Plug-in vehicles are making great progress, with their share of U.S. car and light truck sales jumping from 2% to 4% in 2020-2021 and projected to exceed 6% by the end of 2022. But sales of gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs are also surging. This other face of the market subverts electric cars’ carbon-cutting progress.
County Approves BJ’s Wholesale Club Despite Unresolved Jam of Traffic Problems Ahead
A traffic nightmare may be developing on State Road 100 and on Seminole Woods Boulevard as several new commercial developments are crunching their way through the county’s regulatory steps. But the biggest development, a BJ’s Club and five satellite businesses, is moving along despite lacking a full analysis of traffic issues ahead.
Flagler Playhouse Opens 2022-23 Season with “Oliver!”
Oliver, Nurse Ratched, Miss Daisy and P.T. Barnum will grace Flagler Playhouse during the community theater’s 2022-23 season. The five-play season opens Friday Sept. 23 with the musical “Oliver!” and concludes in May with the musical “Barnum.” The musical “Rent” and the dramas “Driving Miss Daisy” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” are also on tap.
Palm Coast Man Points Loaded Gun at Deputy Jacob West During Traffic Stop
A 42-year-old Palm Coast driver who appeared drunk allegedly pointed a loaded gun at a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop on Palm Coast Parkway late Thursday night before complying with orders to drop the gun. It was the latest successful de-escalation of what could have resulted in an officer-involved shooting.
As Hurricane Hermine Ian Gestates, King Tide Flooding Is More Immediate Concern in Flagler
What is expected to become Hurricane Hermine is now Tropical Depression 9. But Flagler County residents should be more immediately concerned about the effects of a king tide combining with remnants of Hurricane Fiona and the approach of Hermine, all of which will create significant flooding conditions along the Intracoastal and low-lying areas of Palm Coast and western Flagler.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 23, 2022
It’s a weekend of theater: Sondheim’s “Assassins,” at City Repertory Theatre, “Oliver!” the musical, at Flagler Playhouse, “Pippin,” at the Daytona Playhouse, Brahms v. Radiohead, and The Inside Joke That Became Trump’s Big Lie.
Candidates Grab Headlines With Name-Calling. But Voters Don’t Like It.
Uncivil messages by politicians have become more and more common in the last decade. Political attacks are now a regular occurrence in an increasingly polarized political environment, encouraging voters to get mad and plan to vote ahead of Election Day in November. But that doesn’t mean these kinds of advertisements and personal attacks actually work.
Flagler Beach Historical Museum Celebrates 21st Anniversary with Moondance Fundraiser
Celebrate the Flagler Beach Museum’s 21st Anniversary at their ‘Moondance’ fundraiser on October 6 from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30.p.m. The event will be held at Beachfront Grille, located at 2444 S Ocean Shore Blvd., Flagler Beach.
This Time Without Temper Tantrums or Deceptions, Palm Coast Adopts Tax Rate and Budget
The Palm Coast City Council approved the 2022-23 budget and the city’s property tax rate at its second and final hearing with a series of 4-1 votes. Compared to previous tax hearings at the county and the city this season, the hearing was anticlimactic, with all but numbers getting filled in and ratified.
At Flagler Public Library, Freedom Readers’ Club and Other Page-Turners Boldly Defy Book Bans
Freedom Readers, a book club for teens focused on banned and challenged books, emerged at the Flagler County Public Library in response to the book-banning controversies at the Flagler school board last fall. The club is one of several initiatives countering “what feels like a lot of repression,” in the words of Youth Services Librarian Gemma Rose.
Armed Employees or Guards in Flagler Schools Would Cost $150,000 to $600,000 in 1st Year
The Flagler County School board would have to pay initial annual costs of over $150,000 to nearly $600,000 for any of three options to have armed staffers or guards on its nine campuses, in addition to the $1 million it is paying annually to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Did Not Have Authority to Release Man Early Without Judge’s Order, Court Rules
An appeals court Wednesday rejected a decision by the Baker County sheriff to release a man who had served only four days of a 60-day jail sentence. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that ordered Sheriff Scotty Rhoden to return Donald Shrowder to jail to serve the 60-day sentence.
Lawsuit Cites DeSantis Trickery in Seeking to Block Further Migrant Flights
Lawyers representing asylum seekers who were allegedly “tricked” into going from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on flights funded by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Wednesday they are seeking a nationwide injunction to block the governor from luring immigrants to travel across state lines.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 22, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission takes on smoking on the beach, college admission interviews, Iraq, Iran and Ronald Reagan, and Henry James’s English Hours.
DeSantis’s Martha’s Vineyard Trafficking May Be Illegal
Transporting consenting migrants who have the paperwork to be in the U.S. is legal. But certain factors – like DeSantis’ intent and knowledge of the migrants’ immigration status – could create potential civil and criminal liability.
He Served 18 Months for a Sex Offense. He’s Re-Imprisoned Anyway, Possibly for Life.
