Ron Long is one of three candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 4. Trevor Tucker and incumbent Christy Chong are the others. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Christy Chong, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Incumbent Christy Chong is one of three candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 4. Trevor Tucker and incumbent Ron Long are the others. Chong has declined to participate in the Live Interview. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
Moms for Liberty’s Influence on School Board Races Is Not What It Was in Florida, Its Home State
Moms for Liberty’s influence has been on a long decline in its home state as the organization faced a wave of resignations, chapter dissolutions and scandals among Moms for Liberty leadership.
In 11-1 Vote, Jury Recommends Death For Jermaine Williams In Stabbing Of Wife Yolonda
A Flagler County jury this afternoon took just an hour and 38 minutes to recommend the death penalty for Jermaine Williams Sr. following his conviction for the brutal premeditated murder of his wife, Yolonda Williams. Prosecutors demonstrated four aggravating factors detailing the calculated nature of the attack and emotional victim-impact statements from family members deeply moved the courtroom, overwhelming the defense’s weak mitigating arguments during the penalty phase.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Trevor Tucker, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Trevor Tucker is one of three candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 4. Ron Long and incumbent Christy Chong are the others. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary.
Palm Coast Council Considers Deep Cuts Affecting Cops, Code Enforcement and Humane Society
Anticipating revenue losses from a proposed homestead amendment, the Palm Coast City Council capped its maximum property tax rate while weighing severe service cuts. Council members proposed reducing a request for nine sheriff’s deputies to five, eliminating funding for a school resource deputy, cutting code enforcement staff in half, and trimming animal shelter contributions. Leadership remains divided on balancing the budget without compromising core municipal services or raising property tax rates on local homeowners.
Jermaine Williams Stabbed His Wife 20 Times to ‘Preserve His Sense of Self As a Man,’ Expert Testifies
The penalty phase began today in the murder trial of Jermaine Williams, convicted of stabbing his wife Yolonda to death in August 2024. Prosecutors presented aggravating factors to secure a death sentence recommendation. Defense attempts to offer mitigating testimony backfired through ineffective family testimonies and a psychologist’s assessment revealing Williams murdered Yolonda to remain “the king of his family, and maintain his sense of identity.”
Rob Wood, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Rob Wood is one of two candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 2, running against first-term incumbent Will Furry, who is not participating in the Live Interview. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
Will Furry, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
First-term incumbent Will Furry is one of two candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 2, running against Rob Wood. Furry has declined to answer the Live Interview’s questions. All registered voters are eligible to vote in this non-partisan race in the Aug. 18 primary. The winner will be sworn-in in November.
Former Flagler Beach Mayor Alice Baker, ‘The Gal Who Did It All’ with Kindly Resolve, Dies at 95
Former Flagler Beach Mayor Alice Baker died at age 95 in Clarkesville, Georgia. Baker spent nearly two decades as a city employee before serving as interim manager and mayor. Colleagues remembered her as a fiercely strong-willed leader who dedicated her life to protecting the community’s small-town charm, supporting local animal welfare initiatives, and listening carefully to local residents.
Palm Coast Dog Trainer Arrested After Two Labrador Retrievers Die Inside Hot Storage Unit
Palm Coast’s Alexia V. Barquet, 21, owner of Rapidfire Retrievers LLC, a dog-training and grooming company, faces two felony aggravated animal cruelty charges after two labrador retrievers died inside a hot Bunnell storage unit she lists as the business’ address. Authorities warned Barquet in March against keeping animals inside the facility. Police officers discovered the deceased dogs following complaints of severe odors.
Will Furry Abruptly Silences School Board Members Ruddy and Ramirez, Declaring Policy Discussion Over
Flagler County School Board Vice Chair Will Furry ended a policy workshop discussion abruptly, overruling requests from board members Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez to continue deliberating proposed insurance requirements for school support organizations. Despite board attorney Ryan Hudak suggesting a five-minute extension, Furry forced the board to move on. Ruddy and Ramirez expressed sharp concerns over Furry’s manner.
Cathy Moon, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Cathy Moon is one of two candidates for the Flagler County School Board, District 1, running against Jill Woolbright, who has declined to participate in the Live Interview. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
Jill Woolbright, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Jill Woolbright is one of two candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 1, running against Cathy Moon. Woolbright, a former School Board member defeated in 2022, declined to participate, as she did in 2022. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
The Wild West of Unregulated Private Schools in Florida and Elsewhere That Collect Taxpayer Dollars
An average of 100 new private schools have launched in Florida each of the last five school years. Florida and other states are taking a hands-off approach to regulating private schools that receive public money. School founders — in one case, a Florida woman prosecuted for sexual abuse who lost her license — often aren’t screened. Some states can’t even say how many of these schools exist.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
July 2026
Jul 23 2026
Palm Coast Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee
Palm Coast City Hall
Jul 23 2026
Flagler Beach City Commission Meeting
Flagler Beach City Hall
Jul 24 2026
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
WNZF
Jul 24 2026
Scenic A1A Pride Meeting
Hammock Community Center
Jul 24 2026
Friday Blue Forum
Flagler County Democratic Party HQ
Jul 24 2026
Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock
Jul 25 2026
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
In Front of Flagler Beach City Hall
Jul 25 2026
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Law Office of Scott Spradley
Jul 25 2026
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
Jul 25 2026
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach
Jul 26 2026
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Presbyterian Church
Jul 26 2026
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
No event found!
