Coinciding with races and the traffic they bring at the International Speedway, FHP will be conducting Operation Race to Safety between Thursday, February 19 and Sunday February 22, 2015.
Why Journalism Should Be Addicted to David Carr
Unlike many aging baby boomers, the New York Times’s David Carr, who died last week, had no fear of new technology and no contempt for young people who did not equate the survival of newspapers with the survival of journalism.
Publix Doesn’t Want You To Buy Liquor In Grocery Stores. Wal-Mart and Target Do.
A proposed law to end Florida’s 80-year-old prohibition on liquor in any but stand-alone stores cleared a House committee over the objections of Publix, some sheriffs and liquor store owners.
Appeal Court Upholds Florida’s Ban on Open-Carry, But Case Appears Headed For Supremes
Dale Norman, a resident of St. Lucie County, was arrested at gunpoint for carrying an openly visible handgun in a holster, on his hip. Florida Carry Inc. took his case and has been fighting his conviction since.
Sheriff Manfre Agrees to $183,000 Settlement Over Wage Dispute With 155 Deputies
The settlement will award an average of $487 in back pay to 104 current and former road deputies, and an average of $1,670 to current and former corrections deputies, ending one of three major legal matters burdening the sheriff’s office.
Ex-Cop Is Charged With Torture of Daughter, 14
Stanley Wykretowicz, 38, and a 33-year-old woman, residents of Palm Coast, were jailed on a charge of willfully torturing Wykretowicz’s daughter. He faces an additional charge of battery by strangulation.
Florida Justices Halt Execution Until U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Lethal Injection
Saying it must “err on the side of extreme caution” or risk threatening the “viability of Florida’s entire death penalty scheme,” the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday halted the Feb. 26 execution of a convicted killer until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a lethal injection drug.
Freeze Watch Issued for Flagler-Palm Coast From Wednesday Night to Thursday Morning
The cold front will remain in place until Friday, bringing overnight lows below freezing and daytime highs of only 50 Thursday and Friday. Warmer weather will return Thursday.
District Adopts School Calendar It Did Not Want, Starting Late and Shortening Thanksgiving Break
The Flagler School Board wanted to start school in early August to give students more time to prepare for exams, but state law forbids it, forcing a calendar of its own on local districts.
18-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Tased
And Arrested After Yelling Match
Qyontae Billy Sampson had been arguing with his girlfriend, but not physically, and did not comply when police tried to handcuff him, triggering a brief pursuit and arrest on three charges, including battery on a police officer.
Senate Panel Easily Clears Bill Granting Secrecy to Top College and University Job Applicants
The Senate Higher Education Committee voted 7-2 to approve the measure (SB 182), which would exempt information about applicants for the jobs of president, provost or dean from the state’s open-records laws.
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann Thanks Responders After Car Wreck
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann was involved in a two-vehicle crash at Palm Coast Parkway and Clubhouse Drive on Feb. 3, as he was driving to a city council meeting.
Flagler Does Its Growing Part as Florida Attracts Record 97 Million Visitors in 2014
Monthly tax collections from Flagler’s 4 percent surtax (or bed tax) on fees at hotels, motels and other short-term rentals were up 13 percent by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (it ended in September), after increasing 5 percent the previous year.
Flagler Nears Solution For Marineland Acres Flood Woes, But at Steep New Tax For Residents There
To fix chronic flooding, residents of the Hammock’s Marineland Acres could see a new tax of up to $680 a year—more than five times the $11 monthly stormwater fee Palm Coast residents pay—added to their tax bills for the next 20 years.
On Flagler Roads, Cyclists Share Some Blame For Wrecks; Legislator Files Protective Bill
A proposed bill to strengthen protections for cyclists drew mixed reviews from a Flagler County commissioner and a Florida Highway Patrol homicide investigator, who both pointed at cyclists’ responsibilities on the road.
Guns on Florida Campuses: University System Says No, Citing Values and Protection
Florida’s university system wants state lawmakers to holster the idea of allowing guns on campus, saying it would jeopardize providing a safe and secure learning environment.
Counties Withhold Payments to State as Dispute Over Juvenile Costs Flares Again
After the failure of a legislative compromise last year, some counties are withholding their share of the costs from the Department of Juvenile Justice.
