Approximately one in seven adults across Central Florida — including many in West Volusia — could experience food insecurity in 2021 due to the ongoing economic fallout from COVID-19. Neighbors in our community are struggling to put food on the table — many facing this difficult reality for …

Commercial truckers and other highway motorists now have a better way to view current driving conditions on all major Florida routes.

Following the March 31 retirement of President and CEO Sarah Gurtis, who led the Council on Aging of Volusia County for more than six years, Eveline Kraljic and Terri Karol have taken new roles as co-executive directors at the 54-year-old nonprofit agency, COA announced in a news release.

The IRS has moved the deadline for filing 2020 federal income-tax returns from April 15 to May 17, 2021.

The City of Orange City is partnering with the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce & Orange City Alliance to organize Keep Orange City Beautiful, a community cleanup event.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that limits civil liability for damages relating to COVID-19. The bill provides crucial liability protection to individuals, businesses, educational institutions, religious organizations, and health care providers for liability claims related to COVID-19, …

Last Aug. 18, Personal Mini Storage and many other businesses and residences were damaged or destroyed by a sudden tornado. At that company’s campus, two main storage buildings housing more than 60 tenants were severely damaged and the roof on the resident managers’ apartment was completely …

Two teams of Stetson University students took first and third place during the virtual CFA (Chartered Financial Analysis) Institute Research Challenge.

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)  and Volusia County have signed an agreement to promote each other’s geographical and business advantages. The goal of the partnership is to attract more globalbusinesses to Volusia County, bring more Florida-bound cargo through JAXPORT and create hi…

Volusia County’s Auditor Selection Committee will meet 8:30-9:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the County Council Chambers on the second floor of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand.

Launch Credit Union is holding a Food and Fund drive for Second Harvest Food Bank.

Noted DeLand chef and cookbook author Hari Pulapaka recently joined a select group of chefs worldwide by being awarded the Worldchefs Certified Master Chef (WCMC) credential.

The economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic has been widespread across Central Florida. While 2020 ended with a glimmer of hope and hiring appears to be on the upswing, the sectors facing the biggest job losses continue to be leisure and hospitality, administrative, and retail roles, acco…

As one longtime bicycle shop in Downtown DeLand has begun closing down, another store — this one selling electric bikes — has opened at 1720 S. Woodland Blvd., on the north end of the Victoria Square Shopping Center.

New business ideas are always very exciting, but they are not always viable. The key is to test and develop your idea into a product or service that customers actually want and not what you think customers want.

Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized program that provides education, counseling, training and advocacy for girls and young women, has hired Sheila Jordan as executive director of the program’s Volusia-Flagler center. This year, the center celebrates 25 years of transforming the li…

Florida gas prices surged again early this month, jumping another 15 cents per gallon, according to a recent report from AAA. The state average last week was $2.87 per gallon — the highest daily average price since June 2018. And the pump price was expected to rise even more afterward.

Allen Thompson has joined Rupp’s Real Estate as a broker/associate. Thompson brings nearly 10 years of award-winning real estate sales and brokerage leadership to Rupp’s.

The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia has hired Debra West as charitable giving coordinator. West will be responsible for performing duties related to fundraising, donor relationship, managing philanthropic events, marketing, and communications.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many homebound office workers are increasingly logging onto Zoom or other video chat platforms to stay in touch with colleagues, friends and family members.

The U.S. tax season is now underway, as the Internal Revenue Service has begun accepting and processing 2020 tax year returns. And the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division reminds taxpayers to file accurate tax returns and choose a tax preparer wisely.

It has been a good ride, but the owner of a West Indiana Avenue bicycle sales-and-repair shop in Downtown DeLand is closing the business at the end of March.

After decades of relying on outside institutions to provide basic law-enforcement training to deputy recruits, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office has gotten state approval to operate its own training academy — allowing the agency to recruit, hire and train its own deputies at the highest level whi…

A state grant is helping Volusia County Schools add another vocational education program, this one in heating and air conditioning at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona.

