Florida House members grilled a Department of Education official Tuesday over reports of rampant fraud and lax oversight of private schools that receive state funds through a voucher program for students with disabilities.
Man With Prior Record, Believed to Be Target of Monday’s Burglary, Is Arrested
Brooklyn-born Brian J. Epshteyn, 25, was jailed three times since January, and a fourth on Tuesday as detectives believe his drugs were the target of three men’s assault on a Brunswick Lane home Monday.
All-Business Snub: Flagler County Can’t Fill Its Own Economic Development Council Seats
Only four people have applied for the county commission’s eight-member economic development council, an embarrassing result for the government that dissolved Enterprise Flagler, claiming it could do the job better.
“My Boyfriend Shot Him”: Sheriff’s Office Releases 911 Call on Brunswick Lane Invasion
The Flagler Sheriff’s Office released an edited version of the 911 call from the Brunswick Lane home three men invaded Monday, resulting in the shooting of one of them and the arrest of all three after a manhunt.
School Construction Money Slashed By $267 Million; Charters and Universities Affected
Traditional public schools in Flagler County no longer receive Public Education Capital Outlay dollars, which now go to charter schools, including Imagine School at Town Center. Imagine is again applying for PECO dollars.
Animal Refuge Regulations: Advocates Call Them Overbearing; Flagler Holds Off, For Now
Conceding that it overreacted, the Flagler County Commission tabled a proposal that would have imposed stringent rules on animal shelters and sanctuaries, pending more inclusive public meetings with animal advocates.
Smoldering Fire in Flagler Jail’s Laundry Room Causes Heavy Smoke, No Evacuations
Firefighters were called to the Flagler County jail at 5:45 this afternoon in response to a fire reported in the facility’s laundry room. No evacuations reported, though heavy smoke was.
Report Shows How Far Florida and Other States Are Scuttling Voting Rights and Turnout
Reductions in early voting days, ending voting-day address changes for registered voters, clamping down on registration drives and other new rules could make it harder for 5 million people to vote in 2012, which may be just what GOP-led legislatures passing those laws aimed for.
A Suspect Is Shot and 3 Held After Drug-Related Home Invasion on Brunswick La.
Three suspects invaded a home on Brunswick Lane in Palm Coast Monday morning in a drug-related incident. One suspect was shot in the head by a resident in the home, and flown to Halifax, two others caught later.
Fun Coast Down Syndrome Association Buddy Walk Saturday: Going for Goal
The Fun Coast Down Syndrome Association raised $17,748 so far this year, ahead of its annual Buddy Walk next Saturday, Oct. 8, in Palm Coast’s Town Center. Help the association meet its $20,000 goal by donating or joining Saturday’s one-mile walk.
False Sunshine, Rick Perry’s Niggerhead Problem, Groucho’s 121st: The Live Wire
Rick Perry’s self-destruction speeds up, Kenneth Starr wants the US Supreme Court on TV, Jacques Derrida deconstructs American journalists and universities, proof that Mondays suck, and more
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Arts Galore, Taser Time and Creekside
The Flagler school board is set to approve Tasers on campus, the county commission talks sustainable farming, Palm Coast revisits the Palm Coast Park DRI (a major planned development) and three galleries have show openings Friday and Saturday.
Trying Tests: Baby Dies, SWAT Team Caught in Exploding Meth Lab–10 Times in a Row
Not to worry: the mayhem was all part of Flagler County Fire Rescue’s second annual paramedic competition, featuring 10 Florida teams and 10 scenarios over two days designed to test EMS skills in extreme situations.
Of Course It’s Class Warfare. And the Rich Are Winning in a Rout.
Republicans are accusing President Obama of waging class warfare, which, Donald Kaul argues, is a little like the Japanese complaining about the time Pearl Harbor attacked them in 1941.
Bad Boy Wrestling Club: An Ancient Sport Underhooks Flagler’s Youngest
A video report on the fledgling Flagler Bad Boy Wrestling Club, now in its second year, with a presence in all the county’s elementary schools.
Florida’s Plan to Privatize 29 Prisons Halted As Judge Rules Process Unconstitutional
Leon County Curcuit Judge Jackie Fulford ruled that lawmakers violated the Florida Constitution by approving prison privatization in the fine print of the state budget rather than by changing the law explicitly.
At European Village Jewelry Store, Two Unspeakable Words, One Charge, Then Jail
Dan and Edith Ferrena have run Palm Coast Gold Buyers at European Village for more than two years. At noon Friday, their world unraveled in a brief confrontation with a man who threw a supreme insult at Edith and accused Dan of pointing a gun at him.
