The Flagler school district just broadened its advertising policy to allow ads in school buildings, websites and uniforms. State lawmakers are moving toward lifting the ban on ads on schoolbuses to make up for revenue the state is cutting.
88-Year-Old Palm Coast Woman Scammed by Dominican Republic Phone Fraud
A scammer in the Dominican Republic claimed the Palm Coast resident’s grandson was in jail and needed $2,500 to be released. The grandson was, in fact, still in the military. The woman lost her money.
Murder-Suicide Update: Shooting Took Place Saturday, According to Autopsy Results
David Sharp shot his wife Terry Sharp twice—once in the chest, once in the head–according to the sheriff’s office, then shot himself once in the head.
How Grim Are State School Spending Cuts? Try 7 to 10% Per Student, Layoffs to Follow
Florida House and Senate proposals would cut from $447 to $473 per student, or close to 7 percent, a little less than Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to slash per-student spending by $680 in addition to recent reductions.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 22
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 22: Sherburn; Attending the Circus; Intoxication in the Ring; The Thrilling Tragedy; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Rick Scott Orders State Employees Randomly Drug-Tested Often, Like Welfare Recipients
Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order requiring drug testing, and compared the testing of employees to the drug-testing of welfare recipients, a proposals lawmakers also approved unanimously in a Senate committee Tuesday.
Their Battle Already Won, Flagler Beach Dog Owners Still Mobilizing to Ward Off Ban
Flagler Beach resident Vicky Mulvaney kicked off a firestorm of opposition to her proposal to ban dogs altogether from the city’s beaches. The city commission, unlikely to go along, hears from Mulvaney and her opponents Thursday.
Get Some: Sex Ed Survey Now Open to Flagler Parents; Student Survey March 23 and 24
Parents with children in school and residents without children are invited to take the Flagler school district’s sex education survey to guide school board policy. Middle and high school students take the survey March 23 and 24.
Two Burglar-Squatters Arrested Near Rymfire Drive, an ‘Accidental’ Shooting in West Flagler
Lisa Touhey and Jennie McAfee had shacked up in the house on Ryan Drive after leaving jail a few days earlier. In an unrelated incident, 20-year-old Walton Kinney was shot in the stomach while wrestling a gun away from another man.
Gleeful Power Chords, an Illustrious Wasteland and Gordon Lightfoot: Culture Worth the Miles
Gordon Lightfoot at the Plaza Theater, ‘My Illustrious Wasteland,’ the rock musical, returns to Orlando, the Glee-like Power Chords at the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando Philharmonic’ shows off its brass, and more.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 23
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 23: Sold; Royal Comparisons; Jim Gets Home-sick; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Trailer Trap: Flagler Beach Commission Still Circling Around Changes to RV Ordinance
Changes to the ordinance would make it difficult for some to park their RVs by their home. The city commission decided to further analyze the matter until May, when it may produce yet another version of the ordinance.
Bunnell Rededicates, and Renames, a Park to Honor Long-Time Mayor Joann B. King
FEMA and other grant dollars paid for the refreshed park, washed out in the rains of 2009. Joann B. King now joins her husband Herschel in having a park named after her.
3-Truck Wreck Briefly Closes Southbound I-95 Just North of Palm Coast Parkway
One semi was carrying a full load of lumber planks. Another was carrying huge steel beams. The crane truck was clipped from behind during the chain wreck. One driver was injured.
Abigail Lemay, NOW and ACLU Activist at Stetson, Wins National Undergraduate Social Action Award
Lemay re-founded Stetson’s chapter of the National Organization for Women and the university’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter, and produced Even Ensler’s “Vagina Monologues” in 2010 and 2011 .
Hijacking Home Rule: Stiff Fines if Local Gun Regulations Exceed the State’s
The Senate proposal adds financial penalties of between $5,000 and $100,000 on cities and counties with stricter gun regulations than the state, and removes a longstanding shield protecting elected and appointed officials from civil lawsuits relating to their job function.
