Mortgage Broker in Titusville, SC

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC – Titusville native and U.S. Air Force Maj. Chris Ferguson, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central)/A3XC deputy chief of current operations, was presented the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, on Dec. 21, 2021.

Ferguson is a graduate of Titusville High School and the Air Force Academy and is the son of John and Carol Ferguson of Brevard County.

He received the award for his time as the 16th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron commander while engaged in operations against an opposing armed force in Iraq from Sept. 18, 2019, to Jan. 10, 2020.

Commanding 140 personnel, Ferguson oversaw the execution of 110 combat missions totaling 594 combat hours.

“It’s not every day we present Bronze Stars,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Jeffery Donhauser, 9th AF (AFCENT)/A3 director.

“He didn’t just do his squadron commander duties; he was all over the base improving the security. He went above and beyond.”

As the senior Joint Special Operations Air Component – Central officer on base, Ferguson identified critical force protection shortfalls, acquiring $750,000 for bunkers to protect personnel and $579 million in aircraft and assets.

He also refined the munition storage plan, preserving $30 million in 30-millimeter and 105-millimeter rounds and precision-guided munitions for the AC-130W arsenal.

“It was a humbling deployment,” said Ferguson. “All of it was completely enabled by the squadron that I served for. The problem sets that we had to work required a lot of dedication and flexibility on their part.”

Among all of Ferguson’s accomplishments, one of the most significant was the safe evacuation of over 100 personnel during an emergency retrograde of forces under the imminent threat of ballistic missile attack. Under this same threat, he commanded the alert and launch of three AC-l30Ws to provide armed overwatch and base defense for the remaining forces.

“Normally, the stress happens when you’re in the airplane, that’s when your threat is highest,” said Ferguson.

“That wasn’t the case for us. The team performed exceptionally well under stressors that we don’t normally get to experience in an aircrew sense. It’s worth mentioning that squadron and praising them for the work that they did and continue to do to this day. They performed flawlessly.”

The Bronze Star is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the military of the United States, distinguishes themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement or service while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.

“He organized the evacuation of over 100 people while they were under a significant threat,” said Donhauser. “He did wonderful work not only for the U.S. Air Force and the base but also for our country.”

Terrence Daley delivers Old World warmth to your doorstep

Spend a few minutes talking with Terrence Daley, and he comes across as soft spoken and humble.

His credentials, however, speak volumes.

The Culinary Institute of America graduate has worked in New York, Washington, D.C., Miami and Charleston, South Carolina. He's spent time as a personal chef on yachts and in the homes of South Florida's elite.

Now, North Brevard residents can enjoy a taste of his talent in the form of artisan bread and fresh pasta, delivered to their door by The Daley Trade.

When the Charleston restaurant where Daley worked closed because of COVID-19, he and his wife, artist Laura Cannon Daley, decided to relocate to Titusville, her hometown.

Daley, 32, looked for restaurant work, but the jobs that piqued his interest were in Orlando. Between the drive and the hours, he realized he would never see his wife.

Instead of working for someone else, he decided the timing was right to launch his own business and get back to his culinary roots, baking bread and making fresh pasta, a craft he learned from his mother.

He operates The Daley Trade from his home as a cottage industry. Florida law allows allows people to use their unlicensed home kitchens to produce foods that present a low risk of foodborne illness. The products can be sold directly to consumers without need for a food permit from the state.

While the law allows Daley to sell his products through his website, thedaleytrade.com, it does not allow them to be shipped, so three days a week, he makes contact-free deliveries within a 32-mile radius of Titusville.

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He sees it as an opportunity to help people create awesome meals in their own kitchens.

"Whether you're making sauce from scratch or opening a jar of sauce, it's going to taste that much better with fresh noodles," he said. "If you have a good base to start with and a decent pantry, you can do anything."

In addition to bread and pasta, he also sells specialty vinegars, and he's adding recipes and how-to videos to his website.

The response in just a few weeks has been overwhelming, Daley said.

The pasta has been popular, but there's a huge demand for his bread.

He bakes big, crusty Old World loaves using a sour dough starter he calls Yeasty Boys.

"Bread baking has been one of the hardest things I've ever done," he said.

He bakes eight loaves a day, three days a week. That's about all his home oven can handle.

