Registration is currently open to participate in the 14th Annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup on Saturday, September 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event attracts volunteers with a passion for protecting and enjoying nature by removing the trash within their developments or along city paths, walkways, and waterways.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 21, 2021
The Garden Club of Palm Coast seeks new members, new covid restrictions in Flagler schools, the greatest speaker at last Tuesday’s school board meeting you did not get to see, and a few words on Democrats and Republicans from Uncle Willy.
You’re Free to Refuse the Covid Vaccine. But It’s Un-American.
Throughout history, America’s leaders have recognized that without concern for others, without the highest tradition of cooperative national action, democracy is in peril. People who decide not to get vaccinated must understand that their actions are not just selfish, they are un-American.
State Will Cut Funding for School Boards in Alachua and Broward Over Mask Defiance
The Florida Board of Education will withhold money equal to the salaries of local school board members from districts in Alachua and Broward counties over their tough mask mandates for students, which state officials say violate Florida law.
In a Victory for Public Beach Access, Federal Court Rules in Favor of ‘Customary Use’ of Sands on Private Portions
Flagler County in 2018 passed an ordinance similar to the town ordinance the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld today. The court’s decision backed the county over property owners who argued a 2018 Florida law gave them the right to exclude beach-goers from the dry portions of privately owned beach.
Flagler Beach Again Delays First Friday Resumption, Possibly to December Unless Covid Pall Lifts Sooner
The Flagler Beach City Commission signed a new agreement with Laverne McNeil Shank, Jr. of Surf 97.3 FM to run First Friday events but a September re-start will be delayed, possibly to December, pending a better covid climate.
School Board Members Term Janet McDonald on ‘Witch Hunt’ and ‘Dangerous’ as She Guns for Board Attorney in Wake of Tuesday Tumult
School Board member Janet McDonald called for what would have been an unlawful, closed-door meeting to review the school board attorney’s contract, then called for any special meeting to review last Tuesday’s meeting, when the chamber had to be cleared because of the crowd’s rule-breaking. Two board members–Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro–responded with withering criticism of their colleague.
School or ‘Russian Roulette’? Amid Delta Variant and Lax Mask Rules, Some Parents See No Difference
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “universal indoor masking” in schools regardless of vaccination status, schools across the country are not embracing mask requirements, including for students under 12 who aren’t yet eligible for protective vaccines.
Family Life Center’s Trish Giaccone Sternly Rejects Flagler Beach Mayor’s ‘Rogue’ Attack, But Fences Aren’t Mended
Family Life Center Executive Director Trish Giaccone responded bluntly Thursday to criticism from Flagler Beach mayor Suzie Johnston that Giaccone had gone “rogue” by appearing on a radio commercial hosted by an incendiary county commissioner. But it does not appear as if relations between the city and the Life Center will improve.
Palm Coast Increases Fees at Parks, Community Center, Pool, Palm Harbor Golf Course and Tennis Center
The City of Palm Coast is raising its fees for Parks and Recreation services and rentals across the city following City Council approval on Aug. 17, after the proposal was presented to the council at a workshop. The new fees are now in effect.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 20, 2021
Flagler County Planning Director Adam Mengel and GoTobin Publisher and Realtor Toby Tobin talk growth on WNZF’s Free for All, Palm Coast reviews cultural arts grants, a scorcher of a day with the heat index reaching toward 108.
Why I No Longer Think We Can Eliminate Covid
The fact that the virus is mutating may explain why they’ve found it harder to keep it at bay. The virus is becoming better at spreading in humans. The alpha variant is around 50% to 100% more transmissible than the original virus that emerged in late 2019, and delta around 50% more transmissible than alpha. The more infectious the virus becomes, the more that has to be done to enforce suppression.
Covid Deaths in Flagler Reach 140, an Increase of 26 in 3 Weeks; 90 Hospitalized in Palm Coast, ‘All ICUs at Capacity’
Local infections and hospitalizations for covid continue to break records. Data is emerging that points to vaccines losing their efficacy over time, underscoring the push for booster shots in a significant shift from earlier guidance. The reason: the delta variant of the coronavirus, far more infectiously virulent, has radically changed the landscape, making so-called “breakthrough” infections of the vaccinated more common than originally thought and forcing public health agencies to adjust.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 19, 2021
Distant and unthreatening tropical activity, a plea, in the Flagler wilderness, to do the right thing on masking, free testing and vaccine schedules at two locations, Alejo Carpentier on freedom of expression.
Flagler Beach Fire Department Again Requests $546,000 Pierce Truck, and Again Embers of Opposition Flare
The Flagler Beach Fire Department is requesting approval of a $546,000 fire truck to replace its 25-year-old Engine 111. The commission is receptive. But as in 2016 and again in 2020, when fire-truck purchases were floated, the proposal is drawing some opposition, some of it intimating (again) that the city should consider consolidation with county fire services.
Schools and Covid Safety: What Works and What Doesn’t
Vaccines and masks work. Plexiglass and temperature checks aren’t worth it, testing everyone isn’t necessary, but students should still keep their distances when eating–and the delta variant still has many unknowns.
