Edwin Robert-Steven Lynch, a 22-year-old recent resident of Bunnell, jumped to his death off the Flagler Beach bridge early Tuesday afternoon as a bystander was attempting to prevent him from leaping into the void.
Hutson’s District Boundaries Would Shed Putnam for Daytona But Leave Flagler and St. Johns Whole
Even Senate supporters of the map say they aren’t sure whether House leaders will accept the proposal before a redistricting special session ends next week.
Ethics Commission Tosses Complaints Against County Attorney Hadeed and Commissioner McLaughlin
The complaints were filed by John Ruffalo and Dennis McDonald, members of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies, the radical-right organization devoted to upending the local governing establishment where and when it can.
Wednesday Briefing: Greenland Melting, Commercial Development West of I-95, Mad Endures
A new commercial development may rise west of I-95 at the intersection with State Road 100, Greenland’s ice sheet is melting, with untold consequences, Mad Magazine endures.
Senate Bill Would Overhaul Florida’s Foster-Care Placements to Child-Centered Approach
The bill, aimed at reducing instability for foster children, would match children with their best placement options — rather than, as critics charge, the first beds that are handy.
Hanns, “Vindicated” by State Ruling His Removal From Election Board Improper, Declares for 7th Term
Then Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks orchestrated George Hanns’s removal from the canvassing board in November, an act the state Elections Commission found improper.
Accused Wells Fargo Robbers Caught in Philadelphia After String of 4 East Coast Robberies
Joseph E. Carrier and his wife Jennifer, accused of robbing Palm Coast’s Wells Fargo on Oct. 12, were caught in Philadelphia after allegedly robbing their fourth bank in four weeks.
Jordan Marie Rineer, 25, Is Killed in Single-Car Wreck on US1, Tyler Dutton Survives
Jordan Marie Rineer, a former Flagler resident who’d moved to Lancaster, Pa., was visiting family and had gone to Daytona with Tyler Dutton Monday night. She was ejected and died at the U.S. 1 scene.
Tuesday Briefing: NAACP Discusses Cop Body Cameras, Whitman Labs’ Sea Turtle Hospital, Trump’s Lead
The NAACP’s Flagler Branch hears from Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jim Troiano tonight about cops’ body cameras, Trump posts double-digit lead in latest national poll.
A Syrian Family Just Landed in Palm Coast Starts Life Over From “Less Than Zero”
Mania and Amir Saman and their four young children once lived like kings, but they can’t go home to Syria and have been reduced to bare survival as they rebuild a life in Palm Coast.
Flagler Auditorium Launching 24th Season With Disco-Fever Gala at Halifax Plantation Nov. 7
The disco-themed Nov. 7 gala fund-raiser takes place on the heels of a successful 2015 season that saw revenue top $600,000 and operating profit neat $100,000.
Bear-Kill Quota Popped 5 Days Early:
Florida Officials Reassess Before Next Hunt
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials acknowledged the agency “underestimated the hunter success for the first day,” and said a number of scenarios from the planned week-long hunt — cut down to two days — will have to be factored into future planning.
Long Creek Preserve: For Palm Coast, a Chance to Restore a Vast, Lucrative History
Beyond the Long Creek Nature Preserve, Palm Coast has an opportunity to revive the state and national importance the area of the preserve played in the plantation system of the 18th and 19th centuries, says County Attorney Al Hadeed.
Stetson Appoints Kennesaw State’s Neal Mero School of Business Administration Dean
Neal Mero was a founding director of the Kennesaw State University Doctor of Business Administration Program in 2008, and earned his doctorate from the University of Florida.
Monday Briefing: Full Moon Stroll at Gamble Rogers, Staly’s Money Lead, French Boys Choir
The French Boys Choir in concert at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church tonight, get your full-moon stroll at Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area, ex-undersheriff Rick Staly leads toe GOP money race among sheriff’s candidates with upwards of $70,000.
Vaccine Skepticism and Militant Islamism
Politics and irrational fears rooted in anti-government sentiment dictate the response to polio vaccination programs in several countries dominated by Islamic insurgencies.
Charlie Crist and His Convertible Wedding Dress: Perfect Fits for Washington
Based on all he’s done in the past, having gone from Chain Gang Charlie to Populist Charlie the freshman congressman is going to be a go-to guy for all the blues on the Hill, writes Nancy Smith.
No Sanctuaries: Undocumented Immigrants’ Fears Persist Even as Deportations Are Down
Immigrants’ fear can prevent them from cooperating with police, derail attempts to ensure that all drivers are licensed and endanger growth in areas looking to immigrants to help reverse population losses.
