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War is hell but inner peace comes eventually
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH - War is Hell. Just ask Ken Gardellis. He endured a year as a point man in Vietnam, leading soldiers through the dense jungles during the heaviest fighting in 1967 and '68. Once he returned to the states, it took the U.S. Army infantryman more than 40 years to find peace and closure f...
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Food pantry shelves bare after increase in need
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PORT ORANGE - The shelves are bare in the community food pantry at First United Methodist Church of Port Orange after experiencing a 62-percent increase in the number of families seeking assistance during the past month. The low supply of food has prompted the church to ask the public for help in restocking its food supply so...
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Memorial Day events
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Ormond Beach The city of Ormond Beach will hold its annual Memorial Day Remembrance Service on Monday, May 28, at Rockefeller Gardens, in memory of those whose supreme sacrifice protect the privileges we enjoy as a nation. Ninety minutes of sights and sounds will fill Rockefeller Gardens starting at 9 a.m. when Gordon Russell conducts the membe...
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Fighting abuse
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Students at University High School in Orange City recently began a collection of essential items for women staying at Domestic Abuse Council, Inc. in support of Two Men and a Truck's Movers for Moms program. Back row, left to right: Kaitlin Batchelor, 17, DeBary; Travis Pinnock, 17,Deltona; Ben Bove; and Alissa Tabb, 16, ...
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Deltona teachers to do research from airborne observatory for their students
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DELTONA - It's an infrared, 98-inch telescope with 100,000 pounds of thrust and 45,000 feet of air. Soon it'll have two Deltona teachers as part of its research crew. Deltona High School teacher John Clark and Heritage Middle's Mike Cimino are among 13 teams of 26 educators selected for the coveted chanc...
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Budding artist
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Ava Hollman, 5, perfects her art at the Florida Museum of the Arts in DeLand recently. Art summer camps begin at the museum June 18. For additional information about art camps, visit www.museumoffloridaart.org, or call (386) 734-4371....
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DBFD coins become collectible
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DAYTONA BEACH - Gary Scott II doesn't live here, but has a coin commemorating the hometown fire department. Mr. Scott, a fire memorabilia collector from Melbourne, will be scooping up two more of the Daytona Beach Fire Department's 100th year commemorative coin minted...
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Manatee Island dog park approval not set in stone
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DAYTONA BEACH - Tom Myers, owner of Rhokkoh's Frozen Yogurt on Beach Street, paints a fantastical picture of Daytona's future dog park that was recently approved for Manatee Island. Complete with dogs lounging on beach chairs while sipping fruity drinks from a straw, it would surely be any canine's dream ...
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DeLand's new local bidder preference is different from most
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DELAND - Volusia County businesses will get a five-percent advantage to do business with DeLand. At its last regular meeting, the DeLand City Commission followed a growing trend among Volusia cities by adopting a local-bidder preference ordinance. This one, however, is different. "The interesting twist t...
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Local Republican party has new leader
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Stanley Escudero was elected Chairman of the Volusia County Republican Executive Committee recently. He will serve until December, completing the term of office of the departed chairman and directing the affairs of the Republican Party in Volusia County during this election year. Ambassador Escudero was born in Daytona Beach i...
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New Irish pub wants outdoor alcohol - just like others
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DEBARY - Three Orlando firefighters put a good share of their life savings together - about $100,000 - and started O'Leary's Irish Pub two months ago in the bustling Winn Dixie plaza at Highbanks Road and U.S. Route 17-92. They had high hopes of packing in customers hungry for an authentic pub experien...
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DeBary officials consider Brownfield area to spur growth
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DEBARY - Ever-eager to woo prospective developers, DeBary city commissioners are poised to make the state's Brownfields Redevelopment Program part of their portfolio of financial incentives. George Houston, the central district brownfields coordinator for the Florida Department of Environmental Protect...
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Orange City gateway blossoming into view
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ORANGE CITY - Up until the 1990s, the city's formal welcome to visitors coming from the north down U.S. Route 17-92 was right at the border, a quaint stucco sign at Wisconsin Avenue with lush woods all around. But in that decade, city leaders annexed property after property to extend the city limits ne...
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Commissioners upset about buying houses with city liens
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DELTONA - City commissioners were upset to learn this week that three homes they had purchased with federal funds had liens against them equaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Luckily, the lien holder is the city itself. Mayor John Masiarczyk acknowledged that the liens would probably never have be...
