Flagler Commissioner George Hanns’s 25 years in public service are marked Sunday at Hijackers Restaurant, the Legislature passes a series of health care bills today, Palm Coast graduates another academy class.
In Theoretical Mass Shooting at FPC, a Mass Exercise to Evaluate Vulnerabilities
A man denied custody of his children decides to take his rage out on FPC students in a shooting rampage: that was the scenario around which some 200 responders and volunteer actors recreated an emergency response this morning in a two-hour training exercise at the school.
SWAT Team Deployed Again, This Time for Marijuana Muffins and Chocolate
The SWAT team was deployed Wednesday morning against a Flagler Beach “grow house” where “several” muffins and chocolate laced in marijuana were seized.
Thursday Briefing: Emergency Drill at FPC, Ty Pennington Digs Palm Coast, Denali Dims McKinley
Avoid the area around Flagler Palm Coast High School Thursday morning, Mt. Denali wants to kick out McKinley, Ty Pennington grills in Palm Coast.
Don’t Panic: FPC Will Be the Scene of a Large-Scale “Active Assailant” Exercise Thursday
Emergency management is not releasing more detailed information than that because the aim of the exercise is to simulate a stressful emergency as close to the real thing as possible.
The War on Women, Cont’d: Enough with Mandatory Vaginal Exams, Florida
It’s not enough that in 2011 our Legislature passed a draconian law forcing women to schedule, pay for, and look at an ultrasound of their fetus if they choose to exercise their right to an abortion.
Fossil-Fuel Utilities Band Up to Block Solar-Power Initiative Aiming to Unshackle Industry
Florida’s largest electric utilities, AG Pam Bondi and business groups want the Supreme Court to block a proposed solar-energy ballot initiative that would go before voters in 2016.
Florida Park Drive Data Sees No Traffic Problem. Residents Differ. Council Is Stumped.
The Palm Coast council wants to help residents along Florida Park Drive, but it isn’t sure there is a solution there that would not also trigger a problem elsewhere.
Palm Coast Passes on Supporting County In Anti-Fracking and Drilling Resolutions
The Palm Coast City Council chose not to sign on to a pair of resolutions opposing fracking or seismic testing for oil offshore of Florida, saying the county has already spoken.
Imprisoned for Burglarizing Joe’s Pizza in 2009, He Targets Oriental Garden Tuesday
Hugh W. McIntyre,a resident of Palm Coast’s B-Section, was arrested Tuesday shortly after burglarizing Oriental Garden. He was sentenced to two years in prison for burglarizing Joe’s New York Pizza to support a drug habit in 2009.
Wednesday Briefing: Golden Lion’s Saucy Reach, Brotherhood Ride at Palm Coast Elks, Bail’s Injustice
Flagler Beach’s Golden Lion donates 50% of profits from its tartar sauce sales to feed the needy, the Brotherhood Ride in Palm Coast honors 10 Fallen Florida First Responders, how the bond system screws defendants and ruins families daily.
Citing “Competition,” Lawmakers Want Hospitals Deregulated. Hospitals Disagree.
The measure would eliminate what is known as the hospital “certificate of need” process in Florida, which requires state review and approval of building new hospitals, replacing hospitals and offering certain complex, costly medical services such as organ transplants.
News-Journal Employees File Charges of Unfair Labor Practices Against New Owner GateHouse Media
The press room union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board on June 3, charging that GateHouse Media illegally abrogated their collective bargaining agreement and is trying to bust the union.
Arrested for Drunk Driving, She Tries to Roll Up Her Car Window on a Cop’s Arm
Erin Johnson, 26, of Palm Coast, was one mile from her Wellshire Lane house before she was arrested on charges of battery on a cop, resisting with violence and drunk driving.
16 Matanzas High Seniors Still Awaiting Diplomas Because of Company’s Late Exam Scores
Pearson, the company scoring the Biology and US History end-of-course exams, has had a poor history of turning in its own work over the many years it’s administered standardized tests in Florida.
Childhood Cancer Clusters in Florida and The Department of Health’s Lethal Silence
Five years have passed since the University of West Florida’s Dr. Raid Amin and his team alerted the state to the presence of cancer clusters in Florida, the state Department of Health remains mum, seemingly uninterested in investigating the issue.