William Walsh, a 57-year-old former homeless man and sex offender from Bunnell, was committed potentially for life to a prison-like state facility after a trial in Flagler Tuesday, even though he did not commit a new offense and none of his previous offenses ranked him as a predator.
Sondheim’s ‘Assassins’ Opens City Repertory Theatre’s New Season, and Dares Go From There
“Assassins,” the 1990 play with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, weaves the true-life histories of nine presidential assassins and would-be assassins into a bizarro musical fantasy. The characters include John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooters of Ronald Reagan and Ford, and other rogues.
Plan for a Massive Apartment Tower at Harborside Draws Opposition, Accusations and Delay
In a meeting that featured a developer’s representatives lashing into the city administration’s planning staff, the Palm Coast planning board late Tuesday night tabled to next month a controversial plan to rezone 18 acres at the Harborside marina. The proposal would make room for a massive 80-foot, U-shaped apartment tower, town houses, and maybe a hotel, that would add 432 apartments and housing units next to Palm Coast Resort’s existing, 72-apartment tower.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Palm Coast government’s final tax and budget hearing, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library, International Day of Peace, Bill McKibben’s “Small World,” mountaintop removal’s disasters.
DeSantis Pulls From Segregationists’ Playbook with Anti-Immigration Stunt
Governors Greg Abbott in Texas and Ron DeSantis in Florida are following the playbook of segregationists who provided one-way bus tickets to Northern cities for Black Southerners in the 1960s. At that time, the fight for racial equality was attracting national attention and support from many white Americans, inspiring some to join interracial Freedom Rides organized by civil rights groups.
Flagler District Pays $6 Million for 685 Students to Attend Private Schools, Many Out of County, or Homeschooled
A new state law requires the Flagler County school district this year to pay just over $6 million to underwrite the private-school education of 685 students, including at parochial and out-of-county schools. The money also goes to families home-schooling their children.
Palm Coast’s Garry Lubi Re-Appointed to Daytona State College Board of Trustees
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Kelly Kwiatek and the reappointment of Garry Lubi and Dr. Randall Howard to the Daytona State College District Board of Trustees. Two current members, Sarah Dougherty and Bob Davis, are departing the Board.
Judge Clears Way for Challenge to Law Allowing State to Override Local Police Budget Decisions
A Leon County Circuit judge on Tuesday cleared the way for a lawsuit challenging part of a controversial protest law that gives the governor and Cabinet the authority to override local governments’ decisions about police spending.
Flagler Library Director Holly Albanese Is 24-County Network’s Member of the Year
Flagler County Public Library Director Holly Albanese was named the 2022 Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) “Member of the Year” at its annual conference last week in recognition of her “significant positive impact” on the library and the community it serves.
416-Unit Apartment Complex on SR100 Near Colbert Ln. Adds to Growth Cluster Totaling 1,320 Units
The Ocean Village development is part of a new cluster of residential developments in the region, when paired with projects on nearby Roberts Road and John Anderson Highway that total 656 apartment units and 664 single family homes.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
A rare Jimmy Rice Act trial in Flagler court, The Palm Coast City Council makes planning board appointments, Freedom Readers Club at the Flagler County Public Library, Jelly Roll Morton.
Discovering the Billions of Bigger and Better Super-Earths Out There
There are tens of billions of super-Earths in habitable zones where liquid water can exist in the Milky Way alone. To date, astronomers have discovered two dozen super-Earth exoplanets that are, if not the best of all possible worlds, theoretically more habitable than Earth.
Gas Prices in Palm Coast Lower than $3.40 a Gallon, Continuing 30% Drop Since Mid-June
Palm Coast gas prices dropped below $3.40 a gallon on Monday, Florida gas prices declined 3 cents per gallon last week, for a more than 30 percent price decline since the mid-June peak.
Federal Judge Skeptical of DeSantis Suspension of Elected Prosecutor, But No Reinstatement for Now
A federal judge refused on Monday to reinstate Andrew Warren as state’s attorney for Hillsborough County, saying he first wants to fast-track a trial to better establish the motivation behind Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of the elected prosecutor.
Head of Local Chamber of Commerce Among 7 Applicants for Palm Coast Planning Board
The Palm Coast City Councill will make three appointments to its seven-member planning board–the city’s most powerful, non-elected advisory board. Seven candidates have applied, including two incumbents, two existing alternate members of the board, and a member of the county planning board, along with the head of the local chamber of commerce.
Flagler Schools Just Barely Set New Enrollment Record, Matanzas High Exceeds 2,000 Students
While the Flagler County school district set an enrollment record for the first time in 13 years, it is still not the substantial growth that the district has been speaking of for the past year and a half, or the sort of growth that might have been expected to parallel the ongoing building boom in Palm Coast and the rest of the county.
Huey Magoo’s Opens on Nova Road in Ormond Beach
Huey Magoo’s celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant in Ormond Beach today. This is the second Huey Magoo’s in the area for owner Buck Harris.
