A lumber truck driver was killed and a woman was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes of I-95 early this morning (May 6), just north of the Matanzas Woods Parkway intersection.
Flagler’s Covid-19 Deaths Rise to 4 But New Positive Cases Slow as Broader-Criteria Testing Increases
Flagler’s deaths add to a statewide tally approaching 1,500 as one of the models most closely watched by state and federal officials revised significantly upward its estimate of deaths for Florida now that the state has begun reopening.
35-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Pushing His Daughter, 5, Off Her High Chair
Thomas Myers, of Blare Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge and two misdemeanor counts of assault and booked at the Flagler County jail on $4,500 bond.
‘Like Someone Went to Class and Didn’t Come Back’: Florida Universities Contend With Students’ Belongings
Universities across the state will allow students to have items delivered to them or return to campus at a safe time to pick up belongings. Some universities are even preparing to dispose of unwanted items at the students’ request.
The Joe Mullins Smear
Joe Mullins is a distasteful man whose behavior as an elected official is dangerous and should be held to account. But not by reporting as unsubstantiated as the allegations it’s based on. To play into them without strict and uncompromising authentication legitimizes them and gives journalism a bad name.
Eligible for Re-Trial, Dorothy Singer Pleads in 2017 Murder of Her Husband and Is Sentenced to 32.5 Years
She was eligible for a new trial. But facing daunting evidence against her, Dorothy Singer, formerly of west Flagler, pleaded to second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband Charles in 2017.
Surprise Proposal to Raze Moldy Sheriff’s Ops and Build There Anew Introduces New Uncertainties in Projects
The Flagler County Commission chairman on Monday discussed the possibility of razing the building and constructing anew there–either a sheriff’s operations center or a south branch public library. That approach would nullify a recent agreement to locate both the operations center and a south branch library off Commerce Parkway in Bunnell.
At Gargantuan Feed Palm Coast Food Drop, Tears, Solidarity, and the Reality About Those ‘Late-Model Cars’
No government, no military contingent, no church or any other private organization had ever attempted what Palm Coast government and Parkview Church did Saturday: the distribution of 5,000 boxes packed with a week’s worth of groceries, and thousands of additional boxes of snacks and Easter candy, for families that streamed through the two drop locations.
Palm Coast Reopens a Few Passive Parks and Trails Monday as Flagler Beach Weighs Limited Pier Access
Palm Coast and Flagler Beach governments are reopening a few of their more passive parks, trails and other outdoor amenities Monday while keeping major parks closed and maintaining a strict focus on safety and social distancing.
More Than 700 Graduating Eagles Unite Online for Virtual Celebration
Spring commencement season is here and, although in-person ceremonies across the globe could not take place as planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University community has come together online to share, in spirit, the success of all 754 Eagles graduating in its Daytona Beach Campus spring Class of 2020.
Hair Salons, Barber Shops, Bars, Gyms and Theaters Will Remain Closed for Now
The governor said more consideration of employee and customer safety is needed before he can give the go-ahead for salons and barber shops to turn on the lights again.
Why You Can’t Always Trust Your Coronavirus Antibody Test Results
There are questions about how accurate antibody tests are. And even with a very good test, it’s possible to test positive for antibodies even when you don’t actually have them. Watch this video to learn why.
Florida Regulators Issue Permissive Rules for Restaurants In Reopening Steps
Servers and other employees won’t be counted toward limits on occupancy when restaurants reopen Monday under coronavirus guidelines, the state’s top business regulator said.
Palm Coast Plan Will Allow Restaurant Use of Sidewalks and Parking Lots For Less Restricted Outdoor Seating
Palm Coast government is devising a plan that, in its broad outlines issued late this afternoon, would significantly relax rules on restaurant use of sidewalks and even parking lots, enabling restaurants to place tables there and compensate for the loss of business they would otherwise continue to suffer if they were limited to the 25 percent rule.
Saturday in Flagler: 3 Massive Food Drops at 4 Locations In Unprecedented Reflection of Aid and Hardship
Thousands of families will line up in cars for food distributions at Palm Coast City Hall, Parkview Church, on Education Way off U.S. 1 and at Wickline Center in Flagler Beach in a day of aid reflecting the crushing needs provoked by the coronavirus emergency.
Graduates, Start Your Engines: FPC and Matanzas Will Have In-Person Graduation at the Speedway on May 31
Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School will hold their graduation ceremonies on May 31 at the International Speedway in Daytona Beach following a committee’s work on devising an original plan to ensure a safe, in-person event despite the coronavirus emergency.
Brave New Covid World at AdventHealth: Your Car as Waiting Room, Phone Check-Ins, Mandatory Tests and Masks
AdventHealth physicians outlined how the system’s hospitals, including AdventHealth Palm Coast, will operate from here on, with significantly new procedures for patients, visitors, staff and physicians and a heavy emphasis on technology, social distancing and the isolation of anything Covid-19, including air.
