The move follows years of complaints that patients at a center for children with disabilities were violently mistreated by staff and subjected to physical restraints like straitjackets.
Weekend Briefing: Hammock Musicfest, Relay For Life, Suicide Prevention, Rally By the Sea, South Pacific
A musicfest to support music education, the progressive Rally By the Sea in Flagler Beach, Relay for Life in Central Park, Humane Society’s Town Howl, and much more.
AR-15s in Flagler Schools, Traffic Cops in Mustangs, New Marine Unit: Sheriff Staly’s State of Policing
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly spoke to some 75 people Thursday on a re-energized state of policing in Palm Coast and the county, summing up initiatives and coming developments.
Spirit Ride’s Coffin Honoring Fallen Tow Operators and Other Emergency Responders Makes Ceremonial Stop in Bunnell
The ceremonial casket is part of American Towman’s Spirit Ride pilgrimage through 200 cities across the country to bring attention to the dangers emergency responders face every day.
Thursday Briefing: Spirit Casket, Sheriff Talks Crime, Renner and Hutson Update, Inspired Mic
The Spirit rides commemorates first responders who’ve lost their lives at roadside, the sheriff talks about crime-fighting at the Hilton Garden Inn, the Inspired Mic has another edition at Europa.
A Palm Coast Resident Says “School Shooting” In a Facebook Video That Has Nothing To Do with School Shootings. Cops Show Up.
Tony Lagano, 35, was upset over a family court issue and alluded to a school shooting in a sarcastic Facebook video last week, only to be visited by sheriff’s deputies.
Matanzas High School Girl Reports Being Raped By Another Juvenile at Her Home
An investigation is ongoing into the allegation of a rape of a 16-year-old girl after the alleged perpetrator asked to meet the girl to “catch up.”
105 Missiles Fired at Syria Is 10 Times The Number of Syrian Refugees We’ve Taken In All Year
“This is about humanity,” President Trump said of attacking Syria. A look at his response to other regional catastrophes shows his claim doesn’t begin to add up.
Scott Wants To Cut Medicaid Application Window From 90 Days To 30; His Savings Claims Are Challenged
The Scott administration’s cost analyses sometimes have not made sense to Medicaid experts or health and social-service providers in the trenches.
Students Raise Concerns, But Flagler School Board Approves Social Media Surveillance
The Flagler County School Board Tuesday approved a three-year, $55,500 contract with Vermont-based Social Sentinel to troll eight different types of social media accounts.
Wednesday Briefing: Family Life Center Open House, FPC Starlets, Nick Klufas at 30, Missing Turtle
The Family Life Center marks mark the opening of its new building and office space with a ribbon-cutting, the FPC Starlets take the stage, a showcase for incoming middle schoolers at Buddy Taylor Middle School.
It’s Up to Grown-Ups To Stop Bullying, Not Kids
Speaking of her own experience with bullying, the author holds the adults who watched and did nothing far more responsible than those who perpetrated it.
Tax-Evaders Beware: Flagler Will Take Over Local Collection From Short-Term Renters, Projecting Jump in Revenue
The Flagler County Tax Collector, not the state Department of Revenue, will be collecting the 5 percent tax on short term rentals starting in July–a tax hundreds of property owners are evading currently.
Voters Will Decide School Board Term Limits and Ending Local Control Over Charter Schools
Under current law, school boards operate and control public schools within their counties. That would end if voters approve a constitutional amendment.
Daytona State Holds 11th Annual Campus Safety Awareness Day
Nineteen Daytona State College employees, students and associates were honored on April 13 for their contributions to maintaining a safe campus environment.
Florida Hospitals and Halifax Health Named Among 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare
Adventist Health System, which includes the Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the top places to work in health care.
Tuesday Briefing: Transportation Impact, Talent Show Auditions, Food Truck Tuesdays, Guitar on the Rocks
Talent show auditions are tonight at the Youth Center, Food Truck Tuesday at Central Park, guitars at Stetson, the Palm Coast council is expected to adopt a new schedule of transportation impact fees.
Flagler School Board Wants To Snoop on Students’ Social Media, And Maybe Yours. Wrong Move.
The School Board is set to contract with Social Sentinel, a company that will troll social media accounts across Flagler for $18,500 and issue “alerts” to select officials. It’s an inappropriate move down a slippery slope.
