When City Repertory Theatre presents a staged reading Dec. 2-5 of Sir Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” which the English playwright called “a light comedy about death,” the poignancy of the production will be plain to see: CRT is paying tribute to Anne Kraft, who’d performed with most of the company’s actors over the years.
Florida’s Share of Biden Infrastructure Bill for Roads, Bridges and More: $16.7 Billion in 5 Years
Florida is expected to receive $2.6 billion to improve public transportation, $1.6 billion for water improvements, $1.2 billion for airport development, $29 million for cybersecurity, $26 million to protect against wildfires, and a minimum of $100 million to expand broadband coverage, with a projection that it will provide access to at least 707,000 Floridians.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 2, 2021
Michael McIntyre, who faces a capital murder charge in a death by overdose, is scheduled for a plea, another sold-out candlelight concert at Stetson, J.B. Jackson on the necessity of ruins.
Supreme Court Will Eviscerate Roe v. Wade But Signals Split on What Comes Next
The Supreme Court justices signaled a major shift on abortion law in arguments on a Missouri case today but the six conservative justices who hold the majority in the highest court seemed divided: Would they overturn the core right to abortion entirely or would they allow abortion to be limited by the states to the early stages of pregnancy?
American Library Association Condemns Broad Censorship of Books on Race and LGBTQ in Schools and Libraries
Some individuals and officials say the voices of the marginalized have no place on library shelves. Including in Flagler, they have launched campaigns demanding the censorship of books and resources that mirror the lives of those who are gay, queer, or transgender, or that tell the stories of persons who are Black, Indigenous or persons of color.
Judge Denies Halving Bond for Angelo Antolino, Repeat Offender Who Killed Indiana Kerns, 59, in U.S. 1 Crash
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins on Monday denied Angelo Antolino’s request that his $75,000 bond be reduced by $45,000 in a vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter case resulting from the April 1, 2020 crash on U.S. 1 that killed that Indiana Kerns, 59, and left William Kerns in critical condition. The judge reduced it by $5,000.
Sen. Travis Hutson’s Business-Protectionist Bill Has Counties and Cities Worried About Reign of Lawsuits
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to back the proposal (SB 620), which would allow businesses to sue if local ordinances cause at least 15 percent losses of revenue or profits. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson, the St. Augustine Republican who represents Flagler, would apply to businesses that have been operating for at least three years.
Flagler Sheriff’s Employees Donate Nearly $16,000 for Shop With a Cop Holiday Program
FCSO personnel have donated a total of $15,776.83 towards the Shop with a Cop program. Shop with a Cop is part of the mission of the Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities organization and is sponsored and supported by FCSO. The goal of Shop with a Cop is to help children and families that are in need due to economic circumstances, domestic violence, or children that have been placed in the care of guardians so they may have some holiday cheer.
Cyclist Killed in Hit and Run on Palm Coast Parkway; Traffic Cameras Help Focus Search
A 56-year-old cyclist and Palm Coast resident was struck and killed by a vehicle on Palm Coast Parkway and Leanni Way, near the Flagler County Public Library, shortly after midnight this morning. The vehicle kept going.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Lane closure on Matanzas Woods Parkway at the I-95 overpass, Palm Coast’s Code Enforcement Board meets, Stetson’s School of Music’s Christmas Candlelight Concerts kick off, but they’re sold out, and Maupassant explains why he’s terrified of December.
Anti-CRT Lawmakers Are Passing Pro-CRT Laws
Anti-CRT messaging has emerged as a signature – and potent – GOP political talking point. But while Republicans introduced 54 CRT-related bills across 24 states, most of these bills – if you take seriously their actual text – call for more CRT, not less.
Palm Coast Was Set to Recommend New Garbage Hauler. Waste Pro Protested. City Will Re-Start Entire Bid Process.
Palm Coast government issued a “Notice of Intent” to award the city’s next five-year garbage contract to Texas-based FCC Environmental, ending Palm Coast’s 15-year relationship with Waste Pro. Waste Pro filed a bid protest. The city will now re-start the process and hope to have a hauler in place by the time Waste Pro’s contract expires on May 31–whether Waste Pro or another company.
