30-year-old Turkish national Rümeysa Öztürk is a former Fulbright scholar in a doctoral program at Tufts University. Here’s how, though charged with no crime, she ended up in a crowded cell in Louisiana, part of a sprawling, opaque apparatus designed to deport the maximum number of people with minimum accountability. Her lawyers describe it as the story of a Trump-era rendition, a callback to the post-9/11 practice of grabbing Muslim individuals off the street and taking them to locations known for harsh conditions and shoddy oversight.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 13, 2025
April 13, 1975: 50 years ago today, the beginning of long war. ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, “Something Rotten,” at the Daytona Playhouse.
Supreme Court’s Order to Return Wrongly Deported Man: Rule of Law Matters
The Supreme Court has now said the order to facilitate Abrego García’s return is proper. But the high court also said the district court judge should further clarify its order, being mindful of the president’s authority when it comes to conducting foreign relations. The Salvadoran government seems to be imprisoning Abrego García at the request of the U.S. government.
‘Enough Is Enough’: An Open Letter to Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris
Aghast at Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s paranoid and accusatory performance at the State of the City Address this week, a resident asks the mayor for a reckoning with himself–whether he is truly up to the job of serving the community to the best of his ability, to do so within the requirements of the city charter, and to bear the title of mayor honorably and responsibly.
Miami-Dade Mayor Vetoes County Measure Banning Fluoride
More than a dozen local governments in Florida have banned fluoride in their public water drinking systems since state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s recommendation in November that they do so. Miami-Dade County won’t be one of them, though, after Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Friday that she would veto a resolution approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 1 directing that fluoridation of the county’s water end within the next 30 days.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Sean Foo on the Greenland Grab, U.S. Rep. Earl Carter wants the island to be renamed “Red, White, and Blueland,” Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, “Something Rotten,” at the Daytona Playhouse.
Flagler Beach May Sell Ocean Palm Golf Course, Where Owner Plans Building the Size of Palm Coast City Hall
Flagler Beach government is considering selling the 40-acre, nine-hole Ocean Palm Golf Course at the south end of town to Jeff Ryan’s KTS Holdings, the current leaseholder of the property. Ryan would sign a deed restriction that would ensure the grounds remain a golf course in perpetuity. But Ryan is proposing to build a two-story, 30,000-square foot clubhouse and restaurant (the footprint would be 15,000 square feet, the building height 30 feet). The existing clubhouse is a one-story 1,560 square foot building built in 1961.
Foreign Accents Shape the Way We Interact
Foreign accents can have a big impact on the way we interpret meaning. In our increasingly globalised world, foreign accents are an inevitable part of communication, but studies suggest they can create barriers, not just in comprehension but also in perception of the speaker and social interaction.
Why Is the President Undermining Libraries and Museums?
A few weeks ago, President Trump issued an executive order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), adding to a growing list of illegal efforts to bypass Congress and abolish entire government agencies. All staff at the agency were placed on administrative leave on March 31. IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides crucial financial support to America’s 125,000 public, school, academic, and special libraries and museums nationwide.
Palm Coast Man, 34, Arrested Over the Death of a Cat
On March 7, Atticus Robert, a 34-year-old resident of Pittston Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of false imprisonment following a heated argument with his live-in girlfriend of three years. On Tuesday, Robert was re-arrested, this time in DeSoto County, and charged with aggravated animal cruelty over the death of his girlfriend’s cat.
Palm Coast Assures DeSantis “DOGE” Team: The City Is Financially Sound
The Palm Coast government administration certified in late March to the governor’s office that the city has not encountered any of five criteria suggesting “financial emergency or distress” since 2018, and does not anticipate any ahead. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston sent the letter confirming the fact to the governor’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” team on March 20. The letter is prompting some inaccurate speculation that the city manager was “declining” the state’s offer to audit the city.
