The online audience for news is enormous and growing, but the Pew Center’s State of the News Media 2012 report points to declining revenue for news-gathering and a consolidating trend among online giants, with serious implications for civic engagement.
We Have A Sighting: Lewis Colam, Epic Rower, Rides Tide Into Palm Coast
Lewis Colam, the British rower making the 1,400 solo trip from MIami to New York, entered Palm Coast this afternoon for a welcome at the Yacht Club, where he’s due at 4:40 p.m.
Fischer (Fatal Hit-and-Run) and Merrill (Wife-Shooting) Plead Not Guilty in Absentia
Jamesine Fischer pleaded not guilty to a 1st degree felony charge of hit-and-run with a death, while William Merrill pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the killing of his wife with an AK-47 last month. Both wrote in their pleas.
Gov. Scott, Veto the School Prayer Bill
Today, several Florida and national leaders of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, including Palm Coast’s Merrill Shapiro, sent the following letter to Gov. Rick Scott, urging him to veto a school-prayer bill that cleared the Legislature.
State Attorney Files Kidnapping-With-Intent-to-Terrorize Charges Against Cary Hudson
Cary Hudson is in jail on $90,000 bond, facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated battery after allegedly beating a 51-year-old woman bloody and forcing her into his car–after she’d moved to Palm Coast to get away from him.
Flagler Residents Would See $84-a-Year Jump in FPL’s Base Rate Despite Solid Profits
Despite higher profits than most industries, Florida Power & Light (FPL) is requesting the $690.4 million rate increase in 2013. FPL says the increase would be offset by fuel cost decreases, at least in 2013, reducing the net bill increase to $2.48 a month.
Rowing Into Palm Coast, On His 1,400-Mile Solo Way to New York–for Alzheimer’s
Lewis Colam, 24, has no row-boating experience, but set off from Miami on March 3 on a 1,400-mile solo trip up the East Coast to raise $20,000 for Alzheimer’s research. The England native stops in Palm Coast this week.
In 911 Call, Paul Miller Calmly Tells Dispatcher of Shooting Mulhall, Then Hangs Up on Her
Paul Miller is calm, collected and seemingly unshaken by the gravity of the situation as he tells a 911 dispatcher to send an ambulance because he’d just shot his neighbor, Dana Mulhall. The 911 recording.
Teachers’ Bane: Students Who Don’t
Give a Damn, and Parents Who Reward Them
In her latest installment from the trenches, teacher Jo Ann Nahirny describes how regulations force teachers’ time to be consumed by efforts to improve the performance of indifferent students at the expense of students who actually want to learn.
Senate’s New Redistricting Map: Flagler District Whole Again, With St. Johns and Putnam
The chairman of the Senate Reapportionment Committee unveiled a new proposal for legislative districts Saturday to answer criticisms from the Florida Supreme Court. The plan creates a much more cohesive district for Flagler.
Going Green on St. Patrick’s Day
Adding “Going Green” to our St. Patrick’s Day activities makes perfect sense, while lending a little fun to the festivities. Frank Gromling provides a list of suggestions in his Coastal View column.
Sixth Serious Bike Week Wreck, on A1A, Sends 2 to Hospital After BMW Cuts Off Motorcyclists
A man in a BWM cut off a married couple from Jacksonville on their Harley Davidson as the man was making an illegal turn into a JT Seafood Shack parking lot. The couple sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries.
When Rick Santorum’s Official Language Blares Idiocy
Rick Santorum telling Puerto Rico’s people this week that they must all speak English before the island can become a state is the latest of many idiotic, exclusionary statements during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, argues Angel Castillo Jr.
For Environmental Issues at the Legislature, a Less Than Devastating 2012
Despite being overshadowed by insurance, redistricting and higher education issues, to name a few, environmental groups say they had better session than last, with both legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott both being more amendable to their input.
Grim Details Emerge: 5 Bullets Struck Dana Mulhall, 4 as He Fled, 2 in His Back
Paul Miller’s arrest report openly casts doubt on suggestions that Miller was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Dana Mulhall, describing instead a moment of anger that escalated and did not stop even as Mulhall was, literally, running for his life.
Spectacular Crash on Colbert Lane, Better Result: No Injuries, But a DUI Arrest
A spectacular crash closed Palm Coast’s Colbert Lane south of Blare Drive for almost two hours Thursday night as an Oldsmobile overturned and blocked most of the road after colliding with a BMW that ended up on the road’s shoulder. Despite the violence of the crash, no one was injured.
Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller Is Jailed On 2nd Degree Murder Charge
Paul Miller, the 66-year-old resident of South Flagler Avenue who shot and killed his neighbor over an argument about a dog Wednesday evening, was booked into the Flagler County jail this evening on a second degree murder charge.
One Bike, One Victim Left Critical in Latest Bike Week Crash, By Weigh Station On I-95
Ronnie Reynolds, 54, of Richlands, Va., was evacuated by air in critical condition to Halifax Hospital after brakes malfunctioned and sent him and the bike tumbling five or six times.
Citing Fleming-Larizza Conflicts of Interest, Gov. Scott Orders Fischer Case Out of Flagler
Scott issued the order after State Attorney R.J. Larizza voluntarily withdrew from prosecuting the case, “to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest or impropriety” with Sheriff Don Fleming, now a witness in the Jamesine Fischer case–and vulnerable politically.
Paul Miller, Who Shot and Killed Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach Wednesday, Is Set Free
Paul Miller, who’s arguing self-defense, was released from Flagler Beach police custody about a half dozen hours after he shot and killed Dana Mulhall Wednesday evening. No weapon was found near Mulhall.
A Man Is Dead, Another in Custody in Flagler Beach Shooting Following Neighbors’ Dispute
A man is dead, another is in custody, arrested by Flagler Beach police, after a shooting described as methodical and deliberate shattered the calm of South Flagler Avenue this evening, just after 6 p.m.
Flagler Democrat Heather Beaven Declares For Congress in Newly Drawn 6th District
Heather Beaven is the first Democrat in a race featuring four Republicans so far. Beaven lost to John Mica in 2010, polling 31 percent across the district and 34 percent in Flagler County. Mica is seeking reelection elsewhere as the district was redrawn.
Turtle Saving Time: Nesting Season Begins on Flagler and Florida Beaches, Lasting Through October
That age-old ritual of turtle-nesting is in full swing on Flagler County’s beaches, where beach-goers will recognize the trademark wooden stakes and thin square-forming ribbons around nests–and steer clear of the sandy nurseries.
“The Politics of Holocaust Memory”: Jennifer Rodgers Lectures at Flagler College March 19
Jennifer Rodgers, the 2011-2012 Ben and Zelda Cohen Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will speak at Flagler College on March 19.
Florida’s Latest Stab at Sharia Law Fails, Barely, But May Not Be the Last
A bill to ban Islamic or Sharia law’s application in state courts cleared the House and two Florida Senate committees easily, and would have gotten Gov. Rick Scott’s signature. It mirrors a concerted anti-Islamic campaign in at least 20 other states.
Piety’s Double Edge: When Deeds Speak Louder Than Public Prayers
As Gov. Rick Scott readies to sign into law Florida’s school prayer bill, how can legislators push for “inspirational messages” in classrooms while they work to destroy access to affordable healthcare, a woman’s right to choose and the rights of service workers to earn a decent wage?
Diana Sallee Dies from Injuries in Monday’s Bike Crash on A1A; First Bike Week Fatality In Flagler
Billy and Diana Sallee were vacationing for the first time in 12 years, to Bike Week, when their bike rear-ended an SUV on A1A Monday. Diana, 39, died of her injuries Tuesday evening at Halifax in Daytona Beach.
Flagler Reads Together: The Red Badge of Courage, Chapter 2
Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, Chapter 2: Union soldier Henry Fleming, still anxious about his first battle, projects his anxieties and anger on generals around him.
The 2012 Florida Legislature: Winners and Losers
The 2012 Florida legislative session is over. Here’s a recap list of some of the bills that passed and some that failed, from abortion to charter schools to Sharia law.
Abandoned By Its Chief Executives and Board, Heritage Academy Loses Appeal to Stay Open
A seven-hour hearing ended in the Flagler County School Board voting 4-1 to uphold its decision to close Heritage Academy, whose CEO, Doug Jackson, and own board members were no-shows, leaving the school’s defense in the hands of its dean of students.
Woman’s Arm Severed in 3rd Bike Week Wreck in 5 Days on Flagler Roads
A single-bike wreck on State Road 11 south of Cody’s Corner left a woman with a severed left arm and her fiancee, who was piloting the bike, with various fractures Tuesday afternoon.
Shannon Diamond, Flagler County Youth Center’s Assistant Director, Arrested on DUI
Shannon Diamond, a full-time employee of the school district, is a role model to the 80-some students who use the Youth Center daily, his employers say. A decision on his status hadn’t been reached Tuesday. He was due at work.
Flagler Unemployment Improves to 13.5%, Florida’s to 9.6% as Trend Solidifies
Flagler County’s January unemployment rate of 13.5 percent,. released Tuesday, is the best in three years, going back to December 2008, when it was 11.8 percent.
