Cody Conner, the 17-year-old who made a halfhearted attempt to rob Cupid’s Corner store in DeBary on March 7, tried to overdose on an unknown drug days later, his grandmother Wilda Harris told The Beacon. On March 12, Harris said, she found Conner in his bed in a bad condition. He was transported ...

Going into this week, the Stetson Hatters (15-4) were ranked No. 15 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll. Four other teams in the Sunshine State were listed among the Top 30, headed by the No. 1 Florida Gators (19-1). The Florida State Seminoles (16-2) were No. 5, the Miami Hurricanes (16-4) were No. 9, ...

CNN Go, the news network's travel website, rates cities like Boston and Washington, D.C., as tops for international travelers who want a taste of the U.S. But, CNN Go also recognizes smaller cities in a category called "Main Street America," as great places to visit. DeLand made this short list of o ...

A DeBary man was being held in protective custody at Orlando Regional Medical Center under the Baker Act, after a bizarre episode in which the man apparently tried to cut off his face. The incident happened while the man was on a boat on the St. Johns River. Another boater, Michael Riley of Orange C ...

A DeLeon Springs man died Sunday evening after the vehicle he was driving hit a power pole. The Florida Highway Patrol reports Hedilberto Diaz-Pascacio, 27, of DeLeon Springs was driving southbound in the left lane of U.S. Highway 17 near Citra Street, around 8:45 p.m. March 25, when he apparently l ...

The ninth season for the Florida Collegiate Summer Wooden Bat League is drawing closer for the 2012 campaign, with the goal of upping the attendance record, which was set last year. More than 75,000 fans attended the 2011 games at eight Central Florida parks. One of the season’s highlights was hav ...

DeBary Mayor Bob Garcia called her a “shining star” when he introduced her to the city and the City Council during the council’s March 7 meeting. She is Taylor Grinnen of Orange City, a University High School student who will spend what is sort of her senior year in Russia as an exchange stude ...

Welcome to the Beacon Deal of the Weekend. Today is Friday, March 23, 2012. These deals are valid through various dates. Each Friday, we'll post a video message to share with you the "extreme" coupon offers that will allow you to get something free — or nearly free — over the weekend. We invi ...

Annual Pageant of Crosses The Garden Club of DeLand is hosting its annual Pageant of Crosses noon-3 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at the clubhouse at 865 S. Alabama Ave. The theme is “The Holy Week.” Garden Club members, members of local churches and area florists create beautiful floral arrangements of ...

Friday, March 23 Opening Reception and Sculpture Unveiling 5-7 p.m. at the Museum of Florida Art, 600 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand. Opening reception for the exhibition “Architectural Counterpoints,” and unveiling of John Wolfe’s sculpture Tropical Cascades. Refreshments. Free. Call 386-734-4371 ...

The final concert in this season’s series will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Anastasia Catholic Church, 5205 A1A South, on Anastasia Island.

The concert will feature organist and pianist Shannon McKay and violinist Helen Beke-Morin performing works for piano and violin by Brahms and Beethoven.

read more

LONGWOOD (AP) — State wildlife officials say they’ve captured and euthanized a black bear that bit a woman at a central Florida apartment complex last week.

Officials say they found the bear near the trash bin of the same Longwood apartment complex Thursday morning. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman said the 300-pound animal had lost all fear of humans and would continue to attack people if it was left in the wild.

Officials also captured the bear’s 14-month-old cub. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the cub will go to a captive situation.

read more

St. Johns County Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for a suspect after an elderly Hastings couple were the victims of a home invasion robbery Wednesday night.

The 74-year-old female victims said someone kicked open the rear door before 10 p.m. and then demanded money.

The woman said she didn't have any, so the suspect asked where the woman's husband was.

She told him that her husband was asleep, and the suspect ran in the bedroom and demanded money from the male victim.

The woman checked on her husband and found he had been beaten.

read more

The dog shot earlier this month is in serious condition at the Animal Emergency Hospital on Old Moultrie Road, and his owners are asking the community for help.