White House Orders Nursing Home Workers in Florida Vaccinated, Whatever DeSantis Says
As Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the White House announced Wednesday that nursing homes that rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding must require their staff members to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
In ‘Huge Deal,’ Flagler School Board Votes to Double Impact Fees on New Construction, 1st Increase in 16 Years
The school board in a series of unanimous votes Tuesday approved a doubling in school impact fees, the one-time levy imposed on new construction and designed to defray the cost of new schools required by a growing population. The “huge deal,” in the words of Board Attorney Kristy Gavin, will increase the single-family home impact fee from $3,600 to $7,175.
State Board of Education Hints It Could Remove School District Officials Defiant Over Masking Rules
The state Board of Education ordered an investigation of the actions of Alachua County and Broward County school officials and suggested the result could include withholding funds from the districts, or that “it may involve withholding salaries, it may involve removing officers, it may involve reviewing district conduct.” The state board did not impose such penalties Tuesday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, August 18, 2021
A hearing about a fugitive murderer out of New York in circuit court, Brian McMillan on vaccines, FPL’s rate-hike request, Mohsin Hamid on America’s retro infatuation with flags and uniforms.
School Board Rejects Renewed Mask Mandate in 3-2 Vote at Meeting That Devolves into Chaos and Defiance
It was one of the Flagler County School Board’s more raucous meetings in recent memory this evening, with several key votes, including a rejection by the board, on a 3-2 vote, to restore a mask mandate in schools, with an opt-out provision. The board chamber had to be cleared for 45 minutes, and more than half a dozen sheriff’s deputies responded.
Afghanistan and American Hubris
In Afghanistan, American hubris–the United States’ capacity for self-delusion and official lying – has struck once again, as it has repeatedly for the last 60 years. This weakness-masquerading-as-strength has repeatedly led the country into failed foreign interventions.
No, Indian Trails Middle Isn’t Requiring Vaccines, Detaining or Banning Students, But Falsehoods Go Viral Anyway
The case of a parent’s reaction to her son at Indian Trails Middle School being required to quarantine for at least four days illustrates how easily inaccurate information is misused to politically tendentious ends–it’s led to a call for a showdown before the school board this evening–or inflated into non-existent problems or false claims.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 17, 2021
The Palm Coast City Council votes on land use changes and hears about a new partnership for teen programs at the Community Center. The School Board talks legislative priorities and impact fees. A couple of words from Bernard Rustin.
Social Justice Begins With Honest History
As 28 states consider or enact legislation to limit the teaching of this painful history, this is in fact a moment to dig more deeply into our nation’s past. Doing so can uncover the roots of our current challenges – from what children learn in school to how Americans are treated as they drive a car – and help us chart a better path forward.
Food Stamps Benefits Will Increase 25%, First Increase in 15 Years, Helping 15,000 in Flagler
In Flagler County, 14,809 people in 7,546 households were receiving food stamps, and 3.3 million Floridians in 1.9 million households were. Average monthly benefits will increase to $157, or $36 more than pre-pandemic levels.
DSC’s Ryanne Gouveia Selected as 2021 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar
Daytona State College student Ryanne Gouveia is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members nationwide who have been named a 2021 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar.
A 13-Year-Old Mondex Girl Faces Felony Charge Over Threatening Video and Texts
On the fourth day of the new schoolyear, a 13-year-old Bunnell girl became the first student to be arrested on a felony charge that has sent dozens of students through the judicial system since 2018: making written threats to kill.
County’s Budget Agreement Nets Sheriff 10 of 15 Requested Deputies and $400,000 Mobile Command Vehicle
The Flagler County Commission this afternoon agreed to lower the county’s property tax by a symbolic decimal point next year, though county revenue will still grow by nearly $6 million and the sheriff will get an additional $2.2 million, ensuring the addition of 10 new deputies and a $400,000 mobile command center.
21 Flagler Residents Have Died of Covid in Last 2 Weeks, 1,600 Deaths in Florida, But State Is Masking the Figures
Flagler’s death count was released only after a public record request. The state Health Department is masking death counts for the state as a whole, just as it has been fudging vaccination figures to make them seem higher than they are, just as it has eliminated daily reports of case counts, whether for the state or the counties, in an apparent effort to downplay the intensity of the crisis.
Flagler Mosquito District Will Expand in Plantation Bay and Palm Coast But Scraps Plans to Cover the Whole County
The East Flagler Mosquito Control District voted this morning to expand its spraying boundaries slightly west and south to include an area of U.S. 1 and all of Plantation Bay. But the district abandoned further plans to phase-in spraying of the entire county, opting instead to revert to a 2003 agreement with the county to continue spraying West only on an as-needed basis.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 16, 2021
The East Flagler Mosquito Control District considers expanding its boundaries, the County Commission discusses its budget and the sheriff’s request for additional deputies, Old Kings Road North closes again tonight past Palm Coast Parkway.