James Harding of Palm Coast Airlifted to Halifax After His Truck Overturns at SR100 and CR302
James Gary Harding was traveling east toward Bunnell on County Road 302 when he lost control of his Chevy Silverado at 302’s curving intersection with State Road 100.
Laughs in a Trance at Flagler Playhouse’s “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Funny, endearing and biting to the core: A misfit-filled middle school spelling bee is the unlikely setting of the Flagler Playhouse’s 33rd season opener with the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Bunnell Man Charged With Rape and Kidnapping as Child Pleads for Mom’s Safety
Louis Donald Jackson is accused of raping a woman at his Bunnell house while the woman’s son allegedly pleaded with him not to hurt his mother and heard the ordeal unfold from the other side of a locked door.
Guns, Teen Abortions, Sexting and Bestial Misdemeanors: 29 New Florida Laws Kick In
A slew of new laws go in effect Saturday, including the NRA-inspired restriction on local governments’ gun regulations, making it a crime to have sex with animals, reducing credit card fraud and reducing teens’ abortion rights.
Superintendent Will Recommend Tasers In Schools; Majority of Board Signals Agreement
Three school board members favor allowing school deputies to carry Tasers, some of them with reservations, as the board prepares for a decision as early as next Tuesday. The initiative is part of the fallout from a student’s fight with a deputy at Matanzas High School.
Memorial and Memories of Alex Taylor, “Gentle Servant” Killed in Tuesday Hit and Run
Alex Taylor, 54, was a regular visitor, helper and worshiper at Bunnell’s First United Methodist Church, where Rev. Beth Gardner and Gwen Barath came to know him–and remember him. Gardner will lead a memorial for Taylor Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m.
Florida Aiming for Jan. 31 Presidential Primary, Setting Up State vs. National GOP Clash
State Republicans seemed headed for a showdown with the national party over the date for Florida’s GOP presidential preference primary, which breaks the Republican National Committee’s calendar rules by more than a month.
Two Crashes a Day on Flagler Roads: DMV’s Annual Report Adds Up Grim Miles
In Flagler, there were 716 crashes in 2010, about two crashes a day, 11 percent of them involving alcohol. There were a total of 23 fatalities on Flagler roads, up from 16 in 2009 and 2007. A complete report of local and state crashes.
Bug Worlds, Juilliard Secrets, Great Arrangers and Even Mica: Culture Worth the Miles
A bug invasion at the Orlando Science Center, the Juilliard School comes to Edgewater to tell you how to apply, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Great Arrangers (Copland, Stravinsky, Holst), Family Fitness in Winter Park Village, and more.
Florida’s Bondi, 25 States and Obama Ask U.S. Supreme Court To Take Up Health Law
Florida Attorney general Pam Bondi led 26 states’ call to the US Supreme Court to take on Obama’s health care law. So did the Obama administration, as the court prepares to convene for its new term on Monday.
Claude Kirk, Florida’s First 20th Century Republican Governor, Is Dead at 85
Gov. Claude Kirk–flamboyant, outspoken, quirky–gave rise to Florida’s Republican ascendance and ushered in an era of environmental stewardship and conservation as governor between 1966 and 1970.
SR100 Hit-and-Run Fatality: Investigators Focusing on Three Flagler School Buses
Three Flagler school district buses, with protruding mirrors, passed by the scene of the hit-and-run within 15 minutes of the time when Alex Taylor is believed to have been killed Tuesday morning while riding his bike.
Rickey Clint Green Struck and Killed on I-95 By Semi; 3rd Flagler Road Fatality in 3 Days
An Ontario-based 18-wheel truck struck Rickey Green, who was on foot, on I-95 southbound, at mile marker 280, at 3 p.m. today, killing Green, who was reportedly standing in the roadway when he was struck.
Florida Hospital Flagler Breaks Ground on $15 Million Satellite Near Palm Coast Parkway
The 34,000 square foot medical plaza in Cobblestone Village near Walmart will give Florida Hospital Flagler an imprint on the northern side of town and add between 15 and 25 jobs by next summer.
Much Slimmer Water Management District Approves Lower Tax Rate Imposed From Above
The St. Johns River Water Management District’s 26 percent tax reduction resulted in lay-offs of 95 people and the elimination of more jobs through buyouts and vacancies, affecting various parts of the district’s mission.
Palm Coast Civic Association to the Rescue: O’Donnell Crafts Creekside Compromise
The compromise gives the chamber of commerce a face-saving bail-out and allows all political candidates for Palm Coast City Council to meet Creekside visitors under the Flagler Palm Coast Civic Association’s tent.
