A busy couple of weeks of violent fights and arrests at the Flagler County jail, a road-rage arrest at the Country Store in the Mondex, four arrests outside Salsas Mexican Restaurant, a father gets his allegedly thieving son arrested, and a lot more from Flagler’s crime scenes.
In Recession’s Depth, 2,362 Millionaires Got Unemployment Benefits
Brace yourselves: in 2009, no fewer than 2,362 millionaires got unemployment benefits. The year before, 2,840 did, raising questions about whether unemployment insurance should be means-tested. Five such proposals are pending in Congress.
Video Released in Sharps Liquor Armed Robbery, Clearly Showing Both Suspects
Police are looking for two black men in their early 30s after the afternoon robbery of Sharps Liquor at Flagler Plaza on State Road 100, less than a year after the same store was the target of an armed robbery. The video released Wednesday shows both suspects.
For Florida Justices, Two Lesbian Mothers, One Child, and a Question of Parenthood
The case pits two former lesbian partners, one of whom provided an egg that was fertilized and implanted in the other woman, who later gave birth. After the relationship ended, the woman who gave birth blocked her former partner from having parental rights.
Strom Thurmond’s Racism, L.A.’s Legalized Pot Stores, Teens’ Babies: Six Reads Wednesday
Mitt Romney shows his abortion mettle in a 2002 debate, Los Angeles repeals regulations on 1,000 marijuana shops, Strom Thurmond’s hypocrisies, teens are having far fewer babies, newspapers still losing readers, Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Richards, and Flagler’s jail bookings.
Flagler School Board Rejects Building-Tax Cut, a Blow to Builders and the Chamber
Chamber President Doug Baxter had hoped Palm Coast would “fall in line” with a building-tax moratorium of its own if the county and the school board adopted one. The county did. The school board refused to go along Tuesday evening, calling the proposal irresponsible.
Jose Godinez-Samperio, Undocumented Immigrant and Lawyer, Falters at Florida Court
A skeptical Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday said it may be powerless to let Jose Godinez-Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, practice law in the state despite recent moves by the Obama administration to allow immigrants brought to the country as children pathway to permanent status in the United States.
Mitt Romney’s Dangerous Game: Making Israel a Wedge Issue in Florida
The Florida Jewish community should see through the false premise that Obama is anything less than stellar on Israel, as Mitt Romney, hoping to score partisan points with Florida’s Jewish vote, has attempted to claim, Dan Gelber argues.
Merrill Pleads No Contest in Wife’s Shooting; Canaday Sentenced to 30 Years for Child’s Rape
William Carson Merrill accidentally shot and killed his wife with an AK-47 in the couple’s Palm Coast home on Feb. 21. He’ll be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison on Oct. 29. Michael Eric Canaday, formerly of Palm Coast, was sentenced to 30 years for rape and molestation.
News-Journal Puts Up $120 Barrier to Online Access in Hopes of Improving Bottom Line
The News-Journal’s $120-a-year paywall for online readers follows the lead of more than 160 newspapers that have ended unlimited free access to websites to stop hemorrhaging print readers, where, most of the advertising revenue remains.
Why CEOs Make Lousy Presidents, Rudeness Online: Five Reads Tuesday
CEOs are not cut out to be president, what rude dogs would be like online, the death of the Great Barrier Reef, of Eric Hobsbawm and of Baathism, an interview with Salman Rushdie, and Flagler’s jail bookings.
Snubbing Voters, Lame-Duck County Enacts 20-Year Sales Tax While Slashing Cities’ Shares
Many questions remained unanswered about the use of the money and the size of the proposed jail it’s supposed to pay for as the Flagler County Commission voted 4-1 to enact a sales tax it feared the public would not have approved at the ballot box this November.
Amendment 5 and the Battle to Remake, And Subdue, the Florida Supreme Court
Amendment 5 would subject all Supreme Court nominations to confirmation by the Florida Senate and lower the bar for the Legislature to overturn court rules and would give lawmakers access to the records of judicial investigations.
As Expected, Flagler County Suspends $1,707-a-Home Building Tax for 2 Years
The county’s moratorium is relatively small, but Flagler’s chamber of commerce and its home builders association hope to get the school board to approve a moratorium next, then move to Palm Coast, where impact fees add up to $15,270.
Al Williams, Volusia County School Board Chairman, Dies at 70
Volusia County School Board Chairman Al Williams, who’d just been re-elected to the board in August, died this morning (Oct. 1) at Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach after he fell ill last month as his health was deteriorating.
Cramming for Zingers at the Debates: Five Reads Monday
The most conservative U.S. Supreme Court since the 1930s reconvenes with gay marriage and affirmative action ahead, how Obama and Romney cram for debates, America’s contempt for teachers, and the future of The Times.
As Flagler Governments Consider Impact Fee Cut, Evidence of Economic Benefit Is Slim
Builders and developers want the Flagler school board and Flagler County to cut impact fees–the one-time tax on construction–saying it’ll help the economy grow. But plenty of evidence says it won’t, while Flagler residents still reel from low values and empty houses that more new houses won’t help.
