Professors across the country have sounded the alarm about infringements on academic freedom following crackdowns on pro-Palestine protesters on campus. The current conflict, however, is only the latest iteration of an intensifying decline in academic freedom.
FAA Grants Flagler County Authority to Fly Long-Range Monitoring Drones Along Coast
Flagler County received long-awaited word from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Tuesday (August 6) that it was awarded a “Certificate of Waiver” – effective through July 2028 – for its “small, unmanned aircraft system,” or drone, operations that afford the county the ability to fly long-range monitoring missions of the coastline and other public safety monitoring missions.
After Lawmaker Complains of Alleged Anti-Israel Bias, Florida Universities Are Ordered to Scan Materials
Florida university presidents have been instructed to scan their syllabi for material deemed antisemitic or exhibiting anti-Israeli bias following concerns raised by Rep. Randy Fine. Once a course has been reviewed and all instances of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias have been flagged, universities must report their findings to the chancellor’s office.
Flagler Humane Society Director Defends Shelter’s Euthanasia Record and Rejects Criticism as Inaccurate
Amy Carotenuto, director of Flagler Humane Society, describes the society’s procedures, including euthanasia when necessary, and defends the society’s record in the face of recent criticism by current and former volunteers who spoke to the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council.
Flagler Library’s ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground with a Shovelful of History and Images of a Future Page-Turner
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell officials along with advocates and friends of the library gathered at the 7-acre site of the future “Nexus Center” south branch library for a groundbreaking today, which was as much of a celebration of the future building as it was a recognition of Library Director Holly Albanese’s perseverance to finally get to this point, after nine or 19 years, depending on hos you calculate it.
Federal Felon Who Defrauded Government of $1.9 Million Arrested on Kidnapping Charge in Palm Coast
Dino Ajloni, 44, whose federal probation on a case of defrauding the government of nearly $2 million ended last year, was arrested on kidnapping, aggravated battery and domestic battery charges after an altercation with his girlfriend ended in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast last Thursday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 12, 2024
Early voting continues, the different reaction to the boy who threatened to blow up Orlando with nukes and the one who placed bogus swatting calls to Flagler schools, the Flagler County Library Board of Trustees meets, the Bunnell City Commission meets.
What 3.2 Million-Year-Old Lucy Reveals
According to the coevolutionary tale of humans and their lice, our immediate ancestors lost most of their body fur 3 to 4 million years ago and did not don clothing until 83,000 to 170,000 years ago. That means that for over 2.5 million years, early humans and their ancestors were simply naked.
Appeals Court Backs DeSantis School Board Appointment, Rejecting Election
Calculating a vacated seat by the moment when a resignation becomes effective rather than when it is announced, a three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by James Golden that an election should be held in November for the Manatee County school-board seat that will be vacated by Rich Tatem.
Time for TrumpOlympics™
As a fellow from a state the French have never heard of put it, these “woke Olympics” are “not going to fly in Oklahoma.” We need a new Olympics, a wholesome, American Olympics without the degenerates and the foreigners. Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the TrumpOlympics™!
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, August 11, 2024
Tabasco Brothers at the Golden Lion Cafe, farmer’s market, taking the measure of Parisian distances against Palm Coast sprawl, Sharath Mahendran’s “Building Beautifully” and a few words from Redburn.
Supreme Court Ruling May Put Presidents Above the Law. But Even Kings Never Were.
Many observers say a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision from July 1, 2024, turns presidents into kings – but they underestimate how truly radical the ruling actually may be. In fact, though the court’s majority said it was honoring constitutional tradition, it appears to have created something entirely new: a legal tyrant, someone above the law, a privilege even kings never enjoyed.
Fake Endorsements Roil St. Johns County Republicans
St. Johns County Republican Party Chair Denver Cook says the party “learned that a fraudulent voter guide has been mailed to many Republican voters across the county.”
Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos for a 2nd Trump Term
“Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 10, 2024
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Monthly Meeting, Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Gamble Jam, dueling banjos revisited.
