The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Southeastern St. Johns County and northern Flagler County, with hail possible and severe winds, until 5:15 p.m. That includes Palm Coast.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning For
From Federally Owned Foreclosed Homes To Rental Properties: Can It Work?
Government-owned foreclosures as rental property investments: The government is looking for win-win solutions for taxpayers, renters, investors and neighborhoods, but there’s plenty of skepticism about the foreclosure-to-rental concept.
Philip Levine’s Poetry, Longing for Herbert Hoover: The Live Wire
Celebrating Philip Levine, Poet Laureate, Herbert Hoover sounds good again, and more.
In a Florida Case, 2nd U.S. Appeals Court To Rule on Health Law Strikes It Down (It’s Now 1-1)
A divided panel of the conservative 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, in a case from Florida, ruled health reform unconstitutional, saying it is “unprecedented, lacks cognizable limits and imperils our federalist structure.”
Bunnell Mayor Outflanks Rookie Rogers, Shutting Down Talk of Martinez’s Future
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez survived what could have been a vote of confidence tonight thanks to a maneuver by Mayor Catherine Robinson, who prevented it.
Flagler’s Teens-in-Flight Produces Its First Licensed Pilot: 19-Year-Old Juan Rodriguez
Jack Howell started Teens-in-Flight at the Flagler County Airport in the fall of 2008 to give young students from military families or poorer families a chance to learn to fly without paying a dime.
At the Flagler County Jail, Training for Uncooperative Inmates and Lawsuit Deterrence
A member of the US Corrections Special Operations Group was at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this week, training guards in what he calls “next-generation jail extraction.”
Man Found Dead With a Bullet to the Head at Indian Trails Sports Complex
Jeffrey Biermann, 41, was found by workers Friday morning, with a gun next to him. The sports complex was closed.
FPL’s $18 Billion Nuclear-Reactor Plans Leak Unanswered Questions Before Florida PSC
FPL’s plan to pass along almost $200 million in nuclear construction costs to consumers in just one year raised a question at the Public Service Commission: why charge customers if the $13 billion to $19 billion nukes plants may never be built?
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Aug. 1-10, 2011
Rock-throwing at a car by a juvenile and another suspicious incident in the Rymfire area, an assault at Bull Creek Fish Camp, a cop car damaged at Buddy Taylor Middle School, too many larcenies to count, and more.
To Ward Off Senility, Make That Bed: UF Researchers’ Advice to the Medicare Generation
University of Florida researchers have used laboratory-based methods to objectively measure the amount of energy older adults use up as they go about their daily activities. Activity means less senility.
Continuing Charm Offensive, Rick Scott On C-Span for 45 Minutes; Watch Video
Scott has been giving media interviews every day for the past two weeks in an effort to pull his approval rating from the abyss. He is trying to raise his likability.
Bunnell’s Armando Martinez a Finalist for Melbourne Police Chief; Special Meeting Set
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez applied for the Melbourne job one or two months ago. Commissioner John Rogers wants a special meeting of the commission to discuss Martinez’s contract in light of the revelation.
Shortened School Schedule Briefly Fumbles Buddy Taylor’s PAL Football Program
Buddy Taylor Middle School Mike Garrett sent a resignation letter to parents Wednesday when it appeared football students could not stay at the school between the earlier dismissal time and 3 p.m. practice. Principal Winnie Oden calls the situation a misunderstanding that was resolved.
The Man Behind No New Taxes, Apple Beats Exxon, Obama’s Lack Of A Plan: The Live Wire
A new tower at Ground Zero, Apple tops the market, Murdoch the mob boss, Obama needs a plan, China gets an aircraft carrier, and more.
Museum of Florida Art Turns 60, Cirque Du Soleil Florida Special: Culture Worth the Miles
The Museum of Florida Art’s 60th birthday celebrates children, Cirque du Soleil offers special prices to Floridians, celebrity impersonators, the musical of musicals and more.
Like Palm Coast, Bunnell Wrestles With Gambling Posing as Games–and Punts
Some define internet cafes as gambling. Some define it as business. Some define it as nobody’s business but their own. A 3-2 vote of the Bunnell City Commission sent the matter to the sheriff with a question: if it’s gambling, would he arrest its practitioners?
