Palm Coast hopes to avoid the transgender-bathroom controversy by including private bathrooms in its $525,000 project for new facilities in Town Center and Indian Trails Sports Complex.
Ormond Beach’s Robert Harris, 18, Killed in Train Collision on a Trestle Off U.S. 1
Robert M. Harris, a resident of Ormond Beach, who turned 18 two weeks ago, was killed in a collision with a Florida East Coast train on a trestle behind the River Grille restaurant near U.S. Highway 1 Sunday evening.
Monday Briefing: Public Library’s Expansion Plans, Manatee Protection, Romney’s 3rd Party
The county commission examines prospects and timelines for a library addition, and some financing options, and holds a hearing on its manatee-protection plan, Romney may be testing a third-party run with GOP leaders.
A Right To Die, Even For 20-Somethings
The revelation that a 20-something woman chose to die from PTSD related so 10 years of sexual abuse tests the boundaries of assisted suicide, but not if context and compassion replace armchair judgments.
Flagler’s American Association of University Women Awards $11,000 in Scholarships
Ten local students at various levels of their education, from middle school to doctoral work, benefited from the rounds of awards at the Pine Lakes Golf Club in Palm Coast.
Prince’s Reminder: Opioid Epidemic Intensifies But Steps to Curb It Face Challenges
There is broad consensus on the need for more treatment options, more education, more careful prescribing by doctors. But there’s still much debate about the details—and funding–for each of those steps.
Brittany Pitt, 26, Is 6th Person Killed on Flagler Roads in a Week, 2nd in Motorcycle Wreck
Brittany Lee Pitt, 26, fell off the motorcycle she was riding on Old Dixie Highway as Allen David Adams attempted to steer the bike away from traffic after violating a car’s right of way early Saturday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
At Florida GOP Gathering, Opposition To Clinton Congeals Support for Trump
Florida Republican leaders are girding themselves for a must-win battle this fall as opposition to Clinton proves more unifying than Donald Trump.
Armed Woman Detained After Tense Encounter With Cops at European Village Bar
A woman who threatened to kill herself at Cork and Pint Bar had a .38-caliber gun loaded with hollow-point ammunition, which she had shown two people. She was Baker Acted.
Palm Coast Government’s Blue-Collar Workers Barely Retain Union But Reject Contract
Palm Coast’s street, public works and utility workers voted 73-72 to retain the union they voted for in 2014, and on the same day voted unanimously to reject a proposed contract with the city.
License for Probable Cause: Justices Rule You May Be Pulled Over For Any Visible Tag Issue
Florida Justices, in a 5-2 decision, rejected an appeal from a driver stopped by Orlando police because a tag light and wires were hanging over the license plate on a vehicle he was driving.
Weekend Briefing: FPC’s Beauty and the Beast, Movie in the Park, Middle Class As a Minority, Richard Avedon
Flagler Palm Coast High’s Thespian troupe ends its season with “Beauty and the Beast” Friday and Saturday, “Ant Man” is the free movie in the park, and all weekend on this page, a feature-length movie on the great Richard Avedon.
No Arrests, But Sheriff Seeks to Cash In On 2 Tractors and Trailer Seized in Chop-Shop Raid
Charges have yet to be filed in the March chop-shop raid on Sawgrass Road, but the sheriff is moving forward with forfeiture of several big vehicles and a stash of equipment seized from the search.
Gov. Scott Seeks Congressional Hearing On Zika as Florida Cases Pass 100
Scott, who traveled to Washington on Wednesday, is seeking federal money for such things as Zika “preparedness” kits and additional staffing at mosquito control districts, his office said.
Florida School of Art Exhibit Opens at Hand Art Center May 13
The paintings date from approximately 1825 to 1925, and include work by renowned landscape artist George Inness, Ash Can School realist painter Robert Henri and Highwaymen painter Harold Newton.
George Zimmerman’s Auction Of Gun He Used to Kill Trayvon Martin Misfires
Zimmerman described the gun as “a piece of American history” and said he’d send “portions” of the proceeds to “fight [Black Lives Matter] violence and fight “Hillary Clinton’s anti-firearm rhetoric.”
Buddy Taylor Student Suspended 10 Days For Burning Another’s Hair In SnapChat Stint
The 14-year-old student wanted to see the younger student’s reaction so it could be filmed and texted on SnapChat, and later punched his victim to the ground for snitching on him.
