Highway tolls were lifted in counties with evacuation orders as Florida continued Wednesday to prepare for the arrival of the slow-moving, powerful and deadly Hurricane Matthew.
Wednesday Briefing: Agronomy Lab at Buddy Taylor Middle Cancelled, Felon Voting Rights, Eyes on Matthew
The day will be dominated by studying Hurricane Matthew’s path, with a ribbon cutting at an agronomy lab at Buddy Taylor Middle School, code enforcement and beautification meetings in palm Coast, and Orhan Pamuk on Istanbul.
Weeks Era Aftershocks: Ex-Employee Sues Elections Supervisor Lenhart Over Discrimination Claims
Darlene Walker, formerly ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks’s deputy, claims Kaiti Lenhart fired her in 2015 after she returned from a medical leave because of her age and her disability.
Scott and Cabinet Poised for $16 Million Sensitive Land Buy, Largest in 10 Years
The land, known as Horn Spring Woods, contains 10 natural springs, has nearly 10 miles of meandering frontage along the St. Marks River and would help create an environmental corridor linking the St. Marks River Preserve State Park to the north, the Fanlew Preserve and Aucilla Wildlife Management Area to the east, and the Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park to the south.
Tuesday Briefing: Cops’ National Night Out Cancelled, State of Education Address, Trump’s Chiquitas
As Flagler keeps its eyes on nervy Hurricane Matthew, cops hold their annual Night Out event in Flagler Beach, Superintendent Jacob Oliva delivers the State of Education Address in the evening, and Trump contends with the scandal of the day.
Clinton Surges Ahead in Latest Florida Poll as Alternate Candidates Fade
Hillary Clinton took a decisive five-point lead on Donald Trump in Florida the latest Quinnipiac University poll after being tied with him for two months, with voting already under way in the state. She also leads in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, but remains behind in Ohio.
Carnage Embroidered in Pink Hope at Flag-Raising for Breast-Cancer Awareness
Flagler County Fire Rescue had coated an entire firetruck in pink to mark the month-long Pink Army campaign, aimed at raising money and awareness for breast-cancer prevention, detection and research.
Monday Briefing: Donuts With Doughney, Pink Army Flag-Raising, Transgender Soldiers, Biden in Orlando
The breast cancer awareness Pink Army flag is raised at the Government Services Building, commissioners snip a ribbon at the county airport, the News-Journal’s Derek Catron’s first novel, more livable lives for transgender soldiers.
If Trump Ever Had My Vote, He Just Lost It
If Trump secretly conducted business in communist Cuba while Fidel Castro was its president, the Republican presidential nominee should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not elected to the highest office in the land.
Florida Push to Legalize Medical Marijuana Gets $1 Million Boost, Aiding Amendment 2 Vote
It’s the largest single contribution received by supporters of Amendment 2 and comes as the battle over the constitutional question heats up in advance of the Nov. 8 election.
Taxes Will Stay Flat For Most Property Owners in Flagler and Its Cities in 2017
Taxes have increased in Flagler County and in all five cities, but will be largely offset by a tax decrease in school taxes, while values have increased only marginally.
Clinton Regains Lead in Florida as Debate Bounce Ripples and Trump Stumbles
Coming out of their first televised debate, Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead over Republican Donald Trump in the critical battleground state of Florida, a new poll shows.
Clown Hoax Warps As One Is Allegedly Spotted in Palm Coast’s W-Section
The clown in Palm Coast was allegedly spotted in a backyard on Woodlyn Lane, holding balloons, and deputies later had to provide escorts to two buses through the neighborhood.
After Reaching Record Pace, Executions in Florida Are on Hold as Ruling Muddies Syringes
Executions are on hold, judges across the state are postponing death penalty cases, and defense lawyers are seeking additional reviews in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in January that struck down Florida’s death-penalty sentencing process.
Palm Coast Man, Now 20, Accused of Molesting 2 Girls When He Was 16
L’Darius Smith, 20, a former FPC football player, is accused of molesting two girls, 8 and 9, four years ago, and threatening them that he’d harm their mother if they did not comply.
Weekend Briefing: International Festival, Animal Adop-A-Thon, Lady Bulldogs Fundraiser, Charlie Brown
The fifth International Festival is Saturday in Town Center’s Central Park, the Elks Lodge hosts an animal adop-a-thon, FPC’s lady Bulldog basketball team holds a fund-raising golf tournament, Trump’s Cuba trip.
Project Pandemic Prevention: Flagler’s Campaign Against Zika Bats Strategies Around
Today’s joint meeting of Flagler government representatives and health department officials summarized the latest in the Zika outbreak (with two cases locally) as two FPC students prepare to launch a zika-fighting project involving bat houses.
Cops as Pals: National Night Out at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach Tuesday Evening
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting National Night Out at Veterans Park Tuesday in Flagler Beach, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The free drug and crime-prevention awareness event features demonstrations, safety information, games, face painting, food and beverages, and entertainment.
Court Sees No Crime in Sarasota High Student’s Tweeted Threats to “Shoot Up” His School
A 16-year-old high school student who repeatedly threatened on Twitter to shoot up his school in Sarasota did not commit a crime because his threats were not directed at anyone in particular, the second District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday.
Mid-Morning Fire Guts Half a House on South Central in Flagler Beach as 2 Residents Escape
Pat Bauvi, 57, and his son Zach were in separate parts of the house at 1915 South Central Avenue when the fire broke out. They were able to get out. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Thursday Briefing: Last of the Tax Hearings, Zika Pow-Wow, FPC v. University High, Banning Malcolm X
The Flagler County Health Department hosts a meeting of local governments on the Zika virus, the county commission holds the last of the season’s tax hearings, how Malcolm X landed on banned-books lists.
Flagler District Rebuts Old Kings VPK Case Alleging Sex Improprieties Between 4 Year Olds
The rebuttals and objections don’t actually deny that an incident took place, that it was of a sexual nature, or that a certain degree of supervision may not have been present at the time. Rather, the response is an exercise in exploiting—or creating–loopholes.
Looking past the Obvious in Trump-Clinton I: Voters May Decide a Different Outcome
We have to reconsider what we thought we saw Monday night and discover how it played where it mattered, in counties such as those in western Pennsylvania, and those clustered along Interstate 4 in Florida. These, more than elite opinion-spinners clustered along our deep-blue coasts, will decide the Nov. 8 outcome, argues Tom Jackson.
Flagler District’s SAT Results Fall Steeply as Number of Students Taking Test Doubles
Combined reading and math scores fell to 869 in 2016, down 25 points from last year, and down a staggering 143 points from Flagler’s average scores in 2005, the last time the reading and math totals were above 1,000.
Chase Through P, R and W Sections and Around School Buses Ends in Arrest of Teen
School buses were unloading students as a 16 year old at the wheel of a Toyota sped through three neighborhoods, caused one crash, nearly caused two others, and was finally arrested in the W Section.
Harrison Wilker, 18, of St. Augustine, Killed in Crash on State Road 16
Harrison Wilker, 18, of St. Augustine, was killed early this morning in a single-vehicle crash on State Road 16 near Masters Drive in St. Augustine, the Florida Highway Patrol report.
Tampa Christian School Files Suit Over Ban on Loudspeaker Prayer at Football Game
The nonprofit that operates Cambridge Christian School in Tampa said the Florida High School Athletic Association violated its civil rights by banning the private school and its opponent from joining in prayer over the loudspeaker at the game.
Wednesday Briefing: Beach Belly Bobs, Holland Park History, Trump’s Excellent Temperament, Twitter Automation
Donald Trum’s excellent temperament is reviewed, learn all about Twitter automation, ribbon-cutting at Beach belly Bobs in Flagler Beach, and the Vivaldi-Bach concerti.
Organized Thieves With Taste for Champagne Target 3 Publix Stores in Palm Coast
Three times in a single day last week, thieves working in concert struck at three different Palm Coast Publix stores to steal wines and champagnes. They’ve been getting away with plenty of both, in one case stealing nearly $3,000 worth of bottles.
Back-Up City: Palm Coast Will Buy Its Third Fire Truck in 2 Years, for Total of $774,034
The Palm Coast City Council is expected to approve the third truck, for $259,678, next week, maintaining a fleet of front-line and back-up trucks throughout the city. The council approved two of the three pumper trucks last spring, for $513,356.
Post-Debate, Clinton, Clinton and Trump Are Invading Florida in Hunt for 29 Electoral Votes
While Clinton works Southeast Florida, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will campaign Friday and Saturday across the top of the state, and Trump begins his visits Tuesday in solidly-Republican Melbourne.
10-Year-Old Boy Is First Cyclist Injured in Crash With Car Since Last School-Year’s Rash
Matthew Bell, 10, was struck by a Massey Services company vehicle speeding on Emerald Lake Drive in Palm Coast after Bell was unable to stop his bike from crossing from a sidewalk into the road.
Tuesday Briefing: Dedicating Frank Meeker Field, FPC v. Matanzas in Volleyball, Bill Nelson Representatives in Flagler Beach
A soccer field is dedicated to Frank Meeker at Indian Trails Sports Complex, Palm Coast buys a pumper truck, FPC and Matanzas face off in volleyball, the whistleblower court case against Sheriff Manfre is delayed.
An $18,400 Raise for Supervisor of Elections And Other New Laws Go Into Effect This Week
County elections supervisors are up for pay raises, while penalties increase for trafficking in the modern version of food stamps and for stealing credit-card information at gas pumps, under new laws that go into effect Saturday.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Battering Mother Sends Deputy to Hospital With Eye Injury
Cid Elliot Ramirez, a 47-year-old Palm Coast man is being held without bond at the Flagler County jail on more than half a dozen charges, including battery on his 74-year-old mother and assault on a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, who sustained injuries to his eye and scratches to the face.
Bunnell Residents Wake Up to Dry Taps as Water Levels at New Plant Fall Overnight
Bunnell had to connect to Palm Coast water for a few hours as it hunted down the cause of an alarm that shut down its $4.8 million water plan at 5:30 this morning. Bunnell residents went without water for less than an hour.
Monday Briefing: Banned Books Week, John Sbordone, Covering “Black Rage”
The Flagler County Public Library marks Banned Books Week starting with an Ed Murrow documentary, Bunnell holds a tax hearing, City Repertory Theatre’s John Sbordone is profiled.
Early Voting Facts and Myths
Research shows early voting increases turnout by 2 percent to 4 percent. In some cases, it particularly boosts voting among minorities, a constituency that tends to vote Democrat.
A 3-Year-Old Boy Attending Roma Court Academy Wanders Into Traffic as Staff Is Oblivious
Staff at Roma Court Academy had no idea the boy had wandered off the property until a Chinese delivery driver and another driver saw him in traffic on Palm Coast Parkway.
In a Telling Surprise, Cops and 5 Public-Sector Unions Endorse Staly for Sheriff Over Jones
It is actually an endorsement from all six county public sector unions, so Staly is now backed by cops, teachers, school service employees, county and Palm Coast firefighters, and Palm Coast’s blue-collar workers, representing in all a block of 2,000 employees and many more family members, friends and neighbors.
Vote-By-Mail Requests Already Set Records In Flagler; Big Lead For Republicans
With some voting already under way, upwards of 12,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been requested from the Flagler elections supervisor, and more than 2 million have been requested statewide.
Bright Futures Scholarships Could Expand to Summer to Speed Up Graduation Rates
Only 44 percent of students graduated in four years at 11 state universities. Summer scholarships would encourage more students to attend summer classes, increasing the chances they can graduate more quickly.
Weekend Briefing: Kaepernick’s Time, Charlie Brown Vets Special, Native American Day, FPC Open House, Cop Tattoos
Charlie Brown, the musical, at City Rep, this time with a veterans’ special, a campus-wide open house at FPC Friday, should cop tattoo policies be relaxed, Jane Jacobs remembered.
3 Hurt, 1 Critical in Two-Vehicle Collision on Belle Terre Near Wadsworth Elementary
The wreck involved a black Ford pick-up truck owned by Del Castillo Home and Lawn Service, the Palm Coast-based lawn and pest-control company, and a white BMW 335i driven by a Palm Coast resident.
Florida Justices Let Felon Carry Hunting Rifle, Saying Prohibition Doesn’t Apply to Antique Guns
In a 5-2 decision, justices cleared Weeks on the gun-possession charge because state law treats antique firearms — and their replicas — different from other guns. The ruling said lawmakers exempted firearms manufactured in or before 1918 and their replicas from the prohibition on felons possessing guns.
Ex-Palm Coast Staples Employee Arrested For Armed Robbery and Assault at the Store
27-year-old Brandon Hubbert had worked at the Palm Coast Staples a few years ago and allegedly used that experience to hide in the store until after closing time last September then assault a supervisor and rob him of about $1,500.
Lory Yazurlo, Owner of Defunct Pig Sanctuary, Is Killed In Van Fire on John Anderson Highway
Lory Yazurlo, the 53-year-old owner of what was once a sprawling, 20-acre pig sanctuary in western Flagler, was killed early this morning as her van caught fire on John Anderson Highway, not far from her mother’s house. A paraplegic, Yazurlo was in the van, unable to get out.
Man Found Dead in E-Section Lot Identified as Joseph A. Kelemen, 46, Formerly of Palm Coast
Joseph A. Kelemen was found dead in an empty lot near the intersection of Eagle Harbor Trail and Eagle Crest Path in Palm Coast early Tuesday morning. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is attributing the death to a likely suicide by hanging.
Thursday Briefing: 2 New Detention Deputies, A Lobbyist for Flagler Beach, Milissa Holland’s Designs
The Flagler Beach City Commission will pay $30,000 for a state lobbyist, Milissa Holland tells the News-Journal of her plans as Palm Coast’s new mayor, and Paolo Restani playing Mendelssohn’s Capriccio Brillante.
Mindful of Orlando Massacre, FDLE Seeks to Extend Federal Terrorism Crimes to State Laws
Intent on preventing another mass nightclub shooting or a repeat of incidents this past weekend in New York and New Jersey, Florida’s top cop wants to bulk up the state’s anti-terrorism efforts.