Mystery Scarring Unsolved, Malacompra Trail Policing Is Turned Over to Biking Group
The Malacompra mountain bike trail, for years a somewhat anarchic free-for-all recently torn up by bikers, will now, in an unusual arrangement, be policed by a mountain biking group and supervised by county authorities in cooperation with Hammock conservationists.
Autopsies To be Conducted Tuesday In Murder-Suicide; No Note Left Behind
The time of death has yet to be determined, and the case remains officially open, though all indications point to a murder-suicide. A .12-gauge shotgun was recovered in the Sharp home.
No Money, No Director: Flagler Youth Coalition Struggles for Survival and Identity
Created to fight youth drug abuse, the Focus on Flagler Youth Coalition is out of money, has had no executive director since last year, and its non-profit status may be in jeopardy. Coalition board members are exploring survival options.
Florida Slush Funds, Radioactive Coulter, Corrupt Editors, Bullies and Body-Slammers: The Live Wire
The Australian anti-bully body-slammer talks, Ben Stiller on manchild syndrome, Ann Coulter thinks radiation is good for you, acts and pictures worse than Abu Ghraib, Willem de Kooning and more.
Latest Irish Migration: St. Patrick’s Day in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach held its first St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday, after Palm Coast’s Irish Social Club could no longer hold its parade down Old Kings Road. A few pictures from the event.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 21
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 21: Sword Exercise; Hamlet’s Soliloquy; They Loafed Around Town; A Lazy Town; Old Boggs; Dead; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Murder-Suicide Shakes Community on Barkwood Lane in Northern Palm Coast
A middle-aged couple was found dead in their home on Barkwood Lane, off of Belle Terre Parkway, late Sunday afternoon. A shotgun was found at the scene next to the man.
Florida’s Deficit Grows by $135 Million, To $3.75 Billion, As Growth Remains Anemic
State revenue forecasters essentially tacked about $135 million dollars onto a budget shortfall that already stood at $3.62 billion, forcing lawmakers to consider deeper cuts as they craft a spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 20
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 20: Huck Explains; Laying Out a Campaign; Working the Camp; meeting; A
Pirate at the Camp-meeting; The Duke as a Printer; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 19
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 19: Tying Up Day-times; An Astronomical Theory; Running a Temperance
Revival; The Duke of Bridgewater; The Troubles of Royalty; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Pier Restaurant Lease Hobbling Again As DEP Rejects Permitting a New Deck
Flagler Beach was going to pay for and build the $50,000 deck as a concession to potential restaurant owner Ray Barshay. Until DEP’s decision, Barshay and the city were very close to a long-term, deal.
Brush Fire at Yacht Harbor Village Is Quickly Contained
The fire broke out across a home on Harbor Village Point in the Yacht Harbor gated community on the Intracoastal side of State Road A1A.
Digital Video Awards’ 73 Contestants Spotlight School District’s Click on Technology
Computer-generated art, podcasts, digital photography and more: A complete list of contestants and winners from the second annual Flagler Digital Media Awards, held Friday at the Flagler Auditorium.
Economic Development Set Punts Again to More Meetings, Postponing Hard Questions
The same five “strategic goals” were hashed over again in the third day of an economic development summit, and a fourth was scheduled in May, for yet another $7,000 for “facilitator” Don Upton, bringing his tax-funded total to $30,000.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 18
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 18: Col. Grangerford; Aristocracy; Feuds; The Testament; Recovering the
Raft; The Wood-pile; Pork and Cabbage; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Military Training Likely Source of Morning Rattling or Minor Temblor in Flagler
Emergency services don’t know why roofs, windows and perhaps the ground shook at around 9:30 a.m. this morning in eastern Flagler County, from the Hammock to Bunnell. Authorities are still investigating.
Bipolar Obamocracy:
Bombing Libya While Invading Bahrain
Barack Obama didn’t deserve the Nobel peace prize a few months into his first term. He deserves it less now. But Obama and Clinton certainly deserve the Nobel prize in physics for reinventing the rules of double-standards.
