West Volusia Wire

Friday, March 19, 2010

Lyonia Environmental Center seeks volunteers
posted 4:19:09pm

DELTONA

News source: Lyonia Environmental Center

Would you like to share your love of nature with others? Become a volunteer at the Lyonia Environmental Center (LEC) in Deltona!

Volunteers are needed to lead guided hikes through Lyonia Preserve, staff special events, and assist with educational programs. Other volunteer opportunities include developing program content, creating educational materials, and participating in outreach programs.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, stop by the LEC’s volunteer drop-in event from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, March 25. For more information, please contact Sandy Falcon at 386-789-7207, ext. 248, or sfalcon@co.volusia.fl.us.

The LEC provides visitors with a unique insight into Volusia County’s fragile ecosystems. Through hands-on educational displays, visitors can see how sinkholes are formed, learn how gopher tortoises stay cool, and hear the sounds of a manatee. The center is adjacent to Lyonia Preserve, a 360-acre scrub habitat that provides a home for threatened Florida scrub jays, gopher tortoises, cottontail rabbits and foxes.

The LEC is part of the Deltona Regional Library complex at 2150 Eustace Ave. It’s open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.

For updates on what’s happening at the LEC, visit www.lyoniapreserve.com or call (386) 789-7207.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Volusia deputies to be equipped with portable fingerprint scanners
posted 3:32:29pm

VOLUSIA

News source — Volusia County Sheriffs Office

Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies will soon be armed with a new, high-tech crime-fighting tool -- portable fingerprint scanners. With the hand-held electronic devices, deputies will be able to conduct digital fingerprint scans in the field and feed the prints into a crime database. In less than a minute, the system will notify the deputy if the person’s prints are on file and whether there are open warrants for the individual.

The fingerprint scans will be tied into the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s integrated criminal history system, which serves as a portal for both state and national crime data. Fingerprint scans taken in the field will be fed into FDLE’s system, which will then search its database for a match. If the system locates a match, it will instantly transmit information to the deputy regarding the person’s identity and retrieve the person’s criminal history. The system will also flag open warrants and notify the deputy if the person is a convicted sex offender. If no match is found, the system purges the prints.

On Thursday, the Volusia County Council gave the unanimous green light for the Sheriff’s Office to buy 117 of the state-of-the-art mobile devices and the related software to run them. The Sheriff’s Office plans to issue 101 of the devices to patrol deputies and investigators. The remaining 16 units will be assigned for use in felony courtrooms throughout the county. The $259,000 cost is being funded by money and assets seized in criminal cases. The equipment is being purchased from DataWorks Plus, a law enforcement technology firm based out of Greenville, SC.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Stetson named to Community Service Honor Roll for fourth-straight year
posted 2:21:31pm

DELAND

News source: Stetson University

For the fourth consecutive year, Stetson University has been named by the Corporation for National and Community Service to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service initiatives.

Stetson is one of four Florida schools named to the list “with Distinction” for 2009, and one of 115 nationwide. The Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees were recognized at the American Council on Education’s annual meeting earlier this month, and will be recognized at the National Conference of Volunteering and Service Conference in New York City in June.

“We are proud of our mission to develop future citizens who will cultivate social justice in the world,” said Dr. Elizabeth “Beth” Paul, Stetson provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Stetson students engage in a variety of commitments that change communities near and far. Their efforts make a difference in the lives of those they touch, and their experiences help them to develop the skills and leadership strengths that they will carry forward with them throughout the world.”

Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Stetson students and faculty at the DeLand campus provided more than 100,000 hours of service during the 2008-09 academic year. Service highlighted in the application included the Greenfeather charity fundraiser, the Bonner Scholars Program, the Student Coalition to End Homelessness, Youth Empowerment Through Sports Activities (YESA), the Campaign for Adolescent and University Student Empowerment (CAUSE), and the Chisholm Community Choir.

Stetson has a major commitment to service-learning through its academic courses. Faculty members involve their students in the community to address real-world problems. Student outreach includes counseling low-income entrepreneurs through the CHOMI Microcredit program, studying invasive species in Blue Spring, running a deliberative democracy campaign, and implementing community youth programs based on residents’ needs. At the College of Law in Gulfport/St. Petersburg and Tampa, all students do pro bono service.

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the U.S. departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development.

Grant will fund educational outreach for Stetson University’s organic garden
posted 2:20:13pm

DELAND

News source: Stetson University

Stetson University student Heather Grove has won a Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) grant for $1,000 to help fund educational outreach activities for the Hatter Harvest organic garden.

Hatter Harvest is a student organization dedicated to food, health and environmental sustainability awareness and education. Grove and students Kate Matthews and Caity Peterson are co-founders and co-presidents of Hatter Harvest, whose main project is a community organic garden on the grounds of the Rinker Environmental Learning Center at Stetson.