With “Venus in Fur,” Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre Goes Fifty Shades of Dare
John Sbordone’s latest envelope-pushing offering at City Rep Theatre is a play within a play that mixes kinkiness, subtlety, and–as the lead character puts it–a little S&M porn.
Gov. Scott Is Balancing State’s Budget With Money That May Not Exist
Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget for the new fiscal year includes $1.3 billion for Florida hospitals providing care to uninsured people. However, that pool of money might stop existing this summer.
Buddy Holly Story at the Flagler Auditorium: The Boundless Influence Of a Rock Legend
“The Buddy Holly Story,” at the Flagler Auditorium Friday, reflects the enduring influence and popularity of a rock-and-roller whose career spanned just 18 months before he died in a plane crash.
Botticelli: The Birth of Venus (1468)
Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” or “Nascita di Venere,” with a video tutorial on the 1468 painting.
Is Your Facebook Account Private After You Die? Senate Bill Says Not So Fast.
Florida Sen. Dorothy Hukill wants to permit online account access after an account holder has died. The Act seeks to open the book on our digital lives, even after we have uploaded to the great cloud in the sky, writes Peter Schorsch.
Early Learning and Child Care Advocates Target Florida Legislature For More Money
Advocates are looking for higher health and safety standards for providers, better training for teachers and new money to cut the waiting list of 63,000 children for slots in the school-readiness program, which provides subsidized child care to low-income working families.
John Steele Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in Hit-and-Run Death of Sean Lynn Ryan
Sean Lynn Ryan was 25 when he was killed by a vehicle John Steele drove in December 2012 as Ryan walked along U.S. 1 near Plantation Bay. Steele kept going.
The Secret to Colorado’s Plummeting Teen Birth Rate: Give Girls Easy Access to Contraception
The state’s teen birthrate dropped 40 percent in four years as low-income young women get access to long-acting contraceptives such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and hormonal implants, with state subsidies.
Third General Manager in 5 Years Takes Over Palm Coast’s Troubled Golf and Tennis Clubs
Six-figure deficits that taxpayers have subsidized year after year have riddled the budgets of Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Club and its tennis center since they opened.
Buddy Taylor’s Tyler Irigoyen, 13, Gets Shining Award For Bravery on Day of Fatal Crash
Immediately after Elisa Marie Homen was fatally injured in a crash with a school bus last month,13-year-old Tyler Irigoyen went to work, ushering his 50-some schoolmates to safety and tending to the injured bus driver before first responders arrived.
Net Neutrality’s Biggest Deal: FCC Rules Would Keep Internet Open
If the FCC ignores big cable and communications companies’ pressure and approves the rules, it would be one of the greatest public policy victories in decades, argue Matt Wood and Candace Clement.
Back In Tallahasee, Jeb Bush Gets a Taste of Push-Back Against His Education Legacy
Appearing at an education Summit, Jeb Bush, who is preparing a run for the presidency, saw his common core, school voucher and high-stakes testing ideas challenged, as they would likely be on the campaign trail.
Palm Coast Man Is Defrauded of $55,000 Once Thieves Get Hold Of A Check
A 76-year-old resident of the Hammock in Palm Coast, reported to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office that he was defrauded of $55,000 after unknown suspects obtained access to his Charles Schwab investment account.
Despite Obamacare Rules, Some Contraceptives May Still Require Co-Pay
Even though an unplanned pregnancy would cost an insurer a lot more than the contraceptives to prevent it, some insurers still try to limit what they cover.
Palm Coast Begins Conversion to LED Street Lights In Latest Push For Conservation
Palm Coast won’t retrofit its 3,000 street lights to LED just yet, but all new installations will be LED, and in a year or 18 months may consider a broader retrofit program if the investment shows solid savings over time.
Elderly Woman Strikes Cyclist on Florida Park Drive, Asks If He’s OK, Then Drives Off
Jordan Tyler, a 22-year-old resident of Ferdinand Lane in Palm Coast, was struck and injured by a sedan at Florida Park Drive and Farrington Lane. Authorities are looking for an elderly woman who was at the wheel of the car.
Resurrection: In 3-1 Vote, County Approves Lease of Old Courthouse to Baptist School
The vote also represents an unexpected, 11th-hour turn-around for a building most people, including some commissioners (and Bunnell’s city government, which briefly took possession of it before rejecting it), had written off as unusable.
