After 15 years with Waste Pro, Palm Coast government is proposing to drop the trash hauler and sign a seven-year, $32 million contract with Houston-based FCC Environmental, raising residential homes’ monthly trash fee to $32.32 a month, up 59 percent from last year, and 7.8 percent from the existing, temporary one-year extension contract with Waste Pro.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 3, 2022
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
No Fireworks in Flagler Beach? No Problem: Palm Coast Hosts July 3 Fireworks Show at County Airport
Celebrate Independence Day with “Fireworks Over the Runways” on Sunday, July 3, with a 20-minute production by Fireworks by Santore at the Flagler Executive Airport, 201 Airport Road in Palm Coast. The show features more than 1,000 exploding shells and a jaw-dropping finale.
‘If You Get Out of This Car You’re Going to Jail,’ Troopers Warned Joe Mullins in Confrontational Stop
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins was threatened with arrest by troopers as he argued with them and told them, twice, he was an elected official, after being pulled over for going 91.7 mph on I-4 in June, and after initially ignoring the troopers even as one of them clocked him.
Contentious Education Laws Take Effect Today as Schools Grapple With Confusion and Unknowns
Florida state laws that went into effect today include measures that prohibit certain lessons in history from being taught, limit class discussions on matters involving the LGBTQ+ community, and even remove books from school libraries.
A Seemingly Threatening Graffiti Facing Wawa Parking Lot Has Palm Coast Officials on Edge
An ominous set of red and black graffiti in bold letters, some of it possibly threatening a former Palm Coast City Manager, appeared on the wall of a property facing the Wawa on Bulldog Drive. The property owner and his son have had a long running feud with the city.
Flagler Beach Mayor Files Grant On Her Own, Underscoring Grievance With Manager Over Serial Fails
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston filed an application to the county’s Tourist Development Council for a $739,000 grant to rebuild the city’s boardwalk, without commission approval, but in reaction to what she sees as a series of failures on the city administration’s part to follow through on city initiatives.
You Cannot Be Serious: Brian McMillan Leaves The Observer
Palm Coast Observer Brian McMillan announced today in a column that he was leaving the paper after 12 years. Though he leaves the paper in the equally qualified hands of Jonathan Simmons, it is no less of a gut punch and a loss to the community. McMillan had kept the Observer centered.
As Clock Ticks to Friday Deadline, Green Lion Wraps Compromise Proposal in Threat to Sue Palm Coast
The Green Lion restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Course has until Friday to sign a new agreement with city government or face eviction in the next 180 days. The restaurant issued a counter-proposal to the city in a letter Tuesday, but to the city, the matter has been decided: it’s take it or leave it.
Flagler Supervisor of Elections Joins Other Local Agencies in Switch to .gov Website
FlaglerElections.gov is now the official website domain of the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office. A .gov web address helps ensure that Florida voters know that they are communicating with an official government organization and a trusted source of election information.
In Rare Invocation of Unsecured Gun Law, Mother faces Felony Charge in Son’s Accidental Shooting
Parents or guardians are rarely prosecuted for leaving guns unsecured or within reach of children, even though under Florida law it’s either a misdemeanor or a third-degree felony. Last week, the State Attorney’s office filed a rare such charge against a Bunnell mother whose 13-year-old son accidentally shot himself with an unsecured firearm.
Trump, Enraged, Had to Be Physically Kept from Joining Jan. 6 Mob, House Panel Told
Donald Trump had to be held back from joining his enraged, rioting supporters — even after the president was told they were armed — in their assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to astonishing testimony to the Jan. 6 committee Tuesday from a former top White House aide.
Citing Violent Crime, Commission Approves Costly Expansion of Surveillance Cameras in South Bunnell
The proposal drew unanimous approval from the five-member commission and near-unanimous approval from the public in attendance, including two former city commissioners and a former sheriff’s office sergeant, all three Black, all of whom either grew up in or still live in South Bunnell.
Gas Prices Drop Ahead of July 4, Continuing 2-Week Streak, But Don’t Whoop Yet
It’s painful, but not not as painful as two weeks ago: The price of a gallon of regular gas dropped below $4.70 at most gas stations along guzzlers’ alley on State Road 100 in Palm Coast early this week, continuing a two-week downward streak since prices came within 10 cents of the $5 mark in Flagler, and briefly crossed the mark in nearly half the states.
