World's Largest Swim Lesson, Donald Trump's Only Honey

david ayres north carolina — You won’t hear WNZF’s David Ayres today: the host of Free For All Fridays is enjoying a much-deserved vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, from where he sent us this picture Thursday evening. That’s Grandfather Mountain in the background. Is he telling us something? (© David Ayres for FlaglerLive)

Weekend: Mostly sunny, highs in the lower to mid-90s. Nights, lows in mid-70s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 142.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: narrow seas, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

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

“Robert, who is two years younger than I am, is soft-spoken and easygoing, but he’s very talented and effective. I think it must be hard to have me for a brother, but he’s never said anything about it and we’re very close. He is definitely the only guy in my life whom I ever call ‘honey.'”

–Donald Trump, from “The Art of the Deal” (1987).

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.

Friday: World’s Largest Swim Lesson: tens of thousands of participants from locations around the globe, will team-up to help prevent childhood drowning by spreading the word Swimming Lessons Save Lives™. We will all unite for the fifth annual event to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest swimming lesson ever conducted. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the lesson starting promptly at 10 a.m. at Frieda Zamba Pool, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast.

Saturday: Lego Day: Looking for something fun and free to do with your children or grandchildren on a Saturday morning? Build something creative together at the library’s monthly Lego event. Plastic interlocking bricks of various sizes make this activity appropriate for all ages. At the Flagler County Public Library, 9:30-11:15 a.m. in the Garden Room (glass enclosed area.)

Sunday: Longfellow’s Whale Tales: Kids will learn water safety at the pool, playing games and enjoying activities.Free to participate with paid pool admission, at Frieda Zamba Pool, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast.

Local News Recap:

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

sheriff's forum 2016 — Nine more or less angry men (© FlaglerLive)

At Flagler Sheriff’s Forum, Eight More or Less Angry Men, Mostly at Incumbent Jim Manfre: All nine candidates for Flagler County Sheriff gathered Wednesday evening for what appears to be the only forum that will feature them all at the same table before the Aug. 30 primary. The forum drew some 200 people, at least a third of them friends, family and partisans of the candidates, at the Portuguese-American Club in Palm Coast.

McGuire Resignation a Dilemma for Palm Coast Council, But 2 Ex-Councilmen Offer Solution: Holsey Moorman, who lost to McGuire in the 2011 election by 55 votes (out of 5,693 cast), is willing to serve out McGuire’s term, as is Alan Peterson, who also previously served on the city council.

U.S. Existing-Home Sales at Highest Pace in 9 Years: See how Flagler County compares to the U.S. and Florida May home sales. As usual, we are the most affordable; 5.0% below the state median and 12.9% below the national median. GoToby reports.

Florida Bears Celebrate: There Will Be No Hunt This Year, Wildlife Commission Narrowly Rules: After hours of objections from animal-rights advocates and support from hunters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 late Wednesday against a staff recommendation to hold a hunt in October that could have been smaller — in terms of permits and hunting grounds — than the 2015 event in which 304 bears were killed over two days.

Media and Orlando Go to Court Over City’s Censoring of Massacre’s 911 Calls: The city of Orlando wants the court to help determine how to handle the unreleased portions of 911 emergency communications involving the June 12 massacre at the Pulse nightclub.

Gun In Hand, Tax Collector Johnston Heralds Fast-Track Concealed-Weapon Permitting: Starting this week, residents can go to their the Flagler County Tax Collector’s offices to apply and fast-track their concealed-weapon license, thus reducing the waiting period to get that license from months (if done by mail) to days.

In Florida and in State Government:

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

Qualifying: The formal qualifying period for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and legislative races will end at noon Friday.

