Wednesday Briefing: Free Clinic's $5,200 Gift, Matanzas Law and Justice, Stetson Jazz Ensemble

free clinic fund-raiser — As small-business fund-raisers go, there was nothing small about the $5,200 raised for the Flagler County Free Clinic in late March. Sara’s Lifestyle Boutique in European Village and Hammock Wine and Cheese partnered for the fund-raiser. The funds were handed to the clinic at the clinic’s board meeting Monday. Pictured from left, Sara Fishbein, owner of Sara’s at European Village, Terri Belletto, Executive Director of the Free Clinic, Todd Stewart, co-owner of Hammock Wine and Cheese, and Peggy Hengeveld, a registered nurse and the president of the clinic’s board of directors. (Todd Stewart)

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Southwest winds 5 mph shifting to the southeast in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
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: 159
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: inexorable.
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

“The first big battle of the new war took place in the Ia Drang Valley of the Central Highlands, favored by the NVA as an initiation area for troops freshly arrived from the North. Special forces camps, of which there were eventually around a hundred throughout Vietnam, were deemed especially attractive objectives, because almost all were located beyond range of American fire support. US Army chief Harold Johnson expressed “horror” at SF operations that he believed consumed extravagant resources. Their personnel, in his disdainful view, were “fugitives from responsibility who . . . found a haven where their activities were not scrutinized too carefully.” Mike Eiland, an SF officer who ran Khmer Krom recon teams into Laos and Cambodia, shared Johnson’s skepticism, saying later, “The existential question is ‘What good did we do?’ and I suspect the answer is ‘Not very much.’ The information the teams brought back was pretty low-level.”

–From Max Hastings’s “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975” (2018).

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.

The Flagler County school district’s Education Foundation and Matanzas High School mark the opening of the Matanzas Law and Justice Flagship program, with the unveiling of a mock courtroom b uilt by the school’s construction flagship, at 10:30 a.m. at Matanzas, 3535 Pirate Nation Way, Palm Coast.

A meeting of the Compassionate Friends is scheduled at the Vitas Office at 4 North Old Kings Road (across from Kentucky Fried Chicken) in Palm Coast. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. The Compassionate Friends, a nonprofit self-help bereavement support organization for families that have experienced the death of a child. The meeting is open to all parents, grandparents, and siblings over age 18 who has suffered the loss of a child of any age. For more information, call John Brady at 610-428-3139. To learn more about The Compassionate Friends, visit their national website at www.compassionatefriends.org.

Stetson Jazz Ensemble, Patrick Hennessey, director. The Stetson University Jazz Ensemble is back on the Athens Theatre’s stage with a concert focusing on the creative talent of several of our musicians, especially our graduating seniors. Selections for this eclectic evening of jazz range from the traditional big band stylings of Count Basie to the ever-exciting swing of The Tonight Show Orchestra with Doc Severinsen, with some fresh takes on classic songs thrown in. The journey also includes works that push the boundaries of big band jazz from some of today’s best contemporary jazz composers. Athens Theatre, DeLand, 124 N. Florida Ave., DeLand. 386-822-8950. Admission: $10 adults, $5 youth and students and free for ages 12 and under. Tickets are available at the door or at www.stetson.edu/music-tickets.

The Blue Power 2020 forum, hosted by Mike Cocchiola, who heads the Flagler County Democratic Party, meets at 12:30 p.m. at the Democrats’ office, 2 Office Park Drive, Suite D, all welcome. The forum is intended to discuss local, state and national issues and to develop action plans to influence policy.

Correction: The Chamber’s Common Ground breakfast featuring a panel of local media representative is on Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, not today, as was previously briefly stated here.

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):

Thursday: Metro Diner, 250 Palm Coast Parkway, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, 1 to 6 p.m.
Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 4600 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 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 22

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

Installation of a new water main, as well as a new sewer line, is in progress between South 19th Street and South 18th Street. This work is expected to continue over the next few weeks. South of South 19th Street, installation of the French drain system is continuing.

This type of drainage system will collect stormwater into large gravel-filled, underground vaults set into what will be a new raised median. The vaults will be able to store water during heavy rains, which will improve the flooding that occurs to prevent erosion and undermining of the roadway. The water collected will percolate through the vaults into the aquifer. The roadway will be reconstructed at the appropriate slope to collect water at the median.

Pedestrian walkways are open. Pedestrians and bicyclists are asked to be alert to construction equipment and use caution. On South Central Avenue, the project team has applied reflective tape to stop signs to help increase visibility of the signs, and additional enforcement will be conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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

Residents can now see all phases of the secant wall process on this segment. At the very north end, the contractor is almost finished bringing in sand and preparing the dune for the drilling process. On the very south end, the concrete cap of the wall has been poured. In the middle of the project, workers are drilling the concrete piles and setting the fiberglass cages.

Once the wall is constructed and the cap has been poured throughout the length of the project, the contractor will shape the dune to the specified slope, place sand on top of the wall, and plant new vegetation.

A short presentation on how the wall is constructed has been added to our project webpage and can be seen below:

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.

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.

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:

AdventHealth Selects New Executive Director of Regional Marketing: Russell Mariott has been selected to serve as the executive director of regional marketing for the five AdventHealth hospitals in Flagler and Volusia counties. In his new role, Mariott is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing plans for AdventHealth Daytona Beach, AdventHealth DeLand, AdventHealth Fish Memorial, AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach, and AdventHealth Palm Coast. He will also have oversight of the marketing plans for AdventHealth Medical Group locally, the hospital’s employed group of physicians. Mariott has nearly 15 years of experience in strategic marketing, communications and business development within the healthcare industry. He previously served as the vice president of marketing and communications at Tennova Healthcare, a seven-hospital system located in eastern Tennessee. In this position, he was responsible for driving brand strategy across the region, as well as developing integrated marketing and communication plans for key service lines. An Ormond Beach resident, Mariott earned his Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas.

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.

SENATE HOLDS FLOOR SESSION: The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor session. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., Senate chamber, the Capitol.)

PETITION GATHERING DRAWS ATTENTION: The House will take up numerous issues during a floor session, including a proposal (HB 7111), filed by Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa, that would place additional restrictions on ballot initiatives. Among other things, the bill would require petition-gatherers to be registered with the state, to list permanent and temporary addresses and to sign sworn statements that they will obey state laws and rules. Also, ballots would have to include information about contributions raised by amendment sponsors, whether out-of-state petition circulators were used and whether amendments could lead to tax increases. Lawmakers are targeting the initiative process after voters in November passed 11 constitutional amendments and as high-profile measures have been proposed for the 2020 ballot. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., House chamber, the Capitol.)

GILLUM ETHICS HEARING STARTS: Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early will start a multi-day hearing about whether former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum violated ethics laws while serving as Tallahassee mayor. The Florida Commission on Ethics unanimously found probable cause that Gillum had violated the laws with trips to Costa Rica and New York and tickets to the Broadway musical, “Hamilton.” (Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., Division of Administrative Hearings, DeSoto Building, 1230 Apalachee Parkway, 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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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 April 12, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-april-12-2019-developments.pdf

Cultural Coda

Glenn Gould Plays Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major K. 333

Glenn Gould isn’t as awful as he can be when playing Mozart in this interpretation of the B-flat major sonata, mechanical though it can seem: he manages to make a piano sound like a pianoforte.