Campus-Community Partnership Foundation (formerly the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation) awarded the CASE grant.

“The students of Hatter Harvest are doing a wonderful job of taking their academic preparation to the community to help solve the real-world challenge of preserving our natural environment,” said Dr. D. Gregory Sapp, Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility and associate professor of religious studies. “The grant will help them in their efforts to educate members of our local community, especially children, so we can all be more responsible citizens and caretakers of our world.”

The grant is another affirmation of the need for Hatter Harvest’s presence in the community, said Grove. “Community engagement is such an important aspect of the garden philosophy. As people become more familiar with what they put on their plate and where it comes from, they will be able to make more educated decisions that contribute to a healthy lifestyle and Stetson’s core value of environmental responsibility.”

Outreach activities will include garden signage displaying concepts such as the nitrogen cycle in composting and the carbon cycle in plants; and workshops to be presented in the garden and off-campus to community organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and local schools.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Sheriff's Office launches Citizens Academy
posted 10:57:54am

News source: Volusia County Sheriff's Office

Ever wonder what it’s like inside the busiest law enforcement dispatch center in Volusia County? Or what it takes to train a deputy? Interested in learning about gun safety, gangs and drug investigations? Want to know more about the inner workings of the Sheriff’s Office? Residents will have the opportunity to find out all of this, and more, during the upcoming launch of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s Citizens Academy.

Free of charge, the Citizens Academy is a 30-hour class designed to give residents a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the Sheriff’s Office. Applications are being accepted now for the first class, which will start on May 10. The classes will run for 10 consecutive Monday evenings, between 6 p.m.-9 p.m., except for a break on May 31 for the Memorial Day holiday. A graduation ceremony will be held on July 19. “The Citizens Academy is a great way for residents to enhance their understanding of law enforcement and get a first-hand look at what we do and how we do it,” said Sheriff Ben Johnson. “Through these classes, residents will get to know the deputies and learn valuable information that will help keep the community safe. It will be time well spent for everyone involved.”

Participants will learn about various aspects of law enforcement, tour Sheriff’s Office facilities and have the opportunity to fire a gun and ride with a deputy on patrol. They’ll also get to see SWAT, bomb team, motorcycle and K-9 demonstrations, participate in hands-on exercises, such as processing a crime scene, train on the Sheriff’s Office’s firearms and driving simulators and participate in mock traffic stops and a mock news conference. The class is limited to 25 participants. Applicants must be at least 18-years-old and will be required to undergo a background check. Applications can be obtained through the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office web site by clicking on the following link: http://www.volusia.org/sheriff/CITIZENSACADEMYAPPLICATION.pdf.

Applications must be completed and returned by April 2. Completed application forms can be mailed to the following address:

Volusia County Sheriff’s Office

Citizens Academy

P.O. Box 569

DeLand, FL 32721-0569

Register for Voluntary Prekindergarten on March 23
posted 10:09:58am

DELAND

News source: Volusia County Schools

The School District of Volusia County will provide a free Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program this summer. The program will operate 4 days per week, generally Monday-Thursday, Monday, June 14-Thursday, August 5. The program will be closed Monday, July 5, and open Friday, July 9. School hours are scheduled for 7:37 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Transportation will not be provided.

Registration is scheduled for 12:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, and 8:30-11:30 Thursday, March 25, at the student’s home-zoned school. To participate, a child must:

be 5 years-old on or before September 1, 2010; be a resident of Volusia County; and

have a current, valid summer 2010 certificate of eligibility from the Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia Counties – 386-323-2400 or www.elcfv.org

For more information, call 386-734-7190, 255-6475, 427-5223 or 860-3322, extension 20000, or visit the school district’s website at www.myvolusiaschools.org Click on the “Departments” tab at the top. In the Instructional Services column on the right, click on “Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK).” Finally, click on “Summer Registration” on the menu at the left.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Murder victim's cousin has gun in briefcase at DeLand courthouse
posted 10:43:26am

DELAND

News source: Volusia County Sheriff's Office

Larry Dalton was arrested at the Volusia County courthouse Thursday afternoon, after deputies discovered a Keltec 9-millimeter handgun in his briefcase. The gun was unloaded, but a magazine with seven rounds was in the weapon’s case.

Dalton, who lives in Tennessee, was at the courthouse because Juanita Liberman was on trial for murdering Dalton's cousin, James Mason on Oct. 22, 2007.

Dalton told deputies he had a concealed-weapons permit from Tennessee, and he brought the weapon to court because he didn't want to leave it in his hotel room — where it might be stolen.

He was arrested without incident, and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony.