From “I’m Not a Dog” To Compromising Bullets as Teachers Union and District Negotiate
After recriminations and a particularly insulting whistle from the district’s lead negotiator, the two sides appeared headed for compromise over the one issue–how teachers are to be evaluated–keeping the district from approving the 2012-13 teachers contract.
62-Year-Old Zip-Tied and Robbed on Lancaster Lane; 2 Girls Charged With Burglaries
In a pair of unrelated events, a 62-year-old was robbed of guns, cash and jewelry on Palm Coast’s Lancaster Lane Sunday evening while two girls, 16 and 17, were charged with a half dozen car burglaries they called “car shopping.”
Better Assisted Living Oversight Fails as Legislature Drops Several Health Care Bills
Florida lawmakers ended the 2012 session without passing major health-care bills dealing with assisted-living facilities, malpractice lawsuits and physicians dispensing drugs to workers-compensation patients.
Flagler Reads Together: The Red Badge of Courage, Chapter 1
Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, Chapter 1: Union soldier Henry Fleming mulls his fears and apprehensions before his first battle against Confederate forces on the other side of the river.
Seeking Thaw, Flagler School Board Pleads Its Case Against Teachers’ Charge of “Bad Faith”
School Board member Colleen Conklin and Superintendent Janet Valentine explain why the controversy over a controversial provision in teachers’ contract doesn’t tell the whole story.
Rush Does SNL
Rush Limbaugh wants you to know that he’s doing just fine with sponsors on his show. The Saturday Night Live cold opening, compliments of Taran Killam.
Special Session of the Legislature Begins Wednesday to Fix Senate’s Gerrymandering
Citing gerrymandering, the Florida Supreme Court threw out eight of the 40 Senate districts, including Flagler County’s District 6, along with the numbering system, which means that most districts have to be redrawn as a special session begins Wednesday.
Rascal With a Cause: The Wiles and Women Of Peter Cerreta, at Hollingsworth Gallery
Peter Cerreta’s one-man show at Hollingsworth Gallery is a jaunt through brash themes, colors and shapes with a common denominator: sympathy for the underdog, and a love of storytelling.
Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Wilkins Sums Up Legislative Session
Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins writes of the Legislature’s measures improving DCF’s Child Protective Investigative operations and employee pay in light of the Nubia Barahona scandal.
The North Atlantic Garbage Patch: A Plastic Soup Ladled from Consumption
A floating garbage dump consists of billions of small plastic man-made items stretches in the Atlantic from Cuba to Maryland by way of Florida. Here’s what you can do to keep plastics and other litter out of the oceans.
The GOP’s War on Women: Electoral Bombs From Komen to Rush to Virginia’s Vaginal Probes
The Republican war on women, conservative columnist Kathleen Parker writes, is “a perfect storm of stupefying proportions” that may have ruinous consequences for the GOP at election time. But it was a collapse foretold.
In Playhouse’s “Over the River and Through the Woods,” Migrations from Corny to Poignant
Joe DiPietro’s Off-Broadway hit comedy, ‘Over the River and Through the Woods,’ ending its run at the Flagler Playhouse this weekend, has its issues, but is worth seeing if you can make it to the second act.
Parent Trigger Bill: Florida Senate’s Rebel Republicans Help Defeat Charter School Ploy
The Senate on a tie vote defeated a bill that would have let parents turn failing schools into charters, the latest and perhaps final victory for a dissident faction of the GOP caucus as the curtain came down on the 2012 legislative session.
Sorry, Kansas City: FAA Training Facility Will Stay in Palm Coast–For Now
The FAA Center for Management and Executive Leadership training facility will remain in Palm Coast for the foreseeable future, U.S. Rep. John Mica said Friday, but Palm Coast will still have to compete with other cities in the future to keep the facility and its 80 to 100 jobs.
Bike Week Claims First Flagler County Victims As 3 Are Hospitalized After U.S. 1 Wreck
The wreck took place at 3:15 p.m. and sent a woman and two men to hospitals, two of them by air, in trauma alerts. All three are expected to survive.
Palm Coast Observer’s Brian McMillan Is Local Media Association’s Journalist of the Year
The national award by the Local Media Association, formerly known as Suburban Newspapers of America, caps a succession of milestones for the Palm Coast Observer in the midst of its torrid duel with the News-Journal.
Maintaining Momentum, Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs; Unemployment Stays at 8.3%
The U.S. economy is maintaining its job-creation momentum, adding 223,000 jobs in January, and revising upward previous job-creation figures for December and January by 61,000 jobs. Over the past three months, the economy added 730,000 jobs.