Easter Weekend Briefing: Stormy Friday, Easter Egg Hunts, Unemployment Numbers, St. John Passion

First Station from Barnett Newman's 'The Stations of the cross' (1958) — First Station from Barnett Newman’s ‘The Stations of the Cross’ (1958).

Weekend: Friday: Breezy. Showers likely and slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then showers and chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent. Friday night: Cooler. Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 50s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Saturday and Sunday: Cooler. Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 70s. West winds 10 to 15 mph, nights in the lower 50s.
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 Index: 208
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: adversary.
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

First Light
In Flagler and Palm Coast
Flagler Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours of Incident Reports
Flagler Beach A1A Construction Updates
US 1-Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates
Announcements
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development
Cultural Coda

“On Easter Sunday, 1929, the legendary public-relations man Edward L. Bernays rounded up ten carefully chosen women, put cigarettes in their hands, and sent them down Fifth Avenue in what was billed as the Torches of Freedom march. The marchers were given detailed instructions, including when and how their cigarettes should be lit. Spokeswomen were enlisted to describe the protest as an advance for feminism. Photographers were hired to take pictures. It was an entirely contrived event that nonetheless looked so “real” that the next day it made front-page headlines across the country, prompting a debate over whether women should be allowed to smoke as freely as men, and–some historians believe–forever changing the social context of cigarettes. What Bernays never told anyone was that he was working for the American Tobacco Company.”

–From The Spin Myth,” The New Yorker, June 28, 1998.

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.

Good Friday closures: Schools, government offices and courts are closed Friday, as is the sheriff’s office.

Free For All Fridays: Host David Ayres welcomes Rep. Paul Renner with a legislative update, Jeff Douglas and Kelly Smith Sawmill, starting with a commentary by FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam shortly after 9 a.m.

Friday: The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is scheduled to release March unemployment figures for Florida, including Flagler, at 10 a.m.

Saturday: Flagler Pier Fishing Tournament, 6 a.m. 2 p.m. For any questions, please contact the Pier bait shop at 386-517-2436.

Saturday: Egg’Stravaganza in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Town Center, 10 a.m.: The hunt is on for 10,000+ candy and toy filled eggs. Enjoy a fun-filled morning with exciting activities, such as the Easter egg hunts for children up to 11 years old, balloon art, hay maze, face painting, food, refreshments and pictures with the Easter Bunny for $2 each.

Saturday: Easter Egg Hunt at veterans Park in Flagler Beach: Pictures with Easter Bunny, face painting, special prizes, music and games. Egg Hunt Times: 9:00 – 9:15 a.m. – 2 years and younger (with adult) 9:30 – 9:45 a.m. – 3-5 years 10:00 -10:15 a.m. – 6-7 years 10:30 -10:45 a.m. – 8-9 years

Saturday: Easter Egg Hunt: First Baptist Church of Bunnell, 2301 Commerce Pkwy, Bunnell, 10 a.m.

Blood Donations: The Big Red Bus will be at the following locations this week (schedule your donation by going to the website and entering a Palm Coast zip code, then locating one of the venues below):

Friday: Chick Fil A, 1000 Palm Coast Parkway, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: Lowe’s, 315 Cypress Edge Drive, Palm Coast, noon to 5 p.m.

Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours' Incidents in Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell


Jail Bookings, June 19-22 Sheriff's night shift incident reports, June 21 Sheriff's day shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's night shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's day shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's night shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's day shift incident reports, June 21
Previous and archived reports

Sources: Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Flagler Beach Police Department, Bunnell Police Department. This is Flagler County's only comprehensive, one-stop compilation of all local law enforcement's daily day and night shift commanders' reports.

Flagler Beach Is Open For Business: A1A Construction Update:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to year-long construction on and near State Road A1A in Flagler Beach as the Florida Department of Transportation rebuilds a 1.5-mile segment from South 9th Street to South 22nd Street, and builds a sea wall at the north end of town. These updates are provided through DOT or local officials. If you have any relevant information or images, you’re welcome to email them to the editor here.

