“Innocence of Muslims” is a vile movie about Islam, but its movie maker had every right to make it, and it is far less vile than the murderous riots Muslim fundamentalists have launched as a result–or Mitt Romney’s political opportunism over the crisis.
Feed Flagler Launches 4th Year as Big Cuts in Food Stamps Loom and Pantries Empty Out
Again led by County Commissioner Milissa Holland, Feed Flagler aims to exceed last year’s fund-raising of $28,000 and 60,000-pound food-drive by Thanksgiving, but federal legislation cutting food stamp benefits would prove a setback for Flagler’s efforts against hunger.
A Strange Case of Car-Swapping and Theft On Palm Coast’s Prince Patrick Lane
A 22-year-old Navy recruit’s Nissan Altima had seemingly sat in her father’s driveway on Palm Coast’s Prince Patrick Lane since March, waiting for her return, only for her father to discover that it was not her car when he sought to clean it.
Lazarus Act: City Repertory Theatre’s “Jacques Brel” Revives Grand Voice With Force and Style
“Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well,” the Palm Coast City Repertory Theatre’s most successful production of its inaugural season, is rich in powerful and intuitive performances that recreate, in English, the songs and themes of the late French Bob Dylan.
Former Palm Coast Councilman William Venne Is Hurt Along With Flagler Deputy in a Crash
William Venne, 80, a member of the Palm Coast City Council from 2000 to 2007, crashed into a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy’s cruiser driven by Darrell Butler, 26, at Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway Thursday evening.
Gov. Scott Claims to Make Education His Top Priority. Democrats Are Doubtful.
With Gov. Rick Scott visiting several public schools this week and highlighting what he says is his understanding that Floridians want good schools and his intention to do something about it, Democrats teed off on the GOP education funding record.
Trey Corbett, Running for Flagler Supervisor Of Elections, Trips Over Several Election Rules
From a minor fine to more serious questions about his home and where he’s voted for the last four elections, Trey Corbett’s pattern of issues stand out because of the office he’s seeking, since he would be responsible for monitoring and controlling those very issues as supervisor of elections.
John M. Robinson, 33, Killed in Motorcycle Wreck on US1, Third Bike Fatality in a Row
John Michael Robinson, 33, of Palm Coast, was traveling north on U.S. 1 after midnight this morning (Sept. 14) when he lost control, overturned, and was was killed at the scene, the third motorcycle-related fatality on Flagler roads in six weeks.
Property Tax Amendments on November 6 Ballot Would Cut Local Revenue Further
Florida voters in November will face a flurry of proposed amendments to reduce property tax levies for groups ranging from first-time homebuyers to disabled veterans, while preventing increases on those whose homes lose value.
Finally for Flagler, a Visitation Safe Haven for Children and Victims of Domestic Violence
The Safe Haven Center for severed families needing a supervised, safe place for children’s visitations or exchanges, would spare families trip to Volusia or St. Johns–or meeting around the flagpole at the courthouse. The $400,000 federal grant was secured and executed by a group of local government and non-governmental leaders led by Judge Raul Zambrano, Commissioner Barbara Revels, and Abby Romaine, a candidate for the commission.
A Rash Shooting Outside Flagler Beach’s Lazy Pelican Lands 38-Year-Old Woman in Jail
Maureen Witkowski, a 38-year-old resident of Flagler Beach, was arrested on three gun-related charges after firing a gun outside the Lazy Pelican, a bar on A1A, the evening of Sept. 11.
Jamesine Fischer’s Hit-and-Run Trial Pushed to January, Benefitting Flagler Sheriff Fleming
Jamesine Fischer, facing a first-degree felony charge in the killing 76-year-old Francoise Pecqueur in a hit-and-run almost a year ago, will go to trial in January. The continuance works in favor of Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming’s re-election campaign.
Flagler 911: Cocaine and Baby Formula, Anger Over a Neighbor’s Friendliness, Battling Roomies
A 62-year-old man allegedly batters a young boy for using his neighbor’s dock, an alleged drug dealer worries about his baby’s formula, a man refuses to roll a cigarette for his girlfriend and pays the consequences, roommates won;t get along, and a series of larcenies, burglaries and other matters fill out Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s crime blotter.
The Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Homeless Shelter, Holds Fundraiser for Center Sunday
Flagler County’s Sheltering Tree, the county’s only homeless shelter, holds its “Steps to Success” Fundraiser at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Hammock Community Center, 79 Malacompra Road, off State Road A1A in Palm Coast. Tickets are $25.
Adopting Legally Blurry Policing Role, Palm Coast Takes On Synthetic Pot Sellers
The Palm Coast City Council would impose a $300-a-day fine on convenience stores that persist in selling legal products known as synthetic marijuana, and would use its code enforcement as its policing arm, with assistance from the sheriff’s office.
Go Ahead, Steal His Email:
Florida Court Rules It’s Not Cyberstalking
The First Circuit Court of Appeal found that a wife stealing her husband’s email and locking him out of his own account did not amount either to cyberstalking or to a form of domestic violence. The case involves Michael and Cheryl Young of Alachua County.
