School Board member Will Furry is demanding a new rate structure for Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club that is based on “personal belief unmoored to any study or research,” Doug Courtney, who leads the club’s advisory board, argues. The rates would increase sharply, and be split into tiers. The board is voting on the new rates Tuesday evening.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 24, 2023
Monserrate Teron again goes on trial on charges of raping his 7-year-old niece, the Bunnell City Commission meets, Delmore Schwartz On Marilyn Monroe, the Library of America does Virginia Hamilton.
Why You Shouldn’t Trust AI
People who come to rely on certain AI systems will have to trust them implicitly to navigate daily life. That means they will need to be sure the AIs aren’t secretly working for someone else. Across the internet, devices and services that seem to work for you already secretly work against you.
The Republican Brand Returns to White Supremacy
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is another example of how the Republican brand is no longer bigger business and smaller government. It’s white supremacy. Their platform? White supremacy. Their political and social goals? White supremacy.
Now DeSantis Is Going After Bud Light Maker Over Transgender Promotion
Pointing to concerns about a hit to Florida’s pension fund, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to know if the state can take legal action against beer company AB InBev, which has been embroiled in a controversy involving transgender social-media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
150 Beers from Around the World at Key West BrewFest Labor Day Weekend
The annual Key West BrewFest is Aug. 31-Sept. 4. The festival is to feature more than 150 beers and ales including unique microbrews. They are to be showcased at events ranging from a mouthwatering beer pairing dinner to the oceanfront Signature Tasting Festival.
Barack Obama’s Defense of Librarians Amid ‘Profoundly Misguided’ Book Bans and Attacks
“You’re on the front lines – fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas available to everyone,” Obama tells librarians in a letter. “Your dedication and professional expertise allow us to freely read and consider information and ideas, and decide for ourselves which ones we agree with.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 23, 2023
Sunday Chess Club at Chabad of Palm Coast, Michael Franti & Spearhead at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, a world shrugs at the Women’s World Cup, Mary Wilson Thompson’s anti-suffrage letter to Woodrow Wilson.
Barbie Movie Is a ‘Feminist Bimbo’ Classic
Barbie fits perfectly into director Greta Gerwig’s repertoire of women-focused stories, which includes two Oscar-nominated coming of age films, Ladybird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Gerwig is a feminist filmmaker whose characters are curious, transgressive and rebel against their restrictive circumstances. Barbie is no exception.
Daytona Area Home Sales Remain Steady in June
461 existing single-family homes (detached) were sold in the Daytona Beach area with median home sales price of $377,500. That’s a more than 4 percent increase in total home sales compared to June 2022, but it’s 3.5 percent lower than home sales in May.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 22, 2023
Gamble Jam, Rolling Stones Tribute, Cat in the Hat, The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, celebrating Bernard Malamud through “The Mourners” and other works.
How Hot Is Too Hot for the Human Body?
Extreme heat has been breaking records across Europe, Asia and North America, with millions of people sweltering in heat and humidity well above “normal” for days on end. “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?” Here are some answers.
Florida’s Magical Negro History Standards
We now have the Magical Negro elevated to an entire curriculum. It’s Florida’s African American History standards. The standards are an excellent illustration of what American history looks like through white eyes, and how whites are the best thing that ever happened to Black people, who apparently should worship the Middle Passage down the chains of their ancestry.
Rest Easy, Florida Bears: State Won’t Hunt You This Year
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials confirmed Thursday that the state won’t hold a bear hunt this year. Concerns that discussion of a hunt might be on the agenda drew animal rights advocates to the commission’s meeting at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on Thursday.
Confrontation and Felony Charge Over a Private Walkway and a Seawall Point to Erosion of Different Kind
Jason Wiles, a beachside resident north of Flagler Beach–and the husband of an assistant county attorney–faces a felony battery charge after a confrontation with a neighbor over a private walkway. The incident is illustrative of new kinds of tensions becoming part of beachside norms as recurring consequences of rising seas erode more than just shorelines: the fabric of beachside culture is also fraying.
Excessive Heat Warning for Flagler and Palm Coast Today as Heat Index Will Reach 113
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has issued a rare excessive heat warning for Flagler County and Northeast Florida. Near record heat will combine with summertime humidity today to produce dangerous heat index values. The heat index is expected to reach 113 in the Palm Coast-Flagler area today, and 112 Saturday, before falling to 106 on Sunday and 100 on Monday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 21, 2023
The Blue 22 Forum at the Beverly Beach Town Hall, Young the Giant in St. Augustine, the life and death of Ernest Hemingway, a Michael Lewis interview.
