This year’s grades are almost eight months late. They’re less reliable than in previous years. And they’re still facing bitter criticism because of the state’s troubled standardized testing system.
Thanks to Elderly, Florida Medical Marijuana Market Could Be a $1.5 Billion Industry By 2020
Florida is one of four states best positioned to legalize medical marijuana, with the state’s older population playing a large role in the industry’s viability.
“The Last Romance” Bids a Golden Valentine for Adult Sensibilities at City Rep Theatre
Joe DiPietro’s romantic comedy at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre stars real-life couple Sue and John Pope, who must act as if they don’t love each other.
Palm Coast Boy, 3, Is Safe as Fugitive and Girlfriend Are Arrested After 2 Weeks on the Run
Escaped prisoner Gary Bullock, his girlfriend Natasha Quigley and her 3-year-old son Xander Quigley were located today in Flemingsburg, Ky, a small town about half way between Lexington, Ky., and Huntington, W.Va.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation Breaks Ground at New Home With Poetry, Nietzsche and a Party
Some 250 people turned out for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s groundbreaking Thursday at its new home in Town Center, with poetry and a live performance by a Flagler Youth Orchestra ensemble.
Two Young Palm Coast Residents Killed in Construction Zone off Forest Grove Dr.
Kevin Walsh, 29, and Jessica Darby, 22, both of Palm Coast, were killed late Thursday night in the construction zone off Forest Grove Drive.
Weekend Briefing: Valentine Treat at City Rep Theatre, Paul McCartney Years, Hot N’ Spicy Festival
“The Last Romance” opens at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre at City Marketplace, the Paul McCartney Years at the Auditorium, a Hot N Spicy festival at the Agriculture Museum.
Hillary Clinton’s $675,000 Paean to Marie Antoinette, and Goldman Sachs
Hillary Clinton’s instinct for secrecy keeps getting her in trouble, while the sense of entitlement that she projects through her tone-deaf explanations betrays a lack of connection with the very people she claims to represent most.
Florida Bar Dismisses Complaint Against County Attorney in Latest of Many Defeats for Growlers
The Florida Bar’s dismissal keyed into the fact that one of the two complainants, Kimberle Weeks, had felony charges pending against her. The other tossed complaint was by John Ruffalo of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies.
Proposal Would End Local Districts’ Oversight of Charter Schools in Favor Of State Power
The proposed constitutional amendment would set up a statewide entity with the power to approve charter schools anywhere in Florida, bypassing local school districts. The Legislature is expected to approve sending the proposal to the ballot.
At Flagler’s Progressive Public Safety Council, a Farewell to Judge Walsh, and a Welcome to Foxman
The largely unheralded but powerfully representative Public Safety Coordinating Council was the scene of a passing of gavels of sorts Wednesday for Flagler County’s judiciary.
Smoke May Be Visible South of SR 100 From Controlled Burn at Bulow State Park
This prescribed fire will remove the hazardous level of fuel on the property. Potential fires have a greater risk of being destructive the longer vegetation accumulates.
Barrie Michaels Joins Flagler Auditorium as Marketing Manager Ahead of 25th Anniversary
Barrie Michaels will manage media relations, communications, and other outreach efforts for the auditorium, serving as the primary contact for media inquiries and as a representative for the organization in the community.
Thursday Briefing: Arts Foundation Groundbreaking in Town Center, Rymfire’s Poetry Night, Whitney Bats
The Palm Coast Arts Foundation breaks ground for its events venue in Town Center in a celebratory event at 4 p.m., Whitney Lab’s lecture series returns with an esoteric discussion of moths and bats.
Legislature Tells Florida’s Horse Farmers to Find a New Business
Florida horsemen are screwed, argues Nancy Smith: Only a miracle can save the $1.2 billion Florida horse racing industry they represent. Their bane: the Florida Legislature.
Family Livid After FDOT Uproots Roadside Memorial to Tyler Tracy 7 Months After Wreck
Tyler Tracy’s memorial was one of five an FDOT official decided had to be removed on US1, though others were left in place, angering Tracy’s widow and family and getting Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts involved in defense of the family.
Taser Brings Down Armed Burglar After Shots Are Fired and Cops Set Chase
The late-night pursuit in a Bunnell neighborhood, guns drawn, resulted in the arrest of Grant D. Gieger, a convicted felon with a long history of arrests and violence.