Siegel Resigns Over Comments on Christians’ Israel Support
Mark Alan Siegel has resigned as chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party after saying conservative Christians were allies of Israel only because they wanted to bring on the Second Coming.
At Finn’s in Flagler Beach, a Violent Fight With Lasting Consequences, and Arrests
Kristin Howard’s arrest today was the latest development in a tangled and violent brawl that involved a half dozen people at Finn’s, the bar in Flagler Beach, on Aug. 30. Harley J. King, who’d been released from state prison just five weeks earlier, was arrested on Sept. 3. More arrests may yet follow.
16-Year-Old’s High-Def Eye In the Sky Gives Flagler Free and Spectacular Publicity
Lucas Weekley, a budding engineer from Ocala, builds and flies remote-controlled aircraft that shoot high-definition video, which he edits and launches on YouTube through his BuyBee TV. Flagler Beach and Hammock Dunes were the lucky subjects of his last production.
Mulligan: County Re-Enacts Beach Dredging Meeting It Had Closed to the Public in July
A citizen had complained in July to the Flagler County Commission about a closed-door meeting on beach dredging proposals between the county administration and the U.S. Corps of Engineers that had nevertheless included three elected members of the Flagler Beach City Commission. Monday’s meeting was a redo for the public’s benefit.
Legality of State Workers’ 3% Retirement Tax Now Before Florida Supreme Court
With hundreds of millions of dollars a year hinging on their decision, Florida Supreme Court justices Friday began deliberating about whether to uphold a 2011 law that requires government workers to chip in 3 percent of their pay to the state retirement system.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Charts Next Steps For Expanded Panther Population and Range
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), working in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, plans to document where panthers are roaming beyond south Florida and develop the best practices to help people and panthers coexist.
Follow the Lead of Flagler Beach’s Restaurants: Trash the Styrofoam
Restaurants in Flagler Beach, among them the Turtle Shack and the Flagler Fish Company, decided to drop the use of Styrofoam and adopt all-recyclable containers, taking a lead other local businesses should follow, Frank Gromling writes, given Styrofoam’s polluting and carcinogenic properties.
Flagler County Art League’s Color Splash Returns with Brash of Brush
The Flagler County Art League’s “Color Splash” exhibit, featuring some 100 works in numerous mediums, opens Sept. 8 and runs through September and parallels growing success for the league’s classes.
We’re All Vikings Fans Today: Chris Kluwe Kicks Emmett Burns’s Gay Marriage Bigotries
Maryland lawmaker Emmett Burns wrote a bullying letter to the Baltimore Ravens owner asking him to silence Brendon Ayanbadejo’s support for gay marriage. Chris Kluwe kicked back the most winning answer of the year.
Despite County’s Spike, Most Flagler and City Homeowners’ Tax Bills Will Fall in 2013
It’s been a familiar and recurring complaint, but also an inaccurate one: that property taxes keep going up. They don’t. For most people, property taxes fell this year. And for most people, property taxes will either stay flat or fall again in 2013. Here are the city-by-city details.
What is the Roll-Back Rate in Property Taxes?
The roll-back or rolled-back rate is defined as it applies to property values and tax rates at budget time for local governments and property owners.
Florida DCF’s Answer to Welfare Recipients’ Unforwarded Addresses: Cut Off Benefits
The Florida Department of Children and Families has approved a change that would end public-assistance benefits for people who don’t report new addresses, drawing concerns that some low-income residents could unnecessarily lose food and medical aid.
Don’t Talk to an Empty Chair: Flagler Beach Museum Goes Boots and Bling for Bunnell
The Flagler Beach Historical Museum’s annual costume gala fund-raiser Saturday at the Black Cloud Saloon in Bunnell will be paired up with a 99th birthday bash for Bunnell, in preparation for that city’s centennial.
No Bounce: Economy Adds Only 96,000 Jobs in August as Unemployment Drops to 8.1%
The national economy added a meager 96,000 jobs in August, and the previous two months’ total was revised downward by 41,000 jobs. Nevertheless the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, from 8.3 percent, as the employment picture continues to zigzag between hope and anemia.
Car Overturns on U.S. 1; Injured, Fleeing Driver Is Caught and Booked on Several Warrants
Three people were sent to the hospital, one of them after he fled on foot and was caught and handcuffed about 500 yards south of the wreck scene. He had several warrants out on him.
For the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s 8th Season, 200 Students Join Before Recruiting Begins
A Flagler Youth Orchestra trio is visiting five Flagler County schools Thursday and Friday in the FYO’s annual recruiting tour, but a record number of students have already signed up for the increasingly popular program ahead of its open house on Sept. 12.
Fact-Check: From GM to TARP to AIG, The Federal Bail-Out By the Numbers
Quick, how many billions in the red are taxpayers on the bailout of GM? AIG? Fannie and Freddie? Is it true that the government has reaped a profit from bailing out the banks? Here are the answers.
