Back to School Jam, Pehota Closings, Midnight Fishing on Pier, Tour de Palm Coast

Weekend: A mixture of clouds and sun with the usual chances of thunderstorms, highs in the lo1 90s, lows in the 70s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 419.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: autoschediastic, n. and adj..
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

“… and then the ridiculousness of carrying a pistol at all came over me and I soon forgot it and carried it flopping against the small of my back with no feeling at all except a vague sort of shame when I met English-speaking people.”

–Ernest Hemingway, from “A Farewell To Arms” (1929)

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: The Anna Pehota jury trial is in its third and expected final day as prosecution and defense present closing arguments at 9 a.m. Pehota is accused of gunning down her husband in their Hammock home last September. Before Circuit Judge Matthew Foxman, Courtroom 401.

Friday: Ribbon Cutting, Florida Autism Center, 515 Palm Coast Pkwy, Suite 6/7, Palm Coast. To celebrate the opening of the new center, FAC will host an open house and ribbon cutting celebration. During this time, anyone from the community will have the opportunity to explore the centers classrooms, meet with our clinical professionals and staff, and enjoy a Q & A about autism therapy and our early intensive behavioral intervention program. Refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and chance drawings for local Palm Coast restaurant gift cards available.

Saturday: The annual Back to School Jam, where families can get $5 backpacks, find their bus routes and location, help with access to the district’s computerized records-keeping system, meet with innumerable coordinators and directors of after-school activities and programs and a lot more, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Flagler Palm Coast High School, in the gym.

Saturday: Cycling Tour de Palm Coast: Personalized bicycle tour of Palm Coast’s Linear Park, St. Joe Walkway and Waterfront Park. Lean about the flora and fauna and natural wildlife along the way. Bill Butler, Palm Coast’s Landscape Architect will conduct the tour as part of Parks and Recreation Month festivities in July. 8 to 10 a.m. Starting at Linear Park.

Saturday: Midnight fishing on the Flagler Beach pier, from midnight Saturday to 6 a.m. $6 per person. Register at the pier.

Local News Recap:

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

2016 Election Interviews

Supervisor of Elections

Kaiti Lenhart
Kimble Medley
Abra Seay

Sheriff

Jim Manfre (D)
Don Fleming (R)
Larry Jones (D)
John Lamb (R)
Jerry O'Gara(R)
Rick Staly (R)
Mark Whisenant (R)
Chris Yates (R)
Thomas Dougherty (I)

Palm Coast City Council

Robert Cuff (Dist. 1)
Troy DuBose (Dist. 1)
Sims Jones (Dist. 1)
Art McGovern Jr. (Dist. 1)
Nick Klufas (Dist. 3)
Anita Moeder (Dist. 3)
Pam Richardson (Dist. 3)
John Brady (Mayor)
Milissa Holland (Mayor)
Dennis McDonald (Mayor)
Ron Radford (Mayor)

Flagler School Board

Colleen Conklin (Dist. 3)
Jason Sands (Dist. 3)
Paul Anderson (Dist. 5)
Maria Barbosa (Dist. 5)
Sharon Demers (Dist. 5)
Myra Middleton-Valentine (Dist. 5)

Flagler County Commission

Charlie Ericksen (Dist. 1)
Ken Mazzie (Dist. 1)
Daniel Potter (Dist. 1)
Jason France (Dist. 3)
Dave Sullivan (Dist. 3)
Denise Calderwood (Dis. 5)
Donald O'Brien (Dist. 5)

2nd Trial Day Curdles for Pehota as 3-Hour Tape Shows More Resolve Than Remorse in Husband’s Killing: The jury got to see the final two hours of the three-hour interview Pehota gave Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives the night of the shooting. The jury had seen the first hour on Wednesday. Pehota came across as candid, helpful to the detectives, distraught, occasionally confused, but also willful, disassociated from her husband’s death even though she repeatedly admits to killing him–she barely reacts when she is told that he is, in fact, dead–and more concerned about humidity “killing” her house, and about Elvis her dog, than remorseful over the shooting.

1 puppy dies as Flagler Humane Society treats sick shelter dogs: “The puppies are among nearly 35 cats and dogs officials took custody of July 12 after Flagler County sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at a SAFFARI Rescue facility that had housed up to 40 dogs, 17 cats and two pigs,” the News-Journal reports. “One of three litters of puppies began showing parvo symptoms two days later, humane society veterinarians said.” (Story paywall-protected)

Ted Cruz’s Center-Stage Snub of Trump Ripples Through Florida Delegation: At a final breakfast Thursday for the Florida delegation at the Republican National Convention, some speakers clearly denounced Cruz for not offering his full-throated support to Trump, a real-estate developer who upset the party establishment by claiming the nomination.