Palm Coast Carnage: Mayor Norris Stuns Audience With Bleak Litany of Grievances at State of City Address
A day after he pulled up his truck to City Hall and cleared his office, Mayor Mike Norris delivered what amounted to a Palm Coast Carnage address to a stunned audience at the State of the City Thursday evening at the Community Center. A prickly, aggrieved, and paranoid-sounding Norris fabricated the story of a “blockade” of City Hall by homebuilders, attacked unnamed forces for allegedly orchestrating city employees’ complaints against him to drive him out of office, and referred to land owners as “swamp peddlers,” and challenged residents to chart a new course away from “people that have failed our community for more than 40 years.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 11, 2025
John Cheever’s “Superintendent,” the Dallas String Quartet at the Fitz, State Attorney RJ Larizza, Sheriff Rick Staly and Family Life Center Director Trish Giaccone talk safety in Flagler County on Free For All.
Universities In Nazi Germany And The Soviet Union Thought Giving In To Government Demands Would Save Their Independence
Across the United States, many universities are dismantling DEI initiatives – closing and rebranding offices, eliminating positions, revising training programs and sanitizing diversity statements – while professors are preemptively self-censoring. While some universities may believe that compliance with the administration will protect their funding and independence, a few historical parallels suggest otherwise.
Flagler Beach Gets Its First Glimpse at App-Based Paid Parking, and Guardedly Likes What It Sees
The Flagler Beach City Commission got its first glimpse at an app-based paid-parking system for the city this afternoon from Passport Parking, a company with more than 800 clients across the country. The commission was non-committal, but most Flagler Beach residents who spoke approved of the plan, some guardedly, some enthusiastically–as long as the plan exempts Flagler Beach residents from paying–and some, disbelieving in a parking problem, opposed.
Lessons from Palm Coast’s Fuel Dump Folly
The push for building the ill-fated Belvedere Terminals fuel dump in Palm Coast was tied to a series of myths: that somehow Palm Coast’s overwhelmingly residential tax base is unsustainable. That its tax burden is lopsidedly on residential homes. That commercial and industrial development lowers property taxes. The premises are taken as gospel in this county and never tested. Not one of them is true.
Bill Changing Gulf of Mexico’s Name in All Florida Documents and Textbooks Goes to DeSantis
The Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that would change dozens of state laws to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of America. The Senate also gave a final sign-off to a bill that would require the name change to start being reflected in materials at state agencies and schools.
2 Matanzas High School Students Accused of Burglarizing Cars on Campus
On April 9, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two Matanzas High School students, MLR, 15, of Palm Coast, and AO, 14, of Palm Coast, for burglarizing vehicles on the school campus.
On Probation for Aggravated Stalking, Zachary Tuohey Kept Trying Judge’s Patience. He Now Risks 2 Years in Prison.
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols’s patience with Zachary Tuohey’s aggravated stalking case almost ran out in December. It did so on April 1, when she sent him to jail for contempt of court. On Tuesday, she warned his attorney that he is close to facing two years in prison.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 10, 2025
A few thoughts about the McKinley tariffs, your $2,000 iPhone, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park.
Tariffs Will Not Bring Back the Glory Days of Manufacturing
There is a broad fetishisation of manufacturing in many countries. One theory is that it is potentially ingrained in human thinking by pre-historic experiences of finding food, fuel and shelter dominating all other activities. But for Trump, the thinking is likely related to a combination of nostalgia for a bygone (somewhat imagined) age of manufacturing, and concern over the loss of quality jobs that provide a solid standard of living for blue collar workers – a core part of his political base.
Michael Tanzi, 48, Is Killed by Lethal Injection for Murder of Janet Acosta, 49, in 2000
Michael Tanzi was put to death by lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison, almost 25 years after he kidnapped a woman on her lunch break in Miami and murdered her in Monroe County.
At Ralph Carter Park, Thousands of Children’s Sports Will Not Be Curbed Just to Benefit Few Homeowners, Council Says
After hearing a resident complain about noise and light–a resident familiar to every council member who’s served since 2009–Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro Tuesday evening got the presentation he requested on Ralph Carter Park. It did not go as he expected. The park’s popularity is too broad, the complaints about it too finite, to justify dimming the park’s operations in response to a handful of complaints, if that.
