Council members’ salary will rise from $9,600 a year to $24,097, a 151 percent increase. The mayor’s salary will go up from $11,400 a year to $30,039 a year, a 164 percent increase, substantially less than the more than 300m percent increase Mayor David Alfin originally sought, but still equally costly to taxpayers as the original proposal, since benefits are now part of the compensation package.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council takes up its gargantuan self-raise again, Day Two of Kwentel Moultrie’s trial, Food Truck Tuesday, Thomas Mann’s Dilettante, Bach’s great English Suite.
Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroes and the Darker Side of the 60s
There is a sinister edge to Andy Warhol’s pop art portraits of Marilyn Monroe because many were produced in the months following her unexpected death in 1962. On the surface, the works may look like a tribute to a much-loved icon, but themes of death, decay and even violence lurk within these canvases.
Education Department Still Mum About Rejection of Textbooks as DeSantis Invokes ‘Proprietary Information’
After a high-profile announcement Friday about rejecting math textbooks submitted for adoption by the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education are providing few details about how the books violated state academic standards.
At Twice the Cost a Year Later, $6.5 Million T-Hangar Project Advances at County Airport as Terminal Lags
Delaying the construction of a new terminal building at the county airport, the County Commission today approved building 42 T-hangars at the airport at a cost double its original projection just a year ago, with the county picking up 29 percent of the cost for now, and hoping that state dollars will shoulder a larger share in coming months.
Moultrie’s Trial on Rape Charge Begins After He Rejected a No-Prison Deal, and Got Charged With Murder
Kwentell Moultrie turned down a no-prison deal on a first-degree felony charge of raping a 16-year-old girl, then got charged with second degree murder. His trial on the rape charge began today. He faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
Gas Prices Drop 25 Cents in Two Weeks
Florida gas prices dropped another 7 cents last week. The state average has now declined nearly 25 cents per gallon over the course of a little more than two weeks.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 18, 2022
Kwentel Moultrie goes on trial on a first degree felony charge of sexual battery, the Flagler County Commission considers a noise ordinance and a $6.2 million hangar project at the airport, Dostoevsky’s Raw Youth, and it is also World Heritage Day.
‘Every Day Feels Unsettled’: Educators Decry Staffing Shortage
A shortage of teaching staff affects every student. One principal explained that learning stalls when “students in classes with revolving subs may spend the hour playing video games with no structure or learning happening.” Administrators describe waking up with dread knowing they’ll have to scramble to find coverage for absent staff.
School Appeals Pre-Game Prayer Ruling
A Tampa Christian school is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that backed a decision by the Florida High School Athletic Association to prevent a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a 2015 state championship football game.
Claiming ‘Indoctrination,’ Florida Education Department Rejects 41% of Math Textbooks Submitted
Friday afternoon heading into a holiday weekend, statewide education officials announced that they rejected 54 math textbooks out of 132 — that’s 41 percent — claiming that some of the materials attempt to “indoctrinate” kids with references to so-called critical race theory.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 17, 2022
An Easter Egg Hunt at St Thomas Episcopal, Easter Sunday services at Santa Maria del Mar and Mother Seton, the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmers, John McWhorter on the “Elect.”
How Misreading the Christian Gospels fuels Anti-Semitism
The pernicious belief that Christianity replaced or supplanted Judaism is known as Christian supersessionism. Christian supersessionism has not only fed into negative perceptions of Jews and Judaism since antiquity, but has also incited violence against Jews.
With Median Rent Now at $1,760 a Month, Tenants Across Florida Are Struggling to Afford Housing Costs
Florida’s rental market has become problematic for many families and workers battling to afford surging rent prices over the past two years, with median rent prices jumping from $1,340 in February 2020 (right before the pandemic) to just over $1,760 in February 2022, a 31.4 percent increase over two years, according to a new report by Florida TaxWatch.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 16, 2022
Egg hunts for adults and children in Bunnell and Palm Coast, easter services at the local Catholic churches, the Invictus Games for recovering servicemen and women begin today at The Hague in the Netherlands, today begins National Park Week, remembering Henry Mancini and a few words from Barry Lopez.
Jackie Robinson Was a Radical. Don’t Fall for the Sanitized Version of History.
Though Robinson was a fierce competitor, an outstanding athlete and a deeply religious man, the aspect of his legacy that often gets glossed over is that he was also a radical. Celebrations of his career risk downplaying his activism during and after his playing career.
A Year After Giving Up on It, Flagler Beach Is Crushing Back Into Glass Recycling with $200,000 Machine
The glass-crushing machine, nicknamed “Big Blue” by the city, will transform residents’ recycled glass into useable products, but it’s also the reason residents are paying an additional $2 recycling fee. The machine will help reduce the city’s glass-garbage volume and turn pulverized glass to numerous other uses.
