drivers for Roger Penske were making cameos in “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!”
On Thursday night, when the movie finally aired on Syfy, Twitter exploded with references to NASCAR and Daytona Beach. Sprint Cup drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano could be seen against a sky raining sharks on Daytona International Speedway.

PALM COAST — In a shady, wooded area in northern Flagler County, a group of young people gather away from cell phones, computers and gadgets of all types.What brought them here is a leisure activity much older than those devices — centuries older.Horseback riding.Eight girls are taking part in a summer camp for advanced riders offered by the Florida Agricultural Museum. They gather at the barn early in the morning to groom and “tack up” their horses and then ride the trail, an outing that lasts about three hours.

DAYTONA BEACH - Keyes, Stange & Wooten announced that William D. "Bill" Harper has joined the certified public accounting firm as a part-time senior staffer.Harper was previously a partner with Harper, Wing, Weber & Co. PL, a CPA firm he founded in 1979. That firm has now become Wing, Weber & Co. PL.Harper, 67, said he joined Keyes, Stange & Wooten because he wanted to work fewer hours as a way of easing into eventual retirement.