More Public Record Exemptions For Gun Owners, This Time For Hunters and Fishermen
People getting hunting, fishing and boating licenses and certificates from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would be shielded from public record disclosures.
Wednesday Briefing: Dangerous Fire Conditions, Elections Supervisors’ Pay, Obama’s Military Fetish
Very low humidity and very high winds combine for dangerous fire conditions today, NOAA warns. The Florida Legislature considers higher pay for supervisors of election.
Dueling On, State Recommends $19,000 Fine and Public Reprimand Against Manfre, Who Maintains Innocence
The dueling recommendations in the long-standing ethics case against Sheriff Manfre are awaiting an administrative law judge’s decision, further dragging on an issue that has clouded the sheriff’s term into his re-election year.
In a Decisive Shift, Palm Coast Will Oppose Fracking On and Offshore, Citing Environment
Abandoning its silence and tacit nod to fracking, the Palm Coast City Council will forcefully oppose hydraulic fracturing in a resolution, citing water and environmental protection.
Palm Coast Man Jailed on $160,000 Bond Over Molestation Charges Involving 2 Children
Joel Aiello of Frontier Drive in Palm Coast was arrested on five felony counts of sexual improprieties involving children–a 14-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl.
Bathroom Use By Transgenders Scuttles Bill Designed to End LGBT Discrimination
The anti-discrimination bill is backed by big business such as Disnet and AT&T but opposed by social conservatives such as Florida Family Policy Council.
Tuesday Briefing: Flagler Centennial Designs, Palm Coast’s $25 Million Sewer Plant, Trump’s Twitter Insults
The Flagler centennial committee has a logo, Palm Coast readies to spend $25 million on a new sewer plant, Roland Hanna at the Village Vanguard.
Florida’s Black Cowboys: An Exhibit Tours All Flagler Schools, Bucking Stereotypes
The Florida Black Cowboys exhibit, produced by the Agriculture Museum, opens a window on a little-known part of Florida and American history. The exhibit will appear at every Flagler County school.
Ex-Flagler Beach City Manager Applies for Unemployment, Though He Resigned (Twice)
Ex-city manager Bruce Campbell ad made clear to the Flagler Beach City Commission that it was his choice not to have his contract renewed, which would make him ineligible for unemployment as the decision to leave was voluntary.
Stand-Ins for Clinton and Sanders in a Presidents’ Day Forum at AACS Monday
Palm Coast’s Africa American Cultural Society will host a political forum at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 featuring the two respective local leaders of the campaigns for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Health Insurers Moving to Undermine Obamacare By Limiting Enrollment
major insurers are seeking to sharply limit how policies are sold to individuals in ways that consumer advocates say seem to discriminate against the sickest and could hold down future enrollment.
Monday Briefing: LGBT Discrimination, Death Sentences, Pot for Terminally Ill, Clinton’s Double-Standard Decibels
The Florida Legislature takes up a death-sentence “fix,” Hillary Clinton blasts the double-standard over women shouting, the Legislature considers pot for the terminally ill.
One Fugitive Arrested After All-Night Hunt in B-Section, Other Man Still On the Run Following Wreck on I-95
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies aided by Flagler County Fire Flight had been hunting two men believed to be escaped convicts following a single-car crash on I-95 just north of Palm Coast Parkway this evening at 6:12 p.m.
As Flagler’s Emergency Communications Briefly Falter, Palm Coast and Sheriff Assail County Over Long-Term Plans
The county’s critical emergency radio system briefly failed when a tower lost its back-up power Thursday even as county, city and sheriff’s officials were meeting in the first high-level meeting since 2013 to deal with their differences over modernizing the emergency communications system.
E Pluribus Un-American:
The Judeo-Christian Smear of Islam
President Obama’s trip to a mosque to reassure American Muslims of their importance should have been unnecessary. It reveals how deep-seated prejudice remains, especially that of conservative Christians who claim to preach acceptance.
Chief Justice Jorge Labarga Will Serve Second Successive Term, a First Since 1865
Chief justices preside over the Supreme Court and, more broadly, head the state’s judicial branch. In the broader role, Labarga has focused on taking steps to try to expand access to legal services for low-income people, creating a commission to work on the issue.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday, Stewart Jones at Ocean Art, Polar Bear Plunge, Birding Palm Coast
It’ll be difficult keeping track of events this weekend with birding, art, First Friday, the Polar Bear plunge and many more activities in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach.
