Andrew J. Krupp, 20, of Palm Coast, Qwajon R. Laster, 20, of Bunnell, Raymond Amara, 54, of Palm Coast, and Jacob Robertson of Flagler Beach were all arrested on felony charges stemming from violent confrontations.
Daytona State Will Not Increase Tuition in 2017-18, But a Few Fees Will Go Up
Tuition will remain flat even though the Florida Legislature slashed the budgets of public colleges across the state by $30 million in the session just ended. The cuts affected remedial education.
Middle and High School Students Can Rejoice: ID Cards May Be Carried Through Cell Phone
The Flagler School Board is set to approve a rule change in June that would allow students no longer to have to wear their ID badges, and to show them through their cell phone if requested, come the 2017-18 school year.
Wednesday Briefing: Matanzas High Blood Drive, Baccalaureate Service, Helen Keller on Book Burning
A Matanzas blood drive for scholarships, a country of hackers, Flagler’s graduates get a service at Santa Maria del Mar, Helen Keller’s words to book-burners.
School Board Awards Superintendent Tager $135,000 Contract Plus Performance Bonuses
James Tager’s full compensation package, before incentives kick in, is $154,200, with $5,000-worth of recurring bonuses if he pushes the district to earn an A and improves its graduation rate.
Sheriff Warns Against Misleading Medical Pot Scams “Popping Up All Over Palm Coast”
Yard signs in Palm Coast have popped up advertising “legal” weed, but the signs are scams, and a further reflecting of the confusion caused by lawmakers’ inability to agree to rules on medical pot, enabling scammers to fill voids.
Gov. Scott Continues to Attack Lawmakers Over Tourism Budget as Visitors’ Numbers Rise
A good showing in December aside, when year-over-year tourism tax receipts jumped 18 percent, Flagler County has done less well, and not necessarily because of Hurricane Matthew.
Rare Black Bear Sighting, at Flagler County’s Emergency Operations, Occasions Cautions
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy happened on a black bear prowling around the county’s Emergency Operations Center Sunday night and spooked it off.
Tuesday Briefing: Barbara Klein Craig Painting, James Tager Contract, Judge DuPont Hearing, Food Truck Tuesday
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont submits to a hearing on his case of improprieties during his reelection campaign, a painting gifted to the Flagler Beach City Commission chamber, the new superintendent’s contract.
Elections Supervisor Proposes 2 New Voting Precincts, But GOP Concerns Prompt Delay
The Flagler County Commission was set to approve the $24,000 plan Monday evening but agreed, unusually, to a 30-day delay to accommodate Republican Party concerns about internal party elections and committee representation.
Gambling or Charity? Conflict Over Shut-Down of Electronic Bingo, Which Had Sustained Flagler Cats
Shamrock Bingo in Bunnell operated for years until an inspection found its 40 electronic machines to be illegal. Lawyers for the business are disputing the finding. The city will seek a state Attorney General’s opinion.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Drugging and Raping 13-Year-Old Girl
Fredie Jiles Leon, who goes by the name of Fredie Leon, an 18-year-old resident of 5 Whittier Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested Thursday (May 11) on two counts of raping a 13-year-old girl after allegedly drugging her.
Trump Says He Knows About Health Care, But Some Of His Facts Seem Alternative
Trump said that “in a short period of time I understood everything there was to know about health care.” He does not, starting with his understanding of the health care act the House just passed.
Monday Briefing: Sean Monti Trial, Donuts With Doughney at 7-Eleven, AAUW Scholarships, Arts Foundation Fund-Raising Goal
Repeat offender Sean Monti goers on trial before Judge Dennis Craig this morning with jury selection, Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney speaks with constituents over doughnuts at 7-11, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation crosses the 80 percent mark in its fund-raiser.
The Problems With the FBI’s Investigation of Clinton’s Emails Went Well Beyond Comey
A close examination of the FBI’s handling of the Clinton emails reveals a very different narrative that places previously undisclosed judgments and misjudgments by the Bureau at the very heart of what unfolded.
Cyclist Critical After He is Struck By Vehicle on Belle Terre and SR100 in Apparent Hit and Run
Kerry Milich, A cyclist, 57, was struck by a car at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and State Road 100 just after 4 p.m. Michael Bailey, the driver of the car, left the scene but was later located.
Not My President
Renouncing Donald Trump is the conservative thing to do if one’s allegiance is to the rule of law, to American democratic institutions, to unobstructed law enforcement and to transparency and accountability.