The Druze Community Devastated by the Attack on the Occupied Golan Heights
The village of Majdal Shams has been in mourning since July 27, 2024: the day a rocket hit a soccer field, killing 12 children and wounding tens more. Majdal Shams is home to a community whose relationship with Israel is doubly complicated: Druze residents of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
Behind Flagler Tax Services Owner Newsholme’s $300,000 in Fraud: Mounting Debts and Ponzi-Like Scheme
Robert Newsholme, the former owner of Flagler Tax Services, a three-year Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation found, had essentially been running what amounted to his own Ponzi scheme, taking money from clients who thought they were paying their IRS taxes, using that money to pay debts from lending companies, then borrowing more money from different lending companies to pay previous lending companies while putting off his clients who wanted their money back, plying them with promises and bad checks.
Appeals Court Rejects Unanimous-Jury Argument in Death Penalty Case
A three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Lyann Goudie’s decision that a unanimous jury recommendation would be needed to sentence defendant McKinsie Lyons to death.
Terrell Sampson, Trigger Man in Shooting Death of Noah Smith, 16, Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
Terrell A. Sampson, the 20-year-old Bunnell man who opened fire on three people on a street in Bunnell in January 2022, triggering a shootout that killed 16-Year-old Noah Smith, was sentenced to 12 years in prison this morning. Sampson’s bullets did not hit Smith, but Circuit Judge Terence Perkins noted that had Sampson not opened fire, the shootout would not have followed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 9, 2024
Terrell Sampson sentencing, LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, relics from the east, remembering the Beirut port blast four years later.
Misinformation, Abuse and Injustice: The Imane Khelif Boxing Controversy at the Paris Olympics
In the contemporary context, many sportswomen who appear too powerful, too successful, or look “too masculine” according to a particular set of values are at risk of being targeted. Importantly, it is most often non-white athletes who face the most scrutiny of their gendered sporting bodies.
State Attorney Larizza and Four Superintendents Launch Seventh Circuit Initiative
For almost a year, superintendents in Putnam, Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns counties, the State Attorney’s Office and members of their staff have been working on a proactive, collaborative approach, which focuses on three pillars: education, awareness and accountability. Stakeholder meetings were also held in May with parents and students from each school district to get their feedback.
Brendan Depa Was Baker Acted Immediately After Sentencing: ‘I’m Going to Die in Jail,’ He Wrote
Brendan Depa, the 18-year-old sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for beating Joann Naydich, Depa’s paraprofessional at Matanzas High School, in February 2023, was immediately Baker Acted from the county jail afterward when jail staff saw he had written on a sheet of paper that he was going to die in jail. His mother said he feared being killed by other inmates or dying of his own hand.
Latest Flagler School Board Follies: Hunt Celebrates Mediocrity, Furry Abuses His Seat to Push ‘Endorsements’
“Board member comments” at the Flagler school board have devolved almost always into a disaster, an embarrassment, a circus of ignorance, hypocrisy, stupidity or bigotry, compliments of the board’s trilobites: Sally Hunt, Will Furry and Christy Chong. No wonder they prefer illegal secret meetings. No wonder Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro can’t wait to escape the asylum. The sane ones weren’t there Tuesday to witness the latest drivel from Furry and Hunt, the first illegal, the second just creepy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 8, 2024
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, the Palm Coast Democratic Club holds its monthly meeting, the routine of Israel settlers’ Jim Crow violence against Palestinians of the West Bank.
Tim Walz Pick: Harris Is Running Her Race By Her Rules
Harris’ choice of Walz confirms and leans into an extraordinary vibe shift in American politics. In only a fortnight, the campaign has been flipped on its head. The fact that Harris did not pick Shapiro tells us a great deal about both how this campaign will be run, and the future of the Democratic Party more broadly. Walz’ elevation is indicative of a major shift in the party – one that Harris is leading.
