The Volusia County Council recently approved collective-bargaining agreements with the two public-safety unions that represent county firefighters and sheriff’s deputies. Both bargaining agreements call for employees covered by the unions to receive the same 3-percent raise that the rest of …

Sparton Corporation, a leading provider of sonobuoys for the U.S. Navy and engineered products for the defense industry, recently announced it has completed the relocation of its headquarters from Schaumburg, Illinois, to its primary manufacturing facility in DeLeon Springs.

Stetson University School of Business Administration senior Bryson Pritchard of Ormond Beach has been selected as one of 10 finalists in the 2020 Collegiate Inventors Competition for his invention of the Dyad Syringe.

It’s scary to think, but Halloween will soon be upon us — and in this turbulent year, we can all look forward to a bit of fall fun.

Volusia County is starting the new fiscal year with a new budget director.

Springview Woods — part of a 64-acre development that opened in 2018 — is expected to sell out nearly 1 1/2 years sooner than originally projected. Two of the development’s four phases sold out last year, and the 20-plus sites remaining should be sold out by next spring.

Magic of Lights, the popular drive-thru, family-friendly holiday lights extravaganza, returns to Daytona International Speedway this year, operating Nov. 13 through Jan. 2. Back for its fourth year at the “World Center of Racing,” Magic of Lights is continuing to bring a dazzling display of …

At some point, every great entrepreneur had a great idea that turned into a great company — sometimes even a great industry. But how did he or she know it had the potential to be a great company?

Passenger airline traffic has been slowly rising in recent months at Daytona Beach International Airport — DAB in airport lingo — although it’s still well below pre-pandemic levels.

Taking the leap to entrepreneurship is an exciting and scary journey filled with pitfalls, sacrifices and rewards. Stetson University students and the community can learn about the ups and downs of running a business during virtual Entrepreneurship Thursdays.

Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. recently announced it is raising its minimum full-time wage to $17 an hour, effective Oct. 1. The higher wage will be paid to workers who put in at least 32 hours a week in all 932 stores it operates, including those in Orange City and Daytona Beach, according to a sp…

DeLand’s economy is getting a small boost, courtesy of Stetson University, because more students have enrolled this semester. More students means more dollars spent locally.

Airline passengers in Volusia County will soon have more destinations to connect to than just Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.

While they can’t be prevented, good planning is crucial for communities to survive and recover from hazardous events and lessen their overall impacts when they do occur. That’s the goal of Volusia County’s local mitigation strategy (LMS) plan, which recently gained approval from the federal …

Gov. Ron DeSantis and local and state tourism officials have kicked off a new marketing campaign to promote more tourism within Florida by Floridians.

After learning recently that all three tourism-promotion agencies in Volusia County had aced audits, the County Council unanimously approved annual budgets for all three.

A new hotel has opened on the south side of DeLand at 180 Fenway Drive, adjacent to the Country Club Corners shopping center.

Sept. 17 will mark the second annual “National Professional House Cleaners Day.”

The 2020 DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase (DSAS) is being rescheduled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Social events are in short supply these days, but maintaining a social network is still essential — especially during a pandemic as millions of Americans are looking for work. Who you know is a very large part of the job search, so it’s not a stretch to say that networking can be the single …

Steak ’n Shake recently announced the revival of its historic drive-in service at restaurants across the U.S., including the one on Saxon Boulevard in Orange City.

Jacksonville-based VyStar Credit Union obtained more loans on behalf of small-business owners through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) than any other credit union in Florida and is among the most in the U.S., according to data released by the United States Treasury Department in July.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office Communications Center has successfully earned national accreditation — for the first time ever.

Don’t go looking for any organized opportunities to meet-and-greet political candidates in West Volusia this year. The Chambers of Commerce that serve this side of the county have taken their Hob Nobs online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More help from the state and Volusia County is available for pandemic-affected residents facing eviction or foreclosures.

Dream Finders Homes, a national homebuilder based in Jacksonville, will start construction within the next 60 days at Rivington, a master-planned community with a traditional character on just under 300 acres on Fort Florida and Barwick roads in DeBary.

Huddle up, DeLand: Huddle House wants to come to town.

County to distribute federal assistance

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation board of directors has approved the release of $75 million to local governments — including Deltona and Daytona Beach — to assist Floridians in need of rental and mortgage assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As families and individuals yearn to escape their monthslong quarantines, amusement parks, museums and other attractions in Central Florida and elsewhere are taking steps to reopen safely for their guests and employees.

Merritt Island-based Launch Federal Credit Union, which has branches in DeLand and Orange City, has been ranked fourth in the state of Florida in a survey done by Forbes and Statista.

West Volusia has gotten a seat at the table in promoting the state of Florida’s tourism industry. Georgia Turner, executive director of the West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority, was recently named to the Visit Florida board of directors.

State agencies are cracking down on people trying to take advantage of Floridians or skirting rules designed to combat the coronavirus.

Rohr Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center has opened on DeLand’s northwest side, and its namesake practitioner is a man who was born and grew up in this West Volusia city.

Being free of debt and having an emergency fund are just two ways people can achieve financial freedom. But while those goals are easier to attain by people who still have their jobs, it also should be the goal for workers who are now unemployed or have had their hours cut, and for small bus…

Orangetheory Fitness, in the Country Club Corners shopping plaza on DeLand’s south side, is once again open after a two-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A new assisted living facility is getting ready to open in DeLeon Springs.

Karen Feaster has come a long way since she started at Daytona Beach International Airport as an intern in 1992 — all the way to the top. Recently, the Volusia County Council confirmed Feaster as the new director in charge of the county-owned and -operated airport.

DeLand is getting a second animal emergency hospital that will eventually be open 24 hours a day.

The two main providers of electricity in West Volusia have been making their annual preparations for hurricane season. And this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light have been changing procedures to protect their employees, customers and communities.

AdventHealth nurses always are diligent and supportive when they care for patients, but recently a cadre of nurses at a hospital in Orange City went way above and beyond for one patient.

It happened in phases throughout May, but Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has reopened nearly all its stores in six counties, including those at 1600 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand and 891 Harley Strickland Blvd. in Orange City.

In the latest National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) report, Stetson University’s accounting program placed in the top 5 percent (13 out of 278 institutions) among medium-sized programs worldwide in relation to average student pass rates for first-time Uniform Certified …

A change of leadership is taking place at one of DeLand’s longest-standing insurance firms. Matthew Maniscalco, currently the vice president of sales and marketing, will take over as president and CEO of Page Insurance Agency on Monday, June 1.

When Gov. Ron DeSantis announced May 15 that gyms and similar facilities could reopen, the owners of CrossFit NIKA wasted no time in getting ready to do just that.

Wellness-related businesses in West Volusia — everything from spas and gyms to recreational activities and medical offices — are ready to help people recover from the coronavirus pandemic’s effects.

Volusia County’s Votran transportation system, the county’s three tourism advertising authorities — including the one in West Volusia — and cybersecurity issues will get some additional attention from the county’s internal auditor, it was decided recently.

For many years, Performance Designs has been designing and manufacturing parachute canopies for the sport and military communities, employing just shy of 200 folks in Volusia County. But in late March, when the coronavirus concerns arose, PD closed its production facility on International Sp…

Many businesses locally and statewide are starting to reopen this week. But exactly what they’ll face is largely unknown.

Families with children in the Volusia County school system are using AdventHealth Video Visits at more than triple the rate they were before COVID-19.