As the House of Representatives voted to open public lands and off-shore waters to drilling and experimenting with oil shale and tar sands, Kathy Castor, D-Fla., proposed a 5-mile protective buffer for the Everglades and the Great Lakes. The measure was rejected, 241-176, with 17 of Florida’s House Republicans voting to kill the proposal.
It’s Not About Religious Liberty. It’s About The Church’s Opposition to Contraception.
Religious liberty is window dressing for the bishops’ real objection, birth control. Republicans who used the bishops’ complaints for their own partisan purposes may continue to rail about Obama’s “war on religious liberty,” but it’s unlikely we will see them standing beside the bishops as they complain about contraception.
A Year On, Tibet’s Jigme Norbu’s Death In Flagler Is Remembered With Incense and Hope
Jigme Norbu, the nephew of the Dalai Lama, was killed in Flagler County on the first day of a 300-mile walk for peace. Two dozen people gathered at the crash site in the Hammock this afternoon to commemorate the one-year mark of Norbu’s death.
Pit-Bull Blood Money:
Why Breed-Specific Bans Don’t Work
Florida in 1990 made it illegal to discriminate against dogs because of their breed, but gave Miami-Dade an exemption. Bills are moving through the Legislature to remove this exemption, but Miami-Date is resisting. It’s about money.
Sahmi Green Charged With Animal Cruelty in Wake of Fatal Stabbing of Female Pit Bull
The arrest warrant states that Sahmi Green walked a friend’s female pit bull behind a house and stabbed it seven times. He initially claimed the dog had been in a fight.
Defying Legislature’s Rejection, Gov. Scott Says He’ll Look to Privatize Prisons Anyway
Scott’s jump into the controversy – after months of refusing to answer directly what his position was on the idea – drew immediate criticism from the opponents of privatization, including the union that currently represents most state corrections officers.
Flagler Tea Party Frets As Numbers Dwindle And Excitement Appears Elusive
Flagler tea party meetings once reliably drew 200 to 300 people. Thursday’s drew 86, and provoked soul-searching from members wondering how to revive the excitement in an election year they considers crucial.
Florida Corporations Get a Bigger Tax Break, Shoppers Get Another Sales Tax Holiday
Gov. Rick Scott called the corporate tax break “a huge victory” for Floridians that would help businesses create more jobs, though there is little evidence that such tax breaks spur job creation, and some evidence that the tax breaks are closer to corporate welfare.
European Village Beating of 60-Year-Old: Ken Peters Now Faces Attempted Murder Charge
Conviction for attempted murder can mean a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Kenneth Peters had gone to the victim’s house to obtain Oxycodone, the pain-relieving narcotic, when the encounter deteriorated. Both men involved have previous records.
Women’s Wrestling as Inspiration: “Miracle Worker” at FPC’s Black Box Theatre Tonight
The story of Hellen Keller and Annie Sullivan, with FPC junior Agata Sokolska and senior Leana Gardella in the title roles, is director Kelly Nelson’s valentine to inspiration. The play will be staged Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
In Field Trip Across Western Flagler, Jobs Council Learns of Unheralded Ag Power
Flagler County’s jobs council went on a field trip today—the latest in a series designed to educate its members about the county’s economy—through western Flagler, for a first-hand look at the second-largest economic engine locally: agriculture.
Sheriff’s Office Plays Up Minor Pot-Growing Bust at a Home in Palm Coast’s P Section
The house at 20 Princeton Lane in Palm Coast had 24 young marijuana plants. Florida is still among the states with the harshest anti-pot laws in the county, though some 20 states have either decriminalized pot possession or legalized its medical uses.
Scott’s Prison Privatization Scheme Dies
In a rebuke to Gov. Rick Scott, a bipartisan coalition of senators bucked the chamber’s Republican leadership Tuesday and rejected a proposal to privatize several prisons on a 19-21 vote.
Conflicted Incubator: A Divided Palm Coast Council May Relax Home-Based Bakeries
The issue, prompted by a couple looking to start a home bakery, illustrates two contradicting strains in Palm Coast’s idea of itself–the quiet residential town as opposed to the depressed and unemployed city looking for rejuvenation summed up in its economic-development slogan, “Prosperity 2021.”
Flagler 911: Alcohol and Gummy Bears at Indian Trails Middle, a Dog Stabbing, a Deer Shooting
A police chase on Belle Terre is suspended for safety’s sake–but the suspect is arrested anyway after he crashes his car, a female pit bull is fatally stabbed, a deer crashes into the Sub Base shop window, a middle school student brings tequila in a Tupperware to school.
Amelia Earhart, Gandhi, Einstein and Betsy Ross All Rise Again in Wadsworth’s History Day
Wadsworth Elementary’s “Who’s Who in History” day Tuesday drew on school staffers and community “celebrities” to perform dozens of historical figures, alive and dead, in a culmination of school-wide biography projects focused on the figures.