Tuesday Briefing: Swim Lessons at Frieda Zamba, Texas Pool Party Video, Michael J. Fox at 54
Video of Texas police shown abusing a 14-year-old girl at a Texas pool party surfaces, the Palm Coast council takes on Florida Park Drive again, Michael J. Fox is still powering Parkinson’s battlers, and the Women’s World Cup continues in Canada.
Senator Blasts “Hypocritical” House Over Rejecting Medicaid Money While Getting Set to Borrow
Disagreements led Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, to label the House as “hypocritical” for rejecting federal Medicaid expansion funding while being willing to issue bonds to pay for environmental projects.
Sheriff’s $2.5 Million Budget Request Increase Is Largest in 10 Years, With 5% Raise For Ranks
The increase reflects additional staffing at the new jail, money for 10 new patrol vehicles, a 5 percent across-the-board raise and state-required retirement contributions accounting for the bulk of the increase.
More Than 1.3M Floridians May Lose Their Obamacare Subsidies, More Than Any Other State
Floridians received at least $389 million in March from the federal government to help pay for their health insurance. The subsidies are at the center of a Supreme Court case challenging the health law. The case will be decided this month.
Monday Briefing: Flagler’s Entertainers of the Year, Navy SEALS Vigilantism, Money Growing on Trees
Entertainers of the year are listed, the Flagler Education Foundation celebrates 25 years, forests have become a rich investment, the Baiata Bird Sanctuary wants your vote to win a $25,000 prize, and Harley the lost dog has been found.
In Breakthrough, Lawmakers Agree on Health Budget and “Significant” Increase for Education
Florida House and the Senate reached tentative agreements Saturday on money to hospitals and providers for the poor, and a $207-per-pupil increase in education funding.
Stupid Pot Busts
The conviction for pot smoking of a Palm Coast resident who’d never had so much as a traffic ticket illustrates the sickness of a police and judicial system’s wrongheaded marijuana fixation.
At Least Now They’re Talking: Florida House and Senate Reach Deal on Budget Outline
The agreement was the first tangible sign of progress on a budget during a special session that began Monday, but lawmakers still face days of detailed negotiations to hash out the finer points of a deal.
Palm Coast Resident Accused of Operating A Crack-and-Pot Operation in Bunnell
Tyrone Patterson, a 37-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R-section who was charged with child abuse in March, is being held on $720,000 bond for trafficking cocaine and growing pot near Carver Gym in Bunnell.
Judge William Parsons Is Resigning to Join Cobb Cole Firm in Daytona
Circuit Judge William Parsons, twice the chief judge in the judicial district that includes Flagler, will end 17 years on the bench to return to private practice next January.
When LOL Means Loss of Life: Flagler Students Rap Texting-and-Driving In Video
A coalition of local agencies initiated by Chiumento Selis Dwyer led to a student video project at Matanzas High School and a 150-second public service announcement video warning of the dangers of texting and driving, which premiered Wednesday.
Economy Surges With 280,000 Jobs, But Unemployment Remains at 5.5%
The new jobs bring the total to 12.6 million private-sector jobs created over the last 63 months, one of the better performances of extended growth since World War II.
Weekend Briefing: Matanzas Has a New Principal, Leadership Flagler Wants You, Ferris Bueller at 30
Earl Johnson of Volusia County Schools Selected New Principal for Matanzas High School, the Chamber’s Leadership Flagler Class of 2015 wants applicants, First Friday in Flagler Beach.
Opposing “Medicaid in Disguise,” Florida House Set to Kill Senate Health Plan Friday
For all of its new provisions, House Republicans said, the so-called Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX, remains Medicaid expansion in disguise.
Veteran Accused of Shooting His Wife Deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial, For Now
Jonathan Canales, 27, is accused of shooting his wife in their Mondex home in November as three young children slept. He denies shooting her, saying she shot herself.
Opelka’s Fabulous Run in Paris Ends in Quarterfinal Defeat, But He’s Warming Up for Wimbledon
The 17-year-old Palm Coaster lost to fellow-American and friend Michael Mmoh, but he will be climbing the world’s junior rankings as he heads for two grass-court tournaments in England.
Palm Coast Councilman Calls for Task Force to Address Public Abuse of Government Workers
At Council member Bill McGuire’s request, the city formed a task force to better protect government employees from what he says has become routine abuse in person, by phone, by email, and out on the streets where government workers often interact with residents.
Palm Coast Bragging Rights: City’s Fire Protection Rating Vaults to Near Highest
Palm Coast’s fire-protection ISO rating improves from 4 to 2, topping the county and yielding likely cheaper property insurance rates for commercial and residential property owners.
