Edward Sealover has taken a job in Georgia, Gary Word is negotiating terms with Green Cove Springs, leaving Bruce Campbell the choice by default. The question is: will the Flagler Beach City Commission take it?
The Live Wire, Oct. 20: Debt Dummies, Lolita, George Carlin and EE Cummings
How not to pay your credit card bills, Confederate fallacies, reading “Lolita” at 12, Calgary’s new Muslim mayor, George Carlin on Religion, and more.
Flagler Sheriff’s Jail Guards Apologize To Lisa Tanner Over 2005 Brutality Case
Lisa Tanner, the daughter of then-State Attorney John Tanner, was arrested on bogus charges in March 2005, and was then violently restrained and abused by guards at the Flagler County jail.
Dim-Witted Larcenist Puts Palm Coast on David Letterman’s Lips and Map
It was a small-town news item pulled out of the Palm Coast Observer’s crime blotter. It got Letterman and Paul Shaffer going for the whole segment as they poked around Palm Coast’s location.
Bold and Bolder: County Commission Bashes Landon and Coffey Over Annexation Proposal
County administrator Craig Coffey and City Manager Jim Landon worked out an annexation deal for the 55 acres to be filled by a National Guard center near the airport. That was news to the county commission.
In Palm Coast, Another Dud Turnout At School Tax Town Hall
School officials had thought (and feared) that the tea party throngs would turn up at Monday’s town hall on the proposed $0.25 mill school tax referendum. They didn’t. What those tea leaves say is not clear.
The Live Wire, Oct. 19: Florida Apartheid, Rick Scott’s Fuzziness and an Unsavory Duke List
Arizona’s war on undocumented immigrants migrates to Florida, in a whiter worse version, Rick Scott has memory problems under oath, the “Duke Screw List” surfaces, and more.
Holden House and the Old Courthouse: A Grateful Historical Society and an Update
Flagler County Historical Society President Mary Ann Clark thanks the county commission for the $23,400 renovation, and Sisco Deen relates the latest fixings.
County Raises Bed Tax to 4%, a Victory for Milissa Holland’s Tourism Marketing Thrust
The higher tax, Milissa Holland argued, will broaden Flagler County’s marketing power, drawing more visitors and creating more jobs for local, small businesses.
Calvary Christian’s Bus Ministry: Treasuring the Homeless, One Sunday at a Time
Every Sunday, Calvary’s school buses pick up some 120 homeless men, women and children to clean, feed and clothe them while ministering to them without illusions.
In Race to Replace Judge Hammond in Flagler, Craig and Horrox Scrape for Distinctions
In the race for the 7th judicial district’s court seat Judge Hammond is vacating, Dennis Craig and Joe Horrox are two competent, unexciting choices, though Craig’s experience is more varied.
The Live Wire, Oct. 18: Mica’s Night Terrors, the Davidsons’ Park and Tea Party Writ
The ex-News-Journal’s Davidsons get a pasturage, John Mica wants you to be scared of Heather Beaven, tea partiers think the Constitution is a biblical excerpt, and Facebook is betraying your privacy.
Teen White Out: White T-Shirts to Blank Out Traffic Crashes
The Department asks Floridians to show support by wearing a white shirt on Oct. 19 to help white out teen crashes, the leading cause of death for teenagers. This is National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Gorey Stories, Deadly Artists and International Arts Day: Culture Worth the Miles
Slightly frightful stories to go with Halloween and Edward Gorey at the Orlando Museum of Art, Mozart’s time machinery, oral histories come to the celery stage, International Arts Day on Oct. 25, and more.
It’s Drescher’s Tower Now: Year-Long Quest Ends With Town’s Name in Its Place
The job was finished Sunday, but it took Stan Drescher, a newcomer to Flagler Beach, almost a year and perseverance through slamming doors to have the town’s water tower named after it.
Cubism Squared at “Picasso’s Legacy,” Flagler County Art League’s Latest Show
The second show at the Art League’s new home at City Walk/City Market Place features several attempts at translating Picasso’s cubist (and not so cubist) legacy, with varying degrees of success.
Scott DuPont and Don Holmes:
Dogma vs. Nuance in 7th Judicial Circuit Race
Don Holmes and Scott DuPont’s experience in law is the least of their differences in the Group 10 race for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit Court seat (Putnam County), in which Flagler voters do have a vote.
FPC’s Boys Raced, Pink-Socked, in Breast Cancer Solidarity at Manhattan Invitational
Inspired by their coach, an idea started by Brad Walbert, to honor his grandfather, developed into team-wide solidarity for breast cancer victims–with unexpected and moving results as the boys raced in in New York City.
Live Wire Weekend: Imam Bill O’Reilly On The View, Palm Coast’s Rut, Rich Tax Cuts
Bill O’Reilly makes an ass of himself on The View, when Florida sued Rick Scott, Justin Bieber uncovered as a pedophile and other disasters.
To Bitter Reactions, Flagler Beach Commission Again Delays Hiring a New Manager
This time, Commissioner Joy McGrew, piped in by phone from North Carolina, asked for the decision to be delayed until her return. The vote was moved to Oct. 28.
The Live Wire, Oct. 14: Foreclosure Crisis 2.0 and the Limits of Tolerance
The foreclosure crisis goes viral, school uniforms get another hearing, boobs against breast cancer, Beirut’s rebirth, tolerance’s limits, and more.
Governing Divide: Nurses Are for Sink, Doctors Are for Scott, Voters Still on Mars
The GOP’s Rick Scott snubbed the Florida Nurses Association, Democrat Sink visited in person. For doctors, Scott would take a hatchet to malpractice lawsuits–doctors’ overriding wish.
Election Primer: Amendment 2 Loop-Holes a Tax Exemption for Soldiers in War Zones
Amendment 2 would give soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan (or future war zones) a property tax exemption but only if they own homesteaded property. The amendment is more controversial than you’d expect.
Superintendent Janet Valentine: Why You Should Vote For the .25 Mill School Tax Levy
School Superintendent Janet Valentine makes the case for the 25-cent-per-$1,000 property tax levy on November’s ballot, the continuation of a tax homeowners have been paying all along.
The Live Crime Blotter, Oct. 1-5, 2010
A woman’s house is burglarized–for meat and chicken packs in the freezer; a fight at Smiles Night Club; a 29-year-old man is tasered; an injured deer is put out of its misery; and more.
Palm Coast Fire Department Takes Delivery of Versatile $1 Million Ladder Truck
The 59,000-lb., pump-equipped Sutphen truck can extend its ladder 100 feet high and fire water guns at 2,000 gallons per minute in winds of up to 50 mph. The $1 million truck was ordered two years ago from Sutphen’s Ohio plant.
Shetland Ponies Give Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies the Old Kings Run-Around
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies spent part of Wednesday morning rounding up 11 ponies that ran away from the Italian-American Club’s property on Old Kings, where they’ll be part of the weekend’s fall festival.
Election Primer: Amendments 5 and 6 Pit Power Against Voters in Redistricting
Florida’s proposed Amendments 5 and 6 would diminish the power of incumbents and legislative majorities to pick their own voters when they draw up voting districts every 10 years.
The Live Wire, Oct. 13: Ask, Tell, Repeal, and More Foreclosure Follies
The last days of “don’t ask don’t tell,” Florida gives up on banning gay adoptions, how cable TV “news” is demolishing US politics, a sit-down with art critic Robert Hughes, and more.
Burglaries Spike 44% In Flagler in 1st Half of 2010; Violent Crime Falls Locally and Statewide
Aggravated assaults and robberies are down, but Bunnell continues to record a disproportionate number of arrests for a town its size in the semi-annual crime report, which points to the year’s overall crime trends.
Why Republicans Are Listed First All Over Flagler’s Nov. 2 Ballot (It’s Not a Conspiracy)
Being listed first does matter in local races, especially in non-partisan ones, as lazy or uninformed voters tend to go for the first choice they’re presented.
School Board Members Talking to Empty Benches at Town Halls on Tax Levy
School officials think most people have already made up their minds about Flagler’s .25 mills school tax levy. They just can’t tell which way they’ll vote.
The Live Wire, Tuesday, Oct. 12: Pink Boots Lenny Keeps His Job, Hiaasen on Amendment 4
Palm Coast’s Breast Cancer Awareness man of the week, Lenny Grocki, was not fired; Carl Hiaasen speaks truth to Amendment 4 detractors; Wall Street continues to rake it in, and much more.
Beethoven, a “Bachelorette” Named Giselle, and Old Blue Eyes: Culture Worth the Miles
Beethoven’s 5th, Beethoven’s 9th, “Noises Off,” the recreation of the Orlando Ballet Company, a little Batman thrown in and more Museum of Florida Art auctions.