Impact Fees: What They Are, Who Pays Them, How Much They Pay
Whether you call them impact fees, taxes or hidden taxes, they’re a Florida and Flagler County reality. An explanation and definition of impact fees with a local rate schedule by city and county.
The Palm Coast City Council’s Disturbing Synthetic Marijuana High
On synthetic pot, the Palm Coast City Council and other local governments are being had, as governments trample due process to enforce a legal shortcut against a ghost epidemic–the latest hysteria in the derelict war on drugs.
From Tape-Downs to Lockdowns: A Day in the So-Called Life of a Cancer Patient
Three radiation treatments in and with 39 to go, Jo Ann Nahirny describes life at the curfew-happy Hope Lodge for cancer patients, her manhandling on the radiation table, and her husband’s angelic patience.
Deeper Knowledge from an Ocean of Films
Ocean film festivals are venues for knowledge, understanding, networking and, of course, the viewing of beautiful and important films, and they’re vital for those who want to be involved in ocean conservation, writes Frank Gromling.
Beata Kinecka, 39, of Palm Coast, Is Killed, 6 Are Injured in a 4-SUV Wreck on Belle Terre
Beata Kinecka, 39, of Palm Coast, was killed, and six other local residents in three separate cars, including a 16-month-old baby, were injured in a wreck that involved both northbound and southbound lanes of Belle Terre Parkway just north of the White View Parkway intersection late Friday evening.
Florida Conservation Groups Mobilize for National Public Lands Day Saturday
A coalition of Northeast Florida’s leading conservation organizations are using this occasion to raise awareness about the importance of publicly-owned conservation lands and to encourage the community to explore, volunteer and advocate for the protection of these vital natural resources.
Flagler Sheriff Tallies DUI Catch as Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Blood-Test Case
Flagler County deputies arrested 11 drunk drivers and many others on charges unrelated to DUI. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether forcing a DUI suspect to submit to a blood test is constitutional.
Videos of Horse Chase Through Bunnell, Just Released, Show Rider at a Gallop
Three surveillance videos catch glimpses of Charles Cowart as he rode a horse through various parts of Bunnell on Tuesday, particularly South Bunnell, as cop cars chase him and crowds gather.
Presidential Debate Myths and Zimmerman’s Gun-Rights Advocate: Seven Reads Friday
Debunking the effect of presidential debates, George W. Bush beats Romney in latest poll, George Zimmerman’s attorney goes off to a gun rally, celebrating 30 years of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, justifying women not wanting children, and more.
Paul Novak of Palm Coast Charged With Murdering His Wife in New York in 2008
Paul Novak, a resident of Lewiston Court in Palm Coast since 2009, faces a second-degree murder charge and an arson charge in the death of his wife Catherine Novak, who was found dead in her charred home in New York’s Hudson Valley in December 2008.
Mitt Romney’s , and Republicans’, Goldwater Moment
Blowing an election it should have won, the GOP might finally realize it has strayed far out of the mainstream and become a little too odd for the American public, writes Bill Cotterell.
Customer Wins “Stand Your Ground” Ruling After Confrontation With FPL Bill-Collectors
An appeals court Thursday agreed with the dismissal of criminal charges against a Miami-Dade County man who relied on the state’s “stand your ground” law after a confrontation with two Florida Power & Light workers on his property.
How Two Council Members, Out of View, Got WNZF to Back-Pedal on Synthetic Marijuana
What was behind what sounded like a retraction on synthetic marijuana by WNZF’s David Ayres on his Free For All Friday show last week? Private discussions between Palm Coast Council member Bill McGuire with Mayor Jon Netts, and a letter Netts wrote Ayres, that the council never discussed openly–even as the council has yet to vote finally on the matter.
From Red Lights to School Buses: Florida Looks For Traffic Spy Cameras’ Next Perch
Despite having by far the safest record of any mode of transportation, including in Flagler, Florida school officials are looking to add spy-and-snap cameras on school buses similar to red-light cameras at Palm Coast and other cities’ intersections. School districts would reap most of the cash benefits from fines.
Bill Nye the Anti-Creationism Guy: Five Reads Thursday
Bill Nye finally calls creationism inappropriate for children, suicides now exceed auto fatalities as leading cause of injury deaths, a Texas school board lets men spank girls, Obama’s immorality, the F-22’s many disasters, Florida’s new 600-lever voting machines, and Flagler jail bookings.
Those 11 Constitutional Amendments on November’s Ballot: Women League Says Just Vote No
Florida voters will see 11 of the most confusing, complex and sometimes misleading state ballot amendments ever proposed, and voters will need to decide: Do I want this in our state constitution? Deirdre Macnab, state president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, says No.
