Accusing the state of ignoring the Florida Constitution, a Leon County circuit judge on Monday sided with teachers unions that challenged a state order mandating that schools resume in-person instruction this month amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Man Is Wounded in Shooting at Hargrove Lane Garage, but Conflicting Accounts Yield No Arrest
Alan Presley Jr., 32, shot Joshua Lemaster Saturday afternoon at 5E Hargrove Lane, one of the dozens of businesses at the Palm Coast Commercial and Industrial Center off the west end of Hargrove Grade. Presley may have been acting in self-defense.
Palm Coast’s Justin Knapp, 35, Dies in Self-Inflicted Gunshot in His Backyard
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies investigated the death by self-inflicted gunshot of Terrance J. Knapp, 35, in the backyard at 42 Lancelot Drive in Palm Coast Saturday afternoon (Aug. 22). His 14-month-old daughter was in a crib in the house. She was unharmed.
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom Dies at 56 After a Series of Illnesses
Larry Newsom, who Flagler Beach City Commission Chairman Jane Mealy termed the best city manager she’d worked with among a half dozen, died this afternoon at AdventHealth Palm Coast after seesawing between serious illnesses ad recoveries over the past year.
How Misinformation, Federalism and Selfishness Hampered America’s Virus Response
The American response to the pandemic, many public health experts say, has been uniquely hapless, ineffective, undisciplined and selfish. By some measures, the United States has handled the health crisis as badly as any country has.
‘Salvation Is In Sight’: Army Corps Extends Deadline as Dunes Hold-Outs Take Money and Sign
Impressed by a local, massive fund-raising effort intended to buy off 11 hold-outs, the US Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to extend the deadline in the long-sought, $25 million dune rebuilding project along 2.6 miles of shore in Flagler Beach.
Florida’s Universities Prepare to Reopen in Uncertain Times, With Dozens of Covid Cases at 2 Campuses Already
The situation at some Florida universities has mimicked events in other parts of the country, where several colleges experienced an uptick in infections days after students returned to campus this month.
Flagler Auditorium Hopes to Re-Ignite Arts Support, and Concert-Going, with Outdoors Hayfire Concert
All proceeds from the Sept. 13 benefit concert by Hayfire, the first at the Auditorium since the pandemic, will go to the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, Flagler Playhouse and City Repertory Theatre.
Traffic Safety at Premium as Deputies Deploy Alongside Return to School
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will have increased patrols in school zones and bus stops throughout the county from August 24 through September 4 to help get the school year off to a safe start.
Flagler’s Unemployment Back Up to 10.2%, Florida’s Up to 11.3% as Covid Surge Takes Economic Toll
After dropping sharply to 9.4 percent in June–down almost five points from the month before–Flagler County’s unemployment rate rose again, to 10.2 percent in July, a reflection of the coronavirus resurgence that began and June.
Wear a Mask If You Can. But Don’t Bully Those Who Can’t.
“I know when I go out now that people are looking at me and judging me. They assume I don’t believe in science or I don’t care about their health, and neither is true,” the author writes.
Detectives Call on Public’s Help for Information in May Shooting of a Woman on Rockefeller Drive
Flagler County sheriff’s detectives are seeking the public’s help in solving a mysterious shooting that left a woman injured on Rockefeller Drive in late May. The sheriff’s office is releasing little additional information.
Teachers’ Lawsuit: Judge Weighs Whether Schools Are ‘Simply Not Ready to Reopen’
As thousands of children return to classrooms throughout Florida, local school officials, teachers and doctors spent Wednesday picking apart a state mandate requiring schools to resume in-person instruction this month amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Why Most Inmates Don’t Wear Masks at the Flagler County Jail: Security Trumps Covid
Daniel Engert, the sheriff’s chief of the jail and courts division, acknowledged that most inmates don;t wear masks at the county jail, but attributed the rule to security–and noted that the strategy in place has kept the count of inmate covid cases at zero, though some staffers have been infected.
Flagler Schools Will Start Fall Sports on Sept. 5
The Flagler County school district today announced it will start fall sports on Sept. 5, two weeks after the start of the fall semester. The district had postponed all fall sports indefinitely on July 22 as covid-19 cases were still surging in the county.
What the Post Office Needs to Survive a Pandemic Election
Fueled by the president’s unfounded claims about rampant voter fraud, and reports of equipment being removed, the plight of the United States Postal Service has captured America’s attention. Will it collapse? Here’s what you need to know.
As Covid-Related Layoffs Hit Courthouse, Clerk of Court Gets, $250,000 Emergency Appropriation
Flagler County Clerk of Court Tom Bexley said his office saw $600,000 in lost revenue, the reduction from 62 jobs to 54, including four actual layoffs, and uncertainties ahead, requiring a $250,000 emergency appropriation to stave off further cuts.