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Collaborative efforts lead to hurricane seminar
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The start of hurricane season is less than three weeks away, and the private sector is partnering with the government to ensure residents are ready for any possible storms. On Tuesday, June 5, the City of Deltona, DM White Insurance, and the office of U.S. Representative John Mica will present the 2012 Hurricane Preparedness S...
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Activists plant oak to honor student crash victim
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ORANGE CITY - In the three months since 16-year-old Brandon Vera was killed by a car as he crossed U.S. Route 17-92 on his way to University High School, many in the community have rallied behind his memory to teach more children about traffic safety and to change the way traffic is directed around the...
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Man fights armed robbers
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HOLLY HILL - David Sullivan thought the shotgun was a joke - that it was not real, or at least not loaded. Then, it went off. He was left with minor wounds, but his would-be robbers were run off and Mr. Sullivan and his family were safe. At about midnight Monday, Mr. Sullivan had just put away his dogs a...
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Make a bid: Cupola from Flagler boardwalk pavilion for sale
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH - Remember the cupola on top of the shade pavilion at the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk? Well, now someone could have it in his or her own backyard. Or, it could end up in the courtyard of the Hampton Inn under construction on Flagler Avenue. The City of New Smyrna Beach is accepting bids from in...
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Dog park coming to Edgewater
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH - Dog parks have been springing up in a number of locations around Volusia County. Now, one is set to have tails wagging in Edgewater later this year. The Edgewater City Council recently approved letting City Manager Tracey Barlow spend...
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Character study
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From right to left: Yashraj Banga, 9; Natalie Fry, 8; Caimhe Morrison, 9; and Joey Sarro, 8, enjoy the Book Parade that took place at Cypress Creek Elementary recently. Students dressed up as their favorite book characters, with Harry Potter being a popular choice of the day....
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Ormond honored again for parks and play areas
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ORMOND BEACH - This town knows how to play. KaBOOM! recently named Ormond Beach as a Playful City USA community. "It's our first try, and we hit a homerun on our first try," the city's recreation manager Stefan Sibley said. Ormond was one of 213 cities and towns named as a Playful City this year. Florida...
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Town appeals Pacetta ruling as settlement negotiations progress
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PONCE INLET - The Pacetta case will head back to court. The town recently filed to appeal Judge William Parsons' ruling in Pacetta LLC's lawsuit against the town related to the proposed construction of dry boat storage on riverfront property the development firm owned. The filing came while Councilwoman Mary...
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Incumbent councilman wants to maintain 'balanced city'
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PORT ORANGE - A longtime public school teacher and administrator will seek a third term as city councilman. Bob Pohlmann is running for re-election to the City Council District 3 seat he's held since 2004. The New Jersey native will face competition from political newcomers Drew Bastian and Ted Noftall for t...
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Girls on the Run of Volusia County names council director
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DeLand resident Debye Gotsch has been named council director for Girls on the Run of Volusia County, effective June 1. Founded in 2005, Girls on the Run of Volusia County is one of more than 170 Girls on the Run councils in the United States and Canada. Girls on the Run councils combine training for ...
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Lloyd "Tank" Johnson, former Cookman athletic director, dies at 77
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DAYTONA BEACH - Former Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Director Lloyd "Tank" Johnson," recognized by many as the father of what is today's Florida Classic football game, passed away Sunday. He was 77. A 1958 B-CU (then Bethune-Cookman College) graduate, Mr. Johnson served as athletic director from 1972 to 1991. His visiona...
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Hopefully, we will all have someone who cares at the end of our lives
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For many of us, the chances of landing in some sort of care facility at the end of our lives are pretty high. This is scary. A loss of independence, the high cost, being looked after by strangers - it's not something I have anticipated happily, to say the least. Over the years, there have been several well-publicized ins...
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Ride 'em, cowboy
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Dalton Rathbun, 12, of Samsula rides a mechanical bull during the 63rd annual Old Fashion Cracker Day recently. The event took place at the Volusia County Agricultural Center Fairgrounds. The event was sponsored by the Volusia County Cattlemen's and Cattlewomen's Associations....
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Correction
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In the May 11 edition of the Hometown News, the e-mail address for the Native American Drum and Dance Society was listed incorrectly. We regret the error. To reach the group, e-mail nadds61@yahoo.com or call (386) 626-3598....
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