Why Palm Coast Doesn’t Want To Lower Your $239 Garbage Rate and Bid Out the Contract
Palm Coast skims off $700,000 from its annual $7 million contract with Waste Pro. Cheaper garbage rates for customers means less money for the city, which is partly why the city is resisting bidding out the contract.
Reminder: Florida’s Sales Tax Holiday Is This Weekend: Here’s A Guide
Florida’s Tax Free Days, or sales tax holiday, is scheduled this year for August 12 through August 14. The sales tax exemption applies to clothing and school supplies. A complete guide.
Palm Coast Races: 3 for Mayor, 4 for Council, 2 Elections, No Partridge, No Pear Tree
Qualifying closed Tuesday with Charlie Ericksen and Joe Cunnane challenging Jon Netts for mayor in the Sept. 13 primary, which may prove to be the deciding date in that race. Two council seats will be decided on Nov. 8.
Palm Coast to Raise Tax Rate 14% and Eliminate Stormwater Cost Exemption for Many
Most city services and jobs are protected in a proposed budget that will raise taxes enough to bring in almost as much revenue next year as it did this year, with shifts in sales tax dollars to subsidize the general revenue fund.
Refusing Other Federal Health Care Aid, Florida Welcomes Abstinence-Only Cash
Florida has been against taking federal health care money until being for it–as long as it sustains abstinence-only sex classes.
When France Has a Better Credit Rating Than the United States
What does it mean to the United States when France and Britain are considered safer destinations for investors by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor? It shouldn’t mean much. But it’s not always about what’s rational.
Obama’s Lost Glitter, Florida Selling, Michelle Bachmann’s Migraines: The Live Wire
Flagler schools say thanks, remembering Nagasaki, arguing on the Internet, Homer’s honor and fair play in the Illiad, UF, party school no more, and more.
Garbage Cunning: Palm Coast May Skip Bidding Out $7.7 Million-a-Year Contract
The 5-year contract with Waste Pro is expiring. The city council Tuesday will discuss whether to renegotiate or go out to bid, though so far the city administration is signaling resistance to a bid process
A Divided County Commission Votes 3-2 To End Support for Enterprise Flagler
Alan Peterson, Nate McLaughlin and Milissa Holland agreed to end support for Enterprise Flagler after David Ottati, the agency’s president, made his pitch for an up-or-down vote.
As Proposed County Budget Kills Enterprise Flagler, Ottati Asks for Up Or Down Vote
Mired in disarray, economic development’s future in Flagler County is mobilizing around two competing plans–the county’s and enterprise Flagler’s–with Enterprise Flagler asking for a vote and Palm Coast still sitting it all out.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Garbage, Jobs and Nukes
The Flagler County Commission discusses Enterprise Flagler’s future, the Palm Coast City Council takes on garbage hauling, Bunnell debates adult video arcades, and the PSC takes on nuclear power construction costs.
Saint Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church Presents an Adult Study on “Making Sense of the Christian Faith”
Palm Coast’s St.Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church will host a 9-session adult course exploring the major theological doctrines through discussion of Making Sense of the Christian Faith by Reverend Dr. David Lose. The course begins on Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Florida’s Nuclear Energy Scamming: It’s Not Rickover’s Atomic Power Program Anymore
Customers should not have to pay decades ahead of time for Florida Power & Light’s and Progress Energy’s future nuclear power plans, especially when they may not be built, argues Darrell Smith.
In Flagler Beach, a Darting Dog, a Swerving Car, a Woman in Critical Condition
Maura Nations, 26, a resident of Orlando, was struck by a car that was swerving to avoid her dog, which had darted across State Road A1A in Flagler Beach Saturday afternoon.
FPL and Progress Energy Again Asking To Pass Along Ghost-Nuke Plant Costs
Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy Florida are seeking to pass along about $335 million in nuclear costs to customers next year, largely to cover costs of nuclear plants that won’t be built for 10 years or more.
Kisses, Spoofs, Puns and Rap Run Wild in Repertory Theatre’s Shakespearean Vaudeville
Director John Sbordone’s first workshop production this weekend at the Repertory Theatre’s stage, at Hollingsworth Gallery, dares grope where no Shakespeare has versed before. It’s high-energy hilarity.
Rick Scott’s Poll Numbers Go From Dismal to Merely Bad in Latest Quinnipiac
Rick Scott remains among the least popular governors in America, with pronounced, and unusual, dislike of him as a person, and 61 percent of Floridians are dissatisfied with the way things are going.