A federal agency has designated a key tourism corridor in West Volusia as a National Scenic Highway, and local officials say that could generate a boost in tourism for the area.

A longtime exhibitor at the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase has opened a branch location on the DeLand Municipal Airport.

 How would you respond to an agitated caller who tells you he has a sawed-off shotgun pointed at his face and is going to kill himself unless you can give him a reason to live?

Deltona is no longer a one-Domino’s town.

If you get a debit card in the mail that says it is from the Internal Revenue Service, don’t toss it — it is not a scam, and you could be throwing away $600 or more.

Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden’s parent company, recently unveiled a massive initiative to help five Feeding America food banks in five states, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

On Fri., Feb. 12, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida’s virtual job connection team will host a free webinar for job seekers. The latest in a series of virtual presentations, this session will focus on different types of interview questions and provide advice on how to best answer them.

The DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce & Orange City Alliance held its annual meeting and installation ceremony virtually on Facebook and YouTube Jan. 25 to swear in its officers and board members for the new year.

With 48 years of public-protection service, Jim Judge spent the past 7 1/2 years as Volusia County’s calm, poised and reassuring presence during times of emergency and peril.

M/I Homes started construction in January at DeBary’s new Rivington community along the St. Johns River in DeBary.

Join Volusia County Economic Development at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, for a live webinar on the Paycheck Protection Program.

Fans of Sanford-based Smart Baking Company, which has a production facility in DeBary, now have another way to get their hands on the company’s healthful and delicious snack cakes.

Dentists Tara Fenn and Nelly Unger have begun seeing patients in a brand-new office, Woodland Dental Care. The new full-service, state-of-the-art family dental practice opened Jan. 8.

Ross Janke brought the historic DeLand Hotel back to life, restoring its original ambiance and character of the 1920s. Now he has turned his attention to his next project — opening Hemingway’s 442, a high-end “speak-easy” themed cigar lounge within The DeLand Hotel at 442 E. New York Ave.

With the county’s licensing and tax-collection duties now being handled by a separate, stand-alone department overseen by an elected constitutional officer, Volusia County has established a new in-house division to manage water billing and related issues.

Both West Volusia hospitals in the AdventHealth system were recently given new top officers. Lorenzo Brown has been named president and CEO of AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City, and David Weis will take over as president and CEO of AdventHealth DeLand.

Jeff Ulmer, Stetson University’s vice president for development and alumni engagement, has retired effective Jan. 8. Since joining Stetson in April 2014, Ulmer successfully led a major fundraising campaign and built a stronger network of alumni in Florida and nationwide, according to a prepa…

Bill Kachman, a retired U.S. Army major from DeLand, has been elected president of the Florida Green Building Coalition, a statewide certifier of green residential and commercial construction and local government projects.

West Volusia businesses, like their counterparts across the nation, faced many challenges in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many weathered the storm through luck and perseverance, albeit with varying periods of difficulty, but an untold number simply closed their doors forever.

Consumers have become more interested in growing their own fruits and vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has also been a boost in purchasing herb plants and seeds to spice up dishes. Popular herbs include basil, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, sage, chives and dill.

Family-friendly Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is bringing its iconic frozen treats to DeLand and Orange City in its home state of Florida as the franchise continues to expand rapidly across the United States. The new franchise locations will serve up smiles and usher in a year of continued growth f…

On December 30, the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners will face off in the 2020 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

With the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase postponed again, this time until next November, city officials have devised a smaller, one-day event to bring interested aviation fans to town in place of the multiday showcase.

Longtime dog groomers Angela Lewis and Michelle Ennis met about eight years ago when they both worked at a grooming shop. Both ladies, already experienced in their craft, hit it off almost immediately.

Three new automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, were delivered recently to each of Volusia County’s 10 public high schools as part of an expanded program funded by AdventHealth to keep student-athletes safe during athletic practices and games.

Dream Finders Homes has made a half-dozen sales at pre-model pricing and started construction in Rivington, a traditional 296-acre, master-planned community along the St. Johns River in DeBary.