Anna Pehota shot dead her husband John in their Hammock trailer Sept. 23. John’s best friend recalls four decades of knowing the couple he calls “the sweetest in the world.”
New Laws Next Week On Revenge Porn, Domestic Violence, Trafficking, Cop Funerals
Among 27 new Florida laws starting next week, it’ll be illegal to post sexually explicit material without the knowledge of people identified in the images, criminal penalties will increase on sex trafficking, the state may spend $5,000 on cop funerals.
Indian Trails 7th Grader, on Bicycle, Victim of Hit-and-Run on Belle Terre and Brookside Ln.
A 7th grader from Indian Trails Middle School bicycling to school was struck by a vehicle at the corner of Brookside Lane and Belle Terre Parkway. The vehicle kept going.
Weekend Briefing: Godspell at CRT, Jeb Bush Channels Romney’s “Free Stuff,” Drug Take-Back Saturday
Jeb Bush puts Mitt Romney’s foot in his own mouth with his latest insult to minorities, “Godpsell” continues at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre, drug take-back Saturday in Palm Coast.
Pope Francis’s Challenge to America
Pope Francis is challenging conservative Americans–and presidential candidates–to rethink their belligerence to Cuba, Palestinians and action on global warming, writes Chris Patten.
Jaylin Tilton, 20, Killed in Single-Vehicle Wreck on Old Kings Road Near Princess Place
A 20-year-old Bunnell woman was killed sometime early Thursday morning when he car swerved off Old Kings Road and struck a metal guard rail, a mile east of U.S. 1.
Flagler Beach Shortlists 4 for City Manager’s Job, From Skimpy List of 23 Applicants
Compared to the 140 applications for the job 5 years ago, this round drew a skimpy response, with a shortlist reflecting the city commission’s limited choices.
Florida Teens’ Taste for E-Cigarettes Now More than Double That of Tobacco Sticks
Some 6.9 percent of Florida high-school students smoke cigarettes, but 15.8 percent use electronic cigarettes, which allow inhalation of vaporized nicotine.
Traffic Stop on I-95 Leads to Man Wanted in Homicide and Credit Card Fraudsters
The three suspects are held on more than $1 million bond at the Flagler County jail: Juan Torres-Rodriguez, Liz Figueroa-Rodriguez, and Alberto Bourdier Maldonado.
Anna Pehota, 75, Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder for Shooting Husband in Hammock
The woman–Anna Pehota, who has owned the trailer with her husband John since 1993–called 911 just after 4:30 p.m. to say that she thought she’d killed her husband, and that she’d shot him three times.
Commissioners Ax Planning Board Chairman Who’d Opposed Controversial Developments, Replace Him With a Developer
The Flagler County Commission booted off Russ Reinke who’d long chaired the planning board and replaced him with developer Art Barr after Reinke had opposed several recent controversial developments.
Trump Leads By Far Among Florida Republicans as Rubio Leaps Ahead of Bush
Donald Trump leads with 31.5 percent in a GOP primary, in Florida Atlantic University poll, followed by Rubio in second place with 19.2 percent, followed by Bush at 11.3 percent, Carson at 10.3 percent and Carly Fiorina at 8.3 percent.
Wednesday Briefing: Goodbye, Linda Crego, Flagler Likes Bunnell’s Sewer, Unanimous Verdicts in Death Penalty
Flagler County and Bunnell government hash out Flagler’s take-over of the old Plantation Bay utility, The Flagler Beach City Commission figures out its next manager, Brian Williams returns as if nothing ever happened.
Sheriff Hires 13 Deputies, Underscoring Turnover of More Than 100 in Three Years
Well over a third of the Flagler Sheriff’s 285 positions have turned over in Jim Manfre’s three-year tenure, while 85 percent of full-timers have less than 15 years’ service–and a third have less than three years.
How Does Lawbreaking Kim Davis Get to Keep Her Job?
The law of the land isn’t an item on an a la carte menu from which elected officials can pick and choose, argues Nancy Smith, who says Kim Davis should have been removed from office by the governor.
Florida’s Foster Children Are Still Being Medicated Without Proper Oversight
Just a fifth of the 2,434 children in state foster care had proper consent-form and other requirements to be subjected to psychotropic drugs, according to UF research.
Thief Breaks Into Andrey’s Auto, Finds Keys and Drives Off in Car Stolen From Lot
The thief, acting alone, is seen in video footage rummaging through the business and trying a couple of cars before driving off in a stolen Mitsubishi.