Prospects Dim For Medical Pot in Florida As Senate Committee Signals Rejection
Proposals by two Republican lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana have a slim chance of passing this legislative session, based on the comments of a Senate committee chairman who helps control the fate of that chamber’s measure.
Large Majority of Floridians Satisfied With State’s Direction, But Scott Approval Still Sinks
Floridians are optimistic, with 67 percent satisfied or very satisfied with the state’s direction, but little of that credit goes to Gov. Rick Scott, whose approval rating is at 42 percent just three months after winning re-election.
Flagler Beach Mother Pleads Guilty In Minor Daughter’s Rape as Boyfriend Awaits Trial on Capital Charges
Allegations against Rhonda Wilkerson, 50, and boyfriend William Dillow, 28, tell an account of two young girls in the grips of harrowing brutality, torture, sadism, lies and threats over several months at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.
Palm Coast Close To Suspending Red-Light Camera Program as Legal Challenges Mount
By all appearances from the council’s discussion this morning, the council is ready to end its program as it is now configured, with a final decision to be taken on March 3.
Ending Political Endorsements, Tallahassee Democrat Surrenders to Focus Groups
Jac Wilder VerSteeg says he mourns the end of an era in which editors and publishers instinctively understood what readers wanted to read and ought to read, as opposed to what focus groups told them they should print.
Parents Ask Judge To Disqualify Union From Challenging School Voucher Program
Lawyers for the state and parents whose children use Florida’s de facto school-voucher program argued Monday that groups including the state’s largest teachers union don’t have the right to challenge the program in court.
Jeb Bush’s Behavior in the Terry Schiavo Case: Unworthy of a Governor — Or a President
Schiavo was brain-dead for 10 years. Her Catholic parents prevented her husband from removing a feeding tube, and Jeb Bush intervened, strong-arming the Florida Legislature to circumvent a court ruling.
With Generous County Subsidy, Christian School May Be Next Tenant of Old Courthouse
County government will vote Tuesday on a proposal by First Baptist Christian Academy of Palm Coast to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell for $5,700 a month, and with an interest-free, 30-year tax-funded loan of $360,000.
For Second Time in Five Days, R-Section Houses Are Targets of Several Bullet Shots
A house at 7 Rolland Lane and another at 6 Roxboro Drive were each sprayed with five bullets within five days of each other, and in each case a bullet struck a vehicle inside a garage. No arrests have been made.
Brian Williams and Baghdad Bob
When Brian Williams lied about being shot in a helicopter, it was part of a broader pattern of bogus stories the American media were too happy to broadcast about the war in Iraq as it sped to George W. Bush’s Mission Accomplished moment on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Lest We Get On Our High Horse: Obama’s Caution to Self-Righteous Christians
President Obama’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast cautioned Christians against shutting their eyes to their own brutal past, but was rebuked by Evangelicals and the conservative press, often with flurries of historical inaccuracies.
Last Tango For Nuclear:
Atomic Power’s Environmental Ringers
The nuclear power industry’s attempted revival is relying on a corps of environmental converts to the cause, including Obama climate czar Carol Browner and ex-EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman.
For Flagler Cop Sam Bell, Stopping
Bad Guys Didn’t End With Desk Duty
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Sam Bell was sidelined from regular duty after a drunk driver caused his knee injury, but twice in the past three weeks he helped lead to the arrest of two suspects.
In a First For Jacksonville Zoo, A Baby Gorilla Is Successfully Born
Almost a year after mourning the death of a newborn gorilla, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens this morning announced the first successful gorilla birth in its history. The newborn’s sex is currently unknown.
Gripes Aside, 6,000 Palm Coast and Flagler County Residents Enrolled in Obamacare as Deadline Approaches
Brisk enrollment in Flagler County and Palm Coast is nevertheless accompanied by individuals’ continued struggles, financial and ideological, over the Affordable Care Act even as Florida leads the nation in Obamacare enrollments, with 1.3 million people, and more expected ahead of the deadline.
24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortions and Repeal of Undocumented Immigrant Attorney Law Filed
In a sign that hard-core Republican legislators intend to press their case at the Florida Legislature, lawmakers this week filed bills that would impose a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, and that would repeal the law adopted last year that enabled Jose Godinez-Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, to become a practicing lawyer.