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

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

♦ June 27: The Flagler County Commission hosts a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. to mark the opening of Old King’s Road Extension. All are invited to attend. The new four lane roadway stretches 0.7 miles between Forest Grove Drive and Matanzas Woods Parkway, filling a gap in Old King’s and improving access to I-95 via the new interchange and to US1 beyond. Guests for the ribbon cutting will need to access Old King’s Road from Matanzas Woods Parkway, where staff will guide attendees to parking. The extension will remain closed for the event and open to traffic later in the day.
♦ July 3: Independence Day fireworks at 9 p.m. in Palm Coast’s Town Center, with pre-fireworks activities by the Flagler Education Foundation beginning at 5 p.m.
♦ July 4: Palm Coast marks Independence Day with a ceremony at heroes Park on Palm Coast Parkway at 8 a.m.
♦ July 4: Flagler Beach marks Independence Day with its traditional parade at 10 a.m., whose theme this year is “Land of the Free” (though it may more accurately be termed Land of Candidates: expect the parade to be significantly more populous, as the year’s many innumerable political races is expected to bring out schools of candidates.) The parade entry form is accessible here. Flagler Beach will host its traditional day-long celebration of Independence Day, leading up to fireworks by the pier at 9 p.m.
♦ July 5: A pre-trial is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. before Circuit Judge Matthew Foxman in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County Courthouse in the case of Joseph Bova II, the man accused of first-degree murder in the killing of Zuheily Roman Rosado in an execution-style shooting at the Mobil Mart on State Road 100 in Palm Coast in February 2013. Pre-trail hearings have been frequently continued, however. Bova has been held without bond at the Flagler County jail since May 11, 2015, when he returned from a state psychiatric hospital.
♦ July 7: Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre and the County Commission hold a ribbon-cutting at the expanded county jail at 10 a.m., 1002 Justice Lane, Bunnell. There will be limited tours.
♦ July 7: U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff, a Republican running for Marco Rubion’s seat, is be the guest speaker at the Flagler County Young Republicans Club meeting, which is open to the public. 7 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, Palm Coast. Beruff, 58, is a Manatee County developer and major contributor to more than 100 political candidates since 2002, including a few Democrats, according to the Miami Herald.
♦ July 8-9: Book Blowout: The Friends of the Library of Flagler County are holding a discounted book sale. The public is invited to attend and take advantage of these bargains. The sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. All books are 25 cents each – these two days only. No limit. Books will be continually replenished. Sale will be held at the Friends Book Shop, Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW. For questions, call 386/446-6763.
♦ July 16: North Florida Open Chess Championship, $1,000 total purse. Ramada Inn I-95 & 9150 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville. Three Sections: Open, U1550 and U900. Prizes: $1000 (60% guaranteed) b/o 35 (paid entries). Cash prizes for best players U2000, U1800 & U1200. 5SS (5 rounds of games) 1st Round G/45;d5 all other rounds are G/55min + d5sec. $45 Walk-up Registration $35 Online price. Players in grades K-12 $25. Register here. Details here. The tournament director for this event will be our own Steve Lampkin.
♦ July 18: The trial of Anna Pehota, 77, who faces a second-degree murder charge over the alleged killing of her husband in the Hammock in September 2015, is scheduled to begin with jury selection.
♦ July 25: The Plantation Bay Utility Customers Community meets at 6 p.m. at Club de Bonmont, 300 Plantation Bay Drive, Ormond Beach.
♦ July 20: The Flagler League of Cities, a gathering of the county’s mayors, meets at noon at Flagler Beach City Hall.
♦ July 30: Solar Plunge to benefit the Flagler Beach National Flight Academy Scholarship. Registration will be $10 per person and includes a t-shirt and goody bag. Late registration will be from 7:30- 8:30 a.m. in Veterans Park followed by The Plunge at 8:45 a.m. After the Plunge enjoy music in the park and light refreshments.

The Day’s Best Reads:

The media hasn't been doing its job covering politics very well https://t.co/92zwnUFblW

— Salon (@Salon) June 24, 2016

The absolute refusal by congressional Republicans to reform an unjust system persists. https://t.co/wE5kFa0NTg pic.twitter.com/LF3iIxtiSO

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) June 24, 2016

Donald Trump and neo-Nazis exist along a racist continuum on which it is difficult to draw any lines. https://t.co/aWbOpJmne3

— The Nation (@thenation) June 24, 2016

Will America ever follow other rich countries and introduce restrictions on gun ownership? https://t.co/FchXXaCEva

— The Economist US (@EconUS) June 24, 2016

A surprising win for affirmative action at #scotus My @NewYorker column https://t.co/eg9C6J8AVo

— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) June 23, 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 June 15 (the city administration’s full week in review is here):

Click to access week-in-review-june-16-20161.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction: