Tom O’Hara’s sobering answers to basic questions on the next ISIS attack, the refusal to take in Syrian refugees, what ISIS wants and whether an invasion of Syria and Iraq can work.
Trump in Florida Maintains Big Lead Over Rubio and Easily Beats Clinton in Latest Poll
Donald Trump has double the support of Marco Rubio, with Ben Carson a distant third, and would beat Hillary Clinton by 8 points in Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative.
Splits Limited to Details as Bunnell Sets Next Manager’s Pay Range and Qualifications
The city manager’s position will go for a salary range of $65,000 to $80,000, internal applicants will get a week’s head start, there will be no interim for now, and a four-year degree is required, thus closing the way to several potential internal or previous applicants.
Palm Coast Moves to Restrict Bottle Clubs, Speakeasies that Skirt Booze Regulations
There are no bottle clubs in Palm Coast or Flagler County. Palm Coast wants to keep it that way after businesses complained of a place possibly opening at City Market Place.
No Longer State of the Art, Flagler Auditorium Seeks School Board Support for Improvements
A joint meeting between the school board and the auditorium board revealed a wish-list of costly needs that would require the district to shift dollars and priorities toward the auditorium. First, school board members want more clarity on those needs.
Wednesday Briefing: Curbing Bottle Clubs, a Manager’s Job Description in Bunnell, ISIS Debates
Palm Coast’s planning board takes on bottle clubs, where patrons gather with their own liquor to socialize, Bunnell takes on its manager search, and a slew of other government meetings are scheduled before Thanksgiving.
In Rare Defeat for NRA in Florida, Lawmakers Kill Broader Stand Your Ground Measure
A National Rifle Association-backed measure that could have made it easier legally for people to claim self-defense in shooting incidents failed to get through its first House committee on Tuesday.
School Board Member’s Home Among 4 Targeted for Burglaries in Central Palm Coast
Flagler County School Board member Janet McDonald’s house was among the four residences targeted in the B, C and Palm Harbor sections of Palm Coast on Nov. 6.
Not All Speech Is Free: County Slams McDonald for Legal Fees Over “Knowingly False” Claims
Dennis McDonald, the Ronald Reagan Assembly member and frequent critic of government, said he’ll “absolutely” contest the county’s move on First Amendment grounds.
Sheriff Rethinks Joint IT Operations With County Amid Discord Over Computer Failure
Sheriff Jim Manfre wants to “transition” from the merger with the county’s IT operations less than two years after he and the county approved it as a signal of cooperation and efficiency.
We Are At War
No one wants to repeat the errors of the US under President George W. Bush; but to use those errors as an alibi to avoid confronting the world as it is would merely be an error of a different sort.
Tuesday Briefing: FPC Band in Concert, Flagler Auditorium in Review, Florida Lawmakers Ride Refugee Crisis
The FPC band just returned from scoring superior for the 13th straight year. The school board and Auditorium board hold a joint workshop. Florida lawmakers seize on the Syrian refugee crisis to talk illegal immigration.
Matanzas High Student Faces Felony After Accusation of Hitting Dean of Students
Charmia Mone Jackson, 18, of Palm Coast, is alleged to have struck the Matanzas High School dean of students in back of the head as she was aiming for another student during an altercation on Friday.
Gov. Scott Orders DCF to Stop Aiding Relocation of 425 Syrian Refugees
Governors in Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin have also announced they will refuse to accept any more Syrians.
Setting Special Meeting, Bunnell May Haggle Over Next Manager’s Pay and Qualifications
There is some division within the Bunnell commission over the qualifications of the next manager and whether to appoint an interim meanwhile, risking the commission’s hard-won cohesion of the past year.
Palm Coast Resident and TSA Employee Sentenced to 15 Years For Raping Wife’s Minor Sister
Esteban Alejandro Rodriguez, a 30-year-old resident of Palm Coast, had been raping and sexually abusing the girl since she was in 6th grade. Two other minors lived in the household at the time of his arrest.
Monday Briefing: John Oliver Gives It to ISIS, A Cell Tower on Colbert, Open Government
The county commission considers a cell tower on Colbert Lane, no more county-provided bus trips for the Historical Society, John Oliver takes on ISIS in terms befitting ‘premium-cable profanity.’
At Florida’s GOP Summit, 2nd-String Candidates Focus on Paris Attacks and Blame Obama
Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and Bobby Jindal spoke on the second day of the Sunshine Summit and criticized current policy regarding ISIS as they sought to distinguish themselves and lift their sagging place in polls.
