About 18 months after it was announced, construction has finally begun on DeLand’s first cottage community.

More than a year after buying the property, Orlando-based Insight Credit Union has finally started clearing the lot where a gas station stood for decades before closing a number of years ago.

Seniors from DeLand High School’s medical program recently toured AdventHealth DeLand, the teenagers’ first step toward internships and job-shadowing opportunities.

Chicas Cuban Cafe will be moving from 208 W. Howry Ave. to the Artisan Downtown at 215 S. Woodland Blvd. sometime in October, a little more than a year after opening across from the DeLand Fire Department.

With the growth of health-related businesses in West Volusia — everything from spas and gyms to recreational activities and medical offices — the time is right to launch an all-encompassing wellness initiative.

Stetson University’s School of Business Administration has announced a $2.5 million gift from donor Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals to fully endow the Centurion Sales Program.

NAI Realvest | Charles Wayne Commercial recently closed the sale of 6.44 acres on South State Road 15A in DeLand. Lake Mary-based Flagship Companies Group purchased the land for $762,500 to build a mixed-use and self-storage development in the underserved area.

A Sanford-based company known for its healthful, cutting-edge snacks is expanding its production into DeBary.

Nikki Fried, elected last year as commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or FDACS, says nearly 3 million people in the state — about a third of whom are school-age children — don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And she wants to address that.

Stetson University ranks No. 5 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Colleges list of Best Regional Universities – South, released in early September.

Stetson University School of Business Administration has announced the addition of six new faculty members for the fall 2019 semester.

Two seasoned dental technicians have rebranded their laboratory to highlight the artistry, clinical performance and old-world values of customer service, offering a new option for dentists around Central Florida.

AdventHealth has donated more than $8,000 worth of equipment to help prevent and treat heat-related illnesses for Volusia County student-athletes. Donated items include cold-water immersion tubs, ice containers, thermometers, and “grab and go” emergency medical bags with all the equipment ne…

DoBro’s Chicago Style Pizza is moving about a quarter-mile west from its current home at 658 W. New York Ave. in DeLand.

After 17 years in business just north of DeLand, Tractor Supply Co. has opened in a new location at 101 E. International Speedway Blvd., in a portion of what used to be a Sears Essentials and Kmart store in the Northgate Shopping Center.

The Stetson University School of Business Administration has announced the appointment of three new program directors for the fall 2019 semester.

More than 60 people recently learned about minimally invasive treatment options for neck and back pain, as well as the benefits of AdventHealth Fish Memorial’s new TrackX technology.

Banyan Cove, a 100-unit affordable community for income-restricted residents age 55 and older, has finally opened its doors to residents.

Debbie Tolan bought an assisted living facility and moved to DeLand from upstate New York in July 1994. A quarter-century later, Rose Manor ALF is still going strong and typically has every one of its 10 state-licensed beds spoken for.

Trophy Factory Plus Framing, a leading producer of laser-engraved products, trophies, framing and promotional items in Downtown DeLand since the early 1970s, is under new ownership.

After two years of serving up intermittent, special-event dinners, Cress Restaurant is resuming five-nights-a-week service at 103 W. Indiana Ave. in Downtown DeLand.

Spring Garden Vineyard, a U-pick muscadine grape vineyard owned by Robin and Wanda Lennon, is opening for a fourth picking season Friday, Aug. 16. The vineyard is at 980 Reynolds Road, DeLeon Springs.

Brian Smith’s hobby was using a laser to cut out metal pieces and fashioning them into signs, fire pits, wall hangings or other types of artwork, which he then sold at farmers markets and craft fairs.

A well-known Halifax-area barbecue place will open a second restaurant at Interstate 4 and Saxon Boulevard in Orange City.

Construction is progressing on the AdventHealth Deltona ER.

DeLand-based Mainstreet Community Bank of Florida is expanding into Ocala with its second branch outside of Volusia County and seventh branch overall.

A commercial film studio based in Downtown DeLand is making a series of commercials for an Australian lingerie maker.

The DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce & Orange City Alliance has launched its preparations for the DeLand Christmas Boat Parade, a tradition that stretches back to the 1920s. The 53rd edition of the parade of brightly lit and beautifully decorated boats of all sizes will be held on Lake Be…

Just months after opening her own storefront, Jessie Ritz needed more space for her business, Sidecar Home Market.

Tip your hat in honor of John B. Stetson, Florida’s first “snowbird,” who left an amazing cultural legacy beyond creating America’s most iconic symbol, the cowboy hat.

Another home health agency has opened in DeLand, this one with a slightly different focus than its competition.

Stetson University has named Jason Evans, Ph.D., as the interim executive director of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience (IWER), effective Aug. 15. Evans will fill the position while Stetson searches for a permanent replacement for Clay Henderson, J.D., who is retiring.

In a low, one-story building tucked behind an auction shop and a small strip center in Orange City is the newest venue where locals can unwind after a long week of work. Nate’s Wine Down Drink Up Lounge is owned by Nate June and his family: sister Marlana June, wife Christina June, and paren…

A $500,000 item in the Florida Legislature’s annual budget to speed up site work for DeLand’s Sport Aviation Village was given the ax by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

AdventHealth researchers are hoping to find out how genomics impacts personal health decisions with a first-of-its-kind DNA study in Florida — “WholeMe” — that will empower consumers with potential lifesaving information about their heart health.

Nearly 18 years after its first residents moved in, Victoria Park finally has its first real estate office not operated by a homebuilder in the 1,859-acre, master-planned community.

DynoClimb, a rock-climbing gym with a dinosaur theme, is setting up shop in the former longtime home of Jerry’s Body Shop at 528 S. Woodland Blvd. in Downtown DeLand. The gym gets its name as a play on “dinosaurs” and “dyno,” a term climbers use for an aggressive style of climbing tactic usi…

Orthopedic surgeons at AdventHealth Fish Memorial are now able to perform more extensive hip and knee procedures using the Mako™ Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery.

For the first time, every AdventHealth hospital in Volusia, Flagler and Lake counties received an “A” in The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

A growth spurt is happening on construction sites surrounding DeLand — an O’Reilly Auto Parts, a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Wawa convenience store.

Cindy Sperling has owned Nest — a shop of eclectic gifts and repurposed furniture at 104 S. Artisan Alley — for more than six years.

SPECIAL TO THE BEACON

Heroes’ Mile Veteran Recovery and Transition Center, a for-profit recovery center dedicated to helping veterans exclusively, with programs developed for veterans and services delivered by veterans, is having a grand-opening event Friday, May 31, at its facility on Big John Drive, east of DeLand.

BY JOE CREWS

AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City is the first facility in Florida to use TrackX Technology for spine procedures.

More visitors than ever before came to Volusia County last year, and tourism officials on both sides of the county were pleased as they marked National Travel and Tourism Week, May 5-11, with a morning speaker panel in Daytona Beach May 8, a catfish fry in West Volusia that evening, and a lu…

The Stetson University School of Business Administration hosted a celebratory event recently to commemorate the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program securing $2 million in tax refunds for local families over the past nine years.