Thursday Briefing: Right Whale Season Sum-Up, Josh Crews Writing Project, Sister Helen Prejean Honored
Frank Gromling, the Right Whale Guy, gives a State of the Whales talk at the end of the 2015-16 season, Flagler Beach talks bait shop, four schools celebrate the end of the year with various events, Schumann’s Papillion.
Medical Pot Gets 80% Approval in Latest Poll of Floridians; Senate Race Much Blurrier
Early polls in 2014 showed wide support for a similar ballot proposal to legalize medical marijuana. That initiative, however, ultimately fell short of getting the required 60 percent voter approval after facing a barrage of negative ads from opponents.
Palm Coast Finally Adopts Trap, Neuter and Return Approach to Lower Feral Cat Population
Three years in the begging, the city has finally agreed to a program designed to lower the feral cat population by neutering rather than killing cats, an approach that worked with great success in Flagler Beach and elsewhere.
Flagler Takes 1st Step To Pot Decriminalization With Broad Agreement on Principle, Less So on Details
All of Flagler’s major law enforcement and government agencies agree that marijuana decriminalization for first-time offenders is a good idea. The county next will develop an ordinance all can agree on. That step may be more difficult.
Danielle Basciano, Formerly of Tomoka Correctional, Joins Flagler Jail Staff
With the swearing-in of Basciano, the inmate facility has 48 sworn deputies and three vacant positions, for a total of 51 sworn positions.
Critical Care Physician Muneeruddin Q. Mohammed Joins Florida Hospital Flagler
As an intensivist, Mohammed will work with the hospital’s critical care team in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Group Backing Controversial Solar Amendment Raises $5.8 Million in April
Fueled by major electric utilities, the group backing a controversial solar-energy initiative on the November ballot raised $8.52 million during April.
Renner Out-raising Morley 32-1, Ceballos Yet to Take In First $1,000 Against Hutson
Democrats Adam Morley and Curtis Ceballos face enormous financial hurdles in their campaigns challenging Republicans Paul Renner and Travis Hutson in November’s legislative elections.
Biker Thomas Dolan of Palm Coast Is Killed in Collision Near White Eagle Lounge on US1
Thomas Dolan, a 59-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was killed Tuesday afternoon when he was struck by a driver pulling out of the White Eagle Lounge on U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway.
Wednesday Briefing: Cops and Managers Talk Pot Decriminalization, Senior Awards, Susan Rice at FIU
A much-anticipated meeting of local officials to discuss decriminalization of pot, National Security Adviser Susan Rice is at Florida International University, Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
City Will Spend $100,000 to Renovate Fire Station 22, Its Oldest, on Palm Coast Parkway
The city considered demolishing and rebuilding the station in the past, or closing and moving it, but for it says renovation is the best option, keeping open the possibility of a new station on Colbert Lane in the future.
County Government’s Health Costs Take $1.5 Million Hit, Clouding Brighter Budget Outlook
Property values are expected to improve by 4.5 percent, adding $2.5 million to county revenue absent tax-rate changes, but the county’s health costs are increasing dramatically, leaving county commissioners with difficult choices again.
What Blowout? Trump Even With Clinton in Florida and Pennsylvania, Ahead in Ohio
The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton barely ahead, 43-42 in Florida and Pennsylvania, and Trump somewhat ahead in Ohio, 43-39, though results may be slightly affected by still-ongoing Democratic primary contests.
Dacotah Clarke Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison Over Armed Robbery
Dacotah Clarke, 19, was sentenced Monday to 15 months in state prison by Circuit Judge Matthew Foxman after pleading guilty to armed robbery on Sept. 5 in Flagler Beach.
Construction on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 Million Expansion Advances
Construction continues to progress on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 million expansion project to add 32 new beds on the second and third floors over the hospital’s emergency department.
Beethoven’s 9th Closes Jacksonville Symphony’s 2016 Season May 20-21
The Jacksonville Symphony will conclude its 2015-16 season with the music of Beethoven and Thomas Adès, in a special presentation that features the orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus conducted by Music Director Courtney Lewis.
Tuesday Briefing: Seminole Path, Flagler Budget Kick-Off, Fearless Women, The US’ Too-Low Taxes, Rubio Again
Seminole Woods Parkway gets its next-phase foot and bike path, Flagler government starts talking budget for next year, Marco Rubio comes out of retirement for a chat on the Middle East.
