The Flagler County School Board’s bereavement leave for same-sex couples formally acknowledges such unions, but only for support personnel, while teachers and employees of other government agencies still have no such rights.
For 1 Million Floridians, Health Insurance Again in the Balance as Supreme Court Rethinks Subsidies
Enrollment and subsidies, along with provisions such as the prohibition on excluding people with pre-existing conditions, are now at risk, because once again, the Supreme Court will decide whether the Affordable Care Act lives or dies.
Parents in Mourning Will Install Angel of Hope Statue at Craig Flagler Palms
An Angel of Hope inspired by the famed book by Richard Paul Evans and dedicated to families and friends grieving the loss of a child will go up on land donated by Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home, Memorial Gardens and Crematory. The funeral home also donated a base for the statue.
P-Section Confrontation: She Drives Her Car Into Him. He Shoots the Car. Both Arrested.
Kurt Benjamin, 27, of 31 Poinsettia Lane, and Twila Woods, 30, of nearby Point Pleasant Lane, were both jailed on aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges Sunday morning.
Jeb Bush Could Win in 2016, But He’ll Have To Rely on The United States of Amnesia
Jeb Bush left too much fodder for his detractors, argues Stephen Goldstein, to be a viable candidate for very long in 2016–assuming voters can remember the damaging milestones of his governorship.
Feed Flagler, in Its 6th Year, Launches Food Drive and Free Thanksgiving Meals Plan
Feed Flagler, the community-wide effort to provide meals for the needy (or anyone who requests one) at Thanksgiving, is off to its 6th year, with renewed emphasis on food collection for families.
Backroom Briefing: The Best and Worst of Election 2014
The 2014 campaign had no shortage of drama, gaffes, mistakes and other attention-grabbing moments. It ended Tuesday with confetti for some and losses for others, but here are some of the highlights and lowlights for the always interesting annals of Florida elections.
Elections 2014 R.I.P.
Why Democrats Keep Failing in Florida
For all its fear-based tactics, the Florida GOP focuses on understanding their base voters, and making them feel respected and protected. Democrats in comparison have no clue.
Cruel and Unusual: 2 Inmates Who Murdered as Juveniles Challenge Their Life Sentences
Two inmates serving life in prison for murders committed as juveniles are challenging their sentences based on a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that bans mandatory life sentences for juveniles.
Sheriff Manfre Faces Federal Lawsuit Over Unpaid Wages, Jeopardizing Raise for Troops
Four ex-deputies have sued Sheriff Jim Manfre in federal court over briefings they were forced to attend without being paid, causing the Sheriff to shelve a 1 percent raise previously due the agency’s employees.
A Play Palm Coast Can Identify With: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” at CRT
Nurse Ratched and Mac Murphy duel in an asylum in a war of wills between an authoritarian hag and a master of insubordination, for a good cause: it’s City Repertory Theatre’s interpretation of the Ken Kesey classic.
UF and FSU Get New Presidents, Flagler Loses Sen. Thrasher, Special Election Next
The Board of Governors unanimously ratified Thrasher’s and Kent Fuchs’s appointments. Thrasher’s resignation is expected to set off a feeding frenzy in a special election for what may turn into a Senate seat and two House seats.
U.S. Unemployment Drops to 5.8% as Economy Adds 214,000 Jobs, Maintaining Average
The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent in October, a level last seen in July 2008, when the rate was rapidly rising, and the economy added 214,000 jobs, continuing a steady if somewhat slow recovery.
Flagler Beach Settles With Ex-Flagler Beach Firefighters, Retracting Firing and Paying $80,000 to Each
Ex-Flagler Beach firefighters Jake Bissonnette and Shane Wood wrote resignation letters to replace their firing orders, but they will not be returning to work for the fire department.
Gail Wadsworth Will Not Seek to Resume Family Dynasty in Florida Legislature–For Now
Despite getting ready to retire in two years and having three Wadsworths behind her who served in Tallahassee, Gail Wadsworth said the timing is not right for her to run in the special election soon to be announced for either a House or Senate seat representing Flagler.
“Personhood” Amendment Crushed Even in the Reddest State, Dealing Blow to Abortion Foes
Two proposed constitutional amendments that would have declared life starting at conception were overwhelmingly defeated in North Dakota and Colorado, with two-thirds of voters opposed.
From Washington to Palm Coast City Council, Elections Herald Less Change Than Advertised
Tuesday’s election looked more revolutionary than it was, as political dynamics changed very little, even at the Palm Coast City Council, where two seats turned over, and even more so at the school board and the county commission, where change may be imperceptible.