“Be Prepared,” 10 Potential Candidates for Office Are Told in Chamber’s Grooming Class
Most of the 10 candidates who made it through the grooming for office–6 Republicans, 2 Democrats and 2 Independents–are familiar names in local politics and on advisory boards.
Tuesday Briefing: Coastal Cloud Among 50 Florida Firms to Watch, Carly Fiorina’s Pot Problem, Shott at NAACP
Coastal Cloud was selected from 500 Florida companies by GrowFL, Lynette Shott brings school district outreach to the NAACP, Carly Fiorina thinks pot is more dangerous than alcohol (it’s nowhere near as dangerous).
Trash Bandits: Sheriff Looking for Rogues Who Dumped 18 Tons of Tires Off Old Kings Road
The 18 to 19 tons of use tires (37,000 pounds) were dumped off North Old Kings Road, between Matanzas Woods Parkway and Princess Place Preserve. Flagler government removed them.
Doctors and Pharmacists Complain: Patients Aren’t Getting Their Pain Meds Fast Enough
Pharmacists complain that distributors are limiting their supply of powerful narcotics, forcing the pharmacists to ration their limited stock to their regular patients.
Bunnell Man Is Accused of Raping a Woman at the Gospel Gardens Nursery
Juan Yon-Cerna, a 46-year-old resident of Bunnell, is accused of raping a woman after inviting her for a beer at the business. He is being held on $20,000 bond.
Buddy Taylor Student Struck by School Bus This Morning on Parkview Drive
The student was treated for minor injuries at Florida Hospital Flagler, and by just after noon, had been released. The driver was cited for failing to yield, and is on administrative leave.
At Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Fundraiser, It Felt Like the 1980s Again. That’s The Problem.
Even though a sizable crowd turned up for the fundraiser Sunday, the effort still falls significantly short of keeping the club going or convincing the school board that the group leading the effort can lease the property and make it work as a club again.
Monday Briefing: Donuts With Doughney, Pink Gala Set, Ben Carson’s Bigotry, Trump’s Ratings
Meet up with Flagler Beach Police Captain Matt Doughney at the 7-11 on A1A, the Flagler County Commission takes up communication towers again, Ben Carson opposes a Muslim president, Donald Trump explains his monster ratings.
Palm Coast Parkway Pizza Hut Employees Robbed at Gunpoint and Penned in Cooler
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery late Saturday night at the Pizza Hut on Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway. No one was hurt.
Worrisome Study in Hand, Lawmakers Question Tying Teacher Salaries to Test Scores
The study supported the use of the Florida Standards Assessment for school grades and teacher evaluations but said that “the FSA scores for some students will be suspect” because of the computer glitches.
Muslim, Dark-Skinned, Geeky:
Ahmed Mohamed Had No Chance
If there’s remaining doubt that it is subhuman to be a Muslim or an Arab in the United States, the imbecilic arrest of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed over a clock puts the doubts to rest.
John Thrasher on Campus Guns, FSU’s Alleged Inferiority and Marco Rubio’s Oats
Florida State University President John Thrasher talks about Rubio trash-talking FSU, his opposition to guns on campus, academic freedom and having the time of his life.
8.8 Million More People Got Health Insurance Last Year, Largely Due to Obamacare
The increase, due to the Affordable Care Act, is unprecedented since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid 50 years ago. Expanding Medicaid–as Florida did not–would have added to the ranks of the insured even more.
State Targets Two More Abortion Clinics as Scott Tightens Vise on Women’s Health
The latest clinics to be fined for allegedly performing 2nd trimester abortions, including Bread and Roses in Gainesville, aren’t affiliated with Planned Parenthood but are cited on similar grounds.
Video In Suicide-By-Cop Attempt Shows Deputies’ Control of Hairtrigger Confrontation
The eight-minute video of the confrontation, posted here, shows P-Section resident Stacy Culotta holding a gun and how Sgt. Van Buren and two other deputies eventually defused the situation.
Home in Palm Coast, Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Is Celebrated, With Craned Necks
Reilly Opelka, who won Wimbledon’s junior crown earlier this summer and starts a 20-tournament professional tour next year, accepted a congratulatory sign at the Palm Coast Tennis Center this morning.
Florida’s Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.3% and to 6.3% in Flagler as Employment Grows
In Flagler the ranks of the unemployed declined from 2,809 to 2,688, a reduction of 121, and a reduction of 745 over the year. The labor force, however, remains below where it was last year.