Bunnell’s Michael Davis, 22, Arrested on Rape Charge Involving 15-Year-Old Boy: The victim’s mother had gone into his room to check on him, but noticed him acting strange, according to Davis’s arrest report. She also noticed an open window in the bedroom. She proceeded to close it. As she did so, she noticed Davis hiding by the side of the bed, naked. Davis was considered a family friend.

Palm Coast Votes 3-2 Against $5,000 Hike For Jim Landon in Stinging Rebuke: The Palm Coast City Council today voted 3-2 to reject giving City Manger Jim Landon a $4,912 raise, which would have brought his base pay to $173,791. Landon, however, remains by far the highest-paid chief executive of any local government even at his current salary of $169,000. (Next is County Administrator Craig Coffey at $156,000.)

In Florida and in State Government:

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

Unemployment numbers for Florida and Flagler County are released at 10 a.m.

FINANCE REPORTS DUE: Political committees face a Friday deadline for filing reports showing finance activity through July 15.

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

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

♦ July 25: The Plantation Bay Utility Customers Community meets at 6 p.m. at Club de Bonmont, 300 Plantation Bay Drive, Ormond Beach.
♦ July 27: Heritage Crossroads: Miles of History meet at 3 p.m. in the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room. Sisco Deen of the Flagler County Historical Society will speak. The public is invited. For information call 386/439-5003.
♦ July 28: Flagler County School Board’s District Strategic Plan Steering Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. in the third-floor main conference room of the Government Services Building in Bunnell.
♦ 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.
♦ Aug. 10: School resumes for all students in the Flagler County School District, two weeks earlier than last year, but with a new calendar that enables students to complete their coursework ahead of high-stakes exams, that ends quarters more logically with holidays, and that restores a full week’s holiday around Thanksgiving, Nov. 21-25. See details here.
♦ Aug. 11: Flagler Votes Hob Nob, the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce’s pre-election event for voters to meet candidates, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Flagler County Association of Realtors’ building, 4101 E Moody Blvd in Bunnell. Participating candidates must pay $150 a table for their space, but it’s otherwise free to attend. As part of their free admission, attendees will enjoy light snacks, great conversation and a ticket to vote in an electronic “straw poll,” the results of which will be revealed at the end of the evening. Beer, wine and water will be available for nominal cash donations.
♦ Aug. 19: The latest pre-trial hearing in the case of Florida v. Kimberle Weeks, continued from July 22, is scheduled for 3 p.m. before Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson in Courtroom 402 at the Flagler County Courthouse. Weeks now faces nine third-degree felony counts, down from 12, stemming from allegations that she illegally recorded various individuals in her capacity as supervisor of elections and in her private life. Weeks resigned that post in January 2015.
♦ Sept. 7: The Flagler Youth Orchestra holds its open house for all new or prospective students who’d like to join the county’s largest (and free) music program. The open house is at the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. Any Flagler student, including homes chooled students, in grades 3-12, are eligible to enroll (must be 8 years old by Sept. 1, 2016.) Students may elect to play violin, viola, cello or doublebass. One-hour classes are held at Indian Trails Middle School Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., with students enrolled in the hour block appropriate to their skill level and schedule. The first class for first-time students is Sept. 19. (Auditions for returning students start on Aug. 22, the first class for returning students is Aug. 31.)
♦ Sept. 10: African Art: Ancient Egypt to the Contemporary World, a pair of presentations by Bertrand Green, former chairman of African American studies at Lehman College, City University of New York. The first session is from 10 a.m. to noon, the second session from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn, Palm Coast. $20 for PCAF members, $25 for general admission. Call 386/225-4394 or email pcaf@cfl.rr.com to reserve your seat.

The Day’s Best Reads:

"@DanielPipes: Why I just quit the Republican Party” https://t.co/HbXg2wHkjZ

— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) July 22, 2016

Video shows unarmed black man with arms raised pleading with cops moments before he was shot https://t.co/FznMAR4ob6

— Salon (@Salon) July 22, 2016

Tobacco and oil industries used same researchers to sway public https://t.co/hNO8ZibiF2 pic.twitter.com/3KFwM3ZVFM

— Scientific American (@sciam) July 22, 2016

Will Trump Bounce? https://t.co/xu7Ng3hzjH via @NotThatRKelly pic.twitter.com/wRD6yPeWHZ

— Roll Call (@rollcall) July 21, 2016

Could 'verbal judo' help cops defuse tense situations? https://t.co/SIWx5DAo64 pic.twitter.com/yJ0wMwEKnA

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

Does Woody Allen have anything left to say? https://t.co/VxL7ssDK4T pic.twitter.com/rdqqStwSrk

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) July 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 July 15 (the city administration’s full week in review is here):

Click to access week-in-review-july1.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction: