Pinecastle Bombing, 99-Home Development Off John Anderson, Rape Trial

moon Earth from Chang'e 5-T1 — Described at times as a big blue marble, from some vantage points Earth looks more like a small blue marble. Such was the case in this iconic image of the Earth and Moon system taken by the Chang’e 5-T1 mission in October 2014. The Moon appears larger than the Earth because it was much closer to the spacecraft’s camera. Displaying much of a surface usually hidden from Earth, the Moon appears dark and gray when compared to the more reflective and colorful planet that it orbits. A full-moon stroll is scheduled at Gamble Rogers park this evening in Flagler Beach.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the lower 70s inland…in the upper 60s coast. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon. Tonight: Warmer…clear. Lows in the lower 50s. South winds 5 mph. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 149.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: rapso, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

In Flagler and Palm Coast
Local News Recap
Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime Reports
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
In the Press, In the News
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
Local Road and Interstate Construction
Cultural Coda

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.

In Court: The trial of Waldemar Rivera, the Palm Coast resident accused of raping his 13-year-old step-daughter two years ago, is scheduled to resume. The jury was picked last week, but the trial was delayed to enable both sides to make motions related to evidence that may or may not be admitted in court. Judge Matthew Foxman ruled that some evidence normally considered hearsay–the phone conversation the victim had with a friend immediately after the alleged rape, and the in-person conversation she had with a friend’s mother–will be considered evidence, as will the testimonies of the friend and the mother in question, a boon for the prosecution. Alternately, the defense will get to ask the victim about her sexual history, as long as it is limited to a 72-hour window immediately preceding the alleged rape.

In a Child-Rape Case, Fair Questions Are Weighed Against Inadmissible Evidence

The Flagler County Planning Board holds a special meeting to consider the application for a preliminary plat approval for Seaside Landing, a 99-house single-family development on 253 acres South of State Road 100, straddling John Anderson Highway, with its eastern limits bordering the Intracoastal Waterway and the western limits along Bulow Creek. The plans have been submitted 15 times, a reflection of the number of revisions the plan has gone through in consultation with county administration’s planning staff. Planning board members had too many questions about unresolved issues. But while the planning staff is supportive of the project, it is, for now, recommending against approval, “on the basis that while the proposed plat is generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and Florida Statutes, the proposed preliminary plat and construction plans do not comply with the Land Development Code,” according to the staff summary. Planning Director Adam Mengle further explained on Monday in an email: “At this time, their submittal does not meet the minimum requirements of the Land Development Code. A resubmittal should be pending, but based on the outstanding comments, we have recommended denial. We continue to hope that the resubmittal will satisfy the Land Development Code requirements.” The meeting is at 6 p.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building.

Flagler County’s Centennial Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. in the third-floor conference room of the Government Services Building in Bunnell. It will discuss progress on t-shirts for committee members, banners and flags to commemorate the event on signposts, and go through a mock presentation to the county commission. Flagler County celebrates its centennial in 2017.

More bombing runs Tuesday through Sunday: Navy training schedules indicate live and inert bombing will take place at the Pinecastle Range Complex in the Ocala National Forest every day from March 22 through March 27, from noon to midnight. The telephone number for noise complaints is 1-800-874-5059, Fleet Air Control and Surveillance Facility, Jacksonville. For additional information, call (904) 542-2415/5588.

Full Moon Beach Stroll at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach. Join a Ranger for this fun, informative full moon beach hike! All ages welcome; minors must be accompanied by an adult. Hike leaves from the beachside pavilion. Learn about the effects of the moon on the tidal ecosystem. Please bring water and dress for the weather. RSVP is required; please register for event. Contact Celena Cline at 386-517-2086 or email [email protected] with any questions. Park entrance fee is $5.00 per carload of 2-8 people; one person is $4, bicyclist or pedestrian is $2.

The Palm Coast City Council would normally hold a workshop this week, but as March has five Tuesdays, the workshop will be held next week.

Upcoming: Motown Madness: A March 26 fund-raiser for the G.W. Carver Community Center in Bunnell. See the flier below for details.

Local News Recap:

Updated jail bookings and day and night shift incident summary reports are available here.

