The unemployed, the foreclosed, and the sick-of-it-all are coming together to discuss the world that we want to see and how to get there, says Lacy MacAuley, an activist, in an attempt to define the movement’s purpose.
Herman Cain: Myths, Facts, 9-9-9s: A Guide
Herman Cain’s background and origins: a guide to the best coverage of the GOP presidential contender from a variety of sources, including analyses of his 999 tax plan.
Happy 50th: Stetson Celebrates Its Beckerath Organ’s Half Century With 2 Days of Recitals
Stetson University will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Beckerath Organ on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, with a series of guest recitals, receptions and talks to be held on Stetson’s DeLand campus.
Transformers: Public Schools Want to Be More Like Charter Schools
Florida public schools, envious of the flexibility enjoyed by charter schools–and fearing a migration to charters–are launching a lobbying campaign in the legislature to relax some public school regulations like class size and school hours.
Unemployment Largely Stalled: 14.6% in Flagler, 10.6% in Florida; Scott in Brazil
With Florida Gov. Rick Scott touting a recovery from a trip in Brazil with 180 politicians, pals and business interests, Florida’s and Flagler’s unemployment numbers remained more static, 20 percent of Floridians either out of work or under-employed.
Flagler County Rotary Club Celebrates 30th Anniversary with a Fundraiser Awash in Bordeaux
The Rotary Club of Flagler County will host the Wine Tasting and Sliver Jewelry Show fundraising events on November 3 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm and a public Silver Jewelry event on November 5 from 10 am – 3 pm, both located at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Cole Bros. Circus Comes to Palm Coast Trailing History of Violations and Animal Abuse Charges
Cole Brothers Circus owner John Pugh pleaded guilty in February to violating the Endangered Species Act and the circus was fined $150,000, and both face a long list of animal abuse and neglect charges from the USDA.
Flagler County Public Library Creates Crime Watch Program
The Flagler library’s crime watch program will be introduced in a public presentation Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to noon at the library, with a representative from the Sheriff’s Office.
Existing Home Sales Just Under 5 Million, 11.3% Better Than Last September
Existing-home sales were down in September on the heels of a strong gain in August, but remain well above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Heiser Time Over: Tourism Council’s Trusted Executive Resigns; Turbulence Ahead
Peggy Heiser’s resignation, attributed to family priorities, will have political and economic ramifications as the Chamber of Commerce’s Doug Baxter–not the tourism council or the county commission–chooses a successor.
Attention Weather Spotters: Free SkyWarn Classes Offered in Flagler on Nov. 7; Registration Required
Free seats are still available for Basic and Advanced SKYWARN classes to be conducted in Flagler County by the National Weather Service on Nov. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Class-Action Lawsuit Calls Florida’s In-State College Tuition Restrictions Unconstitutional
American citizens who’ve lived in Florida for years and have all the documents to prove it are denied in-state tuition rights the moment they can’t prove that their parents are lawful Florida residents–an unconstitutional form of discrimination against citizens, the Southern Poverty Law Center charges in the lawsuit.
Bunnell’s James Hayes, 22, Arrested for Carjacking an 81-Year-Old Woman
James Hayes had been jailed a dozen times in Flagler, on petty charges, until the Oct. 6 carjacking outside a Burger King on U.S. 1 and Grenada Blvd. in Volusia. The car was found Monday in Bunnell.
Palm Coast Pinch-Hits for Troubled Marathon Promoter Dean Reinke, Securing TDC Grant
Half-Marathon promoter Dean Reinke’s Dean Reinke Sports Group attempted three times to get Tourist Development Council subsidies in the last two years and was turned down because of deceptive practices. Palm Coast government stepped in and got the grant for the January event.
A Florida Bank’s Rise and Fall Spotlights Fast-and-Loose Culture Plaguing the Economy
The rise and fall of U.S. Century, whose leaders used it as their own corporate ATM, exemplifies the failure to regulate banking during the boom years and the slipshod approach to the bailout. Losers are taxpayers and Florida residents grappling with ill effects of sprawl.
Jane Martin’s “Talking With…,” at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Oct. 28-Nov. 5
Jane Martin–a pen-name–pulls off a clever series of monologues by 11 women in “Talking With,” directed by John Sbordone at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre.
Invoking Migration to Charters, A Split Flagler School Board Favors Move Toward Uniforms
Reacting in part to a pronounced migration of students to charter schools in the county–and in part to its own leanings–the Flagler school board Tuesday agreed to solicit parental input in preparation for a uniform policy.