The Conversation
Most Americans Broadly Support Public Education for the Undocumented
When confronted with the statement, “I believe all children, regardless of immigration status, should have the right to public education,” 75.5% of all Americans agreed with the statement. Among Hispanics and Latinos, nearly 86.9% supported the policy, along with 86.7% of African Americans, 77.7% of Asians Asian Americans and 69.9% of non-Hispanic white people. In each income bracket, there was over 70% of support for free public education for all.
Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Joint County Commission-Flagler Beach City Commission meeting on beach renourishment, the Flagler County-Palm Coast Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meets, a few words from William Shirer’s Berlin Diary of 1941 and Hannah Arendt on American imperialism.
Trump Wants Greenbacks To Be His Personal Vanity Plates
Efforts by the Trump administration to place President Donald Trump’s image and signature on United States coins and banknotes mark a significant departure from American tradition. Global currency data shows that featuring a sitting head of state on money remains an attribute almost entirely unique to hereditary monarchies.
Florida Disaster Fund Spent More on Immigration than All 2025 Missions Combined
The DeSantis administration spent nearly two-thirds of Florida’s emergency fund last fiscal year on fighting illegal immigration, dwarfing spending for severe weather, international rescues, and other emergency missions for which the fund was created.
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The first day of the penalty phase of Jermaine Williams’s trial begins, the Palm Coast City Council meets, a World Cup recap with a bow to that halftime show.
Fox News, Home of Conspiracy Theories
Research shows that white Americans who identified as Republican, who are conservatives and who have negative views of people from other racial backgrounds are all more likely to express support for key tenets of the racist great replacement theory. Clear evidence shows that white Americans who watch Fox News are also more likely to agree with the conspiracy theory.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 20, 2026
The three-member East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets, Republicans’ identity crises through the ages, Robert Ingersoll on Democrats, Saint levant’s Sabah el Ward.
Franco’s Fascist Regime’s Lessons for Today’s America
Comparisons between Trump’s and Hitler’s fascist regime are becoming common, but it may be even more fitting to compare the present moment to a less-remembered but longer-lasting fascist regime: that of Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Story Time on the Farm at the Florida Agriculture, a happy 75th for Bob Cuff–or as happy as the torturing gods allow–and a few words from Thomas Mann’s story time about those condemned to buy the farm.
The Demise of Experimental Liberal Colleges
Hampshire College announced its upcoming closure in December 2026 due to insurmountable debt and declining enrollment numbers. The decision reflects a broader trend of consolidation in higher education where wealthy, traditional institutions thrive. Experimental schools focused on student-led learning struggle against a growing preference for transactional, vocational degrees. The loss of such institutions diminishes the diversity of creative educational paths available to students.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 18, 2026
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library, Democratic Women’s Club meeting, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, wrapping up a grim week.
DeSantis’ Latest Death Warrants Slate Two Executions on the Same Day, a First For Florida in 62 Years
James Aren Duckett, 68, and Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, are scheduled to be executed on June 28. Occhicone will be the oldest inmate killed by the state since modern records of executions have been kept starting in 1924. The last time Florida executed two inmates on the same day was on May 12, 1964.
Trump Seesaws Strait Back to War
Renewed warfare between the United States and Iran threatens global energy corridors after a fragile ceasefire collapsed over waterway management disputes. Trump proposed shipping levies to counter Tehran’s unilateral transit tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s uncertainties and political divisions in both nations prevent diplomatic progress, risking global economic recession and a prolonged war of attrition that neither side can easily win.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 17, 2026
Jermaine Williams Sr. trial Day Five, trial notes on witnessing one’s own murder act, the Flagler County Cultural Council meets, “Let those who wish to do so withdraw from the world,” writes Camus.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Opening arguments on Day 4 of the Jermaine Williams death penalty trial, Town of Marineland Commission Meeting, scenes from a courtroom, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Dictator, David Foster Wallace’s Neon.
Florida Kills Dennis Sochor, 74, for 1981 Murder of Patty Gifford, 29th Execution in Two Years
Dennis Michael Sochor was executed Tuesday evening for the death of 18-year-old Patricia “Patty” Gifford in Broward County 44 years ago, becoming the oldest person put to death by the state since executions were revived in 1977, and the 29th person the state has killed in two years. DeSantis has signed the warrant for the 30th.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday July 15, 2026
Heat index of 103, the Jermaine Williams trial enters day three, the Palm Coast Planning Board takes on the Westward expansion’s plans, Tale of Anushirvan, Exemplary King.
Commentary
Restoring Voting Rights To Released Felons Could Provide A Decisive Two Percent Swing In Elections
Mass incarceration has created a massive “shadow electorate” of 20 million Americans with felony records. Due to legal barriers and decreased political trust, millions are unable or unwilling to vote. Research suggests this group skews Democratic, meaning disenfranchisement likely shifted the outcomes of the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections. Restoring these rights could create a decisive 2% swing in future competitive statewide races.
Uses and Mis-Uses of National Memory From Bastille Day To July 4
France and the United States base their national identities on universal political principles rather than common ancestry. Both countries use their primary national holidays to periodically recreate and reinforce their foundational narratives. But political factions in both nations increasingly contest these celebrations to claim authority over the national identity, a growing conflict that reveals a very profound shift regarding exactly who can legitimately embody the nation today.
A Rare Bipartisan Housing Bill Will Help But Won’t Solve Affordability Crisis
The Road to Housing Act recently became official law. The legislation focuses heavily on regulatory changes to address the national housing crisis. Reforms restrict institutional investors from purchasing standalone properties and reduce construction costs for builders. Housing policy experts warn these modest adjustments fail to resolve the fundamental affordability crisis because millions of Americans still lack sufficient income to secure housing in the current market.