Wednesday Briefing: Paul Dykes Trial Day 3, Sheriff's Christmas Wish, Drone Restrictions, Mandela

Sheriff Rick Staly ran into Santa at WNZF's Christmas party Monday evening, and thanked Santa for granting his wife's wish--that Staly win the sheriff's race so he'd have reasons to leave the house. Santa in this case was Palm Coast Little League's president, Patrick Johnan. (David Ayres) — Sheriff Rick Staly ran into Santa at WNZF’s Christmas party Monday evening, and thanked Santa for granting his wife’s wish–that Staly win the sheriff’s race so he’d have reasons to leave the house. Santa in this case was Palm Coast Little League’s president, Patrick Johnan. WNZF’s open house drew a couple of hundred people. (David Ayres)

Today: Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 50s. West winds around 5 mph shifting to the north after midnight. Details here.
Today’s document from the National Archives and the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Drought Index74
The OED’s Word of the Day: Peter Principle, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

First Light
In Flagler and Palm Coast
Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime Reports
Announcements
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
The Day’s Best Reads
Editor’s Tweets
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development
Local Road and Interstate Construction
Cultural Coda

“As Congress observed when debating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ‘discrimination is not simply dollars and cents, hamburgers and movies; it is the humiliation, frustration, and embarrassment that a person must surely feel when he is told that he is unacceptable as a member of the public. Allowing businesses to turn away L.G.B.T. people, even if limited to the wedding context, would put the government’s imprimatur on discrimination. Now the Supreme Court must decide whether to turn back time or to continue our nation’s progress toward recognizing the humanity of L.G.B.T. people.”

–Ria Tabacco Mar, from a Dec. 5, New York Times column, “The Colorado Cake Case Is as Easy as Pie.”

Previously:

In Flagler and Palm Coast:

Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Many can be heard or seen live through each agency’s website.

The Sheriff’s daily incident reports and jail bookings are posted here.

In Court: The trial of Paul Dykes, expected to take two days, continues at 9 a.m., after day-long jury selection Monday and the prosecution’s case on Tuesday. Before Circuit Judge Dennis Craig in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse. Dykes, 21, a Palm Coast resident, will face 24 counts of child-sex crimes, including a count of rape involving a 1 year old. He faces 38 counts in all. He is being tried on two dozen counts in this trial, with further trials possible.

The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets at 10 a.m. at City Hall in Town Center.

The Old Kings Elementary School Advisory Council and PTO meet at 4 and 5 p.m. at the school’s media center. The school board member assigned as liaison to that meeting is Colleen Conklin.

Blood Donations: The Big Red Bus will be at the following locations this week:

Friday: Lowe’s, 315 Cypress Edge Drive, Palm Coast, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, from noon to 6 p.m.

Ongoing: the 12th Annual Fantasy Lights Festival at Central Park in Palm Coast’s Town Center, hosted by the Rotary Club of Flagler County: 6:30-9 p.m. each night. Fantasy Lights is a free, self-guided walking tour around Central Park with 40 large animated light displays, festive live and broadcast holiday music, holiday snacks and beverages. A favorite for the kids is Santa’s Village with a collection of elf houses festively painted and nestled among the lights, warm fire to roast marshmallows or create s’mores, and encircling the village is Santa’s Merry Train Ride.

Announcements:

None.

In Florida and in State Government:

Note: Some proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel. Most legislative proceedings can be followed through the Senate or House websites.

