DAYTONA BEACH

As Florida’s gas prices soar ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said he is proposing over $1 billion in gas tax relief in an effort to help lower gas prices in the state.

Her band apologized on her behalf. But now Sophia Urista is coming clean.

A 14-year-old runaway accused of trying to shoot central Florida sheriff’s deputies during a standoff has been ruled competent to stand trial.

Coca-Cola announced Monday it has bought full control of sports drink maker Bodyarmor for $5.6 billion, making it the company's largest acquisition to date.

The Florida Highway Patrol says a central Florida motorcycle deputy was injured in a crash with another vehicle.

A vendor at a major motorcycle rally in Florida briefly sold hats emblazoned with Nazi symbols, saying she considered them a tribute to World War II veterans who helped defeat the Germans. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the vendor was selling the hats embroidered with swastikas and a skull-and-bones logo used by the Nazi SS at a stand during Biketoberfest, an ongoing festival that draws thousands of bikers to the Daytona Beach area this month. The vendor said she had sold the hats at other biker rallies around the country without complaint.

A marble statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was unveiled in Daytona Beach Monday. It will soon head to the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall where it will represent Florida.

Police in Georgia say former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley was shot to death in a dispute that involved a hatchet after showing up at a house occupied by his estranged wife and another man.

A Florida library is offering anti-racism kits in hopes of making it easier to broach difficult conversations about race in a meaningful way.

Pedestrian was struck walking in the left lane by a 23-year-old female who was traveling eastbound near I-95.

A 10-year-old boy drowned after getting caught in a rip current off a Florida beach.

Officials say eight central Florida sheriff’s deputies have been cleared of wrongdoing in a shootout with two children.

Officials say a 59-year-old man drowned while visiting Daytona Beach.

Tyler Reddick finished fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale Saturday night and secured the final spot in the 16-car postseason field.

Kurt Busch has a multiyear deal with 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team owned by basketball great Michael Jordan and fellow driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin released more details Saturday about the new partnership and said he is in the final stages of securing a charter for Busch's No. 45 Toyota in 2022. Without one, Busch would have to qualify for every race.

High school football season is off and running. A glance at the area scoreboard for teams in North Florida and Southeast Georgia on Friday night, and schedules for next week.

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is just around the corner and that means so is NASCAR’s postseason.

Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor died on Tuesday, 55 days after he was shot in the head while on patrol, according to the police department.

Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor died Tuesday from his injuries stemming from a June 23 shooting, WKMG in Orlando reported, citing officials.

Ready to try your hand at some trivia?

A low pressure system that was about 200 miles east of Daytona Beach Saturday morning is going to mess with South Florida’s weather through Monday, regardless of development, meteorologists say.

An exit off Interstate 95 in Florida had to be closed for three hours after 100 homing pigeons fell off a truck and refused to move, posing a driving hazard to motorists, officials said Wednesday. A crate carrying 100 homing pigeons fell off the truck late Tuesday near Daytona Beach. “It’s the worst case scenario — homing pigeons that can’t find their home," the news release said.

A vehicle involved in the shooting of a Daytona Beach police officer was found Saturday in Alachua County, authorities said.

Othal Wallace was found in a remote wooded area east of Atlanta with multiple weapons. He is accused of shooting Daytona Officer Jason Raynor.

A multi-agency manhunt for a man accused of shooting a Daytona Beach police officer in the head ended early Saturday morning when he was captured near Atlanta, authorities said.

Friday morning, a manhunt continues for a man accused of shooting a Daytona Beach police officer in the head.

Florida police are offering a $100,000 reward for help locating the man suspected of shooting an officer in the head Wednesday.

A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of Othal Wallace, a 29-year-old father with Broward County ties who police believe shot a Daytona Beach police officer in the head Wednesday night.

A massive manhunt is underway for the man suspected to shooting a Daytona Beach police officer in the head Wednesday night.

Josef Newgarden has earned the pole position for Sunday’s IndyCar race at Road America as he attempts to help Team Penske earn its first win of the season.