Should FPL and Progress Energy Charge You $300 Million for Distant-Future Nukes Plants?
The state’s largest electric utilities are seeking approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to collect money that goes toward upgrading already-existing nuclear plants and helps pay for early work on new reactors that may or may not be built years from now.
Woodlands Residents Hear More Promises Than Certainties About Looming Development
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved land-use changes that would open the way to a vast assisted living facility and commercial complex adjacent to the Woodlands, the old, rustic neighborhood, worrying residents that their subdivision’s character is in jeopardy.
Raped, Pregnant and 11 Years Old: The Problem with the “Right-to-Life” Movement
In Pinellas County, an 11-year-old girl, pregnant after her rape by her mother’s 42-year-old boyfriend, is a stark rebuke to the right-to-like and personhood movement, argues Mary Jo Melone.
State Attorney Files Charges Against Both Individuals in Odd Brittany Lane Shooting
Marc Barbee and Stephen Metcalf were involved in a strange confrontation on Brittany Lane when Barbee shot at Metcalf and accused him of trying to run him over with a truck–an accusation the sheriff’s office threw out after investigating the case.
The Downside of Tourism Jobs, and What North Carolina Can Teach Florida
Florida is adding jobs, but mostly in tourism and service industry, low-skilled work that has involuntarily forced people into part-time employment. North Carolina has seen more employment grow in the information technology and research sectors. These jobs tend to offer higher pay and more stability.
Split Flagler Commission Approves $900,000 Tourism Budget With Glaring Increases
The $100,000 budget increase over the current year led one commissioner to raise objections over a doubling in rent costs and a tripling in furniture costs, while another commissioner objected to the rebranding of tourism efforts to include Palm Coast on par with Flagler’s beaches.
Federal Judge Rejects Higher Tuition for Florida Children of Undocumented Immigrants
A Miami federal judge has found that Florida is violating the constitutional rights of American-born children of illegal immigrants by requiring them to pay higher tuition rates than other students at state colleges and universities.
On Garage Sales, Palm Coast Rejects $5 Fee But Preserves Registration Requirement
Facing almost unanimous public opposition, the Palm Coast City Council reversed plans to impose a $5 fee for garage sales but will still require a computerized permit and registration system to enforce a 2-sale limit per year.
S.E. Cline Lands $216,000 Contract With Flagler, Hold the Controversy
S.E. Cline was one of two bidders to out improvements to the River to Sea Preserve park in northeast Flagler. County commissioners approved the contract unanimously.
In Charlotte, Democrats Welcome Crist as Floridians Wonder Whether to Trust Him
As Charlie Crist takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention to embrace President Barack Obama, Florida Democrats are facing a question that could shape their party’s future: How much do they trust Charlie Crist? It’s part of a soap opera unfolding before partisans in two states.
John Melvin, 56, of Bunnell, Is Killed in a Motorcycle Wreck on U.S. 1
John Melvin, 56, of Bunnell, was riding his Honda motorcycle south on U.S. 1, just north of the Old Dixie Highway intersection., when he failed to navigate a curve that has seen its share of wrecks over the years.
Only 5 Candidates, Including 4 Incumbents, Apply for 4 Palm Coast Planning Board Seats
Appointments to the influential Palm Coast planning board by the city council can turn into perpetual re-appointments despite the city’s two-term limit, which the council can override with a super-majority vote.
Greg Rawls, Long-Time Face of Economic Development in Flagler, Opts For a New Tribe
Greg Rawls had been Enterprise Flagler’s executive director since 2007 before Palm Coast and Flagler County killed that economic development partnership, and Flagler formed its own, where Rawls worked as a manager. He’ll be working for Creek Indian Enterprises in Alabama.
A 21-Year-Old With Mental Health Issues is Tased, Twice, and Jailed Rather than Baker-Acted
The family of Cameron Anderson doesn’t understand why the 21-year-old, who had mixed medication with drink and threatened to kill himself, was jailed instead of being Baker-Acted, as people who threaten harm to themselves usually are.
Women of the Year: Cindy Dalecki And Rebecca DeLorenzo Take Flagler
Marketing 2 Go’s Cindy Dalecki got the United Way’s Women’s Initiative of Flagler County’s Outstanding Woman of the Year Award and the president’s Volunteer Service Award, while the Flagler Business Women named Flagler Chamber VP Rebecca DeLorenzo its 2012 Woman of the Year.
Ed Skellings’s Death Leaves Florida Without a Poet Laureate for the First Time in 32 Years
A memorial to Ed Skellings will be held at the City Island library in Daytona Beach on Sept. 6 as the Florida State Poets Association lobbies the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott to formalize the poet laureate’s appointment and link it to Florida’s literary and literacy efforts.
When Lies Are Elevated to a Campaign Strategy
The lies of presidents could re-carve Rushmore by audacity alone, yet the lies of the Romney-Ryan campaign have taken the art of lying to new lows, but not without the complicity of voters, who, in the golden age of fact-checking, have no excuse to be misinformed.