Town Simmer: City Retreats From Four-Laning Bulldog Drive or Condemning Ajram Property
Lack of money and traffic and the threat of a lawsuit forced Palm Coast to keep Bulldog Drive a two-lane road for now, beautifying it, but also dropping its long-running condemnation threat against property owner Gus Ajram.
Hard Questions–and a Few, Targeted Softballs–at NAACP’s Candidate Forum
The four remaining candidates for the Palm Coast City Council faced off before more than 120 people at the NAACP’s forum at the African American Cultural Society Tuesday evening.
NAACP Candidates’ Forum for the Palm Coast City Election
A live video broadcast of the Palm Coast City Council candidates’ forum hosted by the NAACP at the African-American Cultural Society in Palm Coast.
Hidden Pay Cut: Health Premiums Soar Again, Hitting Families Hardest, as Earnings Stagnate
Health insurance premium costs rose 9 percent for families in 2011, reversing four years of slower premium increases and again raising questions about long-term health costs.
54-Year-Old Cyclist Alex Taylor Killed in Apparent Hit and Run; FHP Looking for Leads
Alex Taylor of Bunnell, 54, was killed while riding his bicycle in front of the Government Services Building either very late last night or before sunup this morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Check the Box Scoundrels: Corporations Lobby to Preserve a $10 Billion Loophole
The ‘check-the-box’ rule, meant to cut red tape for companies, has inadvertently allowed them to avoid billions of dollars in taxes each year, and the government keeps balking at closing the loophole.
David Lloyd Rockey, 67, Killed in Morning Motorcycle Crash on US1
David Lloyd Rockey, a 67-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was killed this morning in a crash with a car driven by Julia Tucker just after 8 as Rockey rode his Honda motorcycle north on U.S. 1, just past the Volusia-Flagler County Line.
Herman Cain? Seriously? He Wins Florida Straw Poll, Upending GOP Race
Herman Cain, a pizza magnate seen as a minor candidate in a crowded field for the GOP nomination, scored an upset victory Saturday in the Republican Party of Florida’s Presidency 5 straw poll, raising questions about the standing of the two front-runners and the bellwether status of the fundraising event.
Republican Candidates’ Women Problems
Although none of the GOP presidential candidates dares utter the W word — unless it’s part of the phrase “our men and women in uniform” — it’s pretty easy to see what their views are on issues concerning the sex that comprises a majority of voters, argues Martha Burk.
Between “Laramie” and “Spelling Bee,” All Flagler’s a Stage
John Sbordone’s production of “The Laramie Project” and the Flagler Playhouse’s “Spelling Bee” musical are enough to briefly spoil serious and less than theater lovers this weekend. Take advantage.
Disbelief and Legal Maneuvers Meet Chamber’s Refusal to Budge on Creekside Exclusion
The Flagler Chamber of Commerce stuck by its decision to deny non-partisan political candidates their own booths at the Creekside Festival, on public ground. County officials are looking for options as they take the brunt of the criticism for appearing to endorse the chamber’s exclusion.
Job-Killing Regulations: Busting the Myths
Job-killing regulations: Partisan myths and exaggerations aside, regulations may kill some jobs while creating others, netting a wash–and a vaster profit in protecting waterways, food, air and general safety.
Soviet Propaganda as Art, Pedro Brull, Opera Madness: Culture Worth the Miles
The Neu America Fine Art Festival in Casselberry celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month (that’s how you spell it), Soviet propaganda posters graduate to art, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Verdi and Puccini-gasm, Epcot Food and Wine, and more.
Citing “Deliberate Indifference,” Woman Sues Bunnell Over Ex-Cop’s Sex-Laced Defamation
The case centers on the actions of then Cpl. Nick Massaro in late November 2009, who posted an ad on Craigslist soliciting sex from black men–and signed the ad with the name of the woman now suing him, Bunnell and the Bunnell Police Department.
Flagler’s Taxes 15th Lowest Even as Taxable Values See 2nd Worst Drop in Florida
The county commission adopts the 2012 budget for good Thursday evening, essentially cutting taxes modestly even as the tax rate will rise to a 12-year high, despite home values continuing to fall at nation-leading rates.
“The Laramie Project” at Palm Coast’s New Repertory Theatre: This Is Who We Are
Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre launches its inaugural season with “The Laramie Project,” a drama based on the torture and murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998, for being gay, and what the murder did to Laramie–and the nation.
Don’t Mess With Florida: Lawmakers Leery Of Texas-Like Assembly-Line Higher Ed
Florida Senators are willing to listen to Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to adopt the Texas model of higher education, but they don’t like students treated as customers on a university assembly line.