“Greetings” at Flagler Playhouse: A Miracle of Fortune Cookie Wisdom
“Greetings,” the Christmas-themed 1990 comedy by Tom Dudzick staged by the Flagler Playhouse through Nov. 22, doesn’t quite rise to the charms or “It’s a Wonderful Life” but only a Grinch would say it’s not a pleasant Yuletide diversion.
Sheriff Reveals Breadth of Computer Failure and Safety Lapses, and Sharply Blames County
Sheriff Manfre, in a terse letter to County Administrator Craig Coffey, says the failure was one of several, it jeopardized officer safety and may have wiped out 20 months of critical data, and he asks for answers.
Palm Coast Taxi Driver Arrested on Trafficking and Other Charges After Drugs Are Found in Cab
James Mabry, a 53-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s W-Section who drove an Alliance Taxi, was arrested in his Taxi on Nov. 5 as he weaved across the Palm Coast Parkway bridge over I-95, and found in possession of several prescription drugs, controlled substances and marijuana, which were stored in the cab, according to his arrest report.
Flagler Beach Hires Larry Newsom as City Manager, From a County 70 Times Larger
Larry Newsom, hired by a 5-0 vote Thursday night, had been assistant and interim manager in Escambia County, with a population of 350,000. Flagler Beach’s population is 5,000.
Weekend Briefing: Legislative Delegation Meeting, Marineland’s 75th, Sevyn, Greetings and Roof-Raising
Flagler-Palm Coast officials will appear before the county’s legislative delegation–Travis Hutson and Paul Renner–to make their pitch of priorities, Marineland is celebrating all weekend.
Steven Nobile, Professed Conservative, Wants a 324% Pay Increase for Palm Coast Council
Steven Nobile’s proposal dovetails fellow-council member Heidi Shipley’s request for health benefits and some higher pay, but they may face opposition from two members facing elections next year.
The United States Has Been Dithering on Climate Change Since LBJ. Enough.
despite 50 years of growing scientific consensus, the warming of the earth continues unabated. Well-funded lobby groups have sowed doubt among the public and successfully downplayed the urgency of the threat.
Florida Wildlife Officials Call Bear Hunt a “Success,” Opponents Call It a Slaughter
Some 304 bears were killed in two days and few hunters cited for violations, but critics called it a slaughter, saying most of the bears were killed on private land, where state regulations could be more easily skirted.
Palm Coast Sheriff’s Precinct Cmdr. Mark Carman T-Boned in Cypress Edge Collision
Mark Carman, the long-time captain–now commander–of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Palm Coast Precinct, was t-boned by a 23-year-old driver but not seriously injured in a crash as he drove on Cypress Edge Drive last week.
On Marineland’s 75th Anniversary, Celebration of More Than Dolphins or a Storied Past
Marineland’s 75th anniversary celebrates past, present and future, highlighting the town’s continued ecological and cultural importance beyond dolphin adventures, which nevertheless play a large role in the town’s identity.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Rezones, Dick Cheney at Sunshine Summit, Homecoming at Stetson,
Flagler Beach takes on rezoning 3 acres it doesn’t want to rezone, Dick Cheney opens the GOP’s Sunshine Summit at Disney’s Contemporary, Stetson celebrates homecoming.
Paying for Patriotism: The Pentagon’s Crass, Misguided Stunts
The Pentagon has been buying and choreographing patriotism at NFL, baseball and NASCAR events that are made to look spontaneous and voluntary. They’re anything but.
Another Dire Forecast for Florida Oranges And Grapefruit as Citrus Greening Raids On
The industry has been trying to fend off a decrease in agricultural land because of development while also confronting massive losses from the spread of citrus greening.
A Judge and “Citizen Soldier” Honors Veterans as Children Discover 265th Air Defense Artillery
The Veterans Day ceremony in Bunnell featured Judge J. David Walsh, an airman in Vietnam, and the newly arrived hardware and men of the 265th Air Defense Artillery brigade, now at the Flagler County Airport.
23 lb. and a Gun: 2nd Pot House in Three Years Is Busted on Palm Coast’s Wheatfield Drive
Ex-FPC football player Daniel Epler, 21, was arrested after 23 pounds of pot, $9,000 in cash and a Cobra handgun were found in his bedroom at a duplex on Wheatfield Drive in Palm Coast.
Wednesday Briefing: Veterans Day Ceremonies, “Flashdance” at the Auditorium, Shrinking Deficit
Veterans Day ceremonies are scheduled in Palm Coast, at the Government Services Building and in veterans Park in Flagler Beach. “Flashdance,” the musical, is at the Flagler Auditorium.