Afraid of Homelessness and Risk of Violating Probation, A Woman Asks Judge to Send Her to Prison. Judge Agrees.
The case of Tonya Bennett is a succession of disturbing catch-22’s that expose the threadbare condition of the social safety net in Flagler County, the uncompromising severity of the judicial system’s probationary system, and the way the local jail and state prison end up being the default asylums for people suffering from mental health illness, and having nowhere else to go for treatment.
Federal Judge Blocks Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Millions of Health Workers in 10 States
Under the rules with a Jan. 4 deadline, many private sector employees will be required to get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests, while some 17 million health care providers at facilities participating in the federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs must be vaccinated — with no option to choose weekly testing instead.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Terry McManus formerly of Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach, now serving four years in prison, is back in court on a fraud case, Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt learns to drive a school bus, Gordon S. Wood on the War of 1812.
Millions of Americans Are Struggling to Pay Their Water Bills. Time for an Aid Program.
A 2019 survey found that U.S. households in the bottom fifth of the economy spent 12.4% of their disposable income on water and sewer services. News reports suggest that for low-income households, this burden has increased during the pandemic.
Switching Districts, Palm Coast Council’s Victor Barbosa Will Take On Joe Mullins in GOP Primary for Commission
They are among the most controversial elected Republicans in a county not lacking for them: Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa and County Commissioner Joe Mullins. Now Barbosa, in a surprise, will challenge Mullins in the Republican primary for District 4 on the County Commission. Barbosa had originally filed to run against County Commissioner Greg Hansen in District 2.
FPC Teacher Forced Out: He’d Paid Student $5,569, Had Relationship With Her, and Lied on Job Application
Timothy Whitfield, a 44-year-old resident of Palm Coast hired as a history teacher at Flagler Palm Coast High School last year, was effectively fired two months ago following sheriff’s and district investigations that uncovered grave ethical improprieties but no criminal findings. Whitfield had maintained a relationship with a female student, paid her nearly $6,000 through 127 cash-app transactions, and lied on his job application.
High-Speed Chase of Man Wanted for Assaulting Cop Spills Into Flagler from I-95 to SR100 to A1A
Several major Flagler County roads were the scene of a high-speed pursuit that started in Volusia County, where a man was wanted on a charge of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officers, whom the man allegedly tried to run over. The pursuit when it spilled into Flagler spread over I-95, Old Dixie Highway, State Road 100, State Road A1A and back to Old Dixie Highway.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 29, 2021
Grand Chanukah Celebration at European Village, a Charlie Brown Christmas, Diderot and Hume, citizens of the world, UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
‘Let’s Go Brandon’ and the Linguistic Jiujitsu of American Politics
The enthusiastic adoption of the phrase by President Joe Biden’s detractors suggests that “Let’s go Brandon” is best described as a minced oath. These are euphemisms used in place of a taboo or blasphemous expression. Such oaths have a long history in English. Some Biden supporters are turning the phrase into one of support for him. And as a variant, some of the president’s supporters have begun to employ, “Thank you Brandon.”
Why Florida’s and Other States’ Anti-Vaccine Efforts Are Mostly for Show
Many of the new anti-vaccine mandate laws, including Florida’s, are either symbolic or vulnerable to federal preemption, or in some cases both. Some have provisions that align with federal regulations, such as sections that say people can reject vaccinations for religious reasons.
Judge All Instances of Hatred and Bias Equally
Time after time, if the aggressor is white and the victim is not, it automatically becomes a narrative about bigotry and white supremacy. The “Through the Looking Glass” moment came when Rittenhouse, who is white, shot three men, who were also white, and he’s still attacked as an example of white privilege. This is madness, and we are in societal quicksand.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 28, 2021
Happy Hanukkah, which begins this evening, the Real Heisenberg on Omicron And The Slow Death Of Common Sense, Leslie Kirk Campbell on why she writes, and Ferenc Vizi plays Schubert as the weekend winds down all too soon.
How the Omicron Variant Was Found and What We Know So Far
South Africa has several laboratories that can grow and study the actual virus and discover how far antibodies, formed in response to vaccination or previous infection, are able to neutralise the new virus. This data will allow scientists to to characterize the new virus and develop counter strategies.
Flagler School Libraries Face Chilling Dangers Beyond Book Bans
Book-banning doesn’t really exist: ban a book, and it gains more notoriety than ever. The danger ahead in Flagler schools is Board members Jill Woolbright’s and Janet McDonald’s attempt to keep certain books from even reaching library shelves before they’re bought, thus eliminating the glare of controversy. That kind of self-censorship is far more damaging to diversity on Flagler’s library shelves.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 27, 2021
If your soul isn’t entirely soot from black Friday, let us now praise James Agee (and Walker Evans). An eventless weekend in Flagler, and Edith Wharton’s Duchess at Prayer.
Inaction from Florida House on ‘Vile’ Social Media Posts Against Muslims and Palestinians from GOP’s Randy Fine
In mid-August, an official complaint was filed in the Florida House of Representatives against Randy Fine, the Palm Bay Republican, for “hateful” and “atrocious” social media comments directed to Palestinians and Muslims, whom he’s called “monsters,” “terrorists,” and “rapists,” among other Islamophobic bigotries, on his social media platforms.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 26, 2021
Pictures of Thursday’s volunteer distribution of 100 free meals prepared by Beachfront Grill, a few cautionary words about shopping in unvaccinated environments, Rousseau on doctors.
The More Telling Months After the First Thanksgiving
What happened four months after the first Thanksgiving, starting in March 1622 about 600 miles south of Plymouth, is far more reflective of the country’s origins – a story not of peaceful coexistence but of distrust, displacement and repression.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thanksgiving Thursday, November 25, 2021
Happy Thanksgiving. No garbage collection today. Flagler Beach and others remember the neediest. Jean-Jacques Rousseau says a few very mean things about actors.
Criminalizing a Black Jogger: 3 Georgia Men Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery
Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed on Feb. 23, 2020, after being pursued through the predominantly white suburban neighborhood of Satilla Shores, near Brunswick in Georgia. For many, the manner of his death raised questions over the role race played in the killing, evoking a U.S. in which gangs of white men killed Black men and boys with impunity.
Keon Sands, 27, Veteran of Afghanistan, Is Killed in Motorcycle Collision With Semi on I-95. Semi Kept Going.
Keon Clyde Sands, 27, was killed moments after 11 p.m. Tuesday night as he was riding his motorcycle north on I-95, in a collision with a semi truck near mile marker 296, just south of Old Kings Road.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 24, 2021
The county and the country wind down ahead of Thanksgiving, a look at Thanksgiving prices in 1954, a Schubert impromptu, Adam Smith on science and superstition.
Between Jorge Salinas and Generous Federal Subsidies, Broadband May Finally Connect West Flagler By End of 2023
A slew of federal subsidies, including Covid-relief funds and an auction with broadband providers, is making possible what Flagler County commissioners have only talked about for several years. The commission approved negotiating a no-bid contract with Charter Communications, itself the beneficiary of over $1 billion in federal subsidies, to extend broadband to underserved areas in West Flagler by the end of 20223 or early 2024.
The Personhood Argument Gestating Over Abortion
On Dec. 1, 2021, the court will hear a case many believe will force the conservative justices — who now command a majority of the court — to decide if they will strike down Roe v. Wade or uphold the long-standing precedent. But a third path could focus a ruling on a more neglected aspect of the ruling in Roe — the court’s understanding of the facts of fetal personhood.
Grand Chanukah Celebration at European Village Monday
Chabad of Palm Coast will ignite a 6-foot Menorah at European Village, an event to be followed by a community-wide celebration on Nov 29, the second night of the eight-day holiday of Chanukah. The ceremony, organized by Chabad Jewish Center Rabbi Levi Ezagui, will feature Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
Future July 4 Celebrations Take Shape Between Certainty of Fireworks and Uncertainty of Flagler Beach’s Geography
The July 4 committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed last August to figure out whether there is a future for the Independence Day fireworks that light up much of the city’s historical identity is close to finishing its work, with a final report now in preparation.