Why People Believe the Impossible About UFOs
UFOs trend in and out of collective awareness but never fully disappear. Thirty years of polling find that 25%-50% of surveyed Americans believe at least some UFOs are alien spacecraft. Today in the U.S., over 100 million adults think our galactic neighbors pay us visits.
Jury Finds Nysean Giddens Not Guilty in Overdose Drug Death of Shaun Callahan, 1st Such Acquittal in Flagler
After deliberating nearly four hours, a 12-member jury this afternoon acquitted Nysean Giddens, 25, of first degree murder in the overdose drug death of Shaun James Callahan, 37, at his Palm Coast home in September 2020. It is the first time a person charged with murder or manslaughter in an overdose death in Flagler County was found not guilty at trial.
Palm Coast Planning Board Approves 275 Town Homes Off Citation Boulevard Near Belle Terre Blvd.
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening recommended approval of the development of 275 upscale town-home apartments in a gated community on 40 acres at the southeast corner of Citation Boulevard and Belle Terre Boulevard. One of the developer’s representatives described the project as “an upscale community without being unaffordable,” which may have broken new ground in real estate doublespeak.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 20, 2023
A public meeting about the planned resurfacing of State Road A1A in Flagler Beach from South 8th to North 18th streets, celebrating World Chess Day with Kasparov and Topalov, Charles Portis’s menopause.
Quakers, Seneca Falls and Women’s Rights
On July 19, 1848, nearly 300 men and women gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, to begin the United States’ first public political meeting regarding women’s rights. The Quaker women who participated in the gathering at Seneca Falls were at the forefront of efforts to abolish slavery, promote the temperance movement and grant rights to women.
State Approves Florida’s New Version of Black History Standards as Teachers Blister Half-Truths and Errors
Students at Florida public schools will now learn that Black people benefitted from slavery because it taught them skills. This change is part of the African American history standards the State Board of Education approved at a Wednesday meeting.
Stetson University Again Selected for Fiske Guide to Colleges 2024
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2024, now in its 40th year, selects more than 320 colleges as the “best and most interesting” among the country’s 2,300 institutions. The bestselling guide bills itself as the “most authoritative source of information” for college-bound students and their parents.
“Summer of 1969” Exhibit at AACS Launches Series of Events Celebrating Florida’s Black Culture and Music
The African American Cultural Society is launching “The Summer of 1969,” a student-produced, intergenerational exhibition created by AACS college intern Savannah Aziza Ryan. It is the first of numerous, wide-ranging cultural events at AACS throughout this summer and fall.
Arrested in Drunk-Driving Killing of Lee-Ann Daley, Joseph Siano Is Denied Bond Until Trial in Rare Ruling
Joseph Siano, 64, was denied bond in a rare ruling following his arrest on a drunk driving manslaughter charge in the death of 46-year-old Lee-Ann Daley as he drove the wrong way on U.S. 1 in Palm Coast last December, after he was cut off from drinking at Pine Lakes Golf Club.
Palm Coast Rezones Coquina Shores for 750 Homes as Details of Development North of SR100 Emerge
Coquina Shores, the 750-home development planned as a 505-acre gated community in a north-south rectangle north of State road 100 and east of Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, will be built with $65 million in infrastructure and run as its own community development district, or CDD, like Grand Haven and Hammock Dunes.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, July 19, 2023
The Palm Coast Planning Board talks about Coquina Shores, the planned 750-home subdivision off Old Kings Road, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, John Locke on clear writing.
The Groundwork Behind Targeting Trump for Prosecution
With the news on July 18, 2023, that Special Counsel Jack Smith had informed former President Donald Trump that he was a target of the federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the related Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, speculation began immediately among political analysts and pundits about what charges the former president might face.
Judge Hears Arguments About Florida’s New Discriminatory Land Ownership Law Targeting Chinese
A federal judge listened to more than two hours of arguments Tuesday about whether he should block a new Florida law that restricts people from China from owning property in the state.
Emergency Management Chief Guthrie Urges Precautions in Searing Heat
The heat index in Flagler County is expected to reach 110 on successive days this week. State emergency management officials are advising Floridians to ensure safety amid stifling heat.
Tone-Deaf Flagler County Wants Palm Coast and Other Cities to Support Sales Tax Increase
The Flagler County Commission will seek letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to raise the county’s sales surtax to 7.5 percent and generate an additional $10 million that would be shared between the four governments and used at their discretion. Palm Coast’s answer may well be: Read the room.
Flagler County Faces a $5.6 Million Deficit in Road Costs Over Next 5 Years; Gas Tax Is Tapped Out
Flagler County government is facing an estimated $5.6 million deficit in the next five years in the required local match for nearly a dozen road projects the state Department of Transportation is financing. That’s in addition to a need for $2.6 million in annual dollars for maintenance of the county’s roads. The County Commission is planning to approve only $2 million next year.