Legislature on Defensive After Congressional Redistricting Fight Reaches Supreme Court
A key Florida Supreme Court justice sounded skeptical Tuesday about the Legislature’s proposal for a contested South Florida district in a battle over the map for the state’s congressional delegation.
Palm Coast Will Study Raising Town Center’s Crawl-Paced Speed Limits On Some Streets
Palm Coast drivers have been complaining of Town Center’s low speed limits for years. It took council members eight days of actually having to drive those streets to ask for a more “rational” change.
Palm Coast Mayor and Flagler Sheriff Will Marshal Holiday Boat Parade
The 13th annual Palm Coast Yacht Club Holiday Boat Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. with the traditional festival of lights on the water to mark the beginning of the winter holidays (assuming you didn’t start your celebration immediately after Labor Day).
At Sevyn, Bunnell’s Newest Night Club, A Playlist of Art, Music, Billiards and BBQ
At Sevyn, the new nightclub at the Palm Coast-Bunnell line on State Road 100, live jazz, live blues, open mic nights, Latin music dancing and R&B all mix night after night with art, pool tables and chef Dan Testa’s delights.
Tuesday Briefing: Discover the Vince Carter Sanctuary, Goodbye Killer Whale Shows (Finally)
The Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation hosts an open house at Vince Carter Sanctuary, SeaWorld will end its Shamu theatrics in San Diego, but it’s not clear whether it will follow suit in Orlando and San Antonio.
Bunnell Thanks Its Surprisingly Departing Manager Then Hurries to Shop For One Before Christmas
Commissioners dismissed an attempt to delay a broader search for an applicant and give internal candidates a chance, saying internal applicants can send in their resumes just like everyone else.
Deputies’ Dispatching System Edging Back to Life, But Some Sheriff’s Data May Be Lost
The CAD system went offline on Oct. 29 and had been only fitfully operational since after a server failure that may have erased significant data with it. CAD was offline again this morning, but was working this afternoon.
Court Uphold 45-Year Sentence for Inmate Convicted of Rape and Robbery When 15
Continuing to grapple with decades-long sentences for juveniles who commit serious crimes, a divided state appeals court refused Monday to order a new sentence for Thomas Kelsey, now 28, but asked the Supreme Court to take up the question.
County’s Closest Likeness to Homeless Shelter Scales Back Services and Access to Grounds
For eight years First United Methodist Church in Bunnell had been an unofficial day shelter for the homeless. The church’s new leadership is changing that as finances and a different philosophy is compelling a more restrictive approach.
Even Liberals Should Concede:
Obamacare Is Not Working
Between the rapacity of insurers, GOP assaults and its own flaws, the Affordable Care Act is failing its promise to curb costs and make insurance coverage affordable. Republicans have no alternative. But a better one already exists.
Monday Briefing: The News-Journal’s Special Report on Officer-Involved Shootings, Bunnell Reorganizes, Rotary v. Hunger
The News-Journal’s “Shots Fired” investigates the murky world of officer-involved shootings in Florida, where 249 people have been shot in two years. The Rotary needs volunteers against hunger. Bunnell government reorganizes after its manager’s resignation.
Stewart Marchman-Act Foundation Launches Bouquets of Hope Campaign for Thanksgiving
The Stewart Marchman-Act Foundation is launching the Bouquets of Hope & Classic Chocolates fundraiser to support mental health awareness in our community.
Why Your Fitbit May Be Pointless
If you’re rooting for smartphones to solve all our health problems, you’re not going to like what the researchers found. The smartphone app didn’t help young adults lose any more weight than if they hadn’t been using the app at all.
In Flagler Beach, City Manager’s Choice is Down to “Old Shoe” and “Shiny New Pair”
Flagler Beach commissioners have zeroed in on Joe Gerrity and Larry Newsom as their next city manager, but haven’t mustered the super-majority they need to offer the job to either.
William Dillow, Serving 45 Years for Raping 2 Pre-Teen Flagler Beach Girls, Is Murdered
William Dillow, 29, was sentenced in April to 45 years and was serving at the Jefferson Correctional Institution near Tallahassee when he was killed by a fellow-inmate. He’d been arrested in February 2014.
Two Injured in SUV Rollover on I-95; Pet Rat “Sweetie” Is Spared
The male driver of the wreck was seriously injured, and initially thought to have sustained life-threatening injuries, but that was later changed to “serious” rather than critical injuries.