Wildfire Smoke Shrouds Flagler-Palm Coast From West as Officials Declare Fire Warning
A Red Flag Warning signaling a high-fire danger is in effect from noon to 8 p.m. today, and a 300-acre fire in Crescent City was sending thick smoke over Flagler-Palm Coast today, flooding the 911 center with worried callers.
Supreme Court Orders New Sentencing of Palm Coast Double-Murderer on Death Row
David Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, on Bannbury Lane in Palm Coast in late June 2000, but never unanimously.
Just Back from Open-Heart Surgery, Palm Coast Man Is Accused of Threatening His Wife With a Gun
William J. De Perrio, a 67-year-old resident of Easton Place in Palm Coast, allegedly pointed a gun at his wife’s head as she was trying to help him with his medication and threatened to kill her.
Deputy Richard Petkovsek Is CrimeStoppers’ Flagler Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Richard Petkovsek, with the sheriff’s office just three years, was recognized for bravery, selflessness and an act of humanitarianism toward a homeless man.
Anger Over Legislature’s Failures on Medical Pot Prompts Talk of Special Session
House and Senate leaders, falling short of implementing the voter-approved amendment, were unable to reach agreement on how many retail outlets medical pot operators should be able to run.
Weekend Briefing: Ocean Art’s Love Can Move the World, Big Fish by FPC Drama, the Best Short Film in Years
Flagler Palm Coast High School Thespian Drama Club’s production of its Spring Musical, “Big Fish,” Love Can Move the World, at Ocean Art Gallery in Flagler Beach, “Alike,” the great short film.
Corrine Brown, Who Had Represented Flagler in Congress, Found Guilty of Corruption on 18 Fraud Counts
Former Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown’s federal corruption trial is the latest chapter in a stunning fall for a longtime Jacksonville political institution.
From Austin Outdoor to Brass Tap: A Native Son Opens Palm Coast’s Largest Craft Beer Bar
Ed Schatz, who started Austin Outdoor in 1994 and sold it in 2008, is opening Brass Tap in Palm Coast’s Island Walk Monday, and planning to make it the first of nine such craft beer bars along East Florida’s coast.
1938-2017
James E. Gardner, ITT President
And Palm Coast Founder, Is Laid to Rest
James E. Gardner, who died May 5 at age 78, led ITT as it built Palm Coast between 1978 and 1990, and served on or led innumerable civic and business organizations.
Thursday Briefing: Judge Craig on Project WARM, Big Fish at Flagler Auditorium, Dunkin Opens, Blues Festival
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s thespians take the stage for four nights, Rymfire chorus in action, Judge Craig reacts to Project Warm, a favored Dunkins Donut reopens in the heart of Palm Coast.
11 Months After Fire, Dunkin Donuts On Palm Coast Parkway Reopens, With Sprinkles and 35 Employees
The Dunkin Donuts on Palm Coast Parkway reopens at 4 a.m. Thursday after it burned for reasons yet undetermined in June 2016, affecting about 1,000 customers a day.
Decriminalized Pot-Possession Program Will Advance in Flagler, But With Little Support From Sheriff
The proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot possession in Flagler County has been in limbo for almost a year after a key judicial and law enforcement panel approved it last year, before the election.
Curt and Impassive in Appearance Before Judge, Dorothy Singer Is Held Without Bond in Murder Case
Dorothy Singer, 52, accused of shooting dead her husband, will be represented by Public Defender Ray Warren, a seasoned murder-trial lawyer who has represented recent high-profile Flagler defendants.
Wednesday Briefing: Singer’s First Court Appearance, Leadership Flagler Graduation, Jail v. Treatment
Dorothy Singer, accused of murdering her husband, appears before Judge Moore-Stens, Leadership Flagler graduates its 24th class, Public Defender James Purdy talks treatment v. jail.
Critics Urge Gov. Scott to Veto Massive Education Bill as Details of Legislation Emerge
The bill was pushed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O’ Lakes Republican who sparred with the governor throughout the session over economic-development incentives and tourism marketing.
In Big Victory For Flagler (and St. Johns), Rep. Renner Delivers $13.3 Million For Dunes Restoration
The $13.3 million has yet to be split between the two counties, but will go a long distance to alleviate Flagler’s $22 million dune restoration needs, with local sources kicking in several million dollars.
