With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing and fall elections looming, Florida lawmakers will start the annual 60-day legislative session Tuesday, with major issues including potential abortion restrictions, a $100 billion budget, prohibitions on teaching critical race theory, more elections policing, and other ideological issues that may give the session a retro feel.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, January 6, 2022
James McIntire sentencing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, recalling the Jan. 6 insurrection, hunting deer instead of hippies, a seminar on Ritchie Robertson’s “The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness.”
Why Omicron Transmission in Triple-Vaxxed Should Not Alarm You
On the surface, it appeared that the vaccines were not working. But this depends on how vaccine protection is defined. So far, the vaccines have proven to be very good at preventing severe disease. This protection is just as important, if not more so, as they keep the vast majority of infected people out of hospital and from dying.
Sewer Pipe Is Damaged in Palm Coast’s L-Section, Causing Spill
A sewer line failure on Laramie Drive east of Lake Success Drive caused a wastewater spill on Tuesday, resulting from damage to a pipe possibly due to construction in the area. The spill is contained. The damage is expected to be repaired by the end of the day Wednesday.
School Board’s Woolbright Objects to Citing “Hate Groups” in Statement Denouncing Hate, and Blames “All Groups”
Flagler County School Board member on Tuesday objected to including the words “hate group” in a denunciation of hate against students, and in a stunning equivalence, said she witnessed “poor behavior” from “all groups,” in essence equating students protesting book bans in November with a group of adults who turned out to taunt, insult and hurl threats at them.
For 3rd Time in 7 Months, Deputies and Paramedics Talk 17 Year Old Off I-95 Overpass
For the third time in seven months, Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Palm Coast Fire Department late Tuesday night talked a 17-year-old girl down from the I-95 overpass at Palm Coast Parkway.
In Contrast With Last Year, Legislative Session Will Open Next Week Without Covid-Safety Restrictions
During the 2021 session, the Senate sharply restricted public access to try to prevent spread of Covid-19. For example, people who wanted to speak before Senate committees had to go to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, a few blocks west of the Capitol at Florida State University, and appear through a livestream feed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Flagler County students return to school for the spring semester amid a surge of omicron and a dearth of safety directives, the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, Linda Greenhouse on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s big mistake.
Not All Polarization Is Bad, But the US Could Be in Trouble
For the first time, the United States has been classified as a “backsliding democracy” in a global assessment of democratic societies by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an intergovernmental research group. One key reason the report cites is the continuing popularity among Republicans of false allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Ex-Lake Helen Police Chief Michael Walker Takes Over a Bunnell Police Department in Turmoil After Rapid Search
Michael Anthony Walker, 57, Lake Helen’s police chief for 11 years, today was named Bunnell police chief, replacing Tom Foster in a department buffeted by low morale and the loss of its top three highest-ranked officers in a matter of weeks. Brannon Snead, the interim chief since Foster’s departure in early December, was not among the five applicants for the top job.