Burden To Prove Medical Malpractice Gets Heavier, But ER Doctors Get No Immunity
Florida lawmakers are making it more difficult for lawyers to prove medical malpractice in broad gains against lawsuits for health care providers, but a proposal to make ER doctors immune to lawsuits was dropped.
Pursuit of 33-Year-Old Woman on I-95 Ends In 9-Car Smash-Up on Palm Coast Parkway
A vehicle pursuit that started just south of St. Augustine ended as the woman driving a Dodge Charger smashed into cars that had all but stopped at the Cypress Point light on Palm Coast Parkway. Despite severe damage, there were few serious injuries.
Sheriff Fleming Suggests Pill-Mill Crackdown Is Shooting Up Heroin Trade as 3 Are Arrested
Heroin problems in Palm Coast: Three heroin arrests in 36 hours have Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming warning that the crackdown on pill mills may be provoking a rise in heroin use and trafficking.
School Prayer Bill Clears House Hurdle as Florida Legislature Appears Poised to Bow
Local school boards would be responsible for enabling prayer measures. Should it become law, the bill would make Florida an outlier state with regard to school-prayer permissiveness and almost certainly trigger court action.
Flagler County Jail Bookings, Feb. 10-17
Flagler County jail daily bookings for the week of Feb. 10-17, 2012, with cameos by Nabokov, Tom Wolfe and the photography of Ian Carroll.
Clapping Palm Coast’s Tony Capela, Santorum on Steroids, Dustin Hoffman on Sex: The Live Wire
The News-Journal finally makes good on its story on Tony Capela’s Russell Crowe impersonations in Palm Coast’s street department, Special Forces and Rick Santorum want to go rogue, culture wars return, and more.
Rick Santorum: Facts, Legends and Phobias
Rick Santorum’s win in Iowa and his three wins in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota have vaulted him from obscurity to presidential contender. So who is this darling of the evangelical movement?
“He Looks Like He Just Came Out of Auschwitz,” But DCF Blames the Child Anyway
Florida’s Department of Children and Families rewards workers who stage photo-ops and punishes workers more interested in “getting it right” than “getting it done.” Corners will continue to be cut and children will continue to pay the price, argues Florence Snyder.
The Pill, the President, the Policy: a Primer
The Obama administration is revising contraceptive-pill insurance regulations so that religious-affiliated groups don’t have to pay for the coverage. A primer on the controversy and the policy.
Flagler 911: Turning a Palm Coast House Into a Shooting Range; Hydrocodone Bust
Palm Coast and Flagler County blotter report: a man on Slowdrift Lane threatens to shoot a dog and fires his rifle at a wall much used to the treatment. He ends up in jail. A traffic stop turns into a Hydrocodone bust. And more.
The Late Bernie Axelrod Leaves Flagler Education Foundation $200,000 Endowment
Bernie Axelrod never finished high school, but rose through the ranks of union print shops in new York City, founded a travel agency, and was a pioneer in donating technology to schools. He joined the Flagler Education Foundation in the 1990s.
Florida Redistricting War Changes Front,
From Legislature to Courtroom, as Suits Fly
Within moments of the Senate approving the plan on a bipartisan, 32-5 margin, the Democratic Party announced that several voters working with the party had filed a lawsuit challenging the maps on the grounds that they violate the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts amendments approved by voters last fall.
Christgate: With an Eye to Political Gambitry, Kimberle Weeks Demands an Apology
County Commissioner Alan Peterson was speaking by phone to a supervisor of elections office staffer about his reelection petitions when he allegedly used god’s name in vain after he was told that 10 percent of the petitions were invalid, according to Kimberle Weeks, prompting the demand for an apology.
Ice Cream Truck 1, Jane Mealy 0: Mobile Vendor Restrictions Fail in Flagler Beach
A proposed ordinance to restrict mobile vendors and favored by Commissioner Mealy had no support and was tabled indefinitely as a popular rally on behalf of an ice cream truck owner Sandy Kinney proved successful.
Florida House Approves $69.2 Billion Budget Heavy on Cuts on 79-38, Party-Line Vote
The $69.2 billion budget plows an addition $1 billion to education, but slashes other services to plug a nearly $2 billion shortfall, such as lowering the age at which the state ends a subsidy for former foster children from 23 to 21.
New Power Lines Drawn as Flagler Beach Commission Bids Baker and Feind Farewell
With Joy McGrew seated as a commissioner and Linda Provencher as mayor, Jane Mealy was elected chairman for the second time in her tenure on the commission, beating back a challenge from Steve Settle, who was picked as vice-chairman.