Sheriff’s Office Is Flush With New Deputies, a New Operations Center and a New Mobile Command Center Ahead
The sheriff’s annual address gave him a chance to boast of a crime index 53 percent lower than when he took office in 2017, to summarize the past year in policing, explain current initiatives and project some of what’s ahead, including the big-ticket items–a new mobile command center and the opening of the Sheriff’s Operations Center later this year–and another big ask from the County Commission.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 15, 2022
Good Friday has courts, schools (for students, not teachers, who have a workday), county, city and law enforcement offices closed. Time to use the day to make good on your Carver Center auction bids.
Elon Musk Claims Twitter’s Better Off Going private. Corporate Governance Experts Disagree.
A big problem with private companies is they lack the safeguards of public corporations – like outside ownership and independent oversight. As such, they escape the scrutiny of these public overseers. The CEO of a public company is subject to an array of constraints and a varying but always substantial degree of oversight. Not so the CEO of a privately held company.
DeSantis Signs 15-Week Abortion Ban Into Law During Quasi-Religious Ceremony
Gov. Ron DeSantis went to church Thursday to sign a 15-week abortion ban into law during a ceremony bearing many of the accoutrements of a worship service. The American Civil Liberties Union immediately promised to challenge the law in court.
The Charmette’s Annual Women in Red Luncheon at Hilton Garden Inn Features Pearl Roziers
The St. Johns-Putnam-Flagler County Chapter of the Charmettes Inc. invites the community to its Annual Women In Red Luncheon on May 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town Center Boulevard, in Palm Coast.
Proposed Self-Storage Facility in Hunter’s Ridge Draws Sharp Opposition as It Heads to County Commission
The proposal for a 102,000 square foot facility, to which the planning board recommended approval on a 6-1 vote, drew the sort of public opposition that now routinely shadows new self-storage facilities in Flagler and Palm Coast. But the assistant county attorney cautioned residents that the project is vested, with little to no legal wiggle room for opposition.
Flagler Pines RV Storage Will Soon Be History to Make Way for BJ’s Wholesale Club Shopping Center
The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday approved the next step–the first with significant construction–in the development of the 31-acre site that will be home to BJ’s just west of the RaceTrac gas station along State Road 100 in Palm Coast. The shopping center is to be called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 14, 2022
Sheriff Rick Staly holds the fifth annual public Addressing Crime Together meeting this evening, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, remembering Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” and Eugene Debs’s famous speech on justice.
When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A 1st Amendment Scholar Explains
Government actions that some may deem censorship – especially as related to schools – are not always neatly classified as constitutional or unconstitutional, because “censorship” is a colloquial term, not a legal term. Some principles can illuminate whether and when book banning is unconstitutional.
Palm Coast’s Belle Terre Park and Frieda Zamba Pool Need ‘Total Rebuild,’ But Council Is Wary of Another Expansion
Palm Coast with Belle Terre Park and its Frieda Zamba Pool is in the same boat as the school district with its nearby Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club: both facilities are on their last legs and need millions in repairs or construction, but the two agencies have yet to discuss cooperation. On Tuesday, Palm Coast council members were taken aback by the extent of the needs at Belle Terre Park.
Waste Pro Offering $2,000 Bonus for New Drivers at Hiring Drive Saturday
Waste Pro, the garbage hauler that’s provided trash and recycling services in Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler County since 2007, is holding a hiring drive Saturday (April 16) at its Bunnell plant and offering $2,000 signing bonuses to new drivers. The bonus is paid out in installment over the first year of employment.
Palm Coast Mayor Is Willing to Scale Back Council Raises, But Latest Proposal Is Still a 275% Increase
While Mayor David Alfin said he was willing to lower the amount of the raise, he left it to his four colleagues to propose actual numbers. Council member Nick Klufas is proposing salaries in line with those of School Board members–$36,000, which would still result in a 275 percent increase. Alfin and Council member John Fanelli appeared closest to that number.
Seven Years On, a Judge Signs Off on Legality of Florida’s 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion
After nearly seven years of legal battling, Judge Angela Dempsey issued a ruling Friday that upheld the constitutionality of a 2015 law that called for women to wait 24 hours after initial visits with physicians before having abortions.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 13, 2022
The quarterly Public Safety Coordinating Council is today, the annual George Washington Carver Foundation Auction, pre-trials in circuit court, Eudora Welty on Dick Cavett.
Half a Century of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
“Jesus Christ Superstar” set off controversy from the start. Composer Lloyd Webber has recounted how London producers initially regarded the 1971 project as “the worst idea in history.” Many religious audiences viewed the play with deep suspicion for what they considered an irreverent approach, questionable theology and its rock ‘n’ roll-influenced score.
Damari Barnes, 15, Wants Out of $500,000 Bond in Man’s Killing But Lurid Detention Fight May Complicate Things
Damari Barnes, the 15-year-old Matanzas High School student accused of killing Jamey “JuJu” Bennett, 19, at a party in February, wants his $500,000 bond lowered so he can go home, but he and another inmate allegedly ganged up on a cell-mate on April 3, beat him and forced him to drink urine, making more difficult his attorney’s argument that he should be released to his mother on a lower bond.
Splash Pad Boondoggle at Holland Park: Council Considers Suing Builders and Scrapping $5.1 Million Amenity
Palm Coast’s much-vaunted $5.1 million splash pad at Holland Park It opened for barely a few weeks before failing twice, closing the second time in July and soon closing for good. The failure is causing the city to threaten a lawsuit against the contractor and designer of the splash pad and consider scraping off the whole thing and replacing it with more traditional, less breakdown-prone amenities.
Bunnell Man Impersonates Cop at Wendy’s to Claim Law Enforcement Discount, and Faces Felony Charge
Jesse David Stover, 57, of Bunnell, allegedly claimed he was an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency to get a discount at Wendy’s. The store manager did not believe him and called police. Stover faces a third-degree felony.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council talks unsplashing splash pad, the Flagler County Planning Board has a long agenda, voter turnout in other countries, John McWhorter’s “Woke Racism.”
Understanding the Reactionary Realignment Behind the French Election
The French political landscape continues to shift rightward. Testament to this is the emergence of Éric Zemmour’s identity-based platform and Emmanuel Macron’s renewed political offer. While Jean-Luc Mélenchon made gains, they were not enough to compensate for the Socialist Party’s precipitous decline.
Facing Life in Prison, Aaron Thayer Pleads to Attempted Murder, 6 Years in Prison and 12 on Probation
Aaron Thayer, 40, the son of George Contos, who vanished from his Mondex home in 2015, faced an attempted first degree murder charge and numerous other charges after threatening to kill his then-girlfriend at the same Mondex property. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies intervened even as his girlfriend was hiding from him and speaking to a 911 operator.
DeSantis Signs Bill, Passed Unanimously in House and Senate, Addressing ‘Fatherhood Crisis’
A significant portion of the money earmarked for the program, about $32.6 million, will go toward funding grants aimed at assisting fathers. The grants will be targeted at issues such as helping fathers find employment, manage child support obligations and transition from a period of incarceration.
Parents Asked to Pick-Up Their Children as Power Outage at Belle Terre Elementary Causes Early Dismissal
An extended power outage at Belle Terre Elementary led the school district to end the school day early there and request that car-rider pick-up their children starting at 12:30 p.m. All children who cannot be picked up will be supervised until dismissal time, or through the period usually reserved for extended day, which has also been cancelled.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 11, 2022
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins hears a plea from Aaron Thayer, who faces an attempted first degree murder charge, the Bunnell City Commission meets, why some Americans have always fiercely resisted the truth.
Why Lowering the Voting Age to 16 Is a Good Idea
Thirteen countries, ranging from Brazil to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Austria, Estonia and Malta, already have voting ages under 18. The Council of Europe has urged its member countries to follow suit. In Canada, the federal NDP and Green Party publicly support a younger voting age. The federal Conservative, NDP and Liberal parties already allow members as young as 14 to vote in leadership contests.
Julie Demers, 43, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot After 7-Hour Standoff with Deputies at Palm Coast Plantation
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, including units of the SWAT team, were involved in a seven-hour standoff with a suicidal woman at 112 Emerald Lake Drive in Palm Coast Plantation since shortly before 8 this morning. 43-year-old Julie Demers shot herself in her pool after tear gas pushed her out of the house. She died at Halifax hospital.
Fire Rescue Lt. Jon Moscowitz Creates Sensory Boxes to Help Special Needs Patients During Medical Calls
It was the personal experience of dealing with the special needs of his 4-year-old daughter that inspired Flagler County Fire Rescue Lt. Jon Moscowitz to create sensory boxes to comfort special needs patients during medical, which also helps them connect and communicate with paramedics. Every Flagler County emergency vehicle in the county is now equipped with “Brookie Sensory Boxes,” named for his daughter Brooklynn.
How Ron DeSantis Is Campaigning on Taxpayers’ Dime
Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to the Florida Panhandle on Friday to dispense $23 million in infrastructure grants but spent the bulk of his time complaining about the Biden administration and culture war sore spots. During his 35-minute event in Port St. Joe, for example, the governor spent about seven minutes discussing the grants and handing out checks; the rest was politics.
Experts Predict 19 Named Storms and 9 Hurricanes This Season
Researchers have put forward a second above-normal forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Colorado State University researchers predicted 19 named storms, with nine growing into hurricanes, for the season that runs from June 1 to November 30.
Florida’s Latest Orange Crop Is On Track To Be Lowest Since World War II
With the latest sign of trouble for the industry attributed to a recent cold snap, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday dropped its Florida orange forecast by more than 7 percent from the March update, pushing the decline since the first forecast was issued in October to nearly 19 percent.
New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill April 6 that will make it easier for people like White to see their loved ones in health care facilities. Before Florida, at least eight states had passed similar laws, and several others have bills under consideration.
Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor Recognized for Intervention at Crash Site
At the April 5 Palm Coast City Council Meeting, Palm Coast Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor character was recognized by the City Council for his interventions at a recent fatal motor vehicle crash.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 10, 2022
Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, is staged at 3 p.m. at Stetson University’s Second Stage Theatre, the French go to the polls today in the first round of their unpresidential election, a reminder about Boulanger and Dreyfuss.