Judge Exonerates 4 Black Men Known as ‘Groveland Four’ Who’d Been Falsely Accused of Raping White Woman
A Central Florida judge on Monday exonerated Black men known as the “Groveland Four” who were accused of sexually assaulting a white woman in one of the most-notorious cases from the state’s Jim Crow era. All four have died. They were accused in 1949 by Norma Padgett, then 17, of Lake County.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 23, 2021
The Flagler Beach Ad Hoc Committee appointed by the City Commission to study the city’s July 4 festivities meets this morning. The Stetson Choral Union and Chamber Orchestra is in concert. Seneca reflects on gladiatorial barbarism.
Waukesha, Wisconsin, and the Era of Vehicles as Weapon of Mass Killing
Cars, SUVs and trucks can be an efficient means of mass killing such as the SUV attack of a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and one that can be virtually impossible to prepare against. Furthermore, it is becoming harder to prosecute the driver involved in such fatalities in some states.
On Book Bans, ‘Equity’ and the School District’s Duty to Honor Student Diversity: The Students’ Perspective
Karissa Jackson and Kaylee Briggs are among the more outspoken student board members who have served on the Flagler County School Board. They both addressed the ongoing attempt by Board members Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald to remove or review books from school libraries.
Flowers for the Holiday? Winn-Dixie’s ‘Bloomin’ 4 Good’ Bouquets Mean Help for Flagler County Meals on Wheels
This local-support program runs through the end of November. Every dollar spent on a bouquet means 10 meals for a local charity, which in this case happens to be Meals on Wheels.
Sheriff’s Detectives Investigating Death of Michael Ursini, 42, After He Was Reported Jumping in Water on Fire
Michael Josef Ursini, 42, a resident of the B-Section and the owner of Ursini Signature Painting, a company he founded two years ago with his fiancee, died following an unexplained incident in which paint caught on fire and he was seen jumping in a canal near the Tidelands house where he was painting with a co-worker Saturday.
Violent Felon With Long Prison History Accused of Attacking Teen Unprovoked in a Seminole Woods Driveway
Sean Patrick McNamara, who has spent almost 27 of his 53 years in state prison, moved to Palm Coast in 2020 and has since faced four charges in three incidents, the last two being felony child abuse and making threats to kill following a confrontation with a minor child in the boy’s driveway in Seminole Woods in Palm Coast.
Flush With Federal Money, DeSantis Pitches Temporarily Eliminating State Gas Tax, Reducing Revenue by $1 Billion
Continuing to contrast his economic approach to the Biden White House–which ensured that Florida would get billions in Covid and infrastructure subsidies–DeSantis said the approximately 25-cent-a-gallon “gas tax relief” proposal could save the average Florida family up to $200 over a five- to six-month period, while reducing state revenue by more than $1 billion. DeSantis wants lawmakers to approve it during the legislative session that starts Jan. 11.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 22, 2021
Remembering John F. Kennedy’s idealism and the New Frontier, the Bunnell City Commission borrows millions to rebuild its sewer plant, Bill Maher explains why Democrats are losers.
Conversion Therapy Is Lethal Bunk, But Fewer Than Half the States Ban It
Many LGBTQ youth live in states, Florida among them, that have no ban in place protecting them from conversion therapy – a practice that the scientific community has long since shunned, and that nearly doubles the incidence of suicide among gay, lesbian and bisexual people victimized by the fraud.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 21, 2021
Voltaire on old age (it’s his 243rd birthday today), the final Fall Festival day at the county fairgrounds, the final day of Sartre’s depressing “No Exit” at on stage Stetson.
No Such Things as ‘Smart’ Missiles That Avoid Civilians
The development of more precise missiles and guided bombs does not automatically mean a reduction in civilian deaths. For one thing, “precision” is not about protecting civilians so much as making these weapons “more lethal”.