Look Out, Pixar: Painter and Future Animator Kelly Kryspin, 18, Opens at Ocean Publishing
“Ocean Pop,” opening Friday at 6 p.m., featuring two dozen nature and pop culture paintings by Kelly Kryspin, is the young artist’s first solo show, and another one in a series of art shows at Ocean Publishing in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Loses John Mica; Costello and Miller Vie to Replace Him; Beaven Is Undecided
Republican John Mica is opting to battle against Sandy Adams in another congressional district, opening the way for what’s likely to be a contested race for Flagler’s new Congressional District 6.
Wrongful Death Case Against Jamesine Fischer: Insurer Settles for $1.25 Million
Jamesine Fischer, the 55-year-old wife of Flagler County School Board member John Fischer, was served with a wrongful death lawsuit on Jan. 27 after striking Francoise Pecqueur with her PT Cruiser in November, and not immediately reporting the accident. Pecqueur died two days later.
Flagler Schools Will Start Earlier, On Aug. 16, End June 8, As District Sets 2012-13 Calendar
Thanksgiving will still be a full week off, but Christmas break will entail two broken weeks at either ends, so students can come back on Jan. 2 and have more time to prepare for the new FCAT: end-of-course exams. Printable calendar included.
Indian Trails Video Wins $70,000 in National Contest–But Needs Your Vote To Win More
Indian Trails Middle School was one of 25 schools selected out of 1,500 in the first round of a national technology contest, and made the cut to the final 12. Now it has a chance at $100,000 in prizes, but you must vote to help make it happen.
K-12 Education Would Get a $1.2 Billion Boost, Higher Ed Would Be Slashed By $400 Million
The proposed increase–and higher ed decrease–comes as Gov. Scott has vowed to veto any budget that does not significantly increase education spending, even though lawmakers are trying to close a nearly $2 billion shortfall without raising taxes.
Public Censure and $5,000 Fine Sought Against Ex-Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman
A round-up of 32 cases brought before the Florida Commission on Ethics, including a $5,000 penalty against Frank Peterman, former secretary of the Florida Department of Justice, and probable cause findings against former Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman.
In Quiet Coda to Controversy, School Board Unanimously Approves Uniform Policy Details
The new uniform policy makes broad allowances for color, types of clothing and shoes, but makes the wearing of IDs compulsory in all middle and high schools. The policy goes in effect next fall.
Big Opportunities, and Potential Losses, for Flagler Power in State and Federal Redistricting
Between redistricting and term limits, Flagler County for the first time in years could have its biggest chances at direct representation in Tallahassee and Washington–depending on who runs. Some big names are counting themselves out.
Bill Requiring Property Tax Revenue to Pay For Charter School Construction Advances
Supporters say the measure creates more parity between charter schools and other public schools. Opponents slammed the measure as corporate welfare that would provide tax dollars to the private operators of charter schools — despite the fact that supporters of charter legislation said years ago that they would not ask for capital outlay dollars.
Palm Coast Council Rejects Latest Cypress Knoll Development Proposal
The proposal, rejected 4-2 by the Planning Board, is part of a settlement of a long-running dispute between developer ICI and Palm Coast, would have allowed up to 60 homes west of East Hampton and south of Eric Drive.
Flagler County Jail Daily Bookings: Feb. 3-10
Flagler County jail daily bookings for the week of Feb. 3-10, 2012. With links to inmate search functions, visitation rules and correspondence requirements.
Sheriff Embroiled in Questionable Calls, Complicating Case of Walker’s Death; Suit Filed
As the investigation continues in the death of Francoise Pequeur, 76, after she was struck by the card driven by School Board member John Fischer’s wife, Sheriff Don Fleming is finding himself in a thorny situation after exchanging six calls with John Fischer.
Warning of Brain Drain, Flagler Government Signals a Return of Employee Raises in 2012
County employees, including firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, haven’t had a raise in three years, and have seen their take-home pay severely erode through inflation, health care and retirement costs. County officials are now worried about losing employees to better-paid jobs.
Flagler 911: Child Abuse, Aggravated Assault, and a Target Shoplifting Spree
A man is jailed for allegedly beating up his wife and bruising his 10-year-old daughter, a pair of alleged shoplifters from Port Orange are caught in the act at the Palm Coast Target, and innumerable lesser incidents.
In a Break, College Presidents Draw a Line Against Universities Over Tuition Increases
Breaking with their counterparts at the state’s universities, presidents at a handful of Florida colleges urged lawmakers to be cautious about any moves that could push tuition upward again.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Leader Umbarger Wins Florida Book Award for 1st Novel
Caren Umbarger, the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s artistic director, won a bronze medal for “Coming To,” her first novel, about a woman struggling for liberation from an imperious husband in Depression-era Iowa.
A Video Message to the Komen Foundation: What Breast Cancer Is, and Isn’t
As good an answer to the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s misguided two-step as you’ll see: a woman’s testimony about what breast cancer has done to her, all politics aside.