A Daytona Beach, Fla., man is facing up to 30 years in prison after being convicted this week of vandalizing vehicles belonging to an Asian American family with racial slurs. What he did: Kyle Christiansen, 34, spray-painted two of the family’s vehicles and placed nails in their driveway on July 29, 2020. The vehicles, which were parked at the family’s home in New Smyrna Beach, were a black pickup truck owned by a male family member and a gray Honda sedan owned by his sister-in-law.

A sting called Operation Guardian set up by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to lure men looking for sex with juveniles netted 12 arrests, and more are expected, Sheriff John Rutherford announced Friday morning. Law enforcement personnel from Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Clay and St. Johns County, Gainesville, Daytona Beach and other agencies set up fake social media accounts and posted messages as if they were minors and waited for men to contact them.

Bystanders at a Florida beach saved a man from drowning.

Prosecutors are still weighing whether to charge 14-year-old Aiden Fucci as an adult in the death of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey. Fucci is facing a second-degree murder charge.

Two men who relocate gopher tortoises are suing Florida’s wildlife commission.

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway will be open to fans at 100% capacity for the upcoming August race.

It’s not unusual for rocks and other debris to crash through a windshield and injure a driver or passenger — but a turtle.

Daytona Beach Police are on the lookout for the driver of this SUV who smashed through traffic arms on a rising drawbridge Monday morning.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine is expecting increased motorcycle traffic downtown as motorcyclists travel to Daytona Beach for Bike Week, which is scheduled through Sunday, but News4Jax was told there are fewer bikers stopping by the ancient city this year. Since St. Augustine is only about an hour from Daytona Beach, many Bike Week participants will traditionally stay overnight in the historic city or stop by for some shopping and sightseeing. But Sean Taylor, owner of Old City Gifts in downtown St. Augustine, told News4Jax the crowds of bikers who would normally visit St. Augustine is nowhere near the numbers in years past. AdTom Leventry, a Pennsylvania resident who has been attending Bike Week for several decades, said he enjoys coming to St. Augustine. Leventry said that based on his observation, it appears 10% of the people attending Bike Week are wearing masks.

Hundreds of thousands of people are descending upon Daytona Beach, Florida this week for the city's annual motorcycle rally — despite limits on indoor capacity and parking during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Daytona Beach Bike Week marks the city's 80th anniversary of the event, taking place from March 5-14. All our local businesses want you to enjoy your visit and be safe," Bike Week said on its website. Just weeks later, it was linked to hundreds of COVID-19 cases in South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Washington. Bike Week has already led to at least one minor incident.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Times Square performer known as the Naked Cowboy was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence and cited for panhandling while working a gig at Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida. In body-camera video from one of the officers, Burck repeatedly questioned why he was being detained after an officer put handcuffs on him. Ad“We told you to stop panhandling and you still accepted money from people,” a male officer told him. A female officer told him that he was blocking businesses by drawing a crowd around him. AdVideo on Burck's Facebook page, The Naked Cowboy, showed him performing and taking pictures with fans Saturday morning.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Daytona Beach’s annual Bike Week has brought tens of thousands of motorcyclists to the city and its neighbors this weekend — and few of them are wearing masks. The city made a bargain with its bars — 60% capacity indoors in return for the permits necessary for temporary outdoor sales and entertainment. “I’m grateful to be open for Bike Week, grateful that the city allowed the vendors and the full Bike Week thing,” said Bobby Honeycutt, owner of Froggy’s Saloon, told The Daytona Beach News-Journal as the 10-day event began Friday. AdThe Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event, estimates 300,000 to 400,000 motorcyclists will attend. Sam Acquaro is attending his 46th straight Bike Week, even though he believes his son caught the virus at last year's, which happened just as the pandemic began spreading around the country and world.

It was the very first NASCAR national series race for Ty Gibbs, who jumped two steps from ARCA to Xfinity for his debut. Ty Gibbs is the second-youngest winner in Xfinity Series history. But as his grandson crossed the finish line, his glasses fogged and he hugged a Joe Gibbs Racing team member. JGR has yet to announce a full 2021 schedule for Ty Gibbs, but his grandfather said the details are decided by Coy Gibbs. They picked the Daytona road course for his debut because Ty Gibbs finished second here in last year's ARCA race.