After Flagler Beach’s Margaritaville Hotel Rose Higher Than It Should Have, the City Rewrites Height Ordinance
Flagler Beach government is re-writing its height ordinance as it applies to commercial buildings after an administrative misstep allowed the Margaritaville Hotel to rise higher than it was supposed to. The city’s planning board reviewed and recommended the new ordinance, which sets out exceptions and conditions for heights exceeding 35 feet. The ordinance now goes to the City Commission for a pair of readings.
Forecasters Reduce Hurricane Season Forecast of Named Storms from 25 to 23
The university’s Department of Atmospheric Science reduced from 25 to 23 the number of named storms it expects during the season, which started June 1 and will end Nov. 30. The department, however, did not change its prediction of the season producing 12 hurricanes, with six reaching Category 3 or higher status to qualify as major storms.
Loran Cole, Set to Be Killed by State, Cites Florida’s Complicity in ‘Horrific’ Dozier School Abuse in Appeal
Loran Cole, a Death Row inmate who spent time at the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and is the first prisoner scheduled to be executed this year in Florida is asking a judge to vacate his death sentence, arguing the state is “complicit in the horrific and tragic” abuse at the reform school that “contributed to his life choices.”
County Pulls Back from Heavy-Handed Attempt at Regulating ‘Behavior’ or ‘Objects’ at Polling and Public Grounds
The Flagler County Commission’s latest grapple with the messiness of democracy led it Monday to postpone until after the election any plans to regulate campaign zones or other forms of speech on public property, as it had sought to do last month, not without some controversy.
Palm Coast Council Clears Final Plats for 119 Housing Units in Town Center and Seminole Woods
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of final plats clearing the way for construction of 61 single family homes and 58 town homes, one in Town Center, one in Seminole Woods.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, August 7, 2024
The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, Kamala Harris’s choice of Tim Walz, a look back at the Palmer raids.
Hurricane Debby Follows Idalia’s Path, But with More Limited Impacts
Debby made landfall Monday morning near Steinhatchee as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. It came after rural Taylor County last August also took the brunt of Idalia, which made landfall in Keaton Beach. Debby’s damage was far less severe.
Stop Panicking Over Markets. This Is What a Soft Landing Looks Like.
A professor of business economics begs everyone, from investors to consumers to policymakers: Please calm down, take 10 deep breaths and relax. The economic data, taken together, paint a brighter if more complex picture.
Brendan Depa Is Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison, 15 on Probation for Attacking His Para at Matanzas High School
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Brendan Depa to five years in prison followed by 15 years on probation. The courtroom was full, with Depa supporters on one side, Naydich supporters, in smaller numbers, on the other, but including R.J. Larizza, the state attorney, who turns up at only the highest profile cases. All remained silent as the sentence was pronounced, as did Depa.
Hurricane Debby Cancelled Early Voting on Monday in Numerous Counties
Although originally scheduled to begin Monday, there was no early voting in Alachua, Bradford, Duval, Gadsden, Jefferson, Levy, or Taylor counties. As of Monday morning, most of those counties said they would begin early voting on Tuesday.
To Succeed Travis Hutson, Tom Leek’s Battle of the Fliers with David Shoar Is Among Key Florida Senate Races
The Republican primary for Senate District 7–made up of St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and part of Volusia counties–has drawn a flood of money and endorsements as House Appropriations Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and financial adviser Gerry James seek to represent the heavily Republican district. Term-limited Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, cannot seek re-election in the district.
Flagler Humane Society Blasted for Lax Standards and Euthanasias as Commissioner Raises Prospect of County Take-Over
Appearing before the Flagler County Commission on Monday, numerous current and former volunteers at the Flagler Humane Society, including a former board member, spoke critically, sometimes bitterly, of an organization beyond its capacity to care for a growing number of animals, a governing structure too lax with policies and procedures, unaudited books, unjustified euthanasias, and a climate of retribution that led to the discharge of three volunteers who spoke out about the recent euthanizing of Guapo, a pit bull mix.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
The Flagler Beach Planning Board takes on a revised height ordinance, the Palm Coast City Council holds an evening meeting, Nukemaps and the simulated results of nuclear bombings.