As GOP Surges Over the Nation, Party Grabs Supermajority in Florida House
The party retained two Republican-held seats where it faced serious challenges, while flipping six Democrat-held seats that were heavily contested in the Interstate 4 corridor.
Street Fight Escalates in South Bunnell, Drawing 15 Sheriff’s Units and City Police
A fight that began between students at a bus stop then drew in parents and escalated to include some 20 people and more than 100 “spectators” drew a large police response in South Bunnell late Tuesday afternoon into evening, and led to three injuries, though none were serious, police said.
Commission Incumbents Meeker and McLaughlin Win, McDonald Beats Fischer for School Board, Shipley and Nobile Win Palm Coast; Scott Wins, Pot Busts
With 21,000 votes in–early vote tallies and absentee ballots–County Commission incumbents Frank Meeker and Nate McLaughlin have taken commanding leads against challengers Howard Holley and Denise Calderwood, with Meeker polling 58 percent and McLaughlin close to 60 percent.
“I’m On Your Side,” Charlie Crist Says on Final Push With Bill Clinton in Tow
Crist offered his final pitch as an advocate for middle-class Floridians to blacks, Hispanics, seniors and union workers before heading to Orlando for a final pre-election event headlined by former President Bill Clinton.
Even as Election Culminates, Supervisor Weeks Finds a New Target: Commission Chairman George Hanns
In her latest attempts to recast the Flagler Canvassing Board, Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks tried to have County Commission Chairman Gorge Hanns removed and raised issues with the appointment of alternate and Commissioner Barbara Revels.
Motorcyclist Richard K. Taylor of Palm Coast Killed in Head-On Collision With Pick-Up Truck on SR11
Palm Coast’s Richard K. Taylor was killed this morning on State Road 11 when DeLand driver E. Gonzalez attempted to pass a car in his pick-up truck and ran head-on into Taylor’s motorcycle.
In Final Swing Along I-4 Corridor, Rick Scott Promises to “Kick Charlie’s Rear”
Two other Republican governors, Rick Perry of Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, both prospective presidential contenders in 2016, joined Scott in what has become one of the most expensive, nastiest and closest governor’s races in the country.
Flagler GOP Chief Dave Sullivan Plans to Run for Hutson’s House Seat in Special Election
Dave Sullivan, chairman of the Flagler County Republican Executive Committee, said he will make a run for the seat to ensure that it has a chance to be filled by someone from Flagler.
Escaped Convict Ronald McCoy Caught by West Palm Beach Police
Ronald McCoy, an inmate with a very violent past who was serving two life terms on armed robbery convictions at a prison in Miami-Dade County, remains at large after his escape on Oct. 31.
Old Kings’ “Leader In Me” Program: Corporate Indoctrination Posing as Character Education
Old Kings Elementary implemented FranklinCovey’s “Leader in Me” program with little oversight or proof of its effectiveness, through a $68,000 grant. Carmen Sanford, an Old Kings parent, sees too many similarities with Iron Curtain-era indoctrination.
Two Deputies Save a Deer That May Have Been Hanging From a Fence for Hours
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Agricultural and Ranch Deputy Steve Williams and Sergeant Mike Lutz saved a deer hanging by its hind leg on a 6-foot fence at 26 Winchester Road.
Flagler Gives Initial Approval to Vacation Rental Regulations and Pledges Revisions
Some Hammock property owners applauded the Flagler County Commission’s proposed rules for short-term rental properties, others excoriated them for being too draconian. The commission will consider a revised proposal in late November or December.
Crist Clings To Statistically Insignificant Lead Over Scott in Last Poll Before Election Day
With early voting done and among those who have already voted, however, Charlie Crist has taken a more commanding lead of 44 percent to Scott’s 40 percent.
500,000!
FlaglerLive Crosses Half-Million
Reader Mark in October
FlaglerLive ended October with close to 550,000 readers for the month, a new record and further indication that as print struggles to maintain its mass-market appeal, the media landscape is changing too rapidly to accommodate old models.
As Florida Bans Use of Biometric IDs in Schools, Other States Scale Back on Big Brother
Laws cracking down on student-tracking technology reflect a growing sense of unease among parents over how biometrics are being used, what student data is being collected and stored and what security protects the information.
Crist and Scott Aren’t Both Awful: Scott Wins That Contest By a Mile
Tired of what he calls false moral equivalencies, Adam Weinstein argues that pundits and cynics are wrong to flaunt the conventional wisdom about this governor’s race, and that Scott has been flat-out god-awful for Florida.
Does Life Begin at Conception? Nation Eyes Referendum That May Set Precedent
The battle over North Dakota’s Measure 1 highlights the biggest trend in national abortion politics this November: wide-ranging pro-life ballot initiatives that would alter state constitutions in ways whose long-term repercussions are difficult to predict.