Federal Court Freshly Stocked With Former DeSantis Picks In Showdown Over Florida Felon Voting
As Floridians went to the polls in Tuesday’s primary elections, an Atlanta-based appeals court held arguments in a showdown over voting rights that could determine whether hundreds of thousands of convicted felons will be able to cast ballots in the November presidential election.
Conklin, Massaro and Woolbright Win School Board, Sullivan Survives, and Finally, It’ll Be Judge Alicia Washington To You
Jill Woolbright and Cheryl Massaro won seats on the Flagler County School Board, and Colleen Conklin, at 20 years the longest serving elected official in the county, won her sixth term. Dave Sullivan won reelection to the County Commission. But the Palm Coast City Council is still very much in flux.
State Regulators Approve Decontamination and Closure Plan of Crystal River Nuke Plant
State regulators Tuesday approved a plan aimed at dramatically speeding up the decontamination and restoration of the site of Duke Energy Florida’s shuttered Crystal River nuclear-power plant.
Nine Covid Cases Involving Flagler School Staffers So Far in August; Commissioner Downplays Outbreaks
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wants superintendents check with the state before shutting down a classroom or school and to be “very surgical, not sweeping” when responding to coronavirus cases.
Last Day to Vote in Primary Began With 21,000 Ballots Already In and Historic Mail-In Count
Though powered by the largest vote-by-mail volume in the county’s history, Flagler County’s 2020 primary election turnout would need a relatively strong in-person voting tally today to exceed 2018’s turnout of 30 percent. The 2016 primary turnout of 27 percent is a closer target.
Flagler Schools’ Sophie’s Choice
Flagler County and Florida schools are reopening not because it’s safe, but because ideological debauchery or anti-science vigilantism are forcing them to, even though alternatives are in place for safe and effective education.
Judge Quashes Flagler Commission Decision on Hammock Boat Storage Facility, Halting Project for Now
A Flagler County circuit judge quashed a November decision by the Flagler County Commission that had opened the way to a controversial 240-boat storage facility and restaurant in the Hammock, next to Hammock Hardware. The judge ruled that the county reached its decision without substantial evidence.
With Fall Sports Postponed for Now, Flagler Schools Face Mix of Uncertainty and Lack of State Guidance
Football players, swimmers, runners, golfers and other student-athletes who normally would be gearing up for a season they’ve worked years for are now faced with an uncertain future.
Tourism Visits to Florida Drop 60% as State’s Poor Handling of Pandemic May Take Heavier Toll
The tourism industry must combat ongoing negative perceptions of Florida’s handling of covid-19, international travel bans, people slow to return to entertainment venues and double-digit unemployment.
As Trump Steps Up Vote-By-Mail Attacks, Postal Officials Warn Florida of Ballot Deadline Problems
With millions of Floridians seeking to vote by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic, postal officials have warned Secretary of State Laurel Lee that the state is at risk of having ballots go uncounted in the November presidential election.
Raising $40,000 in 40 Hours, Flagler Beach Residents Throw Down Greenback Gauntlet to Dunes Project Hold-Outs
A remarkable fund-raising effort in Flagler Beach aimed at breaking a stalemate in a dunes-rebuilding project raised $40,000 in less than two days. The money would be parceled out to 11 property owners who have so far refused to sign easements and allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild the beach, a project 15 years in the works.
Flagler Records 14th Covid Death; 15% of Flagler Children Tested Are Positive a Week Before School
Florida and Flagler continues to add new infections at elevated rates even as the overall numbers have fallen from their July peak. Despite the decline, the state is experiencing new cases at a rate of nearly 7,000 a day, averaged out over the past seven days.
Stanley Drescher, Flagler Beach’s One and Only Poet Laureate of ‘Sartorial Splendor,’ Dies at 88
Stanley Drescher, named by the Flagler Beach City Commission Poet Laureate in 2011, had started to write poems only when he was 70. His subjects, like his cheer, knew no bounds.
Florida Felons and Lawyers Face ‘Tremendous Confusion’ On Regaining Voting Rights
The legal wrangling and incomplete or contradictory court records have erected at-times insurmountable barriers for Florida felons who want to participate in one of the bedrock elements of democracy: voting.
In Muted Money Race for Palm Coast Council, Candidates’ Own Wallets and Developer-Realtors Rustle Loudest
The races for the three seats on the Palm Coast City Council are drawing neither many contributors nor many contributions despite the high-profile mayoral race and a combined 11 candidates running for the three seats, based on cumulative campaign finance reports filed as of July 31.
Minor Traffic Stop Turns Into Helicopter-Aided Chase Near Assisted Living Facility, and 3 Arrests
What started as a minor traffic stop for a busted tag light turned into a chase on foot and by air in the woods near Princeton Village, the assisted living facility, at the south end of Palm Coast.
Dying Young: The Health Care Workers in Their 20s Killed by Covid-19
While covid-19 takes a far deadlier toll on elderly people than on young adults, an investigation of front-line health care worker deaths uncovered numerous instances when staff members under age 30 were exposed on the job and also succumbed.
Behind Façade of Flagler Schools as ‘Family,’ Bitter Discontent from Teachers, and Orders Not to Open Windows
Teachers returned to Flagler’s nine public schools today amid bitter disputes over their safety and options while the district contends with innumerable and at times competing concerns, with somewhat diminished ranks and no additional resources to make it all stick. It’s going to be a difficult year.
The Gardens Development on John Anderson Highway Clears Key Planning Board Hurdles in Near-Unanimous Votes
The Gardens, the big development proposed to go up on the two sides of John Anderson Highway, and that’s galvanized strenuous opposition from residents in Flagler Beach cleared the Flagler County Planning Board with near-unanimous recommendations Tuesday. The proposal goes before the county commission next, possibly in September.
School District Will Limit Information on Its Covid Cases Even as Flagler Children Have 17% Positivity Rate Since Mid-July
Citing privacy, the Flagler County School District is limiting the information it releases about covid cases among its employees or students even as the proportion of positive cases among children is growing rapidly and schools are set to reopen on Aug. 24.
Superintendents Asking State for Help on Rapid Testing and Response to Positive Students and Staff
Health officials are concerned concerned that the infrastructure doesn’t support the capacity to test a large number of students and school staff members if there is a covid-19 outbreak at a school.
Man, 72, Accused of Sexually Assaulting 97-Year-Old Woman With Alzheimer’s at Grand Oaks Nursing Home
Donald Lewis Midgett, a 72-year-old current resident at Grand Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center on Palm Coast Parkway, was booked at the Flagler County jail on a felony charge of molesting a 97-year-old resident with Alzheimer’s disease.
Carol Bacha (Mother Elizabeth), Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Carol Bacha, also known as Mother Elizabeth, is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Bacha is running in District 3 against Paul Mucciolo and incumbent Colleen Conklin.
In Good Shape? If Flagler Were Its Own Country, We’d Have the 10th Worst Covid Rate in The World
Flagler County officials often speak triumphantly of the county’s lower covid numbers compared to the rest of the state. It’s a deceptive and reckless comparison that denies the severity of the local pandemic when placed in its proper context.
Palm Coast Man Clashes With Deputies Before Being Subdued in Volatile Encounter on Belle Terre Parkway
Anthony Petrillo, 29, faces assault charge from an encounter with residents and two felony charges from his violent confrontation with deputies on belle Terre Parkway Friday.
St. Johns Schools Discriminated Against Transgender Student, Appeals Court Rules in Case with Local Implications
On the heels of months of debate over Flagler schools’ stance on transgender students, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the St. Johns County school district discriminated against a transgender high school student by denying him the right to use the boys’ bathroom.
Two New Shows at Flagler County Art League Tread Back to Public Exhibits in Covid Era
Two art exhibitions — the Four Artists Show and 8×8 Inch Show – will be presented by the Gargiulo Art Foundation from Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sept. 7 at the Flagler County Art League.
Denouncing the McCarthyist Smear Campaign Against Palm Coast’s Mayor and Manager
Falsely accusing a competitor, or anyone, of corruption and being a criminal is vile. That type of McCarthyist behavior shouldn’t be applauded. It should be denounced. And it speaks volumes of the character and integrity of the ones flinging those accusations around, argues Brad West.
Trump’s Dangerous Lies About the Covid Economy
Because of this resurgence, many states are pausing plans to reopen and some are reimposing restrictions. But these restrictions are not the reason the economy is slowing. They are the necessary consequence of allowing the pandemic to get out of control.
As Bars Must Wait Longer for Reopening, DeSantis Mulls Over Definition of ‘Essential’ Worker
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month put out new symptom-based testing guidance that would reduce the quarantine time for people not showing symptoms while recovering from the virus.
Colleen Conklin, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Colleen Conklin is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Conklin, a five-term incumbent, is running in District 3 against Paul Mucciolo and Carol (Sister Elizabeth) Bacha.
Zack Shapiro, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Zack Shapiro is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3, running against incumbent Nick Klufas and Cornelia Manfre in the Aug. 18 primary. All registered voters in Palm Coast regardless of party affiliation or geography may cast a vote.
1.8 Million Jobs Return in July, But Pace of Gain Is Half That of June as Covid Scuttles Activity
The number of people holding jobs remains 12.9 million (or 8.4 percent) below February’s level. The current unemployment rate is 6.7 percentage points above that of February.