Night Clerk at Microtel on Old Kings Road Tied and Robbed at Gunpoint
The armed robbery at Microtel a little after 3 a.m. Monday is the second armed robbery in a 1-mile radius in six days. Last week, a resident of the Woodlands was robbed at gunpoint while walking nearby.
School Uniforms as Contrived Regulation: 10 Answers to the Flagler School Board
School uniform FAQ: Nancy Nally, a local parent and writer, lays out 10 reasons why the Flagler County School Board should not adopt school uniforms. The board is discussing the matter later this afternoon.
Get Ready for a Thunderous Afternoon and Evening, with Possible “Isolated Tornadoes”
Get those weather radios, flashlights and emergency kits checked. Heavy, drenching, noisy storms with tropical postmarks are on their way to Flagler, with heaviest downpours between 3 and 11 p.m.
Mike Taschler, Palm Coast Data VP and COO, Is Out as Revenue Continues to Fall
Taschler’s departure follows less than three months after the resignation of Palm Coast Data CEO John Meneough, and three weeks after the company posted another steep revenue decline.
Pink Armies Invade Flagler In Varieties Of Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns
The Flagler County fire department, Palm Coast government, Florida Hospital Flagler, schools and organizations are all in on raising awareness to battle breast cancer in October.
Annual French Market in Daytona Beach Oct. 29, Nov. 19 and Dec. 3
Daytona Beach’s “French Market has been so successful for the Downtown merchants and restaurants, we are looking to make it a permanent community event in the Fall each year,” Director Stacey Lipton says.
Palm Coast Tennis Center Hosting Junior Futures Tournament Nov. 5
Palm Coast, partnering with the Friends of Tennis, will host a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Junior Futures event on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Palm Coast Tennis Center.
Daily Wadsworth Elementary Jam On Parkview Drive Should End as No Parking Signs Go Up
For several years, Parkview Drive along Wadsworth Elementary has turned into a hazardous, child-crossing parking lot as school lets out. Soon, No Parking signs will go up along the two-lane road, to the displeasure of some and relief of others, in hopes of ending the hazard.
Flagler County Jail Daily Bookings: Oct. 14-28, 2011
Flagler County jail daily bookings for the week of Oct. 14-28, 2011. With links to inmate search functions, visitation rules and correspondence requirements.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: School Uniforms Again and Andrew Young
The African American Cultural Society’s 20th anniversary celebration culminates with a talk by former UN Ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at Matanzas High’s Pirate Theater.
What About Paul? The Blackballing of a Candidate.
Just as Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich were blackballed by media early in their Democratic runs, Ron Paul, a libertarian running as a Republican, is being blacked out even as he’s climbed to fourth in the presidential field, William Collins argues.
Flag-Pin Fanaticism in St. Augustine, Huxley’s LSD, Occupying Anger: The Live Wire
A graph-by-graph illustration of what the Occupy Wall Street crowds are angry about, Clint Eastwood’s Thelonius Monk, U.S. flag pins get banned in a St. Augustine hotel, and more.
Room for Debate: Should Your Child Be on Facebook?
Facebook privacy for adults is hard enough to keep up with. For children and teens, keeping things private on Facebook is a seemingly intentional maze–and a marketer and advertiser’s dream.
The 99% Answer the 53%
In what has turned into one of the most virally circulated pieces of the year, Max Udargo explains the Occupy Wall Street movement to a conservative critic who calls himself part of the 53 percent.
Coming To: A Woman Re-Imagined
And the Making of a First Novel
Caren Umbarger, the artistic director of the Flagler Youth Orchestra, describes how she came to write Coming To, her first novel, which would resonate with “anyone who has struggled out of oppression to make a better life for themselves.”
From Harvest Hoedown to Smashing Illiteracy
At the Palm Coast Tennis Center, it was all about raising dollars for Flagler’s Dolly Parton Imagination library, and at Bunnell Elementary, it was the annual Harvest Hoe Down: a sum-up and an image gallery of both.
CLASS Act No More: Obama Ends Long-Term Care Program in Defeat for Health Reform
The Obama administration determined the CLASS Act program could not simultaneously meet three important criteria: be self-sustaining, financially sound for 75 years and affordable to consumers.