Michael McDowell, driver of the #34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021 in Daytona Beach,The rain just keeps hurting NASCAR's top event. Sunday's 2021 Daytona 500, impacted by a nearly six-hour rain delay, attracted an average of 4.83 million viewers, Fox Sports has confirmed to CNBC. It marks the lowest-viewed Daytona 500 in the history of the race. Last year's Daytona 500 also suffered through a rain delay, which moved the event to a second day. The 2019 and 2018 races averaged roughly 9 million viewers, but that was down from over 11 million viewers the race averaged in 2017 and 2016.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Michael McDowell was glued to Brad Keselowski's bumper, watching and waiting for his chance to win the Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin was trying for a record third-consecutive Daytona 500 victory, and the team he started with Michael Jordan was debuting with driver Bubba Wallace. Kyle Larson was back after nearly a year in exile for using a racial slur, and reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott was going for his first Daytona 500 win. And all the way at the back of the field, 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope made what he said would be his final NASCAR start. “I wanted to make the pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad,” Keselowski said.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 14: Michael McDowell, driver of the #34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500 after Penske Racing teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked on the final lap. McDowell was running third when Keselowski got a huge run on Logano. Keselowski tried to pass Logano on the low side, but Logano tried to block him and ended up crashing both of them. Hamlin was trying to become the first in NASCAR history to win three consecutive Daytona 500s.

Racers crash during the last lap in the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Latest on the Daytona 500 (all times local):12:35 a.m.Brad Keselowski has no regrets about the way he handled the final lap of the Daytona 500. ___12:15 a.m.Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500 after Penske Racing teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked on the final lap. ___3:25 p.m.Derrike Cope was knocked out after only three laps, an ignominious end for the 62-year-old driver who won the 1990 Daytona 500. ___2 p.m.Bubba Wallace’s car failed inspection twice for the Daytona 500 and will have to start at the back of the field. AdWallace drives a new entry owned by NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

“I think we proved as an industry last year that track time was a little overrated," said David Wilson, head of Toyota Racing Development. Heavy rain soaked the track early, though, prompting officials to shift gears before the Xfinity Series opener later Saturday. An ARCA series race also was scheduled for the middle of the day. “I'm fine without it,” said 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch. ..."Obviously, we didn’t want to go to a backup car, but I think we’re still in a really good place for the 500.

Bubba Wallace makes a pit stop during the second of two qualifying auto races for the NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wallace finished in second place. They came to soak in the Daytona 500 atmosphere, or whatever they found among the campers killing time with games of cornhole and flip cup. AdMark Minadeo of Boca Raton was attending his ninth Daytona 500 and bought a motorhome for Speedweeks. The mood is in stark contrast to last year when NASCAR fans were revved for then-President Donald Trump’s visit. The majority had never been to a NASCAR race.

48 team will ideally use Saturday's final two practice sessions to determine if the engine can make it 500 miles on Sunday. “We think the engine is OK, but we're undecided just yet,” said Knaus, who won the NASCAR title seven times as a crew chief. AdHendrick Motorsports suffered another blow when William Byron was involved in a crash in his qualifying race that destroyed his Chevrolet. Hendrick will now have only one car at the front of the Daytona 500 field — maybe none if Bowman's engine is deemed too risky not to change. The pole-sitter has not closed out a Daytona 500 victory since Dale Jarrett in 2000.

Alex Bowman and William Byron were slated to lead the Daytona 500 field to green but that's in danger following Thursday night's qualifying races. Byron was collected in a crash in the second Duel and it ruined his Chevrolet. AdAustin Cindric and Kaz Grala both earned their first berths into the Daytona 500 by claiming the two available transfer positions in the Duels. He was the leader on the final lap of the second Duel until Dillon crossed to Wallace’s inside and inched ahead. “We’ve got an incredible race car and I can’t wait for the Daytona 500.”