Argument Over Chess Leads to Knife Attack and Felony Assault Charge
Kenneth Stephens, 54, of Sloganeer Trail in Palm Coast, was playing chess with his 41-year-old neighbor at his neighbor’s house Friday evening when the two started arguing. Before it was over, Stephens was captured in surveillance video footage pulling a knife and lunging at his neighbor before retreating to his house.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 19, 2022
The Flagler County Commission meets for a very busy, multi-layered meeting this evening, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the public library, French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s complete Haydn sonatas, Ian Frazier on the destruction of Baghdad.
‘Not My King’: Protesting a Monarchy in Mourning
A professor from the United States who tweeted a critical comment of the queen has been subject to significant public backlash. Police in Britain have questioned protestors expressing anti-monarchy sentiments, and in some cases, arrested them.
Sen. Rick Scott’s Epic Fail: Squandered Millions and Crap Candidates
Republicans often have unsavory friends, people like Hungarian despot Viktor Orbán, white nationalist Tucker Carlson, and that petulant Oompa Loompa who kept top secret nuclear documents stuffed in a box at his beach house. So why is Rick Scott getting hated on?
Republicans Complain About WESH-2’s Requirement That Debate Candidates Be Vaccinated
Scotty Moore, Republican nominee challenging incumbent Democrat Darren Soto in Congressional District 9 in Central Florida, declined an offer by WESH-2 in Orlando to participate in a virtual debate after he refused to adhere to the news outlet’s vaccine requirement.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Live Like Cameron’s 5th Annual Flagler Warrior Fun Run/Walk in Town Center, the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam and the 50th anniversary of the premier of M*A*S*H.
The Broadband Deception: Accurate Speed Data
Unlike other advertisements for goods and services – for example, what a car manufacturer tells a customer about expected fuel efficiency – there are no federally set standards for measuring broadband service speeds. This means there is no clear way to tell whether customers are getting what they pay for.
Castillo de San Marcos Marks 350th Anniversary
Sunday, October 2, 2022, marks the 350th anniversary of the 1672 ground-breaking ceremonies for Castillo de San Marcos. Join us at the fort throughout the day to explore the 350 years of Castillo history and its impacts on St. Augustine.
DeSantis Pledges More Migrant Flights Out of Florida at State’s Expense
The flights Wednesday mostly involved Venezuelan migrants and included about 10 children. Two planes went from San Antonio, Texas, to the Florida Panhandle community of Crestview before going north.
20-Year-Old Ormond Beach Motorcyclist Killed Rear-Ending SUV on I-95
A 20-year-old Ormond Beach man was killed in a rear-end collision as he traveled north on I-95 late Friday night, two miles north of the Old Dixie Highway interchange in Flagler County.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Safety Expo at European Village, Judge Andrea K. Totten on the 10th Amendment, Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services’s 2nd Annual Music Festival, the prosecutorial spirit against blue collar workers.
Between Too-Early School Start Times and Too Much Screen Time, Teens Are Zonked Out
Less than 30% of high school students sleep the recommended amount. Among middle schoolers, nearly 60% do not get enough sleep at night. The causes: too- early school start times, lack of morning exposure to daylight and excessive exposure to bright electric light and screens late in the evening.
21 Months in Prison for Woman Who ‘Did Nothing’ as Infant Was Repeatedly Tortured by Boyfriend
Luciana Celestin, 29, was present as her boyfriend, Deviaun Toler, repeatedly whipped, beat and once burned his infant son, but she did not intervene to end the abuse, report it, or seek medical attention for the boy, who nearly died as the abuse continued in Palm Coast in early 2018.
Building Plans for BJ’s Wholesale Club, Gas Station and Several Stores on SR100 Clear County Board
It’s almost all over but the permitting before Palm Coast’s BJ’s Wholesale Club, a big gas station and a half dozen satellite stores begin going up on a 31.5-acre site of State Road 100, just west of Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Distant Recession Signs Flash Even as Flagler Unemployment Remains at 3.2% and Labor Force Grows
If a national recession is looming–by one traditional measure, it is already happening–the signs are mostly not apparent in Flagler County and in Florida. But there are glimmers of warnings.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 16, 2022
Luciana Celestin is sentenced on a second degree felony charge of neglect of a child, unemployment numbers, “Pippin,” at the Daytona Playhouse, “After the Massacre,” Bertrand Russell on happiness.
Developed Nation No More: How the U.S. Is Falling
The United States may regard itself as a “leader of the free world,” but an index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down the list, ranking between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries..
DeSantis Defends Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flight But Details of ‘Repulsive’ and ‘Cruel Ruse’ Scant
Saying undocumented immigrants were sent to “greener pastures,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday defended Florida’s participation in a pair of flights carrying about 50 migrants, including children, that landed Wednesday at Martha’s Vineyard Airport.