Last Updated: April 1

Segment 2 (South 22nd Street to South 9th Street):

The contractor continues installing a new water main along the west side of S.R. A1A. The contractor is moving north through the project clearing the area and removing existing sidewalk in preparation for the pipe installation. In the coming week, the contractor also will begin taking up the existing roadway to begin installation of the French drains.

Pedestrians are asked to stay within the temporary pedestrian walkways for safety. Residents and visitors also are reminded that all of the dune walkovers are closed, and removing any signage or barricades to access a walkover is unsafe and unlawful.

Segment 3 (North 18th Street to Osprey Drive) Project Update:

The contractor has completed more than 200 of the approximately 1,800 piles that need to be drilled to create the secant wall.

Construction activities will continue during daylight hours Monday through Saturday. The contractor is requesting that spectators stay off the shoulders and out of the work zone for safety. Drivers need to obey the 25-mph speed limit and remember that parking is not allowed on the shoulder.

Recently, DOT received a few questions from residents that DOT wants to answer:

1. Why do some properties have the black silt fencing and others do not?

The silt fencing is an erosion control requirement to prevent dirt and debris from leaving our work area and being deposited into waterways or onto private property. In some areas, the property to the west of our work area slopes up away from the work area, so erosion control is not required.

2. Will the contractor repair areas on my side of the sidewalk that have been disturbed?

Residents and property owners can get a general idea of where the department’s right of way ends by looking at the placement of the power poles, as well as stakes that have been placed along the project. In some areas, the back edge of the new sidewalk will be slightly farther to the west. For the most part, the back of the new sidewalk will be very close to, or right at, the right of way line.

This project calls for all of the work to be performed within the Florida Department of Transportation right of way. If, however, the work disturbs or damages private property outside of the right of way, the contractor is responsible to make repairs once the work is finished.

Please note that all restoration of conditions within the department’s right of way, including landscaping, hardscaping and driveways, is dictated by the construction plans and existing permits.

3. When will the sidewalk be replaced?

The contractor has begun installing the new sidewalk to the south of 19th Street. As the new water main is installed, there are several types of testing that need to be performed on the new line, and the work needs to be accepted by the City of Flagler Beach before the new sidewalk can be placed. The water main installation is expected to continue for the next several months.

Caution! Flagler Beach police and and Sherriff’s deputies are actively monitoring speed and writing tickets. “I got a warning on north section of A1A before construction actually began so I keep to the 25 limit, but still getting tailgated by cars wanting to go faster,” a reader tells us.

See Also:

The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county's most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view. (DOT) — The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county’s most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view.
(DOT)

U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to the planned 15-month, $4.1 million construction of a roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway. The project started in late January and is scheduled for completion by spring 2020.

The Florida Department of Transportation will be closing Old Dixie Highway and C.R. 325 at U.S. 1 on Monday night, March 4, from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The closure is needed to allow the contractor to make improvements to the crossover at the temporary intersection. U.S. 1 will remain open in both directions.

More details here.

See Also:

I-95 Construction, Repaving: Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., single lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line. Monday – Friday, 9 p.m. – 7 a.m., double lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line.

See this week’s full Interstate Construction Report for Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns here.

Announcements/Press Releases:

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.

None.

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

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

To include your event in this section, please fill out this form.

[ai1ec view="agenda"]

To include your event in this section, please email the details, including date, time, a brief description of the event, contact information, and, if you wish, an image, please use this form.

A Twitter List by PierreTristam

Keep Up with Donald Trump’s attacks on the press through the ACLU’s running tab here.

Keep Up with mass shootings in a running database here.

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

Here’s a summary of the latest city developments as of March 29, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-march-29-2019-developments.pdf

Cultural Coda

Easter Special

Watch a complete performance of Bach’s St. John Passion by the Netherlands Bach Society here.

And be sure to check out the latest performances at the Netherlands Bach Society.

Previous Codas: