Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Monday evening announced he had secured a long-sought easement from Flagler Beach property owner Leonard Surles, reducing the list of holdouts to a single property owner: Cynthia D’Angiolini.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 22, 2022
The East Flagler Mosquito Control District talks slightly larger boundaries, the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals takes up a high-profile transgender bathroom case from St. Johns County schools, English as a Second Language class, John Quincy Adams buys Florida from the Spanish. John McGahern reflects on the existence of God.
Putin Orders Troops Into Ukraine: 5 Essential Reads
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a provocative address that could be construed as a pretext to war, claimed today that all of Ukraine belongs to Russia and formally recognized the independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine that are controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. His government then ordered troops to those regions.
Myth-Ridden Bill That Would Reduce Rooftop Solar Credits to Residents Advances, Angering Industry
People who own rooftop solar systems are required to hook up to utility systems and are able to sell excess electricity and receive bill credits in return. Under the 2008 rule, monthly credits are provided at utilities’ retail rates. The bill could reduce the amounts going to rooftop solar owners.
Development Opponents Win Minor Procedural Step in Court Fight Over The Gardens
Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek, the citizens’ group opposing in the main the development of The Gardens, on Friday won a small procedural step in a court appeal that, so far, has been a losing battle against the proposed development of 335 homes along John Anderson Highway south of State Road 100.
Daytona State College Receives $532,000 for Technical and Adult Education Student Grants
Daytona State College is excited to partner with the Florida Department of Education as the recipient of $532,000 in funding through the Open Door Grant Programs.
Mondex Man Faces Life Felony in Accusation of Armed Burglary Against His Step-Father
A similar incident involving the same weapon would have ordinarily resulted at most in a second degree felony of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon against William Rubert, 32. But because of the circumstances, the charge was entered as a first degree felony of armed burglary.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 21, 2022
The Flagler County Commission considers finalizing its agreement with Whispering meadows Ranch and approving the school district’s revised, scaled back impact fee schedule. Sebastian Maniscalco, trial week in Flagler court. Commemorating Nina Simone, W.H. Auden, Malxolm X.
How the Loudest Voices in the Room Distort Democracy
Not all voices are pitched the same. Amplified by technology, it’s easy for a loud and relentless minority to dominate the soundscape and drown out all other points of view. That’s not democracy. It’s a form of repression.
Florida House Set to Take Up Bills Silencing Discussions of Race and Gender Identity
The Florida House, dominated by Republicans, is poised this coming week to pass two fiercely debated bills that would place restrictions on how issues about race, gender identity and sexual orientation are taught in public schools.
Where There’s Smoke: County Flagler Conducting Prescribed Fire at Bulow Creek Off Old Kings Road South
Flagler County on Sunday (today) will continue to conduct a prescribed fire at its Bulow Creek conservation property, and residents living off of Old Kings Road South in the Bulow Plantation area may see smoke. Those living on Secretariat Lane, Steeplechase Trail, and Lexington Court may also see emergency vehicles there to monitor conditions.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 20, 2022
The United Nations’ World Day of Social Justice and Frederick Douglass’ death anniversary, “The Mountaintop,” at City Repertory Theatre, waning civil rights concerns in the United States.
Why Calling Covid the ‘Chinese Virus’ Encourages Racist Violence
The way media frame, depict and describe events can have a profound influence on the public’s perception of those events. Researchers have found that audiences are prone to interpret media stories in the context of their biases, especially in relation to racial groups.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 19, 2022
St. Mark by the Sea Bazaar and Sale, Vincent Adejumo on the Destruction of Rosewood, “The Mountaintop,” at City Repertory Theatre, the 80th anniversary of the order to intern Japanese Americans in concentration camps in the West.
The GOP Is Now Openly Aligned Against Democracy
Majorities of Republicans report believing the ridiculous lie that the 2020 election was stolen — something not even GOP-led investigations have found a shred of evidence for. And an alarming 40 percent of Republicans now say violence against the government is justified.
On False Flag Attacks
In the past few weeks, U.S. officials have warned several times that Russia plans to create the appearance of an attack on its own forces and broadcast those images to the world. Such a “false flag” operation, they alleged, would give Russia the pretext to invade Ukraine by provoking shock and outrage.
Another Self -Storage Facility for Old Kings Road, a Car Wash Near Starbucks and Taco Bell on SR100
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for the third self-storage facility approved for Old Kings Road in the past four weeks, and a car wash near Aldi and Taco Bell on State Road 100. The self-storage facility was not permitted to have boats and RVs.
Palm Coast Fire Lieutenant Jason Wagner Celebrates 25 Years of Service
Jason Wagner began his career with Palm Coast Fire Department on February 3, 1997 as a Firefighter-EMT. He was promoted to Lieutenant in October 2000 upon the fire department coming under control of the newly incorporated City of Palm Coast. Wagner grew up in Palm Coast.
Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra Presents ‘Romancing the Strings’ March 6
A Franz Schubert sonata originally composed for piano and arpeggione, a now-rare, almost forgotten instrument, will be featured in an arrangement for viola solo and strings, when the Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra presents its annual “Romancing the Strings” concert March 6 in Ormond Beach. The concert also will feature music of Vivaldi, Bach and Holst.
Big Changes Afoot for Bright Futures Requirements as Lawmakers Shift to Paid Work Instead of Volunteer Service
Florida High school kids vying for a scholarship could compile hours for paid work, not volunteer service, to qualify for Bright Futures scholarships, a popular merit-based scholarship program that can shave off thousands in college tuition, requires a high GPA, top college entrance exam scores, at least 75 hours of volunteer service, plus a project on civics or social issues.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 18, 2022
“The Mountaintop,” at City Repertory Theatre, reimagines Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night, dying languages, Bach’s “Here, in My Father’s place” from a cantata, reason’s salvation from extremism.
Blue-State Cities Led the Wave of Anti-Asian Violence in Pandemic
Before 2020, the average number of Asian Americans killed or injured in anti-Asian attacks was just over eight per year. In 2020 and 2021, however, 49 were physically harmed, an average of almost 25 per year. Almost half of the anti-Asian attacks in 2020 and 2021 were motivated, at least partially, by anger and animosity associated with COVID-19, a disease first identified in Asia.
New Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon Steps In as Interim Snead Offers Valentine of Firsts to City
Dave Brannon, for 26 years a member of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the commander of the DeLand and Deltona districts, will take-over as Bunnell Police Chief on Feb. 28 as Interim Chief Brannon Snead neared the end of his three-month tenure by presenting the commission with a series of firsts, including the department’s first-ever strategic plan.
A Flagler Palm Coast High School Student’s Message to Lawmakers: Stop Policing My Education
A spate of GOP bills in the Florida Legislature seek to sever the trust and safety inherent in the confidentiality of student-teacher discussions, putting the safety of students at risk and further accelerating an exodus of teachers and other education professionals from the profession at a time of critical teacher shortages in Florida.
Father Is Jailed Over Whipping 7-Year-Old Girl, 3rd Palm Coast Case of Parental Child Abuse in 10 Days
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Charles Nazworth, 69, of Palm Coast’s W Section on a charge of child abuse Tuesday after he was accused of whipping his 7-year-old daughter with a belt and causing her to run away from home. The girl was found bruised, shoeless and coatless on Pine Lakes Parkway Tuesday afternoon.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Another round of listening in a town hall about Flagler Schools’ dress code, but no one showed up at the first one; Blame Biden? UK inflation hits 30-year high, how Republicans exploit the word “freedom.”
Women’s Freedom and Autonomy? Not in Florida.
These magnanimous Republicans will allow women and girls to have control over their own bodies until the fetus inside them gets to be about the size of an apple. After that, ladies, you’re nothing but a “host body,” as former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva famously said.
Florida House Passes Bill That Would Require Initiatives to Improve Fathers’ Parental Skills
The bill would require that grants be geared toward helping fathers in “finding employment, managing child support obligations, transitioning from a period of incarceration, accessing health care, understanding child development and enhancing parenting skills.”
When Presidents Lie. And Why.
Presidents who lie to save their own public image or career are unlikely to be forgiven. However, those who appear to lie in the service of the public are often celebrated.
2 Dead Cats, a Malnourished Dog Result in 2 Felony Animal Cruelty Charges for 32-Year-Old Woman
Michelle Lynn Church, 32, faces two charges of animal cruelty involving a death and a misdemeanor abandonment charge after the animals were found in her RV at the Royal Palms RV Park in Bunnell, formerly known as Thunder Gulch.
Metronet Adds Flagler Beach and Bunnell to Gig Cities as Broadband Wiring of All Neighborhoods Starts in Spring
Metronet, the broadband company that announced it would make ultra high-speed service of 1 gig available across Palm Coast available by 2023, has now sealed similar agreements with Bunnell and Flagler Beach. Those agreements were secured with a lot less fanfare, if any, than the one with Palm Coast, which the city announced in mid-December.
Reimagining Martin Luther King Jr.’s Last Night Before Assassination in CRT’s ‘The Mountaintop,’ Warts and All
“The Mountaintop,” Katori Hall’s 2009 play staged by Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre starting Thursday, imagines imagines King during his last night on earth, as a pretty motel maid named Camae visits him to deliver room service and finds the civil rights icon in a very un-glorious state: Smokin’. Cussin’. Drinkin’. Flirting. Stinky feet.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
The Palm Coast Planning Board hears a site plan application for a 36-acre self-storage facility off Old Kings Road North, a school board committee hosts a “listening session” about the district’s dress code, John Cleese on extremism, Herbert Hoover on poverty’s eradication.
Sarah Palin’s Appeal of Libel Loss Could Set up Supreme Court Test of Decades-Old Press Freedom Rule
Before the 1964 Sullivan standard Sara Palin’s appeal could potentially overturn, the libel landscape in the U.S. consisted of a patchwork of state laws that made it easy for political figures to selectively persecute newspapers and public speakers who espoused opposing or unpopular views.
Proposed Florida Law Would Crack Down on Social Media ‘Pop Up’ Events
Authorities would be able to impound vehicles for days and double fines on noncriminal traffic infractions to crack down on large unsanctioned events put together through social media, under a measure heading to the Senate floor.
Florida’s New Elections Restrictions Are Driving Local Supervisors from Office
Some of the officials who supervise Florida elections are considering retiring under the threat of $25,000 fines if they make mistakes, according to testimony produced Tuesday in the federal trial over the GOP-dominated Legislature’s new voting restrictions.
Palm Coast Approves ‘Shocking and Staggering’ Garbage Rate Increase as Mayor Warns Waste Pro
The Palm Coast City Council this afternoon voted 4-1 to approve the one-year contract extension with Waste Pro with a 47 percent rate increase and several cut-backs on services and fines. The mayor warned the company that the rate will not be an acceptable starting point for Waste Pro’s expected bid for a five- or seven-year contract later this year.
Victor Barbosa Decides to Run for City Council Again, Abandoning County Commission Race Until 2026
In a nearly six-hour meeting rich in surprises and reversals, add Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa’s decision to drop out of his run for the Flagler County Commission and seek to keep his seat on the council instead.
Denise Bevan Is Appointed City Manager in Unanimous Vote, Aborting Palm Coast Council’s Search
The Palm Coast City Council appointed Denise Bevan permanent city manager in a unanimous vote, ending her eight-month role as interim and aborting a a search Mayor David Alfin called disappointing.
Palm Coast Council Sharply Reverses Course on Green Lion After Crush of Unanimity Against Severing Lease
Faced with a rare, unanimous backlash against its arbitrary decision to end the city’s lease with the Green Lion restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Club last week, the Palm Coast City Council executed a 179-degree turn Tuesday morning, dropping its order to sever the lease and opting instead to reopen negotiations with the restaurant, toward a five-year extension of the current lease.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council will hear from the Green Lion restaurant’s owners and supporters, the Flagler County School Board hears another update on library books and Susan Anthony is not happy with Florida.
Canada Should Be Preparing for the End of American Democracy
As Canada’s closest neighbor fractures at the seams and slides toward dangerous forms of authoritarianism, we should be deeply worried. The worst-case scenario in the U.S. — blood in the streets — isn’t necessarily the most likely, but we ought to resist the tendency to assign too low a probability to events that could have serious, catastrophic consequences.
Elite Airways Adds St. Augustine-Portland, Maine, Non-Stop Beginning March 26
The new service starts March 26 and will operate on Saturdays traveling southbound and Sundays going northbound.Tickets are $199 each way for Portland/St. Augustine.
Flagler County Tries to Buy More Time in Dunes Easement Dispute in Face of Army Corps’ Eroding Patience
Faced with an ultimatum from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Flagler County government has outlined a timeline to the federal agency that it hopes will buy it more time before the Corps redirects $17 million earmarked for dune reconstruction in Flagler Beach.
33-Year-Old Father Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge for Throwing and Bruising Boy, 9
A week after a 33-year-old Palm Coast parent was arrested on a felony charge of abusing his high school son over the boy’s sexual orientation, another 33-year-old Palm Coast father with a history of violence was arrested on a similar charge after allegedly attacking his 9-year-old son over a purchase he made on an iPad.
Tom Gargiulo, Palm Coast’s ‘Unwavering, Steadfast Champion’ of the Arts for 25 Years, Dies at 83
Tom Gargiulo, co-founder of the Gargiulo Arts Foundations and the Flagler County Artist of the Year award, prolific artist and patron to innumerable shows and artists, and the conceptual energy and fund-raiser behind Palm Coast’s Sculpture Garden in Town Center, died after complications from surgery Sunday in Palm Coast.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 14, 2022
The Bunnell City Commission hears a strategic plan for its police department, Mamie Smith’s “This Thing Called Love,” the end is near, democracy’s sorry state, Peter Taylor’s “Demons.”
The Black Death Was Not as Widespread or Catastrophic as Long Thought
In popular imagination, the Black Death is the most devastating pandemic to have ever hit Europe. A new study of 1,634 samples of fossil pollen from 261 lakes and wetlands in 19 European countries suggests the pandemic’s toll was not as universal as currently claimed, nor was it always catastrophic.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 13, 2022
The cold weather shelter opens tonight as temperatures go back into the 30s, “Calendar Girls” at the Daytona Playhouse, Teddy Roosevelt’s dead Indians, the firebombing of Dresden, one of the great war crimes of World War II.
Patriotism, Dissent, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ and the NFL
Playing the national anthem at every game became a flashpoint in the 1960s. Today, the NFL’s promise to play the anthem at every game cuts both ways. For Super Bowl LVI, three songs performed by four Black American female vocalists will offer a musical suite of unity in the face of division.