Alex Bowman and William Byron swept the front row Wednesday night in qualifying for the Daytona 500, giving Hendrick its 14th pole and sixth in the last seven years. “Here it really just comes down to who built the fastest race car. It’s the fourth consecutive year Bowman will start from the front row, but he's got a completely new look this time. Only the front row was set Wednesday, the first time Daytona 500 qualifying has been held at night under a condensed Speedweeks schedule. “My motto is, ‘No more excuses.’”Hamlin, who is trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s, was 12th.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bubba Wallace sent Michael Jordan to the top of scoring pylon in the first Daytona 500 practice session for their new team and the first overall for NASCAR in more than 300 days. Wallace was selected as the driver in the first season of a new team that brought Jordan into NASCAR as a team owner. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, perhaps a promising sign he could be a force in the Daytona 500. NASCAR sets the front row for the Daytona 500 in Wednesday night’s qualifying session. His runner-up finish in the 2018 Daytona 500 was the best finish by a Black driver in the race.

Wayne Taylor replaced his entire lineup for the move to Acura and hired Albuquerque, as well as his oldest son, Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi. It was WTR's fourth Rolex win in five years and fifth overall, one behind Ganassi's record six victories. Albuquerque won in 2018 driving a Cadillac and Ricky Taylor won in a Cadillac for his father's team in 2017. “We decided we wanted somebody as fresh as possible in the car,” Ricky Taylor said. “He was so hungry for this, especially with the whole story of leaving Wayne Taylor.

General Motors waited until the race concluded at Daytona International Speedway to announce the Spaniard had tested positive. He had a brief media availability Sunday morning, presumably before he learned he'd tested positive. Garcia was the second driver to test positive for COVID-19 during the Rolex weekend. Mathieu Jaminet was replaced by RWR Eurasia last week when he tested positive, and Black Swan Racing withdrew when owner/driver Tim Pappas tested positive. AdThe Rolex 24 is the opening event of the North American motorsports season and NASCAR and IMSA held it with limited spectators at Daytona.

Wayne Taylor left General Motors after 28 years at the end of last season to become a factory Acura program. "We won it with Ricky, and Jordan won the GT class with Corvette, and then the Wayne Taylor Racing program won it overall. Albuquerque won in 2018 driving a Cadillac; Ricky Taylor won in a Cadillac for his father's team in 2017. AdWhen Taylor switched to Acura, he released van der Zande, who was grabbed by Ganassi as the team returned to sports car racing after a one-year hiatus. “Looked like we had the race won right there.

The seven-time NASCAR champion is beginning a new chapter of his career — at 45 years old — in unfamiliar race cars. He was tabbed to start the most prestigious sports car race in America for his Action Express team and Johnson had just one goal for his first stint in the Cadillac. 48 over to teammate Simon Pagenaud and then turned to Kamui Kobayashi, the two-time reigning winner of the Rolex 24, for an animated debrief. AdElliott seemed despondent after his first run in his first sports car race. 31 Action Express entry had slipped to last in his class after the driver change between Elliott and Mike Conway.

Gregory Ramos was 15 when he killed Gail Cleavenger in November 2018, court records show. Ramos, 17, pleaded guilty in December to charges of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a dead body. Investigators said Ramos confessed to strangling his mother after they argued over his grades. He then put her in a wheelbarrow, pushed it outside and loaded it in the family van, records show. During a hearing in December, Assistant Volusia County Public Defender Matt Phillips said Ramos is remorseful and “regrets his actions every day."

A 21-year-old man from Omro, Wisconsin, and his 18-year-old sister were killed in the head-on collision, and two of their relatives in the backseat were seriously injured. Bodycam video posted on YouTube by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office shows a deputy chasing the suspect and detailing his speeds and maneuvers. The deputy jumps off the chase when the driver hits his brakes and heads the wrong way up the interstate. Chitwood said the Wisconsin family just missed their exit just before the crash happened. The driver then fled, got on the interstate and weaved between cars at high speed with its lights off, Chitwood said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state’s approval of a plan to open a pari-mutuel facility near St. Augustine has drawn a legal challenge from another gambling operator down Interstate 95. Daytona Beach Kennel Club, Inc., last week filed a challenge to a decision by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to allow the relocation of a long-existing gambling permit to the site of the planned facility in St. Johns County. The permit was used in the past at a dog track in northern St. Johns County, though it had been more recently used through an arrangement with a track in neighboring Clay County. The challenge points, in part, to the fact that the new facility would be within 50 miles of the Volusia County gambling operation, which goes by the name Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club. The Daytona Beach facility and bestbet Orange Park, the Clay County facility where the Bayard Raceways permit has been used, have ended live greyhound racing.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – State fire marshals are investigating a suspicious fire that engulfed a shopping center early Thanksgiving morning. The fire at the Village Plaza shopping center in Daytona Beach broke out at about 4 a.m. Thursday and spread into several units, according to WKMG-TV in Orlando. Daytona Beach fire officials believe the flames started in a nutritional store. Many of the units were not currently being leased and there were no people at the time of the fire. Fire officials are calling the fire suspicious and said the state fire marshal is investigating.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A female manatee named Lusia was released near Halifax Harbor Marina on Thursday after her rehabilitation at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Manatee Critical Care Center. The manatee was rescued on Aug. 22, 2020, with injuries that indicated a boat strike. After some care from the critical care team and some rest, staff was ready to send her home. RELATED | Manatee on the mend at Jacksonville ZooThe manatee’s final weight was 713 pounds upon load-in on Thursday. She also had a couple of fractures of her ribs, and the reason that they picked her up is because she had some air in her thorax that made her buoyant on one side,” Allison Peterson, a veterinarian at the Jacksonville Zoo, said.