Vacation-Rental Bills Die Only to Return in 2018, Forcing Flagler to Defend Regulations Again
The Legislature’s attempt to roll back local governments’ regulatory authority of vacation rentals barely fell short, so the fight is not over for counties at the forefront of the issue like Flagler.
Wife Arrested on 1st Degree Murder Charge In West-Flagler Killing of Charles Singer
Dorothy Singer, 52, was attempting to flee the county when she was stopped on State Road A1A Monday. Investigators have uncovered an elaborate scheme to hide Charles Singer’s death and body.
Tuesday Briefing: Hurricane Matthew After-Action Report, PCAF’s Big Night, Back to War in Afpak, Florida Textbooks
The Palm Coast Council discusses the city’s response to Hurricane Matthew in an after-action report and considers long-term financing, Trump steps up the war in Afghanistan again.
Lawmakers Approve Budget With Tax Cuts, Severe Cuts to Medicaid, Minor Increase For Education and Big Boost to Charters
The budget package includes a modest increase in per-student spending through the state’s main education formula, $521 million in Medicaid cuts for hospitals and far-reaching changes to education across the board.
State Attorney Aramis Ayala Lawyers Blast Rick Scott In Death Penalty Dispute
Lawyers for Central Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala fired back Monday against Gov. Rick Scott for shifting 23 death-penalty case to another prosecutor, describing his actions as “baldly political.”
Man Arrested Near Winn Dixie on Weapons Charges Invokes “Sovereign Citizen” Claim, Then Trouble Escalates
Michael Grube, 30, refused to be booked at the Flagler jail. The “sovereign citizen” movement is a cultish subculture of extremists whose members don’t recognize most laws or authorities,
David Ottati Returns: Ex-Florida Hospital Flagler CEO Takes Over 3-County Region
David Ottati’s rise in the Adventist organization is again bringing him to Flagler County as he takes over leadership of a seven hospital-region including Florida Hospital Flagler.
It Would Be Up to Florida to Dismantle Obamacare Protections If GOP Bill Advances
Unless the legislation fails or changes substantially, many consumers across the country could see the amount they pay every year for premiums increase by thousands of dollars, making coverage effectively unaffordable.
Monday Briefing: France Survives, Bunnell Instant Bingo, Community Fitcamp, CR13 Roadwork
The Bunnell City Commission considers an ordinance that would bring instant bingo to the city, reconstruction of County Road 13 begins, The Legislature finalizes the budget.
La Différence
France’s Answer To Trumpism: Non, Merci
Emmanuel Macron’s election as President of France Sunday repudiates angry, anti-democratic tribalism represented by Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump. But it’s only a qualified win.
Medical Pot Deal Collapses Over Dispensaries, Leaving Framework in Strict Regulators’ Hands
Implementation of the voter-approved amendment now rests in the hands of state health officials, who have been harshly criticized by legislators, patients, vendors and judges.
Flagler Beach, a.k.a. Ocean City, Gets 9 New Lifeguard Towers, All On Strength of Volunteers
The nine lifeguard towers, on a design from towers in Ocean City, Md., are expected to more than double the life of the structures. Commissioner Rick Belhumeur led the all-volunteer effort.
Flagler Sheriff Says Arrests Are Forthcoming in Murder of Charles Singer, But Not Just Yet
Individuals at the Pine Tree Lane property, where Charles Singer was found shot and buried in April, were brought in for questioning, but nothing beyond that so far.
Weekend Briefing: Cinco de Mayo, Law Enforcement Shootout, CRT’s John & Jen, Arbor Day and Mayor’s Health Challenge
Watch the local law enforcement shootout for the fastest gun in Flagler County, John and Jen closes out CRT’s season, Arbor Day in Central Park, Cinco de Mayo and Reformation.
Holland Park Redemption: Palm Coast’s Storied Playground Readies to Re-Open
A year behind schedule, the reopening of Holland Park, now scheduled for June, will also mark the transformation of an eyesore into a crown jewel, as a visit to the park today suggests.
Preexisting Condition: How Health Care Wrangle May Play Out Over Obamacare Repeal
As Trump pushes for a bill, the latest snag is over whether people with preexisting health conditions should have guaranteed access to affordable coverage, as the ACA mandates.
Accused Cop-Shooter Phillip Haire Claims Someone Else Is Trying to Kill Him and His Family
Palm Coast’s Phillip Haire, accused of shooting at a sheriff’s deputy Monday, said he was not the shooter and was safer staying in jail as someone is out there trying to kill him and shoot up his house.