The Daytona State College Women’s Soccer team made history Saturday, capturing the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championship in their debut appearance with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Arizona Western. Freshman midfielder Sienna Gillespie earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player award, while freshman goalie Julianna Trujillo, who secured the winning penalty kick in the semifinal match, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Ex-Gang Leader Brandon Washington Loses Latest Appeal After Claiming Undelivered Mail
Ex-Bloods gang leader Brandon Washington has nothing to lose: he’s serving four life terms in prison in Okaloosa. So he keeps trying to get a break on his sentence. And he keeps losing. His latest loss was earlier this month as a judge rejected his claim that he was unjustly denied an appeal because mail wasn’t delivered to him.
Palm Coast’s Legal Fees in Splash Pad Case Near $400,000, with Costly Four-Week Trial Expected in New Year
In the two years since Palm Coast filed suit against a dozen contractors involved in the original construction of the ill-fated splash pad at Holland Park, GrayRobinson, the law firm representing the city, has billed $376,000 in fees, with more depositions, hearings and what the attorney handling the case said may well be a four-week trial early next year, all of which would raise the city’s legal costs substantially.
Randy Fine, One of Florida’s Most Bruising and Bellicose Lawmakers, Will Run for Mike Waltz’s Congressional Seat
Randy Fine, whose latest financial disclosure report showed a net worth of $30.3 million, was an early Trump supporter in the GOP presidential primary and has unabashedly signaled his allegiance to Trump on social media. The only Jewish Republican legislator in Florida, Fine often has taken an openly combative approach to political opponents, an image he has embraced publicly. “Unafraid to say what needs to be said,” Fine’s X profile boasts.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Flagler County gradually shuts down for Thanksgiving, the Naxos label tries to sell “Classical for Cats,” Nicholson Baker’s “Books as Furniture.”
U.S. House Passes Measure That Could Punish Non-Profits Over Speech
The punishing measure against non-profits is part of a strategy to preempt opposition to Republican policies and encourage self-censorship. It’s a way for the GOP to try to restrict what activists and nonprofit organizations can say or do. And, essentially, it’s a threat to political opponents of President-elect Donald Trump.
Don’t Let Politics Ruin Thanksgiving
Some nasty newspaper columnists and teary-eyed panelists on CNN are so despondent about Trump’s victory they are willing to spoil the love and fun at half of America’s Thanksgiving dinners. They are urging their fellow Democrats not to invite – or to dis-invite – friends and family members to Thanksgiving dinner who voted for Trump or didn’t vote for Kamala Harris.
Salvage Operator Charged as FWC Recovers 37 Stolen Coins from 1715 Shipwrecks
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has successfully recovered 37 gold coins stolen from the 1715 Fleet shipwrecks, valued collectively at over $1 million. The recovery marks a major milestone in a long-standing investigation into the theft and illegal trafficking of these priceless historical artifacts. Eric Schmitt was charged with dealing in stolen property.
Revealed: Behind Closed Doors, Palm Coast Council Was Hoping to Lose Lawsuit Over Debt Referendum
The transcript of a closed-door session of the council, obtained by FlaglerLive, shows that a majority of the council, and the attorney they’d hired to fight the lawsuit, were rooting for the judge to rule against the city in a lawsuit to pull the proposed debt referendum from the ballot–or at least thought that to be the best case scenario for the city. The city’s primary aim was no longer hoping for any kind of electoral success for the measure (which failed decisively), but avoiding liability for the city.
Five Star Pizza Owners Building $2 Million ‘Party and Play’ Indoor Playground in Bunnell, 1st in County
The owners of Five Star Pizza in Palm Coast, Ormond Beach and Deltona are preparing to build a $2 million indoor playground in Bunnell, making it the first of its kind in Flagler County. The playground will be called Party and Play and will be part of a 10,000-square-foot building that will be built on Steel Rail Drive in Bunnell, with projected construction starting in January or shortly thereafter.
Florida’s New College Wants to Teach All About ‘Woke’
New College of Florida will soon start taking a scholarly look back at the stampede of “woke” teachings and social consciousness in higher education and politics that prompted protest marches, boycotts and “canceling” of anyone who defied the liberal line or spoke out against this new political correctness on steroids.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
The NAACP Flagler Branch’s General Membership meeting, Clay Jones on Pete Hegseth’s women problem, the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day late.
Superstition-Biases About Black Cats Have Real Effects
This superstition about black cats and other black animals in general has shaped people’s preferences about animals. It’s left its mark on things such as lower adoption rates for black cats and beliefs that black cats are more aggressive. Yet, these biases are unfounded.
Primary to Replace Mike Waltz Set for Jan. 28 as Confederacy of Candidates Emerge
A special primary election for Congressional District 6 will take place on Jan. 28 and a special general election will be held on April 1. The qualifying period for the race will run from Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. through noon on Dec. 7. State lawmakers face a Tuesday deadline — a day after Byrd formally announced the election dates — to resign to run for the seat, which is made up of all or parts of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
36-Year-Old Flagler Beach Woman Accused of Abusing Her 4 Year Old and Attacking Her 71-Year-Old Mother
Elizabeth Bliss, a 36-year-old resident of South Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach, is facing a felony child abuse charge and a charge of aggravated battery on a person 65 or older–a first degree felony–after she allegedly pinned her 4-year-old daughter to the ground and grabbed and slapped her 71-year-old mother.
Radar in Bunnell Could Vastly Improve Dangerous Weather Forecasting–If Only Forecasters Could Access It
Since June a 330-pound radar with an estimated value of $120,000 to $150,000 has sat atop a 100-foot monopole at the Emergency Operations Center in Bunnell, one of only three like it in the state. It could vastly improve forecasting of dangerous weather such as imminent tornadoes. Except that the National Weather Service has not been able to access its data.
Turtle Shack Cafe in Flagler Beach Sustains ‘Significant’ Damage in Early Morning Fire
Turtle Shack Cafe, the popular Flagler Beach restaurant operating for two and a half decades between 21s and 22nd Street on State Road A1A, was damaged in an early-morning fire, drawing firefighters from across the county. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, but is still under investigation by the Flagler Beach fire marshal.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 25, 2024
The Bunnell City Commission discusses and approves various annexations, the Flagler County Beekeepers Association meets, an explanation of the 2024 election from a 1915 Willa Cather novel, Hillary Hahn performs Vaughan-Williams’s ascending lark.
Florida’s New Condo Laws Recognize Price of Living on the Beach
Nearly a million Florida condo owners face an important deadline at the end of the year. That’s when a law passed in 2022 requires most Florida condo associations to submit inspection reports for their buildings and to collect money from owners to pay for any needed repairs. Condo owners are reporting that new condominium rules are driving up fees and inducing outrageous assessments.
Looking For Shared Values Beyond All-Or-Nothing Politics
If you want to play the game of politics, here’s step one: Reduce everything to a linear political viewpoint: “right” or “left.” No matter how deep and large and complex that viewpoint is, politicize it, turn it into something that’s either right or wrong. It’s all about winning or losing. But how do we reach a collective state that isn’t competitive? How do we actually live our values rather than simply attempt to impose them—and in the process of doing so, oh so often, completely disregard and violate those values?
Hot Diggity Dogs & Shakes in Bunnell Has a New Top Dog: David Zummo
Hot Diggity Dogs & Shakes, a Bunnell icon known for serving classic comfort food, including specialty hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, milkshakes and more, has been purchased by David Zummo.
Trump To Senate Republicans: Kill Bill Protecting Press Freedom
President-elect Donald Trump ordered congressional Republicans to block a broadly popular bill to protect press freedoms, likely ending any chance of the U.S. Senate clearing the legislation. The measure would limit federal law enforcement surveillance of journalists and the government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources, codifying regulations the Department of Justice has put in place under President Joe Biden.
Flagler Cares Invites You to Help Struggling Households Keep Their Lights On Over the Holidays
Flagler Cares, the social service non-profit marking its 10th anniversary, is marking the occasion with a fund-raiser to “Keep the Holiday Lights On” by encouraging people to sponsor one or more struggling household’s electric bill for a month over the Christmas season. Each sponsorship amounts to $100 donation, with every cent going toward payment of a local power bill.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 24, 2024
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, light up a house for the holidays, the United States aligns with the grimmer side of the world on anti-personnel mines.
Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel’s Jim Crow-Like Apartheid
Aware of the racism that surrounds him as a Black American, Coates can imagine himself as both Palestinian and Israeli. This generosity of imagination does not prevent critical analysis. His accounts of life in the occupied West Bank underline the reality that Israel has imposed a regime that is effectively based on the subordination and dispossession of Palestinians – and a deliberate attempt, he writes, to deny any possibility of a genuine two-state solution.
Texas Board of Education Approves Curriculum Heavy on Christianity
A majority of the Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to a state-authored curriculum under intense scrutiny in recent months for its heavy inclusion of biblical teachings. Critics, which included religious studies scholars, say the curriculum’s lessons allude to Christianity more than any other religion, which they say could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.
Biden Approved Florida a Year Ago To Be 1st Canadian Drug Import State. DeSantis Hasn’t Made It Happen.
Nearly a year after the Biden administration gave Florida the green light to become the first state to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada — a longtime goal of politicians across the political spectrum, including President-elect Donald Trump — the program has yet to begin. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hailed the FDA’s approval of his plan in January, calling it a victory over the drug industry. But he did nothing to advance the plan.
Qualifying for Gaetz Seat Ends Dec. 6, Primary Is Jan. 28
The special primary election for Congressional District 1 will take place on Jan. 28 and a special general election will occur on April 1, Secretary of State Cord Byrd announced Friday. The qualifying period for the race will run from Dec. 5 at 8 a.m. through noon on Dec. 6.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Coffee With Commissioner Scott Spradley and Acting Police Chief Lance Blanchette, Gamble Jam, reflections on parking lots, Elizabeth Kolbert, Earth’s genetically modified environment.
Help FDLE Find Samantha Fiddler
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) continues to pursue leads into the 2016 disappearance of Samantha Fiddler and hopes the public can help solve the mystery. Fiddler was last seen in Bartow on November 19, 2016. She was 29 years old when she vanished.
Florida Surgeon general Calls for End to Fluoride in Drinking Water
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo — echoing viewpoints propagated by Robert F. Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to become the nation’s chief health official — recommended against community fluoridation of drinking water Friday. The recommendation runs counter to public health officials and dentists.
12-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl Faces Felony Over Death Threats in Fight Over a Boy
A week after an 11-year-old Virginia boy was sentenced in county court for making a series of threats that disrupted multiple schools for several days running, a 12-year-old Palm Coast girl was arrested on charges of threatening to kill another child in a dispute over a boy, using SnapChat to convey the threats. No school was involved in the latest incident.
Drug Court Graduation During Addict’s Murder Trial Draws Thin Line Between Abyss and Recovery
Four participants in Flagler County’s Drug Court graduated Thursday in a ceremony presided over by Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols, with Retired Judge Terence Perkins, in unique circumstances: the ceremony took place in the same courtroom where a murder trial was ongoing, with the jury deliberating over the fate of a drug abuser and dealer, whose shot of fentanyl killed another man. The juxtaposition of the two events sharpened the thin line between loss and recovery for substance abusers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 22, 2024
Flagler County’s cold-weather shelter opens tonight, Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, the JFK assassination.
Is Marco Rubio NATO’s New Best Friend?
While Rubio has clearly changed his tune on Ukraine to align with Trump, he is not in lockstep with Trump on Nato. In fact, Rubio co-sponsored legislation alongside Democratic senator Tim Kaine, that would make it more difficult for Trump to withdraw from Nato by requiring two-thirds of the Senate to ratify withdrawal.
Palm Coast Fire Department Wins Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Grant
The Palm Coast Fire Department is now better equipped to keep community members safe thanks to a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant. The $34,881 grant was used to purchase Polaris Ranger Crew XP1000 with Light Kit, Siren, PA System, Skid, Poly sport roof, and accessories fulfilling a critical need within the department.
Found Guilty, Brian Pirraglia Is Sentenced to Life in Prison for Brian O’Shea’s Death by Fentanyl, a First in Flagler
A jury found Brian Piraglia, 42, of Palm Coast, guilty of murdering Brian O’Shea, 39, whom he called his best friend, by injecting him with a fatal dose of fentanyl in 2022. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols immediately sentenced him to life in prison–a first in Flagler County history for such cases. O’Shea’s mother and sister reflected on the trial and the loss of their son and brother afterward.
Why Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum Failed
Palm Coast’s debt referendum failed because it was deceptive and unnecessary. The city has several options to raise new revenue. It refuses to tap them. Enabling debt is not a solution. It’s a pander to the local chamber and private companies seeking to use city taxpayers as collateral for their projects.
Wawa Opens 2nd Flagler County Store on Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive Friday
Wawa, the national convenience store chain with a strangely fervent following, is opening its second Palm Coast store and gas station Friday morning, on Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive. The store was built on the 2.5 acres formerly occupied by the Paul Katz office building, one of the many landmarks of Palm Coast’s earlier days as an ITT project that have been leveled to make room for housing or commercial redevelopments.
How a New Generation of Telescopes Will Probe ‘Unknown Unknowns’
All observatories have a list of science objectives before they switch on, but it is their unexpected discoveries that can have the biggest impact. Many surprise advances in cosmology were driven by new technology, and the next telescopes have powerful capabilities.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Flagler County Commission meets in workshop to discuss its beach management plan, Flagler Tiger Bay Club welcomes Carlos M. Cruz, Voltaire’s daddy issues on his 330th birthday.
On Voltaire’s Birthday, a Look Back at Candide, Tale of Human Folly in Times of Crisis
Voltaire’s Candide, or Optimism (1759) is widely recognised as his masterpiece. A darkly satirical novella taking aim at human folly, pride and excessive faith in reason’s ability to plumb the deepest metaphysical truths, it remains as telling in this era of pandemics and wild conspiracy theories as when first published.
St. Johns Clerk Hosts National Adoption Day Celebration on Nov. 22
The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s office will host a special ceremony on Friday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. to celebrate National Adoption Day. The event will be held at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, marking the culmination of a long adoption process for six local children joining their forever families.
State School Board Targets Parents Whose Children Report Unfounded Threats
The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved a rule change that will require school districts to make training available to parents and guardians on the use of FortifyFL, an app where anonymous tips can be submitted about suspicious activities. Students already receive such training.
Now Up to Jury to Decide If Brian Pirraglia Deserves Life in Prison for Overdose Death of ‘Best Friend’
After three days of trial that ended short of a verdict this afternoon at the Flagler County courthouse, a 12-member jury will deliberate Thursday morning on the first-degree murder charge against Brian Pirraglia, 39, in the death-by fentanyl of 38-year-old Brian O’Shea in their B-Section house in Palm Coast in 2022. If convicted, Pirraglia faces life in prison.
FPC Bulldogs Were Robbed of a Crucial Down in What Had Been a Winning Drive. Principal Reacts.
Last Friday the Flagler Palm Coast High School Bulldogs appear to have been robbed of a final down, ending what had been been a winning drive in a playoff football game against Spruce Creek High School. Instead, they lost. FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet reflects.
A School Board of New Faces Is Seated, Giving Will Furry Chairmanship for 2nd Year
For the second time in two years, three of the five Flagler County School Board seats turned over to new members as Janie Ruddy, Lauren Ramirez and Derek Barrs were sworn-in Tuesday evening. Will Furry was named chair again, and Christy Chong named vice chair for the second year.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
The Flagler County Public Library Book Club takes on David Von Drehle, Bridge and Games at Flagler Woman’s Club, the United Nation’s report on genocide in Gaza and apartheid in Jerusalem and the West Bank, which most media in the United States have not reported.
What James Earl Jones Can Teach Us About Activism and Art
James Earl Jones was looking to change the culture. He was trying to change the country’s understanding of what it means to fight – and what a freedom fighter is. Sometimes, activism can be as simple as making art to the best of your abilities – or, as W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, “to use beauty to set the world right.”
Advise and Consent. Just Not to Matt Gaetz.
Matt Gaetz is virtually no one’s idea of a qualified nominee. The man is a graduate of William and Mary Law School, a fact that must have the ghost of Thomas Jefferson pulling out his sepulchral hair. He practiced law for less than two years in a civil firm, has no criminal law experience and was briefly suspended for not paying certain administrative fees but was later reinstated.