Week 10 wrapped up the regular season for area programs and also included seven state playoff play-in games. Bolles, (6-2), Class 4A: LOST to Daytona Beach Mainland, 7-3. Trinity Christian (7-1), Class 3A: Beat Ribault, 29-6. Baker County (7-2), Class 5A: LOST to Suwannee, 35-32. GeorgiaFriday, Nov. 6Camden County 35, Tift County 14*Glynn Academy 7, Richmond Hill 5*Irwin County 58, Charlton County 16Pierce County 52, Long County 0*Off: Brunswick, Ware County.

Actor Dimitri Diatchenko, best known for his roles as Head Russian on "Sons of Anarchy" and Uri on "Chernobyl Diaries," has died, according to his representatives. According to a statement from Barry Bookin Management, Diatchenko died in his Daytona Beach, Florida home. CNN reported that a co-worker told police he had last heard from Diatchenko via text message on April 19. In this May 23, 2012 file photo, cast member Dimitri Diatchenko arrives at the premiere of "Chernobyl Diaries" in Los Angeles. Matt Sayles/Invision/APDiatchenko had guest and recurring roles on "How I Met Your Mother," "Bones," "Sons Of Anarchy," "2 Broke Girls," "Criminal Minds" and more.

Feb 16, 2020; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; President Donald Trump the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY SportsWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump attended the wedding on Sunday of one of his top aides, immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, to Vice President Mike Pences spokeswoman, Katie Waldman. The wedding took place at the Trump International Hotel, a few blocks from the White House. Miller has largely led Trumps efforts to crack down on legal and illegal immigration to the United States. Miller has largely taken the lead in advocating for those and other efforts to tighten U.S. immigration policies during Trumps tenure.

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump exit Air Force One as they arrive to the NASCAR Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S., February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Erin ScottDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump made a showy entrance at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, riding in his limousine on the speedway track after flying over the cheering crowd aboard Air Force One ahead of NASCARS most prestigious race. After his motorcade made its way round part of the track, Trump took a break to take pictures with supporters. Previous presidents who have attended NASCAR events at the speedway include Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Trump plans a fundraising swing and political rallies in western states later this week.

Amid reports of disunity in the Republican Party over his comments, Donald Trump rallied supporters in Daytona Beach, Florida on Wed. Trump touched on several topics that have sparked controversies in his campaign, including his comments on Megyn Kelly, his mocking of a disabled New York Times reporter and his assertion that Muslims in the U.S. celebrated after the 9/11 attacks. See Trump's full remarks.

Phil Morgese, of Daytona Beach, Fla., has always been good with his hands on "guy stuff." But when it came to styling his daughter's hair, he struggled to keep up. He watched videos and practiced, eventually mastering his skills, and is now sharing his new braiding knowledge with other dads. Steve Hartman reports.

Police visited mom before she drove van into ocean Rescuers pulled three children out of a minivan after of a pregnant mother deliberately drove it into the Atlantic Ocean on Daytona Beach. Police had visited the mother after her sister called 911. They noticed she was acting strangely but did not see a reason to take her into custody. Michelle Miller reports.