EE FR
40 YEARS
CELEBRATING
JULIANNE MALVEAUX: EXAMPLES OF BLACK POLITICAL EXCELLENCE PAGE 4
OF CONTINUOUS WEEKLY PUBLISHING
YEAR 43 NO. 37
THE WEEK’S TOP HIGH SCHOOL GAMES SEE PAGE 7
SEPTEMBER 13 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
www.daytonatimes.com
Keeping an eye on the storm Local residents reflected on Irma and Matthew as they watched the path of Hurricane Florence BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES
As Hurricane Florence churned up the Atlantic Ocean heading toward the Carolinas, Floridians were monitoring the storm and remembering the angst they were feeling this time last year. This week marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Irma, which battered Volusia and Flagler counties leaving destruction in its path. Florence also had residents remembering Matthew, which hit the area in October 2016.
A familiar scene: Motorists stream down I-40 westbound as the eastbound road is empty as the evacuation of the North Carolina coast continued on Wednesday in advance of Hurricane Florence near Suttontown, N.C.
LaKeisha Pierce was forced from her home in the Westwood Heights division of Holly Hill due to Irma and spent weeks in a hotel. She won’t forget the storm that caused death and destruction. The death toll from Irma across the Caribbean and U.S. is 44 fatalities directly and 85 fatalities indirectly linked to the storm, according to a report released earlier this year by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Stocked up Earlier this week, she was keeping an eye on Florence. “It does bring memories of my ordeal with Irma, the last storm, which caused my family to evacuate our home. I have saved money in case we have to do it again. I
CHUCK LIDDY/NEWS
See STORM , Page 6
DAYTONA TIMES / 40 ANNIVERSARY TH
Asher announces retirement, local elections
& OBSERVER/TNS
Turie T. parents react to allegations that substitute teacher hit children BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES
A recent incident at a local school in Daytona Beach’s Midtown district has some parents thinking about the discipline practices and behaviors of teachers. Mohga Kodsy, 59, was arrested on Sept. 7, accused of pushing children’s heads against a wall while working as a substitute teacher at Turie T. Small Elementary School, according to police reports. Kodsy was taken into custody Mohga after a school reKodsy source officer, also a Daytona Beach police officer, interviewed four children ages 7 and 8. They reported that the substitute had hit their heads against a wall. All four of the children involved in the report were African-American while Kodsy is White, according to reports.
Kids called ‘evil’ Report state that the children were made to stand against a wall for being too loud while a movie was playing during the class. Kodsy allegedly said she did
line the kids up against the wall because they were laughing at her. She allegedly referred to them as “evil.’’ She has denied that she hit them. She no longer will be permitted to substitute at a Volusia County district school.
Parents concerned Parents’ of two of the children pressed charges while parents of the other two were satisfied with school disciplinary actions, according to police reports. Such actions have parents thinking about their children’s well-being in schools. Sheena Dolphus’ 9-year-old son is in the third grade at the school. Dolphus told the Daytona Times this week, “I didn’t hear about it until now. The school also didn’t inform me. As a parent, I try to stay in their faces to avoid such situations because when they know that you will advocate for your child, it holds a lot of craziness back.” Erica Gardner has two sons at Turie T. Small Elementary. She learned about the arrest on the news and said she’s a little concerned. “I asked both my boys about it, they didn’t know about it. They also didn’t know any of the kids See TEACHER, Page 6
Tourism numbers up in first half of 2018 BY JIM TURNER NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Fifteen years ago in 2003, the Daytona Times reported that Mayor Bud Asher would retire from office at the end of his current term, and updated readers on upcoming primary elections.
ALSO INSIDE
TALLAHASSEE – Florida tourism is on pace to set an annual record, with an estimated 65.5 million people traveling to the state during the first half of the year, according to numbers released Wednesday. The tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida estimated that tourism during the first six months of 2018 was up 5.9 percent from the same period in 2017. Gov. Rick Scott said the pace should allow the state to easily surpass a record 118.5 million tourists estimated for 2017. “If we have that sort of growth the rest of the year, we’re going to have 125 million tourists,” Scott said. “Every 65 to 75 tourists is another Florida job.”
Hospitality jobs up The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for 1.26 million jobs in the state in July, up 50,400 from a year ago, according to numbers posted by the Department of Economic Opportunity. Scott announced the new tourism figures during a brief telephone call Wednesday to the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors, which was meeting in Miami. Scott, who is running for the U.S. Senate, chairs the Enterprise Florida board but was campaigning Wednesday morning in Ocala.
$118.5 mil total Visit Florida initially estimated the 2017 tourism total at 116.5 See TOURISM, Page 6
COMMUNITY NEWS: ‘MARY’S LOVE FOR GOSPEL’ A SHOW OF FASHION AND FAITH | PAGE 3 COMMENTARY: WORTHY ROLE MODELS FOR BREAKING THE GUBERNATORIAL GLASS CEILING | PAGE 4