"It's not enough to keep up with demand right now," he said.

Daley has heard from coffee shops and other businesses that want to sell his products, but for now, he's reached the limit of what he can make from home.

"It's a very good problem to have," he said.

He's looking for a commissary kitchen or a restaurant kitchen that's not used in the mornings. If he can find the right place, he wants to expand his offerings to include sauces and meal kits, sausages and charcuterie.

Once the pandemic is under control, he'd like to do pop-up dinners at local restaurants.

Until then, though, he's enjoying working from home and delivering still-warm bread to people's doorsteps.

"I've been working in restaurants since I was 16," he said. "It's a lot of work, and I've been doing work for other people. It's refreshing to be able to do something for myself."

This year, he had Christmas off and got to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for his family.

When he and Laura moved back to Titusville, they weren't sure what to expect. What they found was opportunity. Laura works remotely for a printing company and is getting recognized for her artwork.

Meanwhile, when Daley isn't surfing at Playalinda, he's spending time with the Yeasty Boys and rolling out pasta, trying to keep up with demand.

"In a market like this, there's just a lot of potential to get creative and have fun," he said.

The Daley Trade can be found at thedaleytrade.com. Create an account and place orders for home delivery in North Brevard. Follow The Daley Trade at facebook.com/thedaleytrade.

Email sleonard@floridatoday.com.

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Titusville, you've had a visitor.

Hilton, a 1,326-pound great white shark, pinged off the coast of Titusville at 5:45 a.m. March 4 and less than a month later at 8:33 p.m. April 1. (Yes, that was April Fool's Day, but this is no joke.)

According to Ocearch, the shark research and advocacy group, after Hilton pinged here April 1, the shark swam around the state and pinged April 13 near Key West. His track shows he swam North, where he pinged April 24 in Pensacola. As of April 27, the great white shark was still in Gulf Coast waters.

More:Holy mackerel! 8-foot 6-inch great white shark pings off Cape Canaveral

More:12-foot great white shark pings off Melbourne, then Titusville

More:Photos: Meet a 12-foot great white shark, Miss Costa

According to Ocearch's shark tracker on its site, those are the only two times Hilton has pinged in Titusville.

The great white shark, named after the Hilton Head, S.C., community where he was tagged — and not the hotel chain or the hotel heirs — was tagged in March 2017.

In addition to Hilton, Brevard has had other visits from great white sharks.

Miss Costa, named after Ocearch partner Costa Sunglasses, pinged off the coast of Palm Bay and Sebastian on Feb. 11, then again between Titusville and New Smyrna Beach on Feb. 12.

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More:Podcast: Did you know? There's a new shark species

Miss Costa clocks in at 12 feet, 5 inches long, weighing 1,668 pounds. She was tagged in September 2016.

On New Year's Day, the 8-foot, 6-inch long great white shark Savannah pinged south of the Canaveral National Seashore in the Atlantic Ocean. Savannah, named after Savannah, Ga., weighs 460 pounds and, like Hilton the great white shark, was tagged in Hilton Head.

The great white shark who visits Brevard County the most, however, would be Katharine.

This massive beaut measures 14 feet, 2 inches long and weighs 2,300 pounds. She was tagged in August 2013 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and named after Cape Cod native songwriter Katharine Lee Bates, according to Ocearch.

A look at her track history shows Katharine pinged the Space Coast almost 60 times in 2014 and 2015. Alas, it's been a while since she pinged in Brevard. She last pinged off the coast of Titusville on May 6, 2017.

To keep up with these great white sharks and their movements, visit ocearch.org.

Sangalang is a digital producer at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630

or jsangalang@floridatoday.com.

For FLORIDA TODAY

A few years ago, Steven Heron made one of those runs to Manhattan that theater lovers do. As part of that venture, he saw a pair of plays, the second of which was “Hamilton,” which he thought unsurprisingly wonderful.

The first, however, was one which he also enjoyed: “Something Rotten!,” the musical comedy about the Bottom brothers’ quest for theatrical success as contemporaries of William Shakespeare.

“It is so good,” Heron said. “Oh my God, it is great.”

That explains why Heron and company put “Something Rotten!” on its list of shows to be presented this season at Titusville Playhouse, where it will run Feb. 28 through March 22.