Seek Cover, Teddy: 3,500 Hunters Take Guns and Bows to Bears Across Florida
The hunt, which includes Flagler County, limits each permit holder to killing a single bear weighing at least 100 pounds and won’t exceed the overall 320 bears targeted for what the commission calls a “harvest.”
Latest Kimberle Weeks Pre-Trial Again Continued, to January, But Judge Getting Impatient
Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson put Weeks’s defense on notice that she expects the proceedings to move along come January. Weeks, as in previous hearings, did not attend, but her husband Dwayne did.
AJ Fernandez, Felled by Schizophrenia, Is Celebrated With a Skateboard Competition at Wadsworth Park
24-year-old AJ Fernandez of Palm Coast, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2010, took his life on Aug. 26. The Nov. 8 skate competition is a memorial benefit event for the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center in Baltimore.
Palm Coast Woman Charged in DUI Manslaughter Was Stopped Moments Before the Crash, and Released
Rebecca Lawless, 26, charged in the death of Diane Upton, had been stopped by a deputy shortly before at another location and allowed to leave even though she was determined to be drunk.
Supreme Court Clears Floridians for Solar Choice’s Ballot Initiative, Setting Up Battle With Utilities
The initiative has drawn opposition from a coalition including major electric utilities and has spawned a competing solar ballot proposal. That proposal, spearheaded by the group Consumers for Smart Solar, is awaiting a review by the Supreme Court.
Rebecca Lawless, 26, Faces DUI Manslaughter Charge in Death of Diane Upton on SR100 Last Year
Lawless, a Palm Coast resident, turned herself into the Flagler jail almost a year to the day when she ran a red light and slammed into Diane Upton’s car, killing Upton and injuring two family members.
A Third Palestinian Intifada Is Inevitable. Intransigence and Extremism Make It So.
Israel’s occupation policy has undermined the state’s political and ethical foundations, while turning Prime Minister Netanyahu into a hostage of forces even more extreme than he is.
Spartan Extreme Race Re-Sets for Flagler: New Location, Same Lack of Transparency
While the Spartan race appears set at a private ranch in Flagler next March, again, serious questions of transparency and patronage are undermining tiourism chief Matt Dunn’s latest approach.
As Expected, Sheriff Jim Manfre Announces Run for Re-Election, and Draws Rivals’ Fire
Sheriff Jim Manfre is the only Democrat in a race that’s drawn six Republicans so far, including ex-sheriff Don Fleming and ex-Undersheriff Rick Staly, both of whom took Thursday’s announcement as an opportunity to discredit Manfre’s record.
NFL’s Dolphins Want $3 Million a Year in Taxpayer Subsidies, Daytona Speedway May Be Next
The Legislature created a new funding method for professional stadiums in 2014 in an attempt to reduce the lobbying from prior years for state money.
Bailey Anne Cagliuso, 26, Critical After Collision in Palm Coast’s F-Section
Bailey Anne Cagliuso was cycling out of a driveway when an 18-year-old driver struck her with her car on Felshire Lane.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Home Sales Tepid but Prices Rise, Alcohol v. Pot, Millennials’ Bores
Flagler home sales fall close to year’s lows but median price rises substantially, why pot is safe and alcohol is not, why millennials don’t protest much.
Corey Jones Killing by Cop Triggers Black Lawmakers’ Calls for Independent Review
Corey Jones, 31, a church musician whose car stalled on an Interstate 95 exit ramp early Sunday after a gig, was shot by a plainclothes officer in an unmarked car. Some lawmakers are calling for automatic reviews of all police-related shootings, among other safeguards.
Voodoo Man Found Not Guilty in Machete Attack But Still Faces Murder Conspiracy Charge
Jurors found Roodlyn Mompremier not guilty in an alleged attack on his girlfriend’s brother two years ago in Palm Coast, but the two-day trial didn’t end it for him: he still faces a charge of conspiring to commit second-degree murder.
Fully-Loaded Moving Truck Overturns on State Road 100 at I-95 Exit, Driver Injured
A fully-loaded truck owned by Flagler Moving and Storage overturned on State Road 100 just after 11 a.m. today (Oct. 21), with three men on board. The driver sustained injuries to his head, shoulder and arm as the driver’s side window shattered and the truck scraped the pavement, scraping the driver with it. But he was treated at the scene and not hospitalized.
Palm Coast’s Years in Sinai End as It Moves Into Long-Sought City Hall in Town Center
Sixteen years after the city was born, Palm Coast moved into its own roomy, $9.1 million, 40,000-square-foot City Hall at Town Center this week, with a grand opening set for Nov. 3.