With Less Accountability, Flagler’s Tourism Dollars Continue Shift To Big-Ticket Events: The changes again diminish accountability, reduce the paper trail (in Dunn’s own words: “It would drastically reduce the paper trail”), narrow to a single month the window when smaller community events may apply for grants, impose a three-year limit on community groups’ eligibility for such grants, eliminate eligibility for the smallest organizations to qualify for “overnight stay grants” (but still leave them eligible for much smaller “quality of life grants”), and further shift money and attention toward the bigger sports events Dunn likes to recruit and lavish with big subsidies from the less-accountable discretionary fund.

Palm Coast and school district will look at I-95 interchange safety: “Safety concerns about the interchange have arisen before. Last year, Flagler Beach resident Dennis McDonald contacted state Rep. Paul Renner’s office, advocating for signal lights at the site,” the News-Journal reports. “However, in December, the Florida Department of Transportation determined that no further changes were needed in the design or construction of the interchange. The current design calls for stop signs at the ramp exiting the interstate onto Matanzas Woods Parkway.” (Story paywall-protected)

Arrested For Arson on Dunes, He’d Taken Selfies of Blaze And Sought to Paint Scene: Christopher Munson, a frequent inmate at the Flagler County jail on a variety of violent offenses and a resident of Folcroft Lane (according to his jail records), was arrested this morning on a second-degree felony charge of arson against state property after he allegedly set a large swath of beach-side dunes on fire so he could have a nice place to paint the next day.

Chamber Players of Palm Coast in Final Concert With Abel, Haydn and a Little Moldau: The Chamber Players of Palm Coast are back for their fourth and final concert of the season on Sunday, April 3 at Palm Coast’s United Methodist Church on Belle Terre Parkway. Just as the ensemble was last year, it’ll be joined by musicians of the Flagler Youth Orchestra for a finale.

Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Track Team Win Big in Jacksonville: The Bob Hayes Invitational Track and Field Meet, named after Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes (1942-2002) was established in 1964 and is a leading high school track meet in the Southeast. The meet was held Saturday at Earl Kitchings Stadium, Raines High School, in Jacksonville. Flagler Palm Coast High School’s athletes cleaned up: Justin Pacifico was named performer of the meet, Aspen Dillard won the high jump at 6 feet, Mark Bertrand won the pole vault at 14 feet, Justin Pacifico won the 1600 and 800 races, Kadeem Wynn was 4th in the 800, and Justin Pacifico, Slade Cavallari, Kadeem Wynn and Dominic Green won the 4×800. In addition, Jonathan Ling received the $1,000 James (Coach) Day scholarship presented at the Bob Hayes Invitational. Ling had to write an essay about how participation in high school track & field and experiences gained helps students succeed and achieve career goals. The coaching staff consists of Head Coach David Halliday and Assistant Coaches Virgil Williams, Keenan Hreib, Steve Collier and Alex Giorgianni. (Hayes, who came to the world’s attention in 1964, was the first person to run 100 yards in 9.1 seconds and also held the world record for sixty yards at 5.9 seconds. He was awarded two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, the meet’s webpage notes.)

In State Government:

Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.

Members of the Volusia County legislative delegation are expected to discuss the 2016 session during a Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce “Eggs & Issues” breakfast. (7:30 a.m., LPGA International Golf Course, 1000 Champions Dr., Daytona Beach.)

A “Governor’s Veterans Service Award” ceremony is scheduled to be held in Polk County. (3 p.m., Florida National Guard Armory, 565 Avenue C S.E., Winter Haven.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