Abu Ghraib Brutality in Florida’s Youth Prisons: Suit Charges Rape and Other Abuses
A class-action law suit against a private Florida juvenile prion contractor claims children were physically abused, forced to have sex with counselors, and kept from seeing lawyers.
Potential Juror’s Misconduct Leads to Mistrial in William Gregory Double-Murder Case
A potential juror who had been excused spoke improperly inf front of the larger jury pool on Friday, prejudicing the group. One of the seated jurors reported the incident.
Bunnell Police’s Latest Slipshod Accusations Clear Ex-Cop of Counterfeiting
Former Sgt. Frank Gamarra had cooperated with a State Attorney’s investigation of shoddy policing at the Bunnell PD only to be fired and charged with carrying a fake $20 bill.
The Live Wire, Monday, Oct. 11: A Nate Update, St. Pete Goes for Crist, Plus Yukon Gold
The latest on 7-year-old Nate in ICU; St. Pete Times Goes for Crist, Everglades’ sugardaddy deal goes through, Amendment 4 and sex offender hysteria, plus the Yukon, SNL at 35 and Art Blakey at 91 and more.
At Indian Trails, a Visa to Middleworld By Way of 2012’s Maya Calendar Rubbish
The Jaguar Stones trilogy authors Jon and Pamela Voelkel brought their live spectacle, humor and accurate history to some 90 Indian Trails Middle School students, setting a calendar’s record straight along the way.
When Courts and the Justice Department Conceal, Deceive and Lie: A Gitmo Fabrication
A U.S. District Court opinion about an Al-Qaeda suspect held at Guantanamo Bay’s Gitmo prison was removed from circulation and rewritten, revealing critical alterations and insights into the Justice Department’s elaborate deceptions, which undermine the credibility of the court system.
Dry, Cool Creekside Festival Packs Them In Under the Pines, With Sunday To Go
In a matter of a few years (this is its sixth) the Creekside Festival has grown into the county’s largest attraction of its kind. It’s benefiting from good weather and more recognition this year.
Color and Provocation Surf Through Hollingsworth Gallery’s Latest Show
The new show features eight local artists whose sensibilities range from explorations of the darkest human impulses to the brightest harmonies, with creative chaos in between.
To Counter Bullying, Flagler Sheriff Is Giving Away 3,000 Internet Monitoring Programs
The free programs enable parents to keep track of their child’s internet activity and exposure, from chats to bullying, though the cyberbullying problem may be overstated.
New York Bound: FPC’s Cross-Country Best Running in Manhattan Invitational Saturday
The storied Manhattan Invitational, actually held in The Bronx, is the largest high school cross-country meet in the nation, with some 10,000 competitors from 14 states.
Live Wire Weekend, Oct. 8-10: Torture Made in China (and America), Bullies and Trump
The Chinese Solzhenitsyn, Liu Xiaobo, wins the Nobel peace prize, class-size moves on, Ellen DeGeneres mourns bully victims, Orson Welles talks politics, Donald Trump talks presidential bid again, and much more.
Losses Accelerating As Economy Drops 95,000 Jobs Overall; Private Sector Adds 64,000
Economists had expected a loss of only a few thousand jobs. The September figures, led by government job declines, are in line with a continuing trend downward in Florida.
The Sentinel’s Mica Endorsement Over Beaven: Pork Is Good As Long As It’s Our Pork
The Orlando Sentinel’s unsurprising endorsement of John Mica over Heather Beaven replicates duplicity and errors rampant in discussions of federal spending, pork and earmarks.
The City of Palm Coast’s Problem With Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Not Regulation.
Lenny Grocki, a Palm Coast utilities employee, was told to go home and take off his pink steel-toed boots. When he switched to pink laces and pink socks, he was told he’d face disciplinary action for those, too.
Ending 8 Years on the Flagler School Board, Evie Shellenberger Endorses Raven Sword
Citing Raven Sword’s clear vision and analytical abilities, Evie Shellenberger said Sword was preferable to John Fischer’s poor grasp of issues and misunderstanding of a school board member’s role.
The Live Wire, Oct. 7: Mario Vargas Llosa, “Christian” Homophobes, Soldiers and Privacy
The Nobel Prize goes to a great writer for once: Mario Vargas Llosa; plus the Supreme Court case on homophobes at soldiers’ funerals and more on privacy, obesity and hometown democracy.