Dallas String Quartet Unleashes Bach ’n’ Roll Classical Crossover at Palm Coast Concert
The Dallas String Quartet has continued to invigorate the so-called “classical crossover” genre with seven albums that find them infusing elements from Bach, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius and other classical composers into their arrangements of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and “Thunderstruck,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and many more. They’re in concert at the Flagler Auditorium,/Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center Friday.
Brendan Depa Appeal Again Delayed as Court Warns No Further Extensions Will Be Granted
The Fifth District Court of Appeal is tiring of lawyers requesting extensions to file the appeal of a Flagler County judge’s decision last August to sentence former Matanzas High School student Brendan Depa to five years in prison for his brutal attack on a teacher aide in 2023. The appeal court has granted three extensions so far, the third one granted on April 4 with a caution against further requests for delays.
Flagler Cop’s Son in Hit-and-Run Death on U.S. 1 Rejects 4-Year Prison Deal and Risks Worse
Jayden Jackson, the 22-year-old son of a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, had played down his responsibility when he struck and killed Shaunta D. Cain, 51, with his car as he drove north on U.S. 1 in November 2022. Today, Jackson rejected a plea deal of four years in prison followed by probation. His attorney, Josh Davis, told Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols that Jackson will submit to an open plea when he is sentenced next week, risking significantly more than four years in prison.
Eager for Experience, Palm Coast Council’s Top Two Choices for Appointment Are Dave Sullivan and Dave Ferguson
In Dave Sullivan and Dave Ferguson the Palm Coast City Council’s choices clearly point to its eagerness for a tested, knowledgeable colleague who won’t need much of a learning curve as the council readies to appoint a new city manager and start budgeting for the coming year. Ferguson and Sullivan also have close ties with the local business community. Neither is a firebrand. Neither is foreign to humor and a degree of self-deprecation that has been lacking on a council more high-strung than an unsecured trigger.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Docket sounding in felony court, 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, updating the 2025 Kennedy Center schedule, JFK on arts and politics.
From Greenland to Fort Bragg, Place Names as Political Tools
Place names are more than just labels on a map. They influence how people learn about the world around them and perceive their place in it. Names can send messages and suggest what is and isn’t valued in society. And the way that they are changed over time can signal cultural shifts.
Micro-Surfacing Begins April 14 on A Dozen Palm Coast Streets
The City of Palm Coast is notifying residents about an upcoming High-Performance Micro-Surfacing project on several local residential roadways. Work will begin April 14 and is expected to last approximately three weeks.
Florida Senate Will Vote on Prohibiting Fluoride in Local Water Services
Over objections by the Florida Dental Association and League of Women Voters of Florida, a Senate panel voted Tuesday to bar public water systems from “the use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes.”
County Buys Into $110 Million Speculative Sports Complex Palm Coast Voters Rejected in November
The Flagler County Commission signaled it was happily turning to an untested and financially risky public-private partnership with a company that would build a $110 million sports complex (in Palm Coast) in exchange for $6 million a year “lease payments” from the county. It is the same complex and concept that was behind Palm Coast voters’ rejection of a referendum last November.
Three County Commissioners Now Opposed to Sales Tax for Beach Management, Putting County Plan in Doubt
Just as Palm Coast and Bunnell had been increasingly coaxed to support the county, a majority of county commissioners–Leann Pennington, Kim Carney and Pam Richardson–spoke in opposition to a sales tax increase to support a comprehensive beach-management plan. Without that increase, the plan Petito devised to rebuild and manage all 18 miles of the county’s beaches would collapse, and with it any hope of continuing the beach renourishment the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started in Flagler Beach.
65-Year-Old Man Killed in Head-On Crash on Belle Terre Boulevard
A 65-year-old Palm Coast man was killed in a head-on crash caused by a 19-year-old driver crossing the yellow line early Monday morning on Belle Terre Boulevard at Kankakee Trail.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Clay Jones on Trump golfing through the crash, the Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop, Zachary Tuohey is back in court, the Flagler County School Board meets, drinking La Fin du Monde.