Scanner Rash: Man Shoots Mom by Accident, 3 More Teens Arrested in Burglary
The shooting took place on Belvedere Lane, the burglary on Eastwood Drive, following by hours another string of teen burglaries. Sheriff Don Fleming is wondering where the children’s parents are.
Florida Unions Looking to Reward Moderate Republicans for Support–and Influence
Following a brutal legislative session that brought them to the brink, Florida’s public employee unions are shifting strategy and rewarding moderate Republicans in hopes of re-amplifying their diminished influence in Tallahassee.
Seawall Soul-Searching and Yet More Muddles Over Alternatives in Flagler Beach
The Flagler Beach City Commission shelved state transportation dollars that would have refurbished the seawall along 13th Street and skirted around discussions of alternatives to beach-saving in confusing motions Thursday.
Bruce Campbell Appointed Flagler Beach Manager, 5-0, Ending 18-Month Spectacle
With Commission Chairman John Feind switching from opposition to endorsement, Bruce Campbell was finally given the permanent job, unanimously, a year and a half after the city began its search for Bernie Murphy’s replacement.
Two Teens Arrested After Rash of B-Section Burglaries Involving Unlocked Cars
Anthony Clark, 18, of Palm Coast, and William Medders, 17, of Daytona North (the Mondex) were riding bikes on Beechway Lane at 3 a.m. with GPS devices, a radar detector and a Bluetooth in their bags.
Herman Cain, Calling Himself “Häagen-Dazs Black Walnut,” Gets Front-Runner Flavor
Between the collapse of fellow-Republican candidates, his folksiness and the appealing simplicity of his 9-9-9 plan, Herman Cain is now leading Rick Perry and Mitt Romney among Republican voters.
Flagler’s State Lawmakers Lend an Ear to Local Pleas in Annual Wish-Listing Ritual
Gambling regulations, state dollars for Flagler’s roads, warnings against the unintended consequences of state budget cuts and numerous more local concerns busied the nearly two-hour meeting between Flagler’s state lawmakers and local politicians, organizations and citizens.
Gov. Scott Proposes Corporate Tax Cuts Even As Florida Faces a Deficit of Up to $2 Billion
Gov. Rick Scott wants to double the corporate income tax exemption to $50,000 and eliminate the tangible tax for half of the state’s 300,000 businesses that now pay it. It’s part of his plan to eliminate all corporate taxes ins even years.
John McDonald, Long-Time Beverly Beach City Commissioner, Dies at 76
John McDonald, a Beverly Beach city commissioner for almost 11 years, had retired there in 1986 after serving 26 years in the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
“Neptune’s Children,” the Art of Elizabeth Brody-Hastings, Opening at Ocean Publishing
Elizabeth Brody-Hastings’s work, inspired by the Roman god of the sea, evokes Van Gogh, Manet, Matisse, and Picasso, among others. It’ll be on exhibit at Flagler Beach’s Ocean Publishing through the month.
Quiet Woodlands Evening Shaken by an Armed Robbery; Sheriff Looking for Leads
A 32-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s Woodlands was robbed of his cash and cigarettes at gunpoint at Oak Trails Boulevard and Blare Drive, just off of Old Kings Road, just before sunset Tuesday evening.
Animal Kingdom Moves Into Flagler County Art League’s Gallery for the Month
The Animal Kingdom is the Flagler County Art League’s newest show, a rich (and uneven) menagerie of some 66 works in a half dozen mediums, on exhibit at the league’s gallery through October.
Real Living Palm West Home Realty Now at 5048 N. Oceanshore Blvd. in the Hammock
Real Living Palm West Home Realty’s expansion will enable it to provide higher levels of customer service in Flagler County.
Hans Tanzler III is Scaled Back St. Johns Water Management District’s New Director
Hans Tanzler’s tenure will dovetail with Gov. Rick Scott’s directive to make the district a friend rather than a regulator of big water users and applicants, such as utilities, developers and large landowners.
Universities Defend Against Rick Scott’s Primitive War on Anthropologists
Not wanting tax dollars spent educating anthropologists, Rick Scott appeared unaware that the science is among the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) he himself is emphasizing to add jobs in Florida.
Bunnell Manager Wants His Gun Back–as a Reserve Officer for Sheriff or Flagler Beach
Even though it’s a personal matter to the manager, the Bunnell City Commission agreed to use its city attorney, at $145 an hour, to seek out a state Attorney General’s opinion on whether Manager Armando Martinez may serve as a reserve cop elsewhere.