Probation Revoked, Jamie Nejame Gets a Year in Jail for Violating Order After Shooting at Neighbors’ House
Jamie Nejame, 73, a former candidate for office in Flagler Beach multiple times, was sentenced this morning to a year in jail for brazenly violating his probation just weeks after he was sentenced to probation on remarkably lenient terms, despite firing at least four shots at his neighbors’ house, where children were present.
Multiplication of Loaves: Flagler Radio’s Food-A-Thon on July 8 Aims for $1 Million Food Buy for Needy
A July 8 Food-A-Thon organized by Flagler Broadcasting’s four radio stations aims to raise $200,000 in cash, which can then be leveraged to buy more than $1 million in food to ensure $00 worth of groceries every week for 3,500 families through the new year. The donations and pledges are already poring in.
The Conversation
Critical Race Theory Is Not in Schools. It Should Be.
As a framework, critical race theory asks teachers to use equitable approaches to curriculum, policy and structures in schools and school boards. For example, K-12 curriculum that is viewed through a CRT lens provides historical contexts and explains how history informs contemporary social, political, economic, cultural situations and issues.
Florida and Beyond
Does ‘Hardening’ Schools Make Students Safer?
Schools cannot be hardened enough to prevent gun violence. Schools can, however, become more physically and psychologically safe so students can learn and thrive.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 2, 2022
Flagler Beach Farmers Market, First Saturday Creative Bazaar Arts and Craft Market in Town Center, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Red Flag Laws Saved 7,300 Americans From Gun Deaths in 2020 Alone, and Could’ve Saved 11,400 More
In 2018, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida passed a red flag law, and many other states followed suit. By the end of 2021, 19 states and the District of Columbia had done so. Not every state is on board: In 2020, Oklahoma banned its counties and municipalities from passing red-flag laws.
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 1, 2022
First Friday in Flagler Beach, the Tour de France begins, Remembering Liberace in all his flamboyance, William O. Douglas on the spiritual values of wilderness.
Leon County Judge Rules 15-Week Abortion Law Violates Florida’s Constitutional Privacy Protections
The law (HB 5) is set to take effect Friday. It will be in place for at least a few days before Cooper issues a written order. The state also quickly announced it plans to file an appeal, which would automatically freeze Cooper’s order and effectively put the law back into effect.
How Coastal Gentrification in Puerto Rico Is Displacing People and Damaging the Coast
Tourism income is central to Puerto Rico’s economy, especially in the wake of heavy damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017. But it comes at a cost: destruction of mangroves, wetlands and other coastal areas. Puerto Rico is no stranger to resort construction, but now widespread small-scale projects to meet demand for rentals on platforms like Airbnb are adding to concerns about coastal gentrification and touristification.
Seminole’s Judge Wayne Culver Faces 60-Day Suspension for Rude Courtroom Outbursts
Judge Wayne Culver became angry about interruptions, made inappropriate comments to a litigant, and in another instance was rude to a person entering the courtroom.
The Christian Arrogance Behind Praying Coach’s Supreme Court Case
Christian coach Joseph Kennedy’s prayer at a public school football field’s 50-yard line is not about religious freedom. It is not about God. It is not even about praying. It’s about imposing one version of Christianity in an increasingly pluralist society in one of the last places where that kind of favoritism has no place. It is intolerance by exclusivity.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 30, 2022
Drug Court convenes, Wallace Stegner hangs out with the great Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz, Free Meals for Kids and Teens at FPC and the Housing Authority in Bunnell.
Deepfakes: How To Combat Their Unethical Use
Malicious and unethical use of deepfakes can harm people. Organizations are increasingly vulnerable to this technology and the costs of this type of fraud can be high.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
The Supreme Court’s seesaw on the death penalty, Blue 22 Forum, the full testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, former senior aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Commentary
Why the Supreme Court’s Coach Decision Is a School-Prayer Game-Changer
The court has now decided that public school employees can pray when supervising students. It also helps close out a Supreme Court term when the current justices’ increasing interest in claims of religious discrimination was on full display, with another “church-state” case decided in religious plaintiffs’ favor just last week.
Octavia E. Butler, Sci-Fi Pioneer, and Her New Vision for Humanity
Octavia Butler was the first science fiction writer to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. A pioneering writer in a genre long dominated by white men, her work explored power structures, shifting definitions of humanity and alternative societies.
Supreme Court Brandishes Second Amendment Rights to New Heights
For most of the history of the court, Second Amendment rights have been seen as distinct, more dangerous and thus more open to regulation. Now, the majority of justices has invoked a major change, with implications for many rights and regulations in American society.