Fact Check: The Economy By the Numbers
A sobering look at the real economy’s numbers broken down in easy-to-chew bullet points, from national to local numbers. Spam can not included.
Less Dire Than Feared: Economy Adds 117,000 Jobs, Unemployment Falls to 9.1%
Defying expectations, the national economy added 117,000 jobs in July. Figures for May and June were revised upward to add 56,000 jobs to those two months’ totals, and the overall unemployment rate fell back to 9.1 percent, from 9.2.
Florida Hospital Flagler’s David Ottati Is Among Northeast’s Ultimate CEO Award Winners
The Jacksonville Business Journal’s fifth annual Ultimate CEO Award drew some 40 nominations from northeast Florida. Ottati, Florida Hospital Flagler’s CEO for the past five years, was among 13 winners.
Jail Follows Allegation of Shooting Up in a Kangaroo Bathroom With 4 Kids in the Car
The four children in Michelle Marie Smith’s car are 8 or younger, including twins who are turning 3 on Friday. She was charged with child abuse while a friend was charged with drug possession.
Public Money, Public Purpose, Closed Doors: Enterprise Flagler and Chamber Carry On
In a closed-door session, the Flagler Chamber of Commerce is hosting a delegation from Enterprise Flagler today to discuss economic development plans that would be publicly funded and publicly governed.
Grim, Doleful Post-Mortem as State School Board and Educators Wonder What’s Next
A daylong meeting of the State Board of Education drew dozens of school officials from around the state and dismal assessments of what they’ve been left with after compulsive budget-cutting.
Ex-Bunnell Commissioner Jimmy Flynt Faces State Ethics Violations on 3 Counts
Bunnell City Commissioner Elbert Tucker filed a series of ethics charges against Jimmy Flynt last August. Flynt faces fines of up to $10,000 on each of the three violations. Several others were thrown out.
Palm Coast Council Shocked, Shocked To Hear It Ever Had $10 Million for City Hall
The Palm Coast city administration now says that it never had $10 million to build a city hall. The copious record on the matter says otherwise, raising questions about the city’s numbers and verbal shell games.
Gunning for Immigration Reform Again, Rick Scott Divides Business Groups
Divisive immigration reform failed during Florida’s last legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott favors another go at it, but business groups, Hispanics and immigration advocates are just as leery.
Tropical Storm Emily Not Expected to Shake Up Flagler This Weekend
Tropical Storm Emily may be closest to Flagler County by Saturday, but even then the National Weather Service isn’t predicting much of a change from the usual summer storms.
Allegations of Brutality, Rape and Torture Over 2 Days Emerge from Bunnell Kidnapping
The victim, a Palm Coast woman, told police she was held in a crack house on July 21 and 22 before escaping to a gas station on SR100. Examiners point to evidence of severe beatings, cigarette burns and numerous other injuries.
Condo No-Go: Florida Cabinet Sides With Flagler County Over Hammock Dunes
In a victory for Flagler County, the Florida Cabinet unanimously approved a judge’s order that blocks Ginn-Lubert Adler’s plan to build an oceanfront condominium and hotel at Hammock Dunes, near the 16th Road public park and beach.
Hammock Dunes Showdown: Flagler and Developer Battle Before Florida Cabinet
Ginn-Lubert Adler and investors want to build a 77-foot hotel and significantly increase the residential density in an area adjoining the public beach by 16th Rd. in the Hammock. Flagler County is opposed. The two sides are arguing their case before the Florida Cabinet today.
Charter School Heist, Obama’s Surrender, Scrutinizing Fox: The Live Wire
How Florida charter schools swiped all the construction money, the GOP’s disenfranchisement of voters, MTV at 30, pyramid-building, time to scrutinize Fox, and more.
Palm Coast Data CEO John Meneough Resigns After 15 Years As Company Struggles
John Meneough, 62, had been with Palm Coast Data in its various incarnations since 1996. A successor has not been named. Meneough’s resignation is part of broader changes at Palm Coast Data parent Amrep Corp.
His Poll Numbers Diving, Rick Scott Seeks Help From Snubbed Estate: The Press
After refusing to meet with all but one editorial board during his campaign, Gov. Rick Scott is putting on a media-charm offensive in an attempt to reverse his 27-29% approval rating.