“He’s fun-loving,” owner Denise Wahl said about her 4-year-old white German shepherd, Sam. “I have two kids that he loves playing with ... He’s not vicious.”

Sam was shot twice after he bit a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office deputy on March 7, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. That deputy was taken to Flagler Hospital.

read more

The Creekside softball team locked up its first playoff spot in school history with a 3-0 win over Bartram Trail on March 22. Photos by Gary McCullough.

Just as you can count on Easter, a moveable feast, to occur on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox, for the past 131 years, residents — especially those of Minorcan descent — also count on the St. Ambrose Parish Fair to occur two weeks before Easter.

With Easter set for April 8 this year, the area’s longest running fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday on the church grounds located at Moccasin Branch in the rural community of Elkton.

read more

Daytona Beach resident Vilpin Verma, a family law attorney in his mid-20s, said he always desired to enter public service, but the “ideological battles” in Congress caused him to realize that no progress was possible without people working together.

This week, Verma announced he will campaign for the newly created U.S. House District 6, the congressional seat encompassing St. Johns and Flagler counties and most of Volusia County, on the Democratic ticket.

read more

Congratulations to the winners of the March 17 Ancient City Gamefish Association fishing tournament. They are: Most Caught By Girl — Alevia Colee; Most Caught By Boy — Kason Wyatt; Must Skillful — Kaylee Brown; Most Unique Catch — Emma Thrasher, she hooked a pelican; overall winner — Jade Smith.

read more

The St. Augustine Colonial Grand Muster Torchlight Parade, a re-enactment of Spanish military parades of the 1740s, will cause traffic delays in parts of downtown St. Augustine on Saturday.

The procession starts at 8 p.m. at the Castillo de San Marcos and continues to the city gate on Orange Street, then south on St. George Street, east on Cathedral Place, south on Charlotte Street, west on King Street and north on St. George Street to Government House.

read more

The Festival of the Chariots is scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in downtown St. Augustine.

The procession will cause some traffic interruptions along Cordova Street and near the Plaza de la Constitucion.

The procession will start on St. George Street and Cathedral Place, proceed west on Cathedral Place, continue north on Cordova Street to the Visitors Information Center and then south on Cordova Street, east on Cathedral Place and south on St. George Street to the starting point.

read more

The Santo Domingo Redoubt, a reconstructed portion of the wall that protected colonial St. Augustine, has been closed for repairs.

The redoubt is expected to be closed for approximately two weeks. It is on the corner of Orange and Cordova streets near the Visitor Information Center.

Dedicated in February 2004, the Santo Domingo Redoubt is a reconstructed corner of the wall that protected the northern, western and southern approaches to St. Augustine. At several points along the wall were redoubts that soldiers guarded with cannons as part of the city’s line of defense.

read more

The bare bones of a replica 16th-century boat are a promise of things to come at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.

“We’re recreating the history of St. Augustine one board at a time,” said John Stavely, manager at the tourist attraction that increasingly offers visitors a chance to discover the roots of St. Augustine.

Or as Pedro Menendez de Aviles re-enactor Chad Light puts it, “We’re rebuilding Menendez’s empire.”

read more

A decade-long policy that saw pit bulls segregated by Putnam County Animal Control as potentially dangerous, then euthanized instead of being put up for adoption has been abandoned after an animal rights group worked out a compromise with the Sheriff’s Office.

The changes mean pit bulls won’t be automatically put down as efforts begin to find legitimate pet rescue groups willing to adopt them to new homes.

read more

TALLAHASSEE — Two weeks after its first maps were rejected, the Senate passed a second redraw Thursday of the political lines that would shape the chamber for the next decade if the state Supreme Court approves.

The 31-6 vote came after an all-day floor session where members considered and dismissed several last-minute changes. The maps now go to the House for what is largely seen as a procedural vote before heading back to the court.

read more

City officials will discuss the Riberia Street improvement project at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The meeting will be held in The Alcazar Room at 75 King St., and officials will provide information about Riberia Street’s reconstruction, including the project’s schedule and detour routes. City representatives will also be on hand to answer questions.

For more information, call the Public Works Department at 825-1040.