In Bunnell, A Succession of Disagreements Over Who’s in Charge When Head Cheese Isn’t
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez names either his finance director or his grants director as the acting manager when he’s away. Commissioner Elbert Tucker says it’s a violation of the city charter, which spells out who’s in charge when the manager isn’t: the city clerk, the chief of police then the mayor, in that order.
A 26-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Is Arrested On 3 Counts of Lewd Sex With 14 Year Old
Javon Hall, a 27-year-old resident of Whispering Pine Drive in Palm Coast, is in jail on $100,000 bond following his arrest on three charges that he had sex with a 14-year-old Palm Coast girl. The victim termed some 30 encounters consensual, which is no defense for Hall under the law.
Using Straw Man, Palm Coast Ridicules County’s Opposition to Red-Light Cameras
Rather than address questions raised by County Commission Chairman Barbara Revels, the Palm Coast Council invented a claim that the county wanted to enable law-breaking, unsafe drivers, and dismissed Revels’s request to reconsider installing spy cameras on State Road 100.
Obama Opens Biggest Florida Lead Yet As Romney Reels from 47% Remark
Romney’s challenge is no longer to win just undecided voters–a very thin sliver–but to win back voters who have decided to give Obama a second term. The three October debates are Romney’s last chance to make a play for those voters.
Conservative Koch Brothers Enter Florida Supreme Court Fray
Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group financially backed by billionaires Charles and David Koch, is slated to release a series of ads aimed at recalling liberal Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince from the state’s highest court.
Floridians’ Consumer Confidence at Highest Level Since 2007
All five of the five components that make up consumer confidence increased, including expectations about personal finance, national economic conditions, and buying confidence, according to the latest analysis by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Paul Ryan Goes Rogue: Five Reads Wednesday
Paul Ryan goes rogue, the inaccuracy and inhumanity of the terms “illegal immigrant,” Obama finally defends free speech, students moralize their cheating, Lady Gaga remembers her bulimia, plus the Flagler jail bookings.
Matanzas Pirates’ Mission: A Senior Rallies Students and Faculty For a Teacher’s Survival
Juan Pablo Torres, a senior at Matanzas High School, decided to repay his English teacher, now undergoing cancer treatment in Gainesville, by showing her how students and teachers at Matanzas take care of their own.
Palm Coast Mayor Netts Says Amendment 4 Takes Taxes From “Screwy” to “Screwier”
Other Flagler government leaders joined Jon Netts in criticism of of proposed Constitutional Amendment 4, which would limit the tax liability of commercial, rental and vacant properties while lowering the tax liability of first-time home-buyers, but at the expense of local government revenue, which has been battered since 2007.
Horseman, Termed Drunk, Takes Bunnell Police on Long Chase Through the City
Charles Cowart, 29, was arrested and charged with charged with disorderly conduct and cruelty to animals, among other charges, after the chase forced a train to stop and brought various parts of Bunnell to a brief, gaping standstill.
Tyler Scott Van Balvern, 21, Victim of Fourth Motorcycle Fatality in 7 Weeks On Flagler Roads
The body of Tyler Scott Van Balvern, 21, the latest motorcyclist killed since Aug. 1 on Flagler roads was discovered Sunday in a ditch roughly across from the Black Cloud Saloon. The motrcycle was located almost 40 feet inside the woodline.
Early Voting War Over as Judge, Citing “Souls to the Polls” Sundays, Refuses Injunction
The war over early voting in Florida ahead of November’s presidential election appeared to wind down Monday, with a federal court refusing to block a portion of the state’s controversial 2011 elections law. In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan denied a request from Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown and other black voters to […]
Five Reads Tuesday: Clinton Tells Muslims to Grow a Pair
Obama takes break-out lead in most polls, Bill Clinton tells Muslims to grow a pair, Roger Cohen calls Netanyahu’s childish bluff, the Arctic’s disappearing ice, J.K. Rowling goes adult, plus Flagler County’s jail bookings.
Flagler’s SAT Scores Tumble to Lowest Level in at Least 8 Years as Florida’s Improve
The declines some of them steep, took place in all categories–reading, math, writing–at both Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School, with one exception in reading at Matanzas.
Capsized Speedboat, High on Marijuana Bricks, Washes up on Flagler Shore
The 25-foot speedboat bearing a stash of marijuana, which washed up on shore Sunday and Monday, was beached near the Flagler By the Sea campsite in Beverly Beach. Such speedboats have become a means of choice for smugglers of drugs or human traffickers in recent years.
Florida Republican Party Wades Into Supreme Court Fight as Justices Curtail Fund-Raising
The Republican Party of Florida issued a statement saying the GOP opposes three justices who form the backbone of the court’s left-of-center majority–R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince. The justices slashed their fund-raising activities according to the latest filings.
Five Reads Monday
Florida’s secrecy-shrouded absentee voting, Inside the mind of Sheldon Adelson, Salman Rushdie and the Satanic video, how Republicans plan to steal the election, and a very dull Emmy night. Plus Flagler County’s weekend jail bookings.