♦ March 23: Flagler Reads Together featured event: Library Book Club discussion of “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk,” the book by Ben Montgomery, at the Flagler County Library at 3:30 p.m., in the library meeting room. Flagler Reads Together’s focus this year is the biography of Emma Gatewood who, in 1955, was the first woman to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail solo. She was 67.
♦ March 23: “The Young Irelanders,” at the Flagler Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Eight sensational performers have Irish traditional music, song and dance running through their veins. They have performed at Radio City Music Hall, the Great Hall of the People in China, Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, the US Capitol Building, and toured as lead performers with Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Adultrs $29, youth $18, But mention Promo Code IRISH and get 10 percent off by calling the Flagler Auditorium Box Office, 386-437-7547 or 866-352-4537 or get your tickets here.
♦ March 23: Palm Coast City Council member Jason DeLorenzo kicks off his campaign for county commission at 5:30 p.m. at Europa Lounge, European Village, Palm Coast.
♦ March 24: Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare and the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation at 5 p.m. will dedicate the playground at WARM at the Vince Carter Sanctuary in memory of Joan M. Kelly, a longtime Daytona Beach resident and WARM supporter on March 24. Kelly passed away on July 31, 2015. Refreshments will be provided by the WARM Culinary Arts Program. WARM is a long-term residential treatment program for women exhibiting symptoms of drug and alcohol dependence, with slots designated for those women who are pregnant, post-partum, or parenting young children. The women live on campus in a therapeutic and supportive environment. Those with children are able to have their children (under the age of six) in residence with them. Older children can visit overnight with their mothers on site on weekends.
♦ March 24: Eggs & Issues Breakfast featuring County Administrator Craig Coffey and three county department heads involved in economic development: Airport Director Roy Sieger, Economic Development Director Helga van Eckert, and Tourism Director Matt Dunn. The breakfast is sponsored by the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce. The cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Grand Haven Golf Club, 500 Riverfront Dr., Palm Coast. Seating is limited; reservations are requested by March 21. For reservations, email Jaclyn Miklos or call 386/206-0953.
♦ March 26: Motown Madness, a fund-raiser concert for Carver Gym and the George Washington Carver Foundation,, featuring the band Traces of Gold. Tickets are $50, includes dinner and music, 6 to 10 p.m. at the the G.W. Carver Community Center, 201 East Draine Street, Bunnell. Tickets and information: Cheryl Massaro, 386-437-7540, extension 5101. See the flier below.
♦ March 29: Museum curator Christina Katsolis, photographer A.J. Neste and architect Sean Palmer speak to students at Flagler Palm Coast High School starting at 11:50 a.m. at the Flagler Auditorium as part of Art Works, a Flagler County Art League-sponsored program for high school students interested in a career in the arts. The art league worked with the art department faculty to bring this new program to FPC students to learn about a variety of careers from artists, all former FPC students, who have turned their love of the arts into successful careers. Following formal presentations by each artist, students will have the opportunity to meet with the artists in small groups. Parents, city and county government leaders and school board members have been invited to attend the program.
♦ March 28: Campaign kick-off for Tom Bexley, currently the deputy Flagler County clerk of court, running to be the clerk in place of the retiring Gail Wadsworth, though Bexley, a Republican, so far has no opposition, either in the primary or from Democrats. The kick-off and fund-raiser is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Black Cloud Saloon, 2551 North State Street, Bunnell.
♦ March 30: Resumption and conclusion of a hearing in the case of William Merrill, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife with an AK-47 in Palm Coast in February 2012. He is contesting his sentence. 2 p.m. Courtroom 401 before Circuit Judge Matthew Foxman.
♦ March 30-April 2: Florida Future Problem Solvers State Competition, to be attended by four to five Flagler County schools, at Doubletree Orlando Seaworld, 10100 International Drive, Orlando.
♦ April 1: The Friends of the Library of Flagler County celebrate the annual April Poetry Month by acknowledging the 2016 presidential election year. Poems by presidents or about presidents of the United States, from Washington to Obama, will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Doug Cisney Room and appropriate refreshments–that is, alas, no booze, no matter how drunk Nixon could get–will be provided by the Hospitality Staff of the Friends.
♦ April 2: Cheer at the Pier, a fund-raiser for the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, from 3 to 6 p.m. Call Virginia Giaramita for information at 386/299-8892.
♦ April 3: The Chamber Players of Palm Coast, under the direction of Paige Dashner Long, will present a beautiful concert at Palm Coast United Methodist Church, performing works by Haydn, Mozart, and Abel. This concert is free and open to all. will also include a special appearance by the Harmony Chamber Orchestra, the advanced orchestra from the Flagler Youth Orchestra Program, directed by Sue Cryan. At the end of the concert, the two orchestras will join together to perform Haydn’s delightful Toy Symphony, complete with toy drum, ratchet, cuckoos, nightingales, quails, triangles and more. 3:30 p.m. at at Palm Coast United Methodist Church, 5200 Belle Terre Parkway. Details here.
♦ April 6: Moody Boat Launch to close April 6 through May 20 for improvements. Click for details.
♦ April 6: The Flagler County Republican Club hosts three speakers: U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, running for U.S. Senate (to replace Marco Rubio), State Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Representative Paul Renner, who are running for re-election. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast. Registered Republicans, club members and their guests are invited to attend. A Q&A session will follow providing an opportunity for in-depth discussion. For more information, email Flagler County Republican Club President, Wes Priest, [email protected] or call 386-986-0317.
♦ April 12: Anjali Anabel Tomerlin, a third grader at Imagine School at Town Center in Palm Coast who’s written and illustrated her first book, will hold a book-signing at the Flagler Beach Public library from 4 to 6 p.m.
♦ April 13: Public Safety Coordinating Council meeting at 8:45 a.m., Emergency Operations Center, Bunnell.
♦ April 15: The Florida Ethics Commission will take up an administrative law judge’s recommendation in the ethics case against Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre. 9 a.m.
♦ April 16: Flagler Beach will hold a victims’ rights memorial at sunrise. The memorial ceremony honors victims and their advocates. It will be held at the end of the iconic pier. Please contact Victim Advocate Donna Kearney with any questions about the memorial at 517-2020.