DRONE RESTRICTIONS CONSIDERED: The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 471), filed by Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, that would ban flying drones over prisons and jails. (Wednesday, 8 a.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

VISIT FLORIDA MAKES PRESENTATION: The House Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a presentation from Visit Florida about the agency’s operating budget. (Wednesday, 8 a.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

PANEL GETS UPDATE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA: The House Health Quality Subcommittee will receive a presentation from Christian Bax, director of the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, about implementation of a medical-marijuana law passed in June. (Wednesday, 8:30 a.m., 306 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

VETERANS HEALTH PROGRAM PROPOSED: The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee will take up a proposal (SB 440), filed by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, that would allow veterans to receive services through the state Medicaid managed-care system as an alternative to the federal Veterans Health Administration system. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., 37 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS DISCUSSED: The House Pre-K-12 Innovation Subcommittee will hold a panel discussion about oversight and monitoring in scholarship programs. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., 306 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT ISSUE: The House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee will hold a workshop on bicycle and pedestrian safety. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET CONSIDERED: The House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a presentation on Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed 2018-2019 budget. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

ONLINE THREATS ADDRESSED: The House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 165), filed by Rep. Stan McClain, R-Belleview, that would seek to prevent people from making online threats to kill or injure other people. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

UNDERGROUND POWER LINES ON AGENDA: The House Natural Resources & Public Lands Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 405), filed by Rep. Jayer Williamson, R-Pace, and Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, that would make clear the Florida Public Service Commission has “exclusive jurisdiction” to decide whether underground transmission lines are required for power-plant projects. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 12 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

ALLIGATOR MANAGEMENT AT ISSUE: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will take up a series of issues, including issues related to alligator management. (Wednesday, 8:30 a.m., Best Western Gateway Grand, 4200 N.W. 97th Blvd., Gainesville.)

ST. LUCIE JUDGE REPRIMANDED: The Florida Supreme Court will take up five issues, including a public reprimand of St. Lucie County Judge PhilipÂ Yacucci, who is being disciplined because of his conduct in a long-running battle with a local attorney. The discipline stems from Yacucci’s actions involving attorney Stephen Smith. In ordering the reprimand and a 30-day suspension for Yacucci, the Supreme Court said his “longstanding combative relationship with Smith created legitimate fears of partiality and bias on the part of several litigants before his court.” (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Florida Supreme Court, 500 South Duval St., Tallahassee.)

CABINET AIDES MEET: Aides to Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will meet in preparation for a Dec. 13 state Cabinet meeting. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)

PAROLE ISSUES DISCUSSED: The Florida Commission on Offender Review is scheduled to meet and discuss numerous parole cases related to crimes committed in the 1970s and 1980s. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)

THRASHER GIVES `STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY’ ADDRESS: Florida State University President John Thrasher will offer his “State of the University” address during a meeting of the Faculty Senate. (Wednesday, 3:35 p.m., Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, 555 West Pensacola St., Tallahassee.)

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast, Flagler and the Occasional Beyond:

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The Day’s Best Reads:

'If Trump declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel, chaos will reign' https://t.co/Tyxf5eCAsX

— The Independent (@Independent) December 5, 2017

U.S. boycott of UN conference on migration is based on a distorted view of sovereignty and forfeits U.S. influence argues @StewartMPatrick via @thehill https://t.co/fBSCHLOziY

— Council of Councils (@CoC_Institutes) December 5, 2017

On the anniversary of Nelson #Mandela 's death, revisit his immense legacy in "The Status of the Dream": https://t.co/B2JTEaKHiw #RememberingMandela pic.twitter.com/zY0OtlgUIz

— The Wilson Quarterly (@wilsonquarterly) December 5, 2017

Two Dutch fishmongers declare "war in the world of herring," the country's favorite snack https://t.co/6tztblfrmB

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 5, 2017

CRISPR could eliminate genetic disease — but it could also create massive inequality. https://t.co/gd5379B2e2

— Science News (@ScienceNews) December 5, 2017

Editor’s Tweets

Editor’s Tweets by @PierreTristam

A Twitter List by PierreTristam

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

Updates of ongoing permitting, construction and development projects in Palm Coast usually run here, along with a link to the city’s Week in Review. But the Week in Review, under the guise of being modernized, has become flashier and power-point like while becoming less substantive and dumbed down. We may or may not link to it in future. Here’s a summary of the latest developments as of Oct. 6

Click to access Oct-6-2017.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction: