John Ridgley Gardner Jr., a 72-year-old resident of Zonal Geranium Court in Palm Coast, was sentenced this morning to five years in prison followed by 10 years in probation on 13 second-degree felony counts of possession of sexual abuse video and images of minors.
Flagler County Will Take $1.2 million Out of Reserves to Pay for 2 New Firetrucks in Unbudgeted Spree
The Flagler County Commission approved spending $1.24 million out of reserves to buy two firetrucks in one fell swoop, thus replacing half of Flagler County Fire Rescue’s four front-line fire trucks when the two new engines are delivered in about 14 months. The proposal is to address an ageing fleet and was approved unanimously after little discussion.
Damaging Trust with Unions, Flagler School Board Rejects a Rebate to Employees that Its Own Teams Had Agreed To
The Flagler County school district’s teacher and service employee unions have suspended collective bargaining negotiations with the district following what both unions say is a breaking of a pledge by the district to award one-time health insurance premium rebates to employees. The unions consider that “bad faith,” breaking trust in the district, damaging what for many years had been cordial relations between the two sides, and raising the possibility of more formal measures.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
The Palm Coast council will hear a somewhat contentious rezoning application for a 28-acre property called Ryan’s Landing, the school board meets, Food Truck Tuesday, Brown v. Board of Education.
Mass Shootings Are Increasing, Becoming Deadlier, and 13% Are Targeting Minorities
Mass public shootings in which four or more people are killed have become more frequent, and deadly, in the last decade. And the tragedy in Buffalo is the latest in a recent trend of mass public shootings taking place in retail establishments, similar to an August 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. On that occasion, the 21-year-old white suspect posted a racist rant on social media before allegedly driving some distance to intentionally target racial and ethnic minority shoppers.
Vietnam War Veteran Cecil Hengeveld Speaks at Flagler County’s Memorial Day Service
Join Flagler County at its Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, May 30, featuring special guest speaker Cecil Hengeveld, Colonel, U.S. Army (retired), a Vietnam War veteran, whose decorations include Legion of Merit, Air Medal with “V” device and 30 oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, and the Pennsylvania Commendation Medal.
DeSantis Signs New Law Banning Protests Outside Private or Elected Officials’ Homes
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation providing for jail terms of up to 60 days and $500 fines for protesting outside the homes of public officials and private citizens — like what’s been happening to U.S. Supreme Court justices since the leak of a draft opinion reversing Roe v. Wade.
Gas Prices Set a New Record in Palm Coast, Reaching $4.49 After 30-Cent Rise Over the Week
In Palm Coast, gas today was selling at $4.49 a gallon at Wawa and both RaceTrac stations on State Road 100. It was selling at $4.51 at the Shell closer to Flagler Beach, and $4.49 almost everywhere else in the city as $5-a-gallon gas is now a possibility.
A Month Out from Sentencing on Felony DUI Conviction, Dan Priotti Is Back in Jail on Domestic Charge
The latest incident is the result of an alleged confrontation between Dan Priotti and his ex-girlfriend, less than a week after a judge ruled against his lawyer’s motion for a mistrial in the DUI conviction. Priotti had been out on bond pending sentencing on May 17. The prosecution may now use the incident as a further argument against leniency.
Setting Aside Transparency Concerns, Flagler Beach Commission Reaffirms Support for $420,000 Dumpster Project
The $420,000 reconstruction and expansion of the dumpster pad outside the Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach–$450,000, including architectural drawings–will go forward, the Flagler Beach City Commission decided last week, despite questions by two commissioners and the mayor.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 16, 2022
The Flagler County Commission considers spending $1.2 million for two fire engines, The trial of Ian Davis is scheduled to begin with jury selection, Lise de la Salle plays Bach.
Video Games May Boost Your Child’s Intelligence
Many parents feel guilty when their children play video games for hours on end. But a new study points to evidence of a beneficial, causal effect of video games on intelligence. For example, a child who was in the top 17% in terms of hours spent gaming increased their IQ about 2.5 points more than the average child over two years.
DeSantis Signs Records Expungement Bill
After the measure received unanimous approval in the House and Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 12 signed a bill that will expand minors’ ability to have arrest records expunged if they have completed diversion programs.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 15, 2022
The killing of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, one Million Covid Deaths, Grace Community Food Pantry, Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer in conversation, reclaiming the night sky.
The Ethics of ‘Personhood’ in the Abortion Debate
Current constitutional law grants a right to have an abortion until a fetus becomes viable – in other words, until there is a reasonable probability it could survive outside the womb with care. Today, this typically occurs between the 22nd and 24th weeks of pregnancy. But “what is a person?” How people answer this question shapes how they think about a developing human being.
Why I Took Part in The National Women’s March in Flagler Beach
“I was born in 1968 in a Catholic home for unwed mothers in Philadelphia,” the author, a long-time Hammock resident, writes of pre-Roe America. “My biological mother was 15 when she became pregnant. She was forever scarred for life by her experience in one of these homes. She was 16 when she gave birth and had no say whatsoever in what happened to me. Let that sink in: my mother was completely powerless over what happened to her and to her child.”