Afghanistan Was Always a Losing Battle
Over the past 20 years, the US has poured trillions of dollars into Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, an effort that was clearly unsuccessful. But a look at the country’s strategic geographic location and the politics of the region (including support for the Taliban) tells us that this outcome was inevitable.
Opelka Battles Hard but Falls to Medvedev in National Bank Open Final
The ex-Palm Coast resident came up short in the championship match of the National Bank Open in Toronto Sunday. Competing in a Masters 1000 level tournament final for the first time, Opelka was bested by World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 6-3.
Fact-Check: DeSantis’s Executive Order Claim that Masking in Schools Lacks Scientific Support Is False
DeSantis’ July 30 executive order falsely claimed that “forcing students to wear masks lacks a well-grounded scientific justification” and cherry-picked a study that offers little basis for his position and includes a variety of elements that are not accurate.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, August 15, 2021
Old Kings Road nightly closures north of Palm Coast Parkway, finishing up a soggy weekend, Sunday covid testing or vaccination hours between 9 and 11 a.m. at the Health Department, a Donald Barthelme observation about good conversation.
Wonder and Promise of the Appalachian Trail
The AT, as it’s widely known, is a national icon on a par with conservation touchstones like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser and the Florida Everglades. It symbolizes opportunity – the chance to set out on a life-altering experience in the great outdoors, or at least a pleasant walk in the woods.
Reilly Opelka Scores the Biggest Win of His Career, Beating World No. 3 Tsitsipas to Reach Toronto Final
The 7-footer Reilly Opelka, whose name will soon adorn the Palm Coast Tennis Center to mark his past and future ties with the city, catapults up to a career high ranking of No. 23, into his first Masters 1000 final. He’ll play either his good friend and fellow American John Isner or World No.2 Daniil Medvedev in the finals on Sunday.
Two Palm Coast Men and Girl, 17, Accused of Smashing Spree and Burglary at Old Dixie Motel Eyesore
The trio claimed friends told them the old Country Hearth Inn on Old Dixie Highway was a fun place to go to smash things. The long-disused motel was acquired by a company in May and was ostensibly undergoing renovations.
Free Computer Classes and Mobile Technology Classes Offered at Flagler County Public Library
Flagler County Public Library continues to help residents connect globally by offering a variety of free mobile technology and computer classes focused on teaching and improving the skills necessary to stay in touch remotely.
Aquifer Levels in Flagler and Surrounding Counties Are Rising, Thanks to July Rains
July started with Tropical Storm Elsa making landfall on Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, bringing rainy conditions to the St. Johns River Water Management District, and the month wrapped up with above-average rainfall across the District except for its two southernmost counties.
U.S. Department of Education ‘Stands With You,’ It Tells Florida Superintendents Willing to Enact Mask Mandates
The U.S. Department of Education is “deeply concerned” about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order seeking to ban school mask mandates and is ready to help districts directly, the federal agency said in a letter to the governor Friday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 14, 2021
Tropical Storm Fred swings west, the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the Marineland History exhibit and Surf Culture Museum, covid testing and vaccinations this weekend.
Holocaust Survivors Got Reparations. Why Not Slavery’s Descendants?
It’s easier to obtain reparations when the event occurred within living historical memory. It’s also easier when there are only a few identifiable perpetrators. And it is still easier when there is a limited number of victims, and the event occurred within a short period of time.
Pfizer CEO to Public: Just Trust Us on the Covid Booster
Pfizer has not yet delivered conclusive proof to back up confidence that a third, booster, shot would improve immunity. The company lacks late-stage clinical trial results to confirm a booster will work against covid variants including delta, which now accounts for 93% of new infections across the U.S.
Flagler’s Prescribed Fire Program Supervisor Assigned to Northern California’s “Monument Fire”
Flagler County Prescribed Fire Program Supervisor Michael Orlando has been assigned to the Monument Fire in Northern California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest, well north of Sacramento.
Why We Must Fund Public Safety: The Sheriff’s Office’s Response
Flagler County Sheriff Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge responds to Thursday’s “Overfunding Police” column, citing misinterpretations of a UNF study on which the sheriff is basing a request for 25 additional deputies from Palm Coast and Flagler County.
DeSantis Pursues Mask Crackdown in Schools as Covid Surge Continues and Counties Defy Orders
The State Board of Education has scheduled an emergency meeting Tuesday “to consider the compliance of school districts, including Broward and Alachua” with the rule and a new state law. Broward and Alachua have imposed mask requirements in schools.
Nysean D. Giddens, 23, Charged With Manslaughter in Overdose Death of Shaun Callahan
Nysean Giddens is the fifth Flagler County resident criminally charged in the death of another person after an overdose. The four previous indictments were on first-degree felony charges. Two of the four have have been convicted.
Driven Out by Mold, Bunnell Again Vacates City Hall; Will Squat 2 Years While $7 Million Building Is Built on Commerce Blvd.
Bunnell City Hall and its police department will again be squatting for two years as water intrusion forces it to vacate its premises. The city plans a new $7 million building on Commerce Parkway and will hold its meetings at the Government Services Building meanwhile, with offices at the Bunnell Commerce Business Center, behind the Chicken Pantry.