Hiroshima’s Last Survivors Tell Their Stories
The bomb, dropped by the US on August 6 1945, made orphans of around 2,000 children, mostly from central Hiroshima, who survived because they had been evacuated to the countryside. When they returned after Japan surrendered on August 15, they found their parents gone and their city razed to the ground.
Mother of Tristin Murphy, Who Killed Himself with Chainsaw in Prison, Pleads with Judge on Brendan Depa’s Behalf
Cynthia Murphy, the mother of Tristin Murphy, a schizophrenic who used a chain saw to kill himself in prison, where he was serving a sentence for littering, pleads with the judge about to sentence Brendan Depa–the autistic student who beat his paraprofessional at Matanzas High School last year–not to believe Florida state prison officials’ claim that mental health treatment is adequate there for people like Depa.
Florida’s Teachers Unions Urge Judge to Side with Transgender Teacher Over State’s Pronoun Dogma
Accusing Florida of “dangerous political theater,” state and national teachers unions have urged an appeals court to side with a transgender Hillsborough County teacher who challenged a law requiring educators to use pronouns that align with their sex assigned at birth. The unions filed a 47-page brief arguing that the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should uphold a district judge’s decision that the law violated the First Amendment rights of teacher Katie Wood.
Brendan Depa’s Sentencing Set to Conclude 3 Months After It Started: ‘I’m Going to Accept Whatever Happens’
Brendan Depa, now verging on his 19th birthday, returns to court Tuesday after a three-month hiatus to conclude his sentencing hearing on a charge of attacking Joan Naydich, the paraprofessional assigned to him as a student with special needs at Matanzas High School, in February 2023. The sentences Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will impose is unpredictable, other than that it will not be anywhere near the 30-year maximum.
New Beach Erodes in Flagler Beach as Tropical Storm Debby Batters Northern Path with Potentially Catastrophic Rains
Impacts in Flagler County were expected to be more limited to winds in the 20 to 30 mph range for the rest of the day and some heavy rainfall, but the sea’s impact on Flagler County’s shore was already apparent as churns eroded significant portions of the newly renourished beach at the south end of Flagler Beach, while further eroding the redder, not-yet renourished sands north of the pier.
Dr. Jodi Long Selected as DCS’s Vice President for Academic Affairs
Jodi Long in her role as Vice President for Academic Affairs will oversee all academic divisions and be responsible for the curriculum process, budgeting and scheduling for all academic offerings, as well as continuing education, adult education, and specialized business training.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 5, 2024
The groundbreaking for the southern branch library known as the Nexus Center is at 1 p.m., the County Commission has a pair of meetings, the Canvassing Board meets, Bernard Malamud delights us with his metaphors.
Court Rules Against Catholic Charter School. Ruling May Not Stand Long.
Three recent U.S. Supreme Court cases expanded the boundaries of state aid to faith-based schools and their students, ruling that they cannot be denied generally available aid solely due to their religious status. Drummond v. Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board has the potential to further expand the boundaries of aid to faith-based schools and their students – a dramatic change worth watching.
The Kamala Harris Factor
Donald J. Trump, J.D. Vance, Speaker of the House Mike “Mighty Porn Resister” Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Mensa, British emotional support fascist Nigel Farage, regular fascist Nick Fuentes, comedian Russell Brand, comedian Megyn Kelly, her former Fox “News” klavern-mates, Ronbo DeSantis, and five or six white people in a Midwestern focus group all agree: You must not vote for Kamala Harris.
DeSantis Campaign Book Is Now on an AP English Course Reading List
The Ron DeSantis campaign tract, “The Courage to Be Free,” released ahead of his 2024 presidential campaign, is on the summer reading list for AP Language and Composition at Lawton Chiles High in Leon County. Lawton Chiles would not have approved.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, August 4, 2024
Unlimited Devotion performs in St. Augustine, the Magic of Motown at the Peabody, the LOL Jax Film Festival, the chauvinism of some American media’s medal-table standings.