Dalton was released on $2,500 bond Thursday evening.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Call to Artists for DeBary Hall's Artist of the Month Program
posted 1:36:12pm

News source: DeBary Hall Historic Site

The DeBary Hall Historic Site is seeking artists for their 2010-11 Featured Artist of the Month program. Selected artists will be featured in the 1871 historic mansion throughout the month as part of our docent-guided tours.

For artists interested in applying, please send a submission packet including:

1. Four images that accurately represent your body of work (may be photographs, slides, or digital images on a CD)

2. A one paragraph artist biography

3. A one paragraph description of your body of work (artist statement)

or a résumé

4. The Application Packet may be sent to:

DeBary Hall Historic Site, c/o Heather M. Hohman, 210 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary, FL 32713

A panel will meet in May to decide the season’s chosen artists and assign a month to be featured at DeBary Hall.

Other Notes: Piece Limit: You may show up to 15 pieces of work at DeBary Hall.

Pricing: Sales made as a result of exhibiting at DeBary Hall require a 20% commission payable to the DeBary Hall Gift Shop (consider as you price your work).

Promotion: DeBary Hall Historic Site will promote through press releases and other media outlets.

The Due Date to exhibit from August 2010-June 2011 is May 3rd. The next submission due date will be December 3 to exhibit from July 2011-December 2011.

Public Invited to Review Secondary Math Textbooks
posted 1:32:30pm

News source: Volusia County Schools

In accordance with the state of Florida mathematics textbook adoption, the School District of Volusia County is considering new mathematics instructional materials for middle and high school grades 6-12. The materials are aligned with the newly adopted Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and have been reviewed by both state and district committees.

The public is invited to review the materials and provide input, as follows:

Monday, March 15, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Hinson Middle School, cafeteria, 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach

Tuesday, March 16, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Galaxy Middle School, building 3, room 014, 2400 Eustace Ave., Deltona

District committees will review public input when making decisions for the adoption of new materials to be implemented in the 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 school year.

For more information, contact Margaret Bambrick, mathematics specialist K-12, at (386) 734-7190, 255-6475 or 427-5223, extension 20667.

Murder suspect captured at DeLand home
posted 9:21:44am

DELAND

News source: Volusia County Sheriff's Office

Despite being on the run for nearly two weeks, accused murderer Timothy Woulard, Jr. didn’t go very far. Charged with the September 2009 fatal shooting in DeLeon Springs of a 33-year-old man, Woulard’s last known address was in DeLand. And that’s right where law enforcement officers found him Monday afternoon after an anonymous tip led them to a house on West New Hampshire Avenue. With Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies and DeLand police officers there in force, Woulard gave up at about 1:15 p.m. Monday afternoon. The arrest came 13 days after Sheriff’s investigators obtained a warrant charging Woulard with 1st-degree murder in the killing of Chabelo Ramirez-Secundino. Sheriff’s investigators believe the killing was sparked by a drug deal that went bad.

The killing occurred on the evening of Sept. 26, 2009. Deputies were initially dispatched to the area of Katrina Street in DeLeon Springs after a resident reported hearing a commotion in the street. Residents initially reported seeing a white car and a gray van driving side-by-side and thought there had been a crash. But before deputies even arrived at the scene, the information changed and deputies were told that they were responding to a shooting. Deputies arrived minutes later, but the combatants were gone. However, it didn’t take long to find the victim. Approximately 15 minutes after the incident was reported, staff at Florida Hospital DeLand called the Sheriff’s Office to report that they were treating a gravely-injured man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A friend had scooped up the victim and driven him to the hospital in the victim’s gray van. Ramirez-Secundino was unresponsive when he was brought to the hospital. He was later transferred to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where he died the next day.

Sheriff’s investigators got their first big break in the case four days after the shooting when they found a white passenger car matching the description of the one that fled the shooting scene. The car was parked behind a house in DeLand, and it had a bullet hole and a broken window. Asked about the damage, the owner said that her boyfriend, Woulard, had borrowed the car on Sept. 26, 2009 and it had a bullet hole when he returned. During questioning, the 23-year-old Woulard denied any involvement in the shooting and said that he didn’t know the victim and insisted the victim had never been in his girlfriend’s car. However, investigators found plenty of evidence inside the car and Woulard’s house to link him to the murder, including ammunition, two projectiles, three empty rifle magazines and blood on the inside door handle of the car that matched the victim’s. Later, a witness to the shooting told investigators with the Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit that the victim sold drugs and had a large quantity of cocaine on the day of the shooting. He said that the victim got into the defendant’s car and the two were engaged in a drug deal when the shooting occurred.

On Feb. 23, Sheriff’s investigators presented their findings to Circuit Court Judge Patrick Kennedy, who signed the arrest warrant. Deputies had been looking for him ever since. That search ended on Monday. After questioning, Woulard will be transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach and held without bond.