Terrorism Isn’t the Biggest Threat Facing America. It’s Barely a Threat at All.
Ignorance, misplaced fear, irresponsible media and blustering presidential candidates have made more of terrorism than it deserves while sidelining the one weapon at America’s disposal in the fight: smarts.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Van Buren Announces Retirement 7 Weeks After He’s Named Deputy of the Year
Sgt. Michael van Buren had just ended one of his most decorated years since joining the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office 28 years ago. He is leaving to take a job in Palm Coast’s public works department and have more time with family.
Plea Lessens Palm Coast Child Rapist’s Sentence to 10 Years in Prison, 20 on Probation
Andrew S. Wilson, 55, of 82 Brushwood Lane in Palm Coast, had been arrested on a count of raping a child younger than 12, based on incidents that took place two decades ago.
Measure Forbidding Local Governments From Using Red-Light Cameras Advances
Sen. Jeff Brandes’ measure would repeal a law known as the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act of 2010 and, as a result, prevent local governments from using the cameras for traffic enforcement.
Bringing “Poverty Inc.” to Palm Coast’s Epic Theater, a Compassionate Entrepreneur’s Goal
Jenny Skripko, a Palm Coast resident and “Compassionate Entrepreneur” with Trades of Hopes, is bringing the celebrated “Poverty Inc.” documentary to Epic Theaters on Feb. 23, but a minimum of 87 tickets must be sold by Feb. 16.
Orlando Artist Stewart Jones Opens at New Ocean Art Gallery in Flagler Beach Friday
Jones’s one-person show, “Documental Environments – From Shore to Shore,” will run from February 5 to 29, with the artist’s opening reception on Friday at 6 p.m.
Thursday Briefing: Renee Taylor’s Life On a Diet, FPC’s One-Act Plays at the Bistro, John Irving Talks
Renee Taylor is at the Flagler Auditorium, FPC Thespians are in two one-act comedies: “AP Theatre” by Ed Monk and “The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World” by Jonathan Rand.
Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte In Dramatic Rescue of Drowning Man
Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte was in the W-Section when the drowning of a 71-year-old resident on Whispering Pine Drive was called in. He rushed to the scene and pulled the man out of the pool.
Palm Coast Council Gives Itself a Few Dollars’ Raise, Thwarting Nobile on Referendum
Another nearly year-long discussion ends with an annual $228 raise for the mayor, $228 for council members, and no future automatic increases, but no referendum either, on the question, as Council member Steven Nobile had favored.
Family of Corey Jones, Killed by Cop, Calls For Regulation of Police Body Cameras
A musician, Corey Jones was fatally shot by a plainclothes Palm Beach Gardens officer when his car broke down on Interstate 95 in the early morning after a gig. The officer, who was driving an unmarked van, has since been fired.
Low Gas Prices Are Great For You and Me. For World Security? Not So Much.
Banditry, corruption and tyranny from Saudi Arabia to Iraq to Russia depends on high oil prices. As prices fall, the bandits in charge will quarrel more among themselves – and with their neighbors.
How 3-Month Investigation Led to Arrest of Palm Coast Man in Flagler Beach Publix Robbery
Crushing debt allegedly led Daniel J. Fountain, a Palm Coast resident on probation and facing foreclosure, to rob Publix of $2,668 last October–and immediately start making bill payments to Palm Coast utilities, Brighthouse and others.
Wednesday Briefing: Tennis Pros, Scott Chats Up Counties, Disruptive Season in Full Swing
The Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament at the Palm Coast Tennis Center enters its second day, Gov. Rick Scott addresses the state association of counties, where most of Flagler’s commissioners are this week.
Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Lives: School Board Grants Reprieve, 5-0
The school board’s unanimous decision ends a remarkable turnaround for the club, which just last September faced permanent closure, though its deficits have still not been entirely erased.
Florida Supreme Court Halts Executions Indefinitely; 389 Death Row Inmates In Limbo
The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated Florida’s death-penalty sentencing scheme on Jan. 12, forcing the state to rewrite its law but also putting in question whether the new law must apply to all 489 death row inmates.
My Sobering, Rewarding Job at an Abortion Clinic
Catherine Durkin Robinson’s duties involved helping patients through their abortion procedures. They’d already met with the doctor and nurse. Her job was to assist them emotionally.