Melissa Holloway of Palm Coast’s R-Section is accused of fighting with the daughter who tried to prevent her from driving her and her younger sister while intoxicated.
Despite Budget Crunch, Cable and Cell Phone Tax Cuts Still Expected in Special Session
Floridians could still get a reduction in their cable-TV and cell-phone bills as part of a new House tax-cut package, though it’ll fall short of the nearly $700 million package projected earlier this year.
Administrator Patrick Johnson Calls It Quits as Flagler Health Department Endures Big Changes
Flagler County Health Department Administrator Patrick Johnson is resigning at the end of the month to take a public health post in North Carolina as county departments in Florida see their roles shift and diminish.
Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Flagler County Children Through Summer
The Flagler County Schools, Food & Nutrition Services Department is please to announce that free breakfast and lunch meals will be made available at no charge to all children in the community who are 18 years of age and under.
Monday Briefing: Kimberle Weeks Is Arraigned, County Firefighters Get a Contract, Youth Orchestra’s Chamber Players In Concert
Ex-Supervisor of Elections Kim Weeks is arraigned on 12 felony counts in circuit court today, 24 chamber ensembles of the Flagler Youth Orchestra perform in a final concert, the county commission is set to approve a contract with its firefighters.
Elder Abuse: A Huge, Expensive and Lethal Problem
There is little doubt that elder abuse is growing, driven by growth in the elderly population. To address it, some governments are training police and social workers to investigate it.
Flagler Beach Doesn’t Have a Parking Problem. It Has a Big Government Problem.
If Flagler Beach adopts paid parking, it’ll invite a problem as onerous as Palm Coast’s red-light cameras, damaging its reputation, needlessly hurting its businesses and alienating its closest and most loyal visitors.
After Victim Testifies of Being Raped, James McDevitt Is Sentenced To 40 Years in Prison
James McDevitt, the 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to raping a woman in Flagler Beach in June 2013, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison Friday. He will be on probation for 20years, and will be branded a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Brandt Is Crime Stoppers’ Flagler Officer of the Year
Steve Brandt, an 21-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office promoted just two weeks ago to Commander, was named just days later Flagler County Officer of the Year by Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida.
Sheriff’s Office Puts Up Reward in Search for George Contos, 58, Who Disappeared in Suspicious Circumstances May 9
George Contos, a 58-year-old Bunnell resident and a diabetic with a prosthetic leg, went missing on May 9. His car has been recovered. The disappearance is now considered suspicious, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Weekend Briefing: Growing Energy at Belle Terre, McDevitt Rape Sentencing, Spying in Orange County Schools
Teacher of the Year Ed Wolff showcases the Growing Energy garden at Belle Terre Elementary, Orange County public schools begin tracking students’ social media wholesale, James McDevitt is sentenced in court Friday morning for a 2013 rape.
With Florida Overdue for a Hit, Hurricane Season Begins on a Tide of Pessimism
NOAA predicts a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with between six to 11 tropical storms, but Florida’s insurance officials say the state’s nine straight hurricane-free seasons can;t last much longer.
What Florida’s Republicans Can Teach Its Diminishing Democrats
The GOP’s brilliance lay in its rebooted website’s recognition that most voters are sick and tired of political parties, platforms, issues and agendas. So instead, it focuses on action, action, action, argues Daniel Tilson.
Behind Friday’s McDevitt Sentencing For Rape, the 911 Call That Told a Harrowing Story
Published here for the first time, the 9-minute 911 call from Rob Tier described what Tier, a Flagler Beach pastor, at one point termed a rape as the dispatcher repeatedly kept him from intervening. Tier’s house is across the street from the scene of the rape.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.
Fight at Matanzas High School Sends a 15-Year-Old Student to the Hospital
Charges are pending against a 14-year-old Matanzas High School student after he allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old boy who was making fun of him and his family.
Thursday Briefing: FPC Graduates, FCC Wants Broadband for the Poor, FAO Schwartz Closes
FPC’s graduation is at the Ocean Center tonight at 7 p.m., NOAA predicts six to 11 named storms this hurricane season, and how the GOP is miscalculating in Florida.
In Split Decision, Sheriff’s Sergeant Fired 2 Years Ago Ordered Reinstated, With 9 Months’ Back Pay
Sheriff Manfre fired Sgt. Chris Ragazzo 2 years ago for accessing police databases for personal business. An arbitrator today ruled the firing was disproportionate to the offense and did not follow due process.
Forget Its Cause. Fighting Global Warming Is Good For Your Health. Period.
Governments often see climate change as too costly to address. In fact, it is too costly to ignore, with the prevention of disastrous climate change tied to immediate health benefits and health cost savings from the reduction of air pollution.
Proposals: Scrap Hospital Regulatory Process, Give Some Nurses More Power to Prescribe Drugs
House Republicans filed six bills Wednesday that delve into hot-button issues such as getting rid of a regulatory process for new or expanded hospitals and allowing advanced-registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe controlled substances.
Island Grille Restaurant Opens in Flagler Beach, Resurrecting Blue in Silver Mist
The Island Grille opened May 27 where Blue Restaurant used to be, with chef Gary Maresca back in the kitchen and a team of four co-owners promising gastronomy and success.
Wednesday Briefing: Salvo’s JJ and Petra Call It a Match, Construction Updates, Nebraska Kills Death
Salvo Art’s JJ Graham capped a show opening with a wedding proposal, Flagler schools’ mentor program marks 10 years, the Nebraska Legislature may override a veto and end the death penalty.
Senate Leaders Propose Compromise in Budget Impasse, Gov. Scott and House Reject It
Scott and House Republicans have repeatedly said they have no interest in using Medicaid expansion funds from Obamacare to close a $2.2 billion budget gap and insure more Floridians.
Palm Coast Man Faces Charges of “Branding” 11-Year-Old Boy With Burning Metal Object
Charles Swindell, 45, who faces child abuse and assault charges, had been on probation for threatening to burn his mother’s house–and her. His father had previously perished in a house fire.
Palm Coast Council Members Cautiously Discuss Their Low Salaries, But No Raise Yet
Palm Coast council members earn the same as Bunnell commission members: $9,600 a year, even though Palm Coast has 30 times the population of Bunnell.
15 Years After Palm Coast Double Murder, David Snelgrove Is Back in Court, Contesting Death Sentence
Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, in their Bannbury Lane home in Palm Coast in June 2000. He’s arguing ineffective representation.
Tuesday Briefing: Murderer David Snelgrove Back in Flagler, De Niro’s Warning to Graduating Actors, Paving Old Kings
Murderer David Snelgrove, sentenced in the double-murder in Flagler in 2000 of two elderly people, is back in court before Judge Walsh today. Rober De Niro tells it like it is to graduating actors.
The Fundamentalists Next Door
It is up to the citizens of Flagler County–no matter your political persuasion or your party affiliation, your social views and religious beliefs–not to allow the voices of ignorance and intolerance decide what information you are permitted to consume.
Assisted Suicide In Your Back Yard: More Prevalent Than You Think
People don’t talk about it, but assisted suicide happens in states where it’s not legal. Just over 3 percent of U.S. doctors said they have written a prescription for life-ending medication, and almost 5 percent reported giving a patient a lethal injection.
Kimberle Weeks Secret Recordings Tapped Into Her Personal Life, Including a Funeral Director
FDLE investigation details revealed today show Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor, obsessively recording officials, at least one reporter, and others in her personal life, and editing the results.
R.J. Larizza Says No Charges Against Sheriff’s Deputy in Second Fatal Shooting in 2 Years
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said today no charges will be filed against Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy Joel Hernandez, who shot and killed a man who was allegedly reaching for a gun while sitting in his car at a towing yard in Daytona Beach in September 2014.
Flagler Unemployment, Down to 6.1%, Continues Sharp Recovery Over Last 12 Months
There were in fact 87 fewer Flagler residents with jobs in April than in March, though the number of Flagler residents on the unemployment rolls also declined, by 219, to 2,616.
Weekend Briefing: Memorial Day Commemorations, Losing Iraq, Gay Eire, Keurig Horrors, Teens Fly
Memorial Day commemorations in Palm Coast, Flagler and Flagler Beach on Monday, Ireland votes on gay marriage, ISIS clobbers Ramadi, Milan Kundera raises questions.
Feds’ $1 Billion Pledge Cuts Florida Health Deficit in Half, Easing Legislative Standoff
If Florida has to instead offset the remaining $1.2 billion deficit for low-income healthcare with tax revenues, that could eat into funding for other priorities, like public education and tax cuts.
Milissa Holland, Now a Republican, Files to Run for Palm Coast Mayor to Succeed Netts
Milissa Holland, the two-time Flagler County Commissioner who narrowly lost a bid for the state House in 2012, filed today to run for Palm Coast mayor in 2016.
In LL-Section Fire, Puppy Rescue Gets All the Attention as a Father of 6 Struggles in ICU
Tuesday’s fire in the LL-Section left a 37-year-old father of 6 in the ICU since and split his children to relatives’ homes, but all the attention–and an award–has gone to firefighters’ rescue of two puppies and four older dogs.
Reagan Republican Richter Sends Sexually Offensive Email to Local Media, and Warning to FlaglerLive
Mark Richter, a member of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies of Flagler County, narrowly lost in the Republican primary for Flagler County Commission in 2014.
Thursday Briefing: A Science Expo at Belle Terre Elementary, Tracking Employees 24/7, Death Penalty’s Death in Nebraska
Belle Terre Elementary holds its public science expo at 4:40 this afternoon. Buddy Taylor’s band is in concert at the Auditorium. Employers tracking their employees 24/7 draws a lawsuit.
From “Sustainable Tourism” to Full Employment: Right and Wrong of Smart Development
The UN’s 169 priorities for sustainable development are too many and are like having none at all, argues Bjorn Lomborg. So he asked leading economists to evaluate which targets would do the most good for every dollar.
Flagler’s Next Congressman? Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford Announces for DeSantis Seat
Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, term-limited after 12 years, will seek to replace Rep. Ron DeSantis in the 6th Congressional District, which includes all of Flagler County. The open seat is expected to draw numerous candidates.
Father Faces Child Abuse Charge Over 12-Year-Old Son’s Black Eye and Broom Violence
Angel Pablo Otero Diaz, 34, of Bunnell, was jailed Tuesday on a charge of child abuse after allegedly leaving his 12-year-old son with a black eye and striking him with a broom.
Crime Rate Falls to Historic Low in Flagler, Mirroring State and National Trend
Flagler’s crime rate is 40 percent lower than Florida’s, and in 2014 it was 29 percent lower than its peak in 2007. Bunnell continues to account for a disproportionate number of arrests.
Meeting in Bunnell, State Board of Education Urges Lawmakers to Preserve Historic Increase in Per-Student Funding
Gov. Rick Scott warned last week that a planned $261 per student funding increase from the current year was in jeopardy if the Legislature does not resolve an impasse over health care funding.
Wednesday Briefing: State Education Board in Bunnell, Letterman Ends, Digital Journalism Stalls
The state Board of Education holds its meeting in Bunnell Wednesday morning, with the education commissioner in tow. Tonight Dave Letterman ends his 35 years as the king of late night. Michael Massing explores the future of digital journalism.
If Violence Isn’t the Answer, Someone Should Clue In the Police
Nobody wants to see people hurt, businesses burned, or innocent lives disrupted by violence in their communities. But you can’t understand urban unrest in isolation from the violence residents face at the hands of their own government.
As Gov. Scott Seeks Information For His Health Commission, Hospitals Signal He’s On His Own
As Gov. Rick Scott’s newly created health-care commission prepares to meet Wednesday to begin sifting through data about hospital funding, the governor’s request for information has been met with hospitals essentially telling him to go look it up.
In a Victory for Students, Divided School Board Relaxes High School Dress Code Substantially
Starting in fall, students in high school can wear school t-shirts, club shirts or team jerseys, as well as plaid and striped collared shirts. The policy does not change existing rules for middle and elementary school students. The board voted 3-2 to adopt the new policy.
Flagler Beach Confrontation Sends Man to Hospital and Splash Car Wash Owner to Jail
The fight at the he Shell gas station on State Road 100 in Flagler Beach sent Ricardo Mercado of Palm Coast to jail on an aggravated assault charge, and Roman Miroshnik to the hospital.
Missing Key Ingredient—“People”—Charter Review Storm Evaporates as Quickly as It Came
Few people showed up at today’s Palm Coast council meeting and fewer still spoke on the charter-review proposal by Council member Steven Nobile, appearing to end the matter.
2 Hospitalized, 6 Dogs Rescued From House Fire in Palm Coast’s LL Section
A father and his young daughter, about 5 years old, were hospitalized for smoke inhalation this morning after a fire in the garage at 6 Llach Court in Palm Coast inundated the house with smoke, but was contained before spreading further.