It is the first time the play, which won two Tony Awards in 2016, will be presented in the region.

Heron wasn’t the only playgoer to gush over the play, which has a book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, and music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick.

“Something Rotten!”. . . will give you two and a half hours of hearty laughs,” wrote Zachary Stewart of TheaterMania.

Marilyn Stasio of Variety called it a, “shamelessly silly parody of Broadway musicals and outrageous spoof of all things Shakespeare.”

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In the play, Nick and Nigel Bottom struggle to write a play in an era when all such writers work in the shadow of the rock star-like – in attitude and bearing as well as reputation – William Shakespeare. But after Thomas Nostradamus, the British nephew of the famed French prognosticator, informs them that the future of theater includes song and dance, the brothers set out to write the world’s first musical.

Said prognosticator is played by Heron, seen onstage for the first time since last year’s “La Cage aux Folles.” Though he loves the role, he would rather talk about the play, which skewers everything from the clichés of Broadway to religion.

“It is what musical comedy is supposed to be,” Heron said.

So well did Heron like the show that he, production manager Niko Stamos and actor Jordyn Linkous drove to Charleston, S.C., where they were stored, to fetch the costumes worn onstage in New York.

Linkous, now a regular on stages throughout Brevard, will take the role of Nick. Greg Coleman returns to Titusville as Nigel.

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Heron, who described himself as “very fortunate” to have found sufficient young-to-middle-aged men to fill the 15 male roles in the show, said he thought of Coleman the day he saw Nigel Bottom in “Something Rotten!” on Broadway.

“I thought of him the first time I saw it in New York,” he said. “I thought. ‘This role would be perfect for Greg, who last (acted) here years ago.’ And (after TPI announced that the show would be produced here) he called to say he wanted to audition.”

Heron also had high praise for his female leads, Marissa Volpe, who is Nick’s wife, Bea; and Kyla Canada, who plays Portia, the ironically-named Puritan (see “The Merchant of Venice” and “Julius Caesar”) with whom Nigel falls in love.

“I’ve never worked with them before, but they are so good,” he said.

Still, the play’s the thing.

“’Something Rotten!” is what musical comedy is supposed to be,” Heron added. ‘I hope people enjoy it as much as we do.”

When: 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Thursday, March 12; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Feb. 28 through March 22.

Where: Titusville Playhouse, Emma Parrish Theatre, 301 Julia St., Titusville

Cast: As Nick Bottom, Jordyn Linkous; Nigel Bottom, Greg Coleman; Shakespeare, Chris Duir; Bea, Marissa Volpe; Portia, Kayla Canada; Nostradamus, Steven J. Heron; Brother Jeremiah, Daniel McDonald; Shylock, Brian Chambers; Lord Clapham/Eyepatch Man/Troupe Member/Ensemble, Jack Evans; Troupe Member/Minstrel/Boy Band/Ensemble, Dylan Intriago; Troupe Member/Minstrel/Boy Band/Ensemble, Josh Brown; Troupe Member/Minstrel/Ensemble, Joey Leavitt; Troupe Member/Minstrel/Boy Band/Ensemble, Bryan De Souza; Troupe Member/Boy Band/Ensemble, Trent Williams; Troupe Member/Ensemble, Kristian Rodriguez; Troupe Member/Ensemble, David Knight; Female Ensemble, Bret Sanders; Female Ensemble, Sarah Biggs; Female Ensemble, Corinne Posner; Female Ensemble, Mindy Ward; Female Ensemble, Kayla Elliott; Female Ensemble, Rachel Larchar; Female Ensemble, Jocelyn Evans; Female Ensemble, Emma “Kitty” Howard

Tickets: $27 to $34

Call: 321-268-1125

On the web: titusvilleplayhouse.com

Whether you're interested in music, theater, festivals or other local entertainment, FLORIDA TODAY has got you covered. Support local journalism by subscribing at cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer.

At the Class 2A state swimming and diving meet on Friday in Stuart, Caleb Brandon of Titusville placed third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:40.68, breaking the school record of Oliver Heinricher in 2000.

Brandon finished just ahead of Cocoa's Garrett Cone (1:41.22). Elliot Weisel of Rockledge was seventh (1:44.45). It was one of two Terriers records on the day for Brandon.