Wednesday Briefing: Golden Lion’s Gift to Second Harvest, Unity Day, Why Hillary Will Win
Golden Lion donation makes 7,000 pounds of food for the needy possible, Unity Day in flagler schools, National Review explains why Hillary Clinton will likely win the white house.
Belle Terre Swim Club Has Until January to Find 400 Members or Close, Absent Savior
A divided Flagler County School Board voted 3-2 for a drop-dead date, relying on current members to build their ranks while leaving out, for now, a sports academy that sought to run the facility. But board members said such talks can continue.
Openly Displaying Handguns and Guns on Campus Bills Win Senate Panel Approval
One of the Florida Senate committees also supported a measure that might make it easier for people to claim they have stood their ground in self-defense when shooting others.
Detectives Seeking Public’s Help Identifying 2 Women in TJ Maxx Theft and Credit Card Fraud
Two women stole a 72-year-old Palm Coast resident’s credit card and wallet at TJ Maxx in September then used the card to buy $4,600-worth of merchandise at Target locally and Best Buy in Daytona Beach.
Flagler Beach Manager’s Short-List Gets Shorter as 3 Withdraw, Leaving Only 2
Flagler Beach is having trouble attracting candidates for its city manager’s job, with just 23 applying and most of those making the short-list deciding to take jobs elsewhere. The commission interviews Andrew DeCandis this evening.
Charter Review Proposal Finally Dies Amid Accusations of “Political Ploy” and Straw Men
Palm Coast Council member’s proposal for a charter review got no support as fellow-council member Jason DeLorenzo called the move a “political ploy” and Council member Heidi Shipley’s attempt to have the council itself lead a review also failed.
Tuesday Briefing: Belle Terre Swim Club’s Fate, Palm Coast Attorney’s Raise, Flagler Beach Interviews
The Flagler school board this evening decides the fate of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, the Palm Coast City Council votes on a 15 percent raise for its attorneys, Flagler Beach interviews a candidate for city manager.
Conflict Concerns Raised Over Tourism’s Matt Dunn Moonlighting at His Own Agency
Flagler government tourism chief Matt Dunn, an $82,000-a-year employee, owns a company that offers services similar to those he provides the county, raising questions of conflicts of interest.
Regulators Again Approve Billing FPL Customers For Unbuilt, Unlicensed Nuke Plants
FPL will charge customers–including most of Flagler County power customers–$34.2 million for a pair of nuclear reactors that have yet to be licensed and may not be built until the end of the 2020s.
Crime Round-Up: Bomb Threat at Palm Coast Data, Assaulting Police in Flagler Beach, a B-Section Theft
The phoned-in bomb threat at Palm Coast Data Friday, by an angry man in Canada, was found to be non-specific and did not require facilities to be evacuated. The arrest in Flagler Beach evolved out of a confrontation at the Taco Shop downtown.
County Administrator’s and Attorney’s Contracts May Renew Through 2019 Without Discussion
Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey’s contract renewal does not appear on this evening’s county commission agenda, and is set to renew automatically absent a decision by one of the commissioners to discuss the contract. The same standard applies to County Attorney Al Hadeed’s contract.
Citing Abuse, Cigna Pulls Out of Florida Health Marketplace, Affecting 30,000 Clients
Individuals can still enroll in a Cigna plan by seeing an insurance agent. But enrollment through the Marketplace, which begins Nov. 1, is the only way to obtain tax credits that subsidize the cost of premiums.
Monday Briefing: A Home for a Wounded Iraq Veteran, Special Session Starts, County’s Tourism
Sergeant Carlos De Leon, wounded in Iraq, gets a donated modified home in the B Section, the Flagler County Commission prepares to take over the tourism office from the chamber of commerce.
Palm Coast Utility Billing Switches to Paymentus
At the same time as Palm Coast’s switch to the new utility billing system, the city also established a new online application option for utility service.
NRA’ Misinformation, Mendacity and Victim-Blaming Take a Dive Into Rabbit Holes
More guns do not lead to less crime. More guns lead to more crime, argues Julie Delegal, who sees NRA zealots misrepresented the facts on guns with junk science wrapped in blame-the-victim hysteria.
Fish and Wildlife Escorts 2 Teens Out of Seminole Woods Area Over Illegal Hunting
Officers searched the woods with weapons drawn for hunters yesterday evening between Seward Trail East and Sea Breeze Trail in Palm Coast. Two teen hunters were found and issued a warning for hunting on private property.