Florida’s Tortured Medical Pot Law Regulating Nurseries Keeps Drawing New Legal Challenges
The state has spent nearly $500,000 on private lawyers to represent the Department of Health in legal challenges that have delayed implementation of a 2014 law that first opened the door for medical marijuana in Florida.
South Florida Judge Declares State’s New Death Penalty Law Unconstitutional
While the decision is not necessarily controlling in Flagler County and the rest of Florida, it again muddies the fate of a law barely eight weeks old, and further sheds a harsh light on Florida’s outlier system of executions.
Palm Coast’s Patricia Darvish, 50, Is Found in Flagler Beach Surf, an Apparent Suicide
Early Sunday morning a Turtle Patrol making its rounds in Flagler Beach located Patricia Darvish, 50, in the water, still clothed. She was pulled from the surf and was pronounced dead at the scene.
For Flagler’s Gun Shops, New Residents Spur Brisk Business But Laws Conceal Debate
Flagler County’s gun shop owners say fear and a need for protection rather than hunting still drives much of their business, but they have differing views on gun regulations and the need for additional laws.
Monday Briefing: A Slew of Sentences, Obama on Students Who Silence Speech, Bunnell Parking Regulations
James Russell Brink had his statutory rape charge reduced to felony child abuse and his adjudication withheld by a judge. He’s back in court. Obama decries students who censor speech. Mozart at his most Bach-like. Bunnell changes parking regulations.
2 Teens Among Four Killed, 3 Injured, “Multiple Ejections” in I-95 Wreck Just South of Flagler-St. Johns County Line
The year’s deadliest crash in Flagler County killed four people and injured several just after 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-95.
Housing Restrictions on Sex Offenders Spread Even as Evidence Shows They Don’t Work
The restrictions can make offenders’ lives less stable by severely limiting their housing options, and can push them away from family, jobs and social support — all of which make it more likely they will abuse again.
Frequent-Flying Miscreants Bill Westervelt And Jerry Falls Back in Jail on Grand Theft
William Westervelt and Jerry Falls, among the most frequent inmates at the Flagler jail, now faces charges of grand theft, burglary and dealing in stolen property, the latest of dozens of charges between them going back a few years.
Behind Palm Coast’s Inspired Mic, A King With Nine Lives Defies Dreads, Death and Taboos
After a hiatus The Inspired Mic, Palm Coast’s most daring and unpredictable open mic event, returned to the New Europa under the direction of Michael Ray King, who organizes the monthly event with a light touch, himself inspired by a personal history of harrowing survival.
Flagler’s African American Mentor Program Honors Its Own Weeks After Earning Unsung Hero Award
The African American Mentoring Program is the creation of former school board member Jim Guines and John Winston, who 10 years ago saw a broad need in the county for mentors to guide young, black students who, for one reason or another, lacked direction.
Suicide, Now 2nd-Leading Cause of Death for Young Floridians, Seen as Public Health Threat
While suicide is increasing for nearly every age group, it’s now the second-leading cause of death for Floridians aged 25 to 34, according to the state Department of Health Vital Statistics, and the third-leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 24.
Weekend Briefing: Arbor Day in Central Park, Bogosian at CRT, Prom Night, Drug Court Graduation
You can get a free hardwood tree in exchange for a food donation at Arbor Day, Pastor Charles Silano keynotes drug court graduation, last chance to see Bogosian’s Sex Drugs Rock & Roll.”
Volusia County Wants Out Of the Next Bear Hunt
The Volusia County Council on Thursday unanimously approved a “symbolic” resolution urging the commission to reinstate a prohibition on hunting Florida black bears.
On Eric Drive, No Recourse After a Dog Is Maimed in Hit-and-Run and Near-Miss for Owner
Angela diBella was walking her two dogs on April 28 in the E Section when an oblivious driver car struck her 10-year-old Shih Tsu, which had to be euthanized less than 90 minutes later. There are no penalties for drivers’ negligence in such cases.
Bogosian’s “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” at CRT: The Frightening Drift of American Life, Updated
Those who see the show at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre will find themselves in very recognizably angry American territory even though the play was written in 1990.
Thursday Briefing: Bunnell Day of Prayer, Cycle de Mayo, Coastal Cloud, Mentors, Death Penalty
Today is “Cycle de Mayo” Ride Your Bike to Work Day, it’s Bunnell’s annual Day of Prayer, FEMA holds a workshop on new flood maps in the Hammock, the African American Mentor Program’s Young Men of Distinction end-of-year banquet takes place.