He also tied the school's 50 freestyle record (by Andy Jones from 1997) with a 21.48 opening leg on the 200 relay. Brandon's 58.11-second 100 breaststroke improved on his own school record and earned a fourth-place medal. The Titusville swimmer finished the season with five Terriers records for his career.

Record-setter:Titusville's Brandon has three Titusville records and counting

For the Cocoa boys, a sixth-place team finish was the best in program history and the best among Brevard teams at the meet. The Tigers scored 107 points, two behind the fifth spot, and Pine Crest won the day with 296.

Cocoa's Cone also had a seventh in the 100 backstroke (52.65 seconds), and Weisel added fifth place in the 500 free (4:41.11). Cone swam on Cocoa's 400 freestyle relay that placed second behind Pine Crest in 3:11.74, along with Roman Quattrocchi, Casey Cole and Freddie Cole.

The same four took seventh in the 200 medley relay, in 1:39.96, and Freddie Cole place seventh in the 100 breaststroke (59.34 seconds).

Dominique Santiago of Space Coast placed third in girls 2A diving with 201.45 points, just in front of Astronaut's Alisa Rendina (371.95).

Rockledge swimmer Xavier Barnes took eighth in the 100 butterfly in 51.37 seconds, and he swam on the 200 freestyle relay team with Weisel, Cade Whitaker and Chase Parman that finished seventh in 1:31.41.

At Saturday's 1A meet, Cocoa Beach diver Canon Fleming placed seventh among the boys with a score of 348.55.

State swimming results

Class 2A girls

Friday, Stuart

Individual Brevard placers: 200 medley relay - 14. Rockledge 1:57.03; 16. Satellite 2:01.79; diving - 3. Dominique Santiago, SC 401.45; 4. Alisa Rendina, A 371.95; 9. Jonna Kirk, A 336.80; 14. Taylor Rendina, A 304.55; 100 fly - 12. Saundra Hecky, SC 59.42; 200 free relay - 14. Rockledge 1:44.94; 16. Titusville 1:45.31; 100 breast - 16. Sarah Gonzalez, R 1:10.60.

Team scores: 1. Pine Crest 448; 21. Astronaut 27; 24. Space Coast 21; 31. Rockledge 13; T39. Satellite, Titusville 2.

Class 2A boys

Friday, Stuart

Individual Brevard placers: 200 medley relay - 7. Cocoa (Garrett Cone, Freddie Cole, Roman Quattrocchi, Casey Cole) 1:39.96; 200 free - 3. Caleb Brandon, T 1:40.68; 4. Cone, C 1:41.22; 7. Elliot Weisel, R 1:44.45; 200 IM - 12. Alexander Pike, PB 2:01.25; diving - 12. Timothy Recicar, T 286.95; 14. Malachi Jones, T 279.10; 100 fly - 8. Xavier Barnes, R 51.37; 16. F. Cole, C 54.42; 100 free - 9. Quattrocchi, C 48.24; 16. Rylan Andrews, S 49.70; 500 free - 5. Weisel, R 4:41.11; 200 free relay - 7. Rockledge (Barnes, Weisel, Cade Whitaker, Chase Parman) 1:31.41; 11. Titusville 1:32.14; 100 back - 7. Cone, C 52.65; 13. Barnes, R 53.65; 100 breast - 4. Brandon, T 58.11; 7. F. Cole, C 59.34; 9. Pike, PB 59.48; 400 free relay - 2. Cocoa 3:11.74; 11. Rockledge 3:20.39.

Team scores: 1. Pine Crest 296; 6. Cocoa 107; 12. Rockledge 77; 16. Titusville 51; 27. Palm Bay 21; 46. Satellite 2.

Class 1A girls

Saturday, Stuart

Individual Brevard placers: 200 medley relay - 13. West Shore 1:58.17; diving - 11. Lillian Altmann, WS 348.55; 200 free relay - 14. West Shore 1:44.70; 100 breast - 13. Marissa Spies, HT 1:07.14.

Class 1A boys

Saturday, Stuart

Individual Brevard placers: 200 medley relay - 12. West Shore 1:42.18; diving - 7. Canon Fleming, CB 348.55; 9. Jordan Tibbetts, CB 294.30; 10. Parker Hathaway, CB 287.60; 200 free relay - 13. West Shore 1:31.30.