Flagler’s Inimitable Bob Pickering Earns Distinguished Service Award at Governor’s Hurricane Conference
Emergency Management Specialist Bob Pickering received the Distinguished Service Award Thursday at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in south Florida for being a jack of all trades within his department.
The First Organized Women’s Basketball League Comes to Palm Coast
The Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Department is organizing its first-ever women’s basketball league this summer, beginning June 8 and continuing through July 27.
A Record 36 Million Tourists Visit Florida in First 3 Months of the Year, Beating Pre-Covid Numbers
Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, posted information Friday showing that 35.982 million people traveled to the state between the start of January and the end of March.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 14, 2022
Dedication of a mural in memory of former Mayor Jon Netts at the Palm Coast Historical Society, National Women’s March to preserve the right to an abortion, Flagler Palm Coast High School Thespians’ production of “Singing in the Rain,” Lewis and Clark set off.
A Fraction of Crops Goes to Feed the Hungry as Most Are Used for Nonfood Purposes
Rising competition for many of the world’s important crops is sending increasing amounts toward uses other than directly feeding people. These competing uses include making biofuels; converting crops into processing ingredients, such as livestock meal, hydrogenated oils and starches; and selling them on global markets to countries that can afford to pay for them.
Looking Past Shock to Continuity, Flagler Education Foundation Appoints Teresa Rizzo Its Next Director
The Flagler Education Foundation, the school district’s non-profit support arm, appears to be making the same bet on Teresa Rizzo that it made on her late husband Joe, who had no fund-raising experience when he took over the organization, but vastly improved its its local impact between 2017 and 2022.
Texas Supreme Court Allows Child Abuse Investigations Into Families of Transgender Teens to Continue
Though it overturned the injunction on procedural grounds, the high court raised questions about why the Department of Family and Protective Services opened these investigations in the first place.
Felon and Alleged Gang Member Earnest Watson Arrested in Connection With Monday Shooting in Bunnell
Earnest Lee Watson III, a 26-year-old resident of 200 Knox Jones Road in Bunnell, was arrested on Thursday and charged in connection with a shooting on East Booe Street in Bunnell on Monday, and a gang link noted.
A Leery Flagler Beach Commission Votes for Diminished July 4 Fireworks Despite Provider’s ‘Bait and Switch’
Don’t expect the kind of fireworks show you’ve been used to this July 4 in Flagler Beach now that “the residents have been betrayed,” in the words of the chairman of the city’s former July 4 committee. The commission’s vote followed on the heels of a series of embarrassing missteps, poor vetting on the city’s part, and documentation provided only hours before commission meetings.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, May 13, 2022
The Garden Club holds its Arbor Day Memorial Tree Planting, Cooking Series with Chef Warren, “Singing in the Rain” at the Auditorium, Free Concert at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Theodore Dreiser on “her fleshy solidity.”
Tucker Carlson’s Masculinity Crisis
Tucker Carlson’s central premise is that modern society has devitalized American men. Strength, drive and aggression are no longer in vogue, and Americans, as a result, are become weaker. Carlson’s claims as part of a rich heritage of skeptics shouting from the rooftops that American men are becoming devitalized, lazy and effeminate.
Three Conservation Groups Sue EPA Over Water Quality and Manatee Deaths
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Orlando. The groups are seeking to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to re-engage in talks with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about water quality in the Indian River Lagoon, which has been the site of numerous manatee deaths in 2021 and this year.
Nikki Fried Says Charlie Crist ‘Is Refusing to Debate’ in Primary
With less than four months away from the 2022 gubernatorial primary, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is pushing for a televised debate among Democratic candidates, claiming U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist “is refusing to debate” her and she has accepted several invitations from broadcast media outlets across Florida.
Fireworks Producer Bills Flagler Beach 150% More Than Agreed Price for July 4 and Drafts Yet Another Company
The latest fireworks producer, Ryan Allen, today sent a $60,000 invoice to City Manager William Whitson for the July 4 fireworks show, a 150 percent increase from the $24,000 the city commission agreed to, while the show would now be a co-production with yet another company the city commission knew nothing about.
Road Rage Incident on Belle Terre Parkway Lands a Man in Jail on felony Child Abuse Charge
Richard M. Oloughlin, a 36-year-old resident of Winchester Lane in Palm Coast, faces two felony charges following a road-rage incident in which Oloughlin was recorded by a 17-year-old boy allegedly assaulting the boy and damaging his car on Palm Coast Parkway Wednesday evening.
Key West Pride to Feature Parties, Performances and a Parade June 1-5
The subtropical island of Key West is to welcome revelers to its annual Pride celebrations Wednesday through Sunday, June 1-5. Scheduled festivities showcase the diversity and equality that help make the continental United States’ southernmost city a top vacation destination for LGBTQ visitors worldwide.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, May 12, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission tries to get clarity on a dumpster of a vote, “Singin’ in the Rain'” launches at the Flagler Auditorium, drug court today, and from David Hume to Yogi Berra.
‘White Privilege’? The Accusation Is Not Constructive.
Though these words are commonly used, use of “white privilege” can decrease support for racially progressive policies, increase online political polarization and lead to lower quality conversations on social media. In particular, the term drives some whites who would otherwise support efforts toward racial equality away from online conversations.
Flagler Beach Commission Reels from Stink Behind Blind Vote on $420,000 Repair Job at Funky Pelican
Last month the Flagler Beach City Commission approved a $420,500 bid to rebuild the garbage-dumpster pad adjacent to the Funky Pelican. Four of the five commissioners and the mayor did not know that the project was not merely to repair the pad, but to double the space, further blocking the public’s view of the ocean on the north side of the restaurant–and doubling what had originally been planned as a $200,000 job.
77-Year-Old Patient Beaten and Choked to Death at Assisted Living Facility in Palm Coast
A 77-year-old woman who’d been a patient at Gold Choice Assisted Living and Memory Care in Palm Coast was beaten and choked to death by another patient overnight, and was only discovered by a staffer during rounds early this morning.
Singin’ – and Caterwauling — in the Rain: Flagler Palm Coast High School Stages Classic Musical
“Singin’ in the Rain,” which debuted as a movie musical in 1952 but didn’t come to life on stage until its London debut in 1983, is set in that mind-blowing, exciting and frantic era when Hollywood was evolving from silent films to “talkies.” It tells the tale of a Hollywood star couple making that transition: the magnetic Don Lockwood and his onscreen leading lady, Lina Lamont. The effervescent, talented Don is ready for the new prime time. Lina — not so much.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Summer coed volleyball camp registration open, bombing in the Ocala forest, Drive and Surprise, Irving berlin’s and Jacob Oliva’s birthday, be kind to your receptionist, not just today.
Fentanyl: What is It, and Why Buying Any Street Drug Is Now Russian Roulette
Buying drugs on the street is a game of Russian roulette. From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl.
Federal Lawsuits Argues Florida’s New Limits on Ballot Initiatives Are Unconstitutional
Groups seeking to place proposed constitutional amendments on the 2024 ballot are urging a federal judge to reject the state’s arguments defending a law that prevents paying petition gatherers based on the number of signatures they collect.
Dueling With Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott, Biden Says ‘the Man has a Problem’
Sen. Rick Scott earlier in the day called on Biden to resign because, he said, the chief executive is “unwell, unfit for office, incoherent, incapacitated and confused.” “I think the man has a problem,” Biden retorted after told by a reporter about Scott’s broadside.
Free WaterSafe Event Set for May 21 at belle Terre Swim Club
Flagler County Fire Rescue is partnering with agencies and businesses throughout the county to provide an educational yet fun day of water safety instruction for families and children. WaterSafe will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 21, at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, 73 Patricia Lane, Palm Coast.
Another Shooting in Bunnell, But No Reported Injuries
Five or six shots were reported in the area of East Booe Street and South Cherry Street in South Bunnell just before 12:30 p.m. today, leaving behind an abandoned bicycle in the road, a bag of pot and shell casings, but no apparent injuries.
A Voluntary Pledge on Ethical Campaigning? Danko Convinces Palm Coast Council Not to Sign On.
A majority of the Palm Coast City Council was prepared to approve a statement on ethical campaigning that would have candidates voluntarily sign a pledge to that effect, until Council member Ed Danko, calling it a “slippery slope” of government intrusion, convinced the council against it. The council will adopt a mere statement issued to candidates, without a signature line.
Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Adopts Rocky, the Dog Shot in the Face by Previous Owner
Rocky suffered a bullet through his snout and bottom lip, into his neck and shoulder area, and through his left front leg, after Jamier T. Lee-Bright, 25, of Palm Coast, shot him allegedly out of anger in early April. The dog has been adopted and is recovering.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 10, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council will consider a resolution approving a statement of ethical campaign practices for future candidates, the Flagler County Planning Board again takes up a controversial comprehensive plan issue.
Disney Confronts the Sort of Trouble It Last Knew in 1941
In April, officials at Disney objected to a Florida law prohibiting instruction in sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded by signing a bill revoking Disney’s self-governing status, a unique arrangement in which the company operated like an independent fiefdom within the state.
DeSantis signs K-12 ‘Victims of Communism’ Bill then Rails Against ‘Marxists’ on Campuses
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a measure creating a “Victims of Communism Day” at Florida’s public schools, though much of the discussion centered around what state officials believe to be a rise in communist sympathies at Florida’s college campuses.
Flagler Beach Commission Clears Crafting Contract With Fledgling Fireworks Provider for July 4
In an attempt to bail itself out of a jam, the Flagler Beach City commission at a special meeting this afternoon directed its city manager to draft a contract with a new, young, largely untested company to provide a 20-minute fireworks show on July 4.
Back in Court, Wife’s Murderer Says She Was Equally to Blame for Her Own Death
A lengthy court hearing Friday was the first time that Michael Cummings, now 50, spoke openly about the details of killing his wife at their home on Point Pleasant in Palm Coast, at least as he remembered them. He put much of the blame for that night on her, blamed his defense attorneys, and disputed his designation as a murderer.