Flagler Moves to Protect Public’s Use Of Beaches Ahead of Law Granting Property Owners Restrictive Rights
The new law allows beachfront private property owners to trespass the public from private beaches, something not allowed currently, and never done in Flagler.
Ballot Proposal Would Ensure Crime Victims Have Their Say in Plea Agreements and Sentencing
The proposal, which will need support from 60 percent of voters in November, would seek to ensure the rights of victims to receive information and provide input during criminal cases.
Wendell Parker, 32, Killed, Woman Critical in Head-On I-95 Collision North of Palm Coast Parkway
A man was killed early this morning and a woman is in critical condition following a head-on collision on I-95, just north of the interchange with Palm Coast Parkway..
Monday Briefing: Pete Young, Fastest Lawman, Carver Gym Auction, That New Beach Access Law
FHP’s Pete Young is the new fast-draw champion, the county commission discusses a proposed ordinance to preserve beach access in front of private property for the public, the Carver Center auction is live.
Flagler-Palm Coast Under Tornado Watch Until 6 PM as Line of Storms Approaches
The squall line this afternoon is expected to produce locally heavy rainfall of 1 to 2 inches, with locally heavier amounts, and winds of 30-40 mph.
Felons’ Lawyers Accuse Scott and Cabinet of Foot-Dragging Over Judge’s Rights-Restoration Order
A federal judge who found the state’s vote-restoration process unconstitutional gave Scott and the Cabinet until April 26 to overhaul the process. They’ve done nothing.
7 New Sheriff’s Deputies, 143% Cost Increase as Outline of Flagler’s School Safety Takes Shape
Sheriff Staly and Superintendent Tager are negotiating an increase of the school deputies’ program to $1.8 million split 50-50, with the schools’ share paid by the state and the sheriff’s by the County Commission.
88-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Dies of Gunshot, 3rd Elderly Suicide in Seven Weeks in Flagler
Joseph O’Sullivan, 88, of Palm Coast’s P Section, died of a gunshot Wednesday. There have been at least eight suicides in the county since the new year.
Flagler Judge Scott DuPont Called “Unfit,” “Outrageous,” “Disturbing,” “Beyond Reckless” and Contemptuous of Law
A devastating 21-page opinion by a disciplinary judicial commission repeats in harsher language a call for Judge Scott DuPont’s removal, a recommendation going before the Supreme Court.
Weekend Briefing: South Pacific, Picnics and Pops, Fast Draw, Farm Days, Cheer at Pier, Health and Housing Fairs
South Pacific opens at the Flagler Playhouse, Family Farm Days at the Ag Museum, the fastest lawman shootout Sunday, a health fair, a housing fair, Cheer at the Pier and so much more.
Cities and Counties Pushing Back Against State Law Limiting Local Gun Regulations
Local governments are challenging the 2011 “preemption” law, which bans them from imposing gun restrictions tougher than those in state laws.
West Flagler Man Faces Kidnapping and Assault Charges Involving Woman Picked Up in Daytona
Jesse Alan Pack is accused of kidnapping a woman in Daytona Beach and driving her to Flagler, where she reported escaping on County Road 200 near U.S. 1.
Pick-Up Flips on Old Kings, Driver Arrested For DUI, Palm Coast Firefighter Injured
Lt. Brian Mugford of the Palm Coast Fire Department injured his foot when looking for other patients: the driver of the pick-up had falsely claimed someone else had been driving, and had run off.
Judge Says Cancer Patient May Grow His Own Pot Plants, Seeding New Front in Florida Marijuana Wars
The patient is forced to grow his own plants to make liquid treatment because the state hasn’t allowed any marijuana operators to sell whole plants to patients.
Sheriff Staly’s Heimlich Saves Elected Party Official’s Life at Candidate Forum
Sharon Demers, an elected Republican state committeewoman and a former candidate for school board, was choking when Staly successfully executed a Heimlich maneuver on her.
Flagler Beach Museum’s 5th Annual Cheer at the Pier Saturday
The 5th Annual Cheer at the Pier is a fund-raising event for the Flagler Beach Museum that mixes sun, fun, drinks and the gastronomy of nearly a dozen participating restaurants and bars.
Thursday Briefing: FPC Classroom to Careers, 9th Grade Showcase, Crocs Grill Entertainment, Ex-Felons’ Rights
A busy day at Flagler Palm Coast High with a classrooms-to-careers symposium and incoming 9th graders’ first look at their new school, Farm Swap and Music Jam at the Ag museum.
Man, 59, Critical After He Was Found Submerged in a U-Section Swale as Children Returned From School
David A. Niesse is in critical condition after he was found face-down in a waterlogged swale in front of his Palm Coast house, a scene that left a busload of Imagine School students shaken Tuesday.
In Praise of Pops: Jax Symphony’s Palm Coast Picnic Returns in Salute To Bracing Favorites
The Jacksonville Symphony’s 11th Picnics and Pops concert with the Palm Coast Arts Foundation is an exploration of the worlds of pop music’s Mozarts.
Court Rejects Curbs on “Deer Dog Hunting” in Florida Wildlife Management Area
Property owners sued the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for not properly keeping hunters’ dogs away from their lands. They won, only for an appeals court to reverse the decision.
20 Years in Prison for Ex-Soccer Coach Who Molested Boys at Palm Coast Academy; He Faces New Rape Charge
Sean Stern was a program director at Palm Coast’s ex-Sports Pathways soccer academy for boys and girls, where he molested at least three boys over many months.
Wednesday Briefing: Soccer Coach Pleads Out, Take Back the Night, Commissioner of Agriculture Forum
Three candidates for agriculture commissioner appear in a Palm Coast forum, incoming 9th graders at FPC get their showcase at the school tonight, speaking against sexual violence, at Stetson.
Water War Flares Again Between Palm Coast and County Over Planned Shops Near Airport
A proposed commercial development at the southeast corner of State Road 100 and the entrance to the county airport, opposite Bulldog Drive, is at the center of the latest water dispute between Palm Coast and the county.
On Florida Park Drive, Council Wants a Stop To Traffic-Calming Proposals That Dead-End
Palm Coast council member blames the city administration for not acting on several proposals to help reduce traffic, pollution and noise along Florida Park Drive.
Trump Picks 5th District Court of Appeal’s Wendy Berger for Central Florida Federal Court
Wendy Berger serves on the Daytona Beach-based 5th DCA and was a Jeb Bush aide. Trump nominated her to the federal bench’s Middle District of Florida.
Tuesday Briefing: Florida Park Drive, Dunes Restoration Update, Cats and Dogs for Adoption
A new feature highlighting cats and dogs for adoption, the Palm Coast Council again discusses issues surrounding Florida Park Drive, an update on dune repairs.
Flagler Approves $14.8 Million Next-Gen Emergency Communication System, But Faces Bid Protest
Motorola won the $14.8 million contract to upgrade the emergency communications system every local first responder and other workers depend on, but Flagler faces a protest from CI, the other bidder and provider of the existing system.
Trump Expected to Loom Over Nelson-Scott Senate Battle as Governor Announces Run
The Senate contest between Bill nelson and Rick Scott is termed a “proxy battle” about Donald Trump and a referendum by Floridians on Trump’s presidency.
Flagler Sheriff’s Corporal Counseled Over Racial Slur, Latest Revelation Since November
James Miley, a Flagler County Sheriff’s corporal, was counseled verbally in February after a deputy reported that Miley had used a racial slur while referring to a Latino subordinate.
Addiction Drug Vivitrol’s Side Effect: More Overdoses?
Researchers suggest people getting Vivitrol shots may be more susceptible to a fatal overdose if they halt the regimen early and resume using opiates.
Monday Briefing: Grand Champ Ava Hutten, 9, Bill Baxley at 79, New Sex Offender Registry, Dune Walkovers
Ava Hatten is Grand Champion in Swine Show for hog Rudy, 267 lb., Bunnell City Commissioner Bill Baxley is 79, Sheriff Rick Staly is a 911 dispatcher for two hours.
Daytona State College Summer Sessions Begin May 15, Enrollment Open
Daytona State College registration is closing in on summer classes that start May 15 and June 28. Fall semester sign-up also has begun with classes starting Aug. 27; now’s the time to secure classes and top choice for schedules.