Daytona Speedway Seeking $3 Million A Year in Tax Gifts, Jaguars Close Behind
The Jacksonville Jaguars are following closely behind the Daytona Speedway in requests of up to $90 million in sales tax dollars over 30 years, tax revenue that would be subtracted from public needs.
Daytona State College’s Harold Trey Orndorff, Poli-Sci Ace, Named Among Best Profs
Trey Orndorff, 31, earned runner-up status as Professor of the Year during the Association of Florida Colleges’ (AFC) 65th Annual Convention held this week in Destin, Fla. The organization represents Florida’s 28 state and community colleges.
12 Years in a Row: FPC Marching Band Bulldogs and Starlets Straight Superior Again
John Seth’s marching band at Flagler Palm Coast High School earned the highest rating possible in all categories by earning Straight Superior ratings for the 12th year in a row. Video included.
Vaulting from Hollingsworth to Salvo Art: JJ Graham Opens Gallery of Revelations in Bunnell
With the opening of the Salvo Art Project gallery Saturday evening on the grounds of Nature Scapes in Bunnell–the reincarnation of Hollingsworth Gallery in Palm Coast–JJ Graham is creating an artists’ colony devoted to expressionist art in a space at once immense and intimate.
“Would You Like To Die Today?” Woman Tells Friend as She Crashes Jaguar on I-95 Near Palm Coast Parkway
Lorita Glica, 50, of Palm Coast, was jailed on aggravated assault and other charges after allegedly intentionally driving her Jaguar into the trees on I-95 moments after she told a friend traveling wit her, and with whom she was having an argument: “Would you like to die today?”
FHP Warns of Extra Halloween Patrols and Cautions Trick and Treaters on Safety
This weekend, the Florida Highway Patrol will join thousands of law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation in enforcing Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
Sheriff’s Office, In Echo of 2001 Violation, Keeps Secret the Hospitalization of Murder Suspect at FHF
For two days, a murder suspect was under arrest in Flagler County but not at the jail. The Sheriff’s Office would not disclose his whereabouts–a dungeon-like disappearance that no law allows or protects.
Cyclist Seriously Hurt on Belle Terre, Then 3 Cars Crash in Opposite Direction at Ponce de Leon
Belle Terre Parkway from Rymfire Drive north was shut down after 5:45 this morning after a car struck a cyclist about 75 yards north of the intersection with Ponce de Leon Drive. An unrelated three-car wreck then took place across the road.
Supreme Court Removes Leon County Judge For Running Religious Business Out of Her Chambers
Leon County Judge Judith Hawkins was running a business called Gaza Road Ministries, used a judicial assistant and sold her own books to attorneys who appeared before her.
Miscounts Stretch Marathon Canvassing Board Meeting to 16 Hours, Ending After Midnight
Aside from Supervisor Kimberle Weeks hiring a stenographer without the Canvassing Board’s authorization, the meeting Thursday was dominated by attempts to reconcile a four-ballot difference.
“Epic Moment in Palm Coast’s History” as New City Hall Breaks Ground at Town Center
Mayor Jon Netts celebrated the occasion in words that richly threaded Palm Coast’s nomadic years to Wednesday’s moment, turning symbolism into masonry as he spoke of the building representing unity, diversity and energy.
Charlie Crist Takes 3-Point Lead in Latest Quinnipiac Poll, With Boost from Independents
The numbers suggest that independents, who decide most close elections in Florida, are migrating to Crist and may have been alienated by Scott’s negative ad blitz.
I Had a Stroke at 29
Two weeks after her then-fiancé proposed to her, Kari Cobham had a stroke. The former News-Journal reporter and current executive producer of social media for Orlando’s WFTV writes of her experience for the first time, on World Stroke Day.
Crist Reaches Out to Democratic Base in Home Stretch, With a Stop in Daytona Beach
From now until Tuesday, Crist will shake hands and pose for pictures with black supporters in places such as Sarasota and Daytona Beach and focus on the Democratic stronghold of South Florida, all designed to infuse base voters with enough enthusiasm to get them to the polls.
Flagler Detention Deputy of the Year Twice Reprimanded for Sexual Improprieties With Inmates in Last 2 Years
Deputy Randy Stephen Vickers was disciplined in May for having a relationship with a repeat offender and inmate and two years ago for asking an inmate, jokingly, if she’d like to be sexually assaulted.
From Heroes to Suspects and Back Again: All Charges Dropped For European Village Saviors
The three young Palm Coast residents who stopped an Uzi-yielding assailant at European Village in March spent the next six months fighting bogus charges that they’d provoked a fight at Finn’s bar in Flagler Beach. All charges have been dropped.