Two Women Threaten To Shoot Boys, 13 and 15, Over Knock at the Door at Integra Woods
Candance Ashley McCall, 28, and Letita Crimes, 33, confronted the boys while allegedly brandishing guns after a boy knocked on their door by mistake, then sough to confront them again at the boys’ apartment.
Golf as Wrestling Match: Only in Flagler Beach as 2 of 3 Proposals for Old Course Bogey
A split Flagler Beach City Commission is leaning toward Flagler Golf Management to take over the old 9-hole course at the south end of town as obstacles remain and few alternatives exist. The next round is scheduled for Oct. 22.
Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Republicans: Don’t Associate Us With Palm Coast Charter Review
Mike McElroy, president of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies, says Palm Coast Councilman Steven Nobile’s push for a charter review–while not a bad idea–is entirely his own rather than an agenda of the RRRs.
Weekend Briefing: Elbert Tucker Speaks, Judge Moore-Stens Marks Constitution’s Birthday, GoToby Goes Bull on N-J
Elbert Tucker is the keynote speaker at Drug Court graduation, Judge Moore-Stens is the keynote speaker at a celebration of the Constitution at the Public Library, GoToby doesn’t think the News-Journal has its foreclosure facts straight.
U.S. 1-Palm Coast Parkway Wreck: Man and Passenger Crash Through 200 Feet of Woods, and Walk Away
The Chevy Impala traveled from Pine Lakes Parkway through the intersection and into the woods after what appeared to have been its driver’s medical episode.
World Warms to Climate Change Treaty, But Europe, Not U.S. Is Setting the Standard
December’s UN conference on climate change in Paris may lead to a treaty as a consensus has emerged that it’s also about economic challenges like poverty, sustainable development, and the wellbeing of future generations.
FHP’s Cpl. Pete Young, Flagler’s Longest-Serving Cop By Far, Earns Singular Medal
With 500 traffic homicide investigations and into his 5th decade in law enforcement, Pete Young is the longest-serving uniformed cop in Flagler-Palm Coast. He has no plans to stop.
17-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder in July’s L-Section Shooting of Phillip Haire
Zaire Roberts of 46 Pine Hill Lane in Palm Coast faces a 1st-degree attempted murder charge for the alleged shooting of Phillip J. Haire, 18 on Lewisdale Lane in late July.
Three Companies Tee Up Proposals to Run Flagler Beach’s Fallow 9-Hole Golf Course
The 34 acres of the old Ocean Palm Golf Club will be in play this evening at 5:30 p.m. as a committee hears proposals to rejuvenate the grounds profitably through a lease.
Thursday Briefing: Obama Likes Ahmed’s Coo Coo-Cop Clock, Maya at the GSB, Dexter Gordon’s Tunisia
The Flagler Commission holds its final budget and tax hearing, the annual Maya at the Playa conference kicks off at the GSB, Obama invites Ahmed Mohamed to the White House, with the clock that scared a teacher and cops.
Cocked Again, College-Campus Gun Bill Makes It Through First Two Legislative Hurdles
The concealed-carry legislation won support from criminal-justice committees in the Florida House and Senate but is widely opposed by academic leaders.
Three Matanzas High School Students Arrested For Armed Burglary in Palm Coast’s F-Section
A ninth grader and two tenth graders who’d run from Matanzas High School were charged with armed robbery following two incidents in Palm Coast’s F-Section this morning.
Palm Coast Manager Apologizes for Ordering Work Without School Board Approval First
City Manager Jim Landon ordered utility work to proceed without securing an easement from the Flagler County School Board, though he’s been critical of the county over a similar issue.
Flagler Airport Pilot Flies Historic Cuba-Bound Flight From the United States
Local pilot Galin Hernandez’s historic flight to Cuba over Labor Day was among the first of its kind from the American mainland, though it took off from Hollywood.
Suicide By Cop Averted as Deputy’s Taser Ends Stand-Off on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast
Stacy Culotta, 36, drew Flagler deputies to her house on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast where she confronted them with what looked like a firearm Monday afternoon, until Sgt. Michael van Buren incapacitated her.
Wednesday Briefing: Rios Sentenced to 15 Years, Clinton Down, Trump Steady, Tourism Grants Ahoy
Rios, accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, was found guilty in 15 minutes by a jury, more Republicans think Trump could be president, fewer Democrats like Clinton, and the Flagler TDC goes wild with grants.