The Israeli army used a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to generate lists of tens of thousands of human targets for potential airstrikes in Gaza. One intelligence officer said the system “made it easier” to carry out large numbers of strikes, because “the machine did it coldly”.
The Dis-Education of Brendan Depa
Brendan Depa, the now 18-year-old former Matanzas High School student to be sentenced on May 1 on a first-degree felony count of assaulting a teacher’s aide, is alone being punished for what in fact amounts to a systematic and catastrophic failure, on the part of Matanzas High School and district officials, to follow Depa’s Individualized Education Program, which set out guidelines and requirements on how to contend with his mental health issues.
Typical House Will Cost $5,000 More in Flagler Beach as City Approves Series of New Impact Fees
It’ll cost builders $5,000 more to build the typical 1,500 to 2,000-square foot house in in Flagler Beach, a cost that will be passed down to buyers of new homes, as the city commission last week approved an increase in water and sewer impact fees and instituted new impact fees for fire, police, the library and parks and recreation.
Flagler Unemployment Holds at 4.1% as Local Home Sales Near 4-Year Low and Time to Contract Hits 8-Year High
Flagler County’s March unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent for the third straight month, remaining above 4 percent for six of the last eight months even as county residents netted 134 new jobs and the number of the unemployed remained flat. The slowing pace of new workforce residents is reflected in the slowing pace of home sales, which are near a four-year low. That is one of several local economic indicators that, should they persist, may be of concern to those in the housing industry.
Biden Traveling to Tampa On Tuesday as Poll Numbers Show Florida Out of Play
President Joe Biden will be traveling to Tampa next week, the White House announced Thursday. Biden will appear in Tampa on Tuesday, but details of the visit were not released. Biden’s trip to Florida comes as polls show the president continues to trail presumptive Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, in the runup to the 2024 election.
Five Questions for Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s Emergency Management Director
As director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management since April 2021, Kevin Guthrie–who was Flagler County’s emergency management director between 2013 and 2016–has run point on disasters from Category 4 hurricanes to a deadly condominium-building collapse in Surfside. Guthrie also has been charged with overseeing the evacuation of Floridians from strife-torn Haiti, along with a controversial program to transport migrants to “sanctuary” areas of the country.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 19, 2024
Flagler and Florida’s unemployment numbers for March are released, the Supervisor of Elections holds a voter registration drive at Matanzas and FPC, Town Hall Meeting with Palm Coast Council Member Cathy Heighter, the 10th hottest month in a row, ever.
Iran’s Strategic Failure Against Israel
Iran’s unprecedented multi-front attack on Israel constitutes a de facto declaration of war and marks the first direct assault against Israel from Iranian soil. However, despite the scale of the operation, it appears to be a tactical failure.
Why Is Palm Coast Backroom-Dealing Tax Incentives with a Private Company?
Palm Coast is in the middle of a secret deal with an Atlanta-based company called DC Blox, which bought 34 acres in Town Center for $3.3 million last fall. It plans to build a data center there to land several undersea internet-data cables, by way of Flagler Beach. The city and the county are cooking up some kind of tax incentive with the company. We don’t know how much. We don’t know for how long. Presumably, we’ll find out only when the deal is sealed.
Signing Bill Inviting Chaplains Into Public Schools as Counselors, DeSantis Scoffs at Challenges and Church State Wall
The state won’t allow satanists to take advantage of a new law allowing religious chaplains to serve as counselors in public schools for students whose parents approve, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday while signing the legislation. The governor also predicted the state would prevail if the new law draws a legal challenge over separation of church and state concerns.