More than a Fifth of Americans Unemployed as 1st Time Claims Keep Surging and Checks Keep Lagging
The total number of first-time claims filed in Florida since the start of the coronavirus emergency totals 1.6 million in a civilian labor force of 10.5 million, placing the state’s unemployment rate at over 15 percent.
Facing Bankruptcy, Flagler County Chamber of Commerce Prepares to Dissolve, Ending 60-Year Run
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce board is meeting this afternoon to dissolve the 60-year-old organization as the coronavirus crisis tipped it into bankruptcy. The move follows several years of struggles, downsizing, and layoffs as recent as early February, before the crisis struck.
Restaurants Can Reopen at 25% Capacity, Many Restrictions Will Remain as Florida Moves to Reopening on Monday
Citing Florida as weathering the coronavirus crisis much better than many other states, especially those hardest hit, Gov. Ron DeSantis today said the state will begin reopening starting on May 4, except for three South Florida counties. But many existing restrictions will remain in effect.
County Elections Supervisors Describe Struggles With Felons’ Voting Law and Lack of Reliable Data
The state lacks a single database where felons, lawyers or elections officials can determine whether people have outstanding court-ordered financial obligations. Florida’s new but restrictive felon-voting law is the subject of a nationally watched trial this week.
Reality Check: What Antibody Studies Can Tell You — and More Importantly, What They Can’t
Coronavirus antibody studies and what they allegedly show have triggered fierce debates, further confusing public understanding, especially about fallacies about herd immunity. Here is some clarity and fact-checking around these crucial surveys.
Daytona State Earns No. 3 Ranking for Nation’s Best Paramedic to RN Programs
Daytona State College’s healthcare program has received another honor as the school’s Paramedic to RN transition program is ranked No. 3 nationally by Registered Nursing.
Business Group Report Estimates $859 Million Hit to Florida’s Economy From School Closures
Florida’s economy could take an estimated $859 million hit as a result of school campuses being closed for six weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the Florida Council of 100 business group.
FPL Customers’ Bills Will Drop 24% in May, Resulting from Lower Fuel Costs
The savings stem from lower-than-expected costs for natural gas to fuel power plants. Utilities are required to pass along savings to customers when fuel costs drop, but the money typically goes to customers gradually.
AdventHealth Foundation Donates 5,000 KN95 Masks for Distribution During Feed Palm Coast May 2
Palm Coast government this afternoon took delivery of 5,000 high-quality face masks from AdventHealth Palm Coast’s foundation. The masks will be distributed to 5,000 families during the major Feed Palm Coast food drop on May 2 at City Hall and at Parkview Church on Belle Terre Parkway.
With $57,000 Raised and Tons of Food Boxed, Plan to Feed 5,000 Families Turns Palm Coast City Hall Into Relief Central
Feed Palm Coast has turned City Hall into a warehouse for a massive food aid operation relying on city staffers, volunteers and the donations of residents to feed 5,000 families with a week’s worth of groceries come May 2.
A Plea From Superintendent Tager To Telecoms: Students Need Reliable Internet Connections Across Flagler
As the Flagler school district went virtual in answer to the coronavirus crisis, it found that unreliable internet service in parts of the county puts some students at a disadvantage. Superintendent Jim Tager asks communications companies to address the gap.
2 Staffers at 2 Assisted Living Facilites in Palm Coast Test Positive as Local Covid Cases Rise; Antibody Tests On the Way
Flagler’s Covid-19 cases now total 127, two of them at assisted living facilities, as local officials caution against a too-swift relaxation of precautions or too high hopes on antibody testing on its way. The testing will be focused on health workers.
Rumor Control is Critical and Time-Consuming for States, With No Help From Trump or His Likes
In addition to battling the coronavirus, states and localities are spending time and increased effort batting down rumors and myths — everything from President Donald Trump’s suggestion last week that injecting poisonous disinfectants might help to rumors that National Guard troops are enforcing stay-at-home orders at gunpoint.
Michelle Parker Noller, 48, of Flagler Beach, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot
Michelle Parker Noller, a 48-year-old resident of 1007 South Flagler Avenue in Flagler Beach, died of a self-inflicted gunshot Wednesday (April 22) at her home.
How Many Deaths Can We Live With?
The coronavirus emergency is raising ethical questions as communities reopen: how many deaths are we willing to live with, and whose deaths? The questions are at the heart of the debate on reopening, but are not being confronted honestly.
Anti-Vaccine Activists Latch Onto Coronavirus To Bolster Their Movement
While most of the world hungers for a vaccine to put an end to the death and economic destruction wrought by COVID-19, some anti-vaccine groups are joining with anti-lockdown protesters to challenge restrictions aimed at protecting public health.
