Wednesday Briefing: Compassionate Friends, Economic and Tourism Councils, Wild Birds, Sheriff’s Awards

Today: Cool and sunny, in the 50s Friday, the 60s Saturday and Sunday, nights in the 40s. Details here.
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 Index5
The OED’s Word of the Day: momist, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

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

“If the tramp were suddenly to pass away from the United States, widespread misery for many families would follow. The tramp enables thousands of men to earn honest livings, educate their children, and bring them up God-fearing and industrious. I know. At one time my father was a constable and hunted tramps for a living. The community paid him so much per head for all the tramps he could catch, and also, I believe, he got mileage fees. Ways and means was always a pressing problem in our household, and the amount of meat on the table, the new pair of shoes, the day’s outing, or the text-book for school, were dependent upon my father’s luck in the chase. Well I remember the suppressed eagerness and the suspense with which I waited to learn each morning what the results of his past night’s toil had been—how many tramps he had gathered in and what the chances were for convicting them. And so it was, when later, as a tramp, I succeeded in eluding some predatory constable, I could not but feel sorry for the little boys and girls at home in that constable’s house; it seemed to me in a way that I was defrauding those little boys and girls of some of the good things of life.”

–Jack London, from “The Road” (1907)

Previously:

Stock market folly | Sunrise on America | Migrants through time | Mother tongues | Roth on age | Baudrillard’s reality | Madame de Sévigné’s fever | Public opinion | Wealth and art | Pascal’s world | Wheelies | Knausgaard on writing | Bach’s grace | Suffragette fury | Donna Tartt | Regrettable intercourse | Glory’s obscenity | Atheism v. Bach | Describing music | Dostoevsky’s truth | Clemenceau on artists | Henry Cabot Lodge | John Lennon | Homesteaders | Cakes and discrimination | Civil liberties | Nuance in America | Careless supremacy | Orange sentence | Ephemeral present | E.O. Wilson on atheism | Ponce de Leon | Bill Kristol’s liberalism | Life’s evening | Male friendships | Solzhenitsyn’s power | Voltaire on tolerance | McMurtry on Hemingway | Under arrest | LBJ’s white trash | Lewd plant names | Nabokov’s trains | Mass shootings

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 county’s Parks and Recreations Board meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled.

The Flagler County Economic Opportunity Advisory Council meets at 9 a.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building, Bunnell. Tom Hellman of SCORE and Ky Ekinci of Office Divvy are expected to speak to the board.

The Tourist Development Council meets at 10 a.m. in board chambers at Government Services Building, Bunnell, assuming it is not yet again cancelled, as it has been most previous months.

Sheriff’s Quarterly Awards: seventy employees of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will be recognized in the categories of certificate of commendation, distinguished service certificate, employee of the month, years of service, and more. Deputy Philip Conway will be presented a lifesaving award for saving a woman following a traffic crash that left her pinned and partially under water. Palm Coast Taco Bell will recognize agency members who caught an armed robbery suspect who attempted to rob Taco Bell at gunpoint through the drive-thru window on December 26. 2 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Operations Center, 901 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell.

The River To Sea Transportation Planning Board, also known as the TPO, a collection of Flagler and Volusia County transportation and government officials who plan for future transportation needs in the region, meets at 9 a.m. in the TPO Conference Room, 2570 West International Speedway Boulevard, Suite 100, Daytona Beach. The full agenda and background materials are here.

A meeting of the Compassionate Friends is held at the Vitas Office at 4 North Old Kings Road (across from Kentucky Fried Chicken) in Palm Coast. The meeting, always the fourth Wednesday of the month, begins at 4:30 p.m. Please note the early starting time. 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.

Bombing runs Navy training schedules indicate that inert bombing will take place at the Pinecastle Range Complex located in the Ocala National Forest today from 1 to 9 p.m. and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. During bombing periods wildlife may be temporarily displaced. Use extra caution when driving through the Ocala National forest and surrounding areas. Secure any items around your residence that could attract wildlife. Always be mindful of larger animals including black bears and practice bearwise measures.
The telephone number for noise complaints is 1-800-874-5059, Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility, Jacksonville.

Ribbon-Cutting: Wild Birds Unlimited, a nature retail shop, holds its Grand Opening at 4 p.m. of a new location in Palm Coast. 250 Palm Coast Parkway NE #503. Palm CoastFor more information, please call 407.718.6222.

Blood Donations: The Big Red Bus will be at the following locations this week:

• Wednesday: The Windsor of Palm Coast, 50 Town Court, from 1 to 6 p.m.
• Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday: Epic Theatre in Palm Coast’s Town Center, from 2 to 7 p.m.
• Saturday: Epic Theatre in Palm Coast’s Town Center, from 2 to 7 p.m.