In a Reversal, Palm Coast Council Opts to Delay Old Kings Road Repaving Until Fall of 2016
The resurfacing of Old Kings Road will wait for the completion of a utility project along the road. Instead, three dozen city streets will be repaved in 2015-16.
Thursday Briefing: Talent Show Night at the Auditorium, Varn Park Reopens, Social Media Day Proclaimed
Spotlight on Flagler Youth Variety and Talent Show is at 7 tonight at the auditorium. Varn Park’s half-million renovation is done. Americans want more equality.
Senate Approves Health Plan to Resolve Budget Impasse, But House Remains Unmoved
Gov. Rick Scott and House Republican leaders staunchly oppose the legislation, which helped grind budget negotiations to a halt earlier this year and spark a special session currently underway.
At Sea Ray Boats, a $10,000 Gift Marks Millions of Working Hours Without an Accident
Brunswick Corp. CEO Dustan McCoy marked Sea Ray’s safety record while tracing the Flagler Beach plant’s success through the Great Recession, and linking its safety record to its continuing operations.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Continues Stunning Run in Paris, Upsetting World’s No. 1 Junior For Quarterfinals Spot
The 17-year-old Opelka erased a 5-3 third-set deficit to win the final four games of the match Wednesday against No.1-ranked junior Orlando Luz of Brazil at the French Open Juniors tournament.
Flagler Schools Will Settle Civil Rights Lawsuit And Appoint Disciplinary Oversight Council
The lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center had targeted Flagler schools’ disproportionate punishment of black students. The disciplinary oversight coalition will meet quarterly and publicly, reviewing disciplinary data and making recommendations to the superintendent.
Wednesday Briefing: “American Sniper” in Palm Coast, a $15/hr Minimum Wage in LA, Texting and Driving at Matanzas
A local coalition launches a texting-and-driving video PSA at Matanzas this evening, LA passes a $15-an-hour minimum wage, Jerry Seinfeld has coffee with comedians again.
The Soccer Mafia
FIFA’s secrecy, its intimidation of the rivals to those who run it, and its reliance on favors, bribes, and called debts do show disturbing parallels to the world of organized crime, writes Ian Buruma.
Federal Government Calls Gov. Scott’s Lawsuit Over Medicaid Expansion “Baseless”
Federal officials fired back in court against Gov. Rick Scott’s contention that the Obama administration has unconstitutionally tried to link expanding Medicaid with the continuation of a key health-care funding program.
Taxable Values Rise Again–6% in Palm Coast, 7% in Flagler–But So Do Demands on Budgets
With more value comes more revenue for local governments, and more expectations from various agencies and the public–including a $2.4 million budget increase request from the sheriff’s office alone.
Tomoka Eye Foundation Donates $10,000 to the Center for the Visually Impaired
The donation is a result of the foundation’s first annual Tea and Biscuits fundraiser held last month. Funds from the event also went to guide dog support for the visually impaired. The check was presented to the Center for the Visually Impaired at CVI’s Legacy of Light luncheon on May 13.
Sheriff, Seeking Public’s Help, Investigating Series of Car Break-Ins in Palm Coast’s B-Section
Targeted residents were on Birchwood Drive, Brooklyn Lane, Brookside Drive, and Birchview Place, but cars were left unlocked or unattended in every case.
Machete-Wielding Palm Coast Man Arrested Over Assaulting Roommate’s Boyfriend
Before his arrest Monday on two felony aggravated battery charges for allegedly cutting a man with a machete, Mayko Rodriguez, 58, has had a checkered past with the law, going back at least 13 years in Flagler County.
Flagler Firefighters Have Current Contract For 1st Time in 4 Years, With Some Pay Hikes
The firefighters’ union’s first contract since 2011 gives firefighters with more experience more money. For nine years, firefighters were hired at the same rate of pay as existing firefighters with many more years of service.
Tuesday Briefing: School Board Talks Settlement of Discipline Lawsuit, Missing Dog Harley, Morrison’s Nobel
The Flagler school board this evening considers a settlement agreement over a lawsuit charging that black students are disproportionately disciplined, filed in 2012 by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Judge Rules Mostly in Favor of Flagler County Authority to Regulate Vacation Rentals
Judge Orfinger denied an attempt by short-term vacation-rental owners and managers to stop county regulations from taking effect, though on one count he ruled that the ordinance may not apply to contracts signed before mid-February, when the ordinance was passed.