Flagler Beach and County Reopen Beaches 24 Hours Sunday Morning, Maintaining Limits on Activities
Flagler County and Flagler Beach have agreed to reopen all 18 miles of beach in the county 24 hours starting Sunday at 7 a.m., while maintaining restrictions only on certain activities on the beach: “for leisure, no, for exercise, yes,” as Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney put it this afternoon.
In Flagler Beach, a Few Dozen Demonstrators Rally for Trump, Leaving Reopening ‘Amerika’ To an Afterthought
Some 35 to 40 people stretched along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach this morning in what had been dubbed as a reopen-the-economy rally, but proved to be mostly a campaign rally for President Trump.
Reopening Palm Coast: City Issues Cautious Plan Stretched Over Four Seasons, With Some Permanent Changes
Palm Coast government today issued a recovery plan that anticipates a three-phased reopening of the city and its economy over the next year, cautiously, gradually resuming mostly normal activities while permanently maintaining new norms such as the wearing of masks in public and re-configuring certain interactions.
Lost to Car Crash Last Week, Williams Family Will be Celebrated at Saturday Service in Palm Coast
Wilma Williams and her two daughters, Mozella and Kaleigh, 12 and 13, will be celebrated on the north campus of Palm Coast United Methodist Church Saturday at 11 a.m. in a drive-in service that will combine the requirements of social distancing with the ceremonial spirit of the solemn occasion.
Millions of People Face Stimulus Check Delays for a Strange Reason: They Are Poor
The IRS has had trouble getting money to people quickly because millions of Americans pay for their tax preparation through a baroque system of middlemen.
Confirmed Flagler Covid-19 Increase By 28 in One Day, to 106, But Local Hospitalizations Still ‘Stable’
Flagler County added 28 confirmed Covid-19 cases in a single day today, by far the largest single-day tally of new cases, for a total of 106. But there does not appear to be an equivalent increase in hospitalizations.
Local Religious Leaders Adapt Congregations to Coronavirus, and Answer the Question: How Does God Allow It?
Flagler County’s religious leaders are trying to keep worshipers connected while most everyone is sheltered-in-place, and wrestling with the theological question of how a deity could allow a pandemic like Covid-19 to so ravage its creation.
Flagler School Board Adopts Anti-Discrimination Policy Without Specified Protections for Transgender Students
In contrast with months of raucous public debate on the issue, the Flagler school board in a virtual meeting on Tuesday adopted a policy without two words–gender identity–that had triggered intense controversy.
Florida Jobless Claims Nearly Triple to Over Half a Million in a Week, U.S. Unemployment Over 16%
More than one in 10 new jobless claims–505,137 first-time applications of the 4.4 million new claims–across the United States last week were made to Florida’s overwhelmed unemployment system.
Verdego Garden Center, Palm Coast Government, School Board and County Mobilize for Local Food Aid
Verdego Garden Center’s effort, unique for its scope and generosity among local businesses, is part of a larger effort by private and charitable organizations and local governments, including a $30,000 drive by Palm Coast, to distribute or collect food and cash for community pantries and address growing needs for food among local families.
As Flagler’s Beaches Reopen for 3 Hours, Thumbs Up, Sighs of Relief, Sun Worship and More Caution
Flagler Beach and Palm Coast residents reacted with glee and gratefulness this morning as they walked the beaches again, but in surprisingly small numbers, while city officials continue to caution against a still-prevalent viral threat.
“We’re Not Opening Up The County,” Commission Chairman Cautions as Beaches Partially Reopen
The Flagler County Commission and Flagler Beach reopened their beaches partially starting Wednesday, but officials’ cautions against a premature, broader reopening are not all on the same page.
Consumer Confidence and Businesses Aggressively Implementing Safety Measures Will be Key to Rebound
Getting people to dine out, board airplanes and visit resorts will require increased confidence that businesses are aggressively implementing enhanced hygiene measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19, members of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ task force on reopening the state said Tuesday.
AdventHealth Adds Third Drive-Up Covid-19 Testing Site
The Sanford testing site joins sites at the Daytona International Speedway and at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. Each site’s hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Orlando site will also be open this weekend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
American Carnage: How Donald Trump Is Killing Us
The coronavirus has mutated into ideological variants. We are moving from a natural disaster to a man-made one, from statistically unavoidable deaths to deaths willed by indifference, ignorance, selfishness, and the political calculations of a single man. The consequences will compound rather than mitigate the pandemic.
Florida High School Athletic Association Scraps All Spring Sports
The Florida High School Athletic Association said Monday that it is canceling spring sports events, including championship events.
Flagler County Will Sell Moldy Sears Building at $170,000 Loss and Indemnify Realtor in Settlement
The county will sell the building for $1 million, and will settle out of court with one of the three parties it threatened to sue–Realtor Margaret Sheehan-Jones–following the debacle of the original purchase a year ago.