Palm Coast in Ugly Meeting Votes to Lower Tax Rate Substantially and Add New, Modest Fee for Now
In another unseemly, disconcerting meeting that included coarse language and flaring tempers from the dais and rowdy and name-calling behavior from a floor thronged with residents, the Palm Coast City Council today substantially lowered the property tax rate in one vote and with another approved new fee or tax–a very modest one for now–on power bills.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
The Palm Coast City Council considers adopting a franchise fee on your utility bill, the Flagler school board talks about hiring a new superintendent, Food Truck Tuesday, Ted Koppel and Nelson Mandela.
Trying Again for the Equal Rights Amendment
Efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to recognize women’s rights have faced major challenges for the past century. Most recently, in April 2023 Senate Republicans blocked a similar resolution that would let states ratify the amendment, despite an expired deadline.
Lawsuit Calls Florida’s New Immigration Law Unconstitutional and ‘Xenophobic’
A coalition of groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court over Florida’s recently enacted immigration law, specifically challenging the section of the law that makes it a felony for individuals to transport an undocumented immigrant across state lines as being unconstitutional.
Sheriff Staly Appointed to State Advisory Board by Agriculture Commissioner
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly has been appointed to Florida’s Private Investigation, Recovery and Security Advisory Council (PIRSAC) by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson to fill the law enforcement position on the Board. Commissioner Simpson was elected in 2022 to serve as one of four Florida Cabinet members.
Ed Danko Makes Inaccurate Claims in Campaign Ad Ahead of Council Vote on New Electric Fee (or Tax)
On Tuesday morning, the Palm Coast City Council will consider adopting a utility franchise fee that could add up to 6 percent to the cost of residents’ electric utility bills and significantly add to the city’s tax-revenue structure. In his opposition to the proposal, Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko circulated a campaign email that made inaccurate and misleading statements.
As Fleet Ages, Flagler Schools Looks to Finance Purchase of 16 New Buses, With Interest
The district has cleared the way for its financial adviser to prepare a request for proposal that would seek bankers’ offers to finance what would amount to a $2.6 or $2.8 million purchase of 16 buses that would be delivered during the 2024-25 school year. That would replace 16 buses that are today 15 years old.
26-Year-Old Man Ends His Own Life By Gun in Surf South of Varn Park
A 26-year-old man took his own life by gun Sunday morning in the surf at Varn Park north of Beverly Beach, as law enforcement officers had spotted him and tried to stop him, according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s incident report.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 17, 2023
Nysean Giddens goes on trial on a first-degree murder charge in the overdose drug death of Shaun Callahan, the Flagler County Commission and the Flagler County Planning Board meet jointly, Disneyland turns 68.
Milan Kundera and the Absurdity of Being Human
Milan Kundera, that remarkable novelist, essayist, poet, philosopher and political critic who died at the age of 94, opened up new ways of thinking, writing and reading. In his literary presence, the world seemed tuned to a higher frequency.
End Legacy Admissions
Who will benefit from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down race as a factor in college admissions? Mostly, just wealthy white people. That’s because the ruling refused to touch so-called “legacy admissions.” Colleges are free to continue giving preferential treatment to the children of alumni, donors, and other well-connected, privileged people.
A Reminder to Anglers: Release Reef Fish with the Right Tools
Florida requires a descending device and/or venting tool be rigged and ready for use when fishing for reef fish from a vessel in state waters (within 3 nautical miles on the Atlantic and 9 nautical miles on the Gulf).
Pandemic Wanes, But Attacks on Public Health and Misinformation About Vaccines Don’t
Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask and vaccine use, and they attacked restrictions on gatherings. That’s not over.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 16, 2023
Sunday Chess Club at Chabad of Palm Coast, Barenaked Ladies at the St. Augustine Amphitheater, Bach’s wedding cantata, Whitman on the vanished the proud boasts.
America’s Use and Abuse of Puerto Rico
In the 125 years since U.S. troops invaded Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, the U.S. government has controlled the island militarily, politically and economically – with no end in sight or, for Puerto Rico, a clear path to statehood.
Ron DeSantis’ Very Gay Ad
Ron DeSantis wants you to know he’s a manly man, a manlier man than any manly man ever born, with mighty currents of 100-proof androgen surging through his sinews. He made a video about it. Diane Roberts asks: how could this steaming pile of bovine excrement (and lightning bolts shooting out of the governor’s eyes) get released by his campaign?
Eatonville Residents Sue Over Future of Historic Black School Site
A descendant of the founders of the Black-incorporated Town of Eatonville has joined a lawsuit contesting the Orange County School District’s control of property dedicated long ago to the education of Black children.