Bullying of Gay Student at FPC Leads to Teacher’s Public Apology and Policy Change
FPC shop teacher Floyd Binkley made gay jokes in front of his students. A gay 9th grader in his class, who’d been repeatedly bullied by others outside of class, took the jokes as an offense directed at him.
Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes Scam in Flagler: Be On The Alert
Readers Digest claims you’ve won. You get a check then get asked to call somewhere to “activate” the check. It’s a scam to get your financial information. Don’t fall for it.
Census 2010: Flagler’s Population Climbs to 95,696, Florida’s to 18.8 Million
Flagler County’s population increased 92 percent since 2000. Florida’s population is 18.8 million, up 17.7 percent from a population of 16 million a decade ago.
Florida Lockups Lite: Closing Prisons and Boot Camps, Privatizing Inmate Healthcare
The Department of Corrections plans to close three prisons and two boot camps, a bill would privatize inmate health care and cut top salaries 5 percent while ending numerous positions.
Just in Case: How Flagler County Firefighters Prepare for Japan-Like Catastrophes
Operation Integration, held at Camp Blanding near Starke once a year, gathers dozens of first responders, members of the National Guard and others for training in mass-casualty catastrophes. Flagler County firefighters took part for the first time this year.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 17
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 17: An Evening Call; The Farm in Arkansaw; Interior Decorations; Stephen
Dowling Bots; Poetical Effusions; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Teacher Tenure Out, Merit Pay In: Legislature Whips First Bill of 2011 to Gov. Scott
The Legislature passed the biggest change to the state’s education system in more than 10 years, sending to Gov. Rick Scott a bill tying teacher salaries to test scores and ending multi-year contracts.
Cancel This Subscription: Palm Coast Data Revenue Plummets Another 21% in 3Q
Palm Coast Data revenue fell $15.7 million in the last nine months, compared with the same period a year earlier as trouble for the company and its parent, Amrep, continue.
Alcohol, Molotov Cocktail, Machete, Taser: Mondex Man in Jail for Assaulting Deputies
Rafael Rodriguez, 25, is in jail after brandishing a machete as he walked with an unleashed dog toward sheriff’s deputies. He’d allegedly thrown a Molotov cocktail on a Mondex road earlier.
Reversing Bad Run, Flagler Auditorium Scores $5,000 Grant from Tourist Council
After losing out on at least $15,000 for various reasons, the Flagler Auditorium managed to eke out $5,000 from the Tourist Development Council, a small but significant financial boost to a budget of over half a million dollars.
School Board Member Salaries By County, 2010-2011
Complete list of Florida school board members’ salaries, county by county, as set by state law. Salaries are set by population–or according to the starting pay of a teacher, whichever is less.
Youth Center II: Carver Gym Rises Again As School District Takes Over Management
South Bunnell’s Carver Gym, no longer on the endangered list, will be run like the Youth Center on FPC’s campus: with money from the county–and other sources–and staffing from the school district, along with new controls and programming.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 16
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 16: Expectation; A White Lie; Floating Currency; Running by Cairo; Swimming Ashore; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Throngs Voice Opposition as School Board Endorses Cuts With Sweeping Consequences
The board voted 4-1 to approve recommended cuts that would reduce middle and high school days by one period, among other cuts totaling $3.5 million. The proposal must be approved by employee unions before it goes into effect.
Theatrical Premieres and a Unique View of the White House: Culture Worth the Miles
A new comedy about five would-be actors at the Mad Cow Theater, “Greater Tuna,” the critically acclaimed comedy, at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, “Charm” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and more.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 15
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 15: Huck Loses the Raft; In the Fog; Huck Finds the Raft; Trash; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Disaster Ready? 5 Nuclear Reactors in Florida, 3 Of Them Within 180 Miles of Palm Coast
Progress Energy’s Crystal River Plant in west Florida is exactly the same distance–140 miles–separating Tokyo from the exploding Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Two reactors in Jensen Beach are 180 miles south.