In the Press, In the News:

Is filming the NYPD a crime? Activists speak out after being arrested for taping the police. https://t.co/t4bbXJY41i pic.twitter.com/P32hmrciXF

— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) March 21, 2016

The record-breaking temperature rises that show 'the future is happening now' https://t.co/biPezmuk4H pic.twitter.com/mFpTASlu0q

— The Independent (@Independent) March 21, 2016

What Mississippi educators are telling students about state's Confederate Heritage Month https://t.co/tKfUxmj4zC pic.twitter.com/HVsv83pn90

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) March 21, 2016

Why the United States might send bombers to Australia https://t.co/R6dCMmORd6 @_ChristinaBeck pic.twitter.com/uRRwXkjUYF

— The Christian Science Monitor (@csmonitor) March 21, 2016

Donald Trump names foreign policy team members https://t.co/bVtiTWeqc4 | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/j3Y9XkKSeG

— POLITICO 45 (@politico_45) March 21, 2016

Fact-Checking the Knaves:

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

The following is an update of ongoing permitting, construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through March 9:

Click to access permits-construction-march-11-2016.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction:

Moody Boat Launch to close April 6 through May 20 for improvements: Flagler County’s Moody Boat Launch will be closed April 6 through May 20 for improvements. “The scheduled upgrade will enhance the launch’s usability in a number of ways,” said Heidi Petito, Director of General Services. “The new system provides for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, minimizes docking difficulties caused by fluctuating tides, and new lighting will promote boater safety and security.” The closure includes the Moody Boat Launch– located at 825 Moody Lane in Flagler Beach– the parking area, restroom, and dockage on the Matanzas River. It does not affect Betty Steflik Preserve and boardwalk. The scope of work includes dredging 1,650 yards of silt from the launch basin, thus improving navigability. The adjacent wooden docks will be replaced with an aluminum floating dock and gangway system. Additionally, the existing restroom will be replaced with an ADA compliant facility. Moody Boat Launch provides public access to the Intracoastal on the east shore, just south of SR100. The closest alternative boat launches are located at Herschel King Park on the west side of the river at 1000 Grady Prather Jr. Cove, Palm Coast, and Bing’s Landing on the east shore at 5862 N. Oceanshore Blvd. in Palm Coast.

Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway to be closed starting Dec. 18: Effective Friday, Dec. 18, the City of Palm Coast will be closing the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway. This road closure is required as part of construction operations for the Palm Harbor Parkway extension, which is currently under construction. Palm Harbor is being realigned and extended to connect directly with Matanzas Woods Parkway where it intersects with Old Kings Road. Message boards will be placed to advise motorists and other travelers of the upcoming change, and a public meeting has already been held for residents living in that area. Both the Palm Harbor extension and a separate extension of Old Kings Road are being built in preparation for the new Interstate 95 interchange to open next June at Matanzas Woods Parkway. As part of the projects, traffic patterns around Matanzas High School will be changing. One goal is to turn Forest Grove Drive back into a residential street as it was originally intended to be. The upcoming road closure of the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway is part of that project. Forest Grove will be turned into a cul de sac on that end. Once the separate Old Kings Road extension is completed, in June 2016, the Forest Grove Drive access to the high school will be closed because it will no longer be needed. Instead, motorists and other travelers will get to Matanzas High School via the new signalized intersection at Matanzas Woods, Palm Harbor and Old Kings. For more information, please contact Palm Coast Communications Manager Cindi Lane at 386-986-3708 or [email protected].