Announcements:

Flagler County Citizens Academy now taking applications for February 27 start: Flagler County government is accepting applications for its Spring 2018 Citizens Academy program, a free ten-week course introducing participants to the day-to-day operations of Flagler County government. Registration is free, but class size is limited to 30 and applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis. The spring classes will be held on consecutive Tuesday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon beginning February 27. Each week participants learn about responsibilities and operations of County departments, such as Land Management, Economic Development, and Fire Rescue. Locations include the 911 center at Emergency Operations, the control tower at the Executive Airport, and the Lodge at Princess Place Preserve. Citizens Academy is also an opportunity for attendees to interact with staff and ask questions on topics that range from code enforcement to senior day-care to the property assessment process. The final session – which includes a Q&A roundtable with the county commissioners – will be May 1, 2018. A graduation ceremony on Monday, May 7 at 5 p.m. will recognize the 14th Citizens Academy class, during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. Interested residents can find an application online at http://www.flaglercounty.org/citizens_academy or by contacting Rose Keirnan, PR & Marketing Specialist, at 386-313-4026 or rkeirnan@flaglercounty.org. Offered twice yearly, the next opportunity to participate in Citizens Academy will be a series of evening classes in Fall 2018.

The Florida Agricultural Museum’s inaugural newsletter issue has been published and can be viewed or downloaded here.

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.

HOUSE TAKES UP TAX, HEALTH CARE PROPOSALS: The House will hold a floor session and take up numerous issues, including a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 7001) that would require support from two-thirds of the House and the Senate for future tax or fee increases and for the imposition of new taxes or fees. The proposed constitutional amendment, sponsored by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, could go on the November ballot. Other issues include a bill (HB 27), filed by Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, that would end the “certificate of need” regulatory process for approval of new hospital facilities and programs. (Wednesday, 3 p.m., House chamber, the Capitol.)

SENATE HOLDS FLOOR SESSION: The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor session. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Senate chamber, the Capitol.)

PAROLE CASES HEARD: The Florida Commission on Offender Review will take up numerous parole cases. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)

ETHICS PANEL DISCUSSES LEGISLATIVE ISSUES: The Legislative Committee of the Florida Commission on Ethics is scheduled to meet. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Commission on Ethics, 325 John Knox Road, Tallahassee.)

NATURAL GAS RATE INCREASES AT ISSUE: The Florida Public Service Commission will hold customer hearings in St. Lucie and Brevard counties about a proposed rate increase for Florida City Gas. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Port St. Lucie Civic Center, 9221 Civic Center Place, Port St. Lucie. Also, 6 p.m., Brevard County Government Center, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera.)

BOARD OF GOVERNORS COMMITTEES MEET: The Strategic Planning and Academic and Student Affairs committees of the university system’s Board of Governors will meet. The Strategic Planning Committee will consider strategic plans for the University of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University. (Wednesday, meetings start at 3 p.m., Florida State University, Turnbull Conference Center, 555 West Pensacola St., Tallahassee.)

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

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

The Day’s Best Reads:

Editor’s Tweets

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

Here’s a summary of the latest city developments as of Jan. 19, 2018, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-jan-19-20181.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction:

• Florida Department of Transportation Road Project List

Cultural Coda

It’s A Small World: Ken Kubota and Friends

Previous Codas:

• Maria Callas: The Mike Wallace Interview
• Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Oboe Concerto in B flat major, Wq 164
• The Cranberries: Linger
• Martha Argerich Performs Liszt’s Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat major
• Vivaldi’s Winter in a Wintry Performance By Milan Řehák
• Bach: Musical Offering BWV 1079, Concert des Nations Jordi Savall
• Bach: Sonata for Gamba and Harpsichord in G minor, BWV 1029
• Claude Debussy, La fille aux cheveux de lin, from Préludes
• Bach’s Complete Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir & Bach Soloists
• Angels in Heaven: Chris Rodrigues and the Spoon Lady
• Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher
• Brendel Performs Schubert’s A Major Sonata No. 22, D. 959
• The New York Philharmonic in a 2016 Performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony
• Alexander Gavrylyuk Plays Bach İtalian Concerto
• Daniel Lozakovich, at 12 Years Old, Performs a Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonata
• Jacquet de la Guerre: Sonata in D minor for Violin and Continuo performed by House of Time
• Evgeni Koroliov Performs Claude Debussy Préludes
• Turkey’s Fazil Say Plays Mozart’s Alla Turca, Then His Own
• Guitarist John Williams at the BBC: The 2016 Documentary
• Sviatoslav Richter Plays Schubert’s Great Piano Sonata No 13 in A major, D 664
• Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto Performed on Sax by Amy Dixon
• Maria João Pires Performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K 453
• When Mickey Mouse Jammed Out Carmen and Other Favorites
• Heinrich von Herzogenberg’s Trio for Piano, Oboe and Horn, Op. 61
• The Sublime Valses Poéticos by Enrique Granados, Performed By Albert Flotats
• Complete Performance of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique: Leonard Bernstein, Orchestre National de France
• Yeol Eum Son Performs Charles Valentin Alkan
• A Crazy Encore by Yuja Wang at Carnegie Hall
• Phillip Sear Performs a Waltz By Neapolitan Composer Franco Alfano
• “Stranger Things” Cello Medley – Nicholas Yee
• Discover the Great Daniil Trifonov
• Afro-Venezuelan Shostakovich
• Bill Murray’s Mark Twain Prize: The Full Monty
• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major: Robert Levin and the Transylvania Philharmonic