Israelis Are Calling for Genocide of Palestinians with Impunity
Thirty years ago in Israel, advocating for genocide could land you in prison. Not anymore. Israeli clerics and officials are openly calling for the systematic massacre of Palestinians–genocide–in Gaza. The Israeli legal system is ignoring the rhetoric.
U.S. Rep. Wilson Seeks to Visit Miami Immigrant Detention Center Amid Reports of Mistreatment
Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson wants to examine conditions at a Miami immigrant detention center, saying she’s concerned about reports of people sleeping on concrete floors. Wilson, who represents part of Miami-Dade County, sent a letter Monday to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem requesting her help in arranging a congressional visit this month to the Krome North Service Processing Center.
Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Appears Dead as Palm Coast Mayor Norris Pulls His Support, Joining Council Skeptics
The proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast appears to be dead. In an email to City Manager Lauren Johnston on Friday, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris pulled his support without equivocation, joining three council members who are extremely skeptical of the proposal. Belvedere couldn’t afford to lose Norris’s support. Until then, the mayor had been the company’s champion in the city.
Three of Five Finalists for Palm Coast City Manager Drop Out as Council’s Instability Takes a Toll
The shortlist of Palm Coast city manager candidates who were to interview with the City Council at the end of April is down to two, from five. The last two were among the somewhat less favored of the five when the council ranked them on March 11. Today, Sonia Alves-Viveiros, the Edison, N.J. city manager, withdrew, citing the lack of stability on the City Council as a reason.
Proposed Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Draws More Fire as Public Urges County to Reject Palm Coast Location
Already bruised by mounting opposition since it was announced almost two weeks ago, Palm Coast and Flagler County governments’ proposal to buy 78 acres for a 12.6-million gallon fuel farm off U.S. 1 took more fire today, this time at the County Commission, even though the county last week pulled the proposal from today’s agenda. Numerous residents, all opposed to the fuel farm at the U.S. 1 location, addressed the commission, but commissioners themselves raised sharp questions about the plan, adding to its uncertain future.
Federal Judge Halts Florida’s New Law Targeting Migrants, Citing Overreach
Miami-based Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 14-page decision granting a request for a temporary restraining order against the law, which the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved in February. The law created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 7, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council and the County Commission hold a joint workshop on the $110 million sports complex they want to bring about, 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale at the Fairgrounds, Andras Schiff boycotts the United States.
NIH Funding Cuts Will Hit Red States and the Poor Hardest
NIH cuts will be detrimental to the entire country. But they will disproportionately hurt states that traditionally have received very low levels of NIH funding, the majority of which are red states. This is because such states lack resources to develop advanced research infrastructure necessary to compete nationally for NIH funding.
2nd Round of Palm Coast Cultural Arts Grant Funding Open Through April 30
The City of Palm Coast and the Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3), the official local arts agency for Flagler County, are excited to announce that a second round of grant funding is now available through the Cultural Arts Grant program. The application portal is open now through April 30, 2025.
Florida’s No-Show Republicans Are Hiding From Voters’ Anger
Something is changing. People are angry, auto-calling their representatives, making signs, demonstrating and showing up at town halls. But Republican representatives don’t show up, not any more. They don’t like getting booed. They don’t like facing outraged citizens. A few tried holding town halls. Did not go well. But hey, at least they actually held town halls. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of Florida Republicans.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 6, 2025
‘Sense and Sensibility’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, “Something Rotten,” at the Daytona Playhouse, Daytona State College Spring Orchestra Concert, Robert Reich on the new tax on Americans, Don DeLillo on American irrelevance.
Florida Could Target 341,000 Haitian and Venezuelan Migrants for Expulsion
Florida leads the nation in the number of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Of those, 59% are Venezuelan and 35% are Haitian. Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem issued a termination notice that canceled TPS for Venezuelan recipients as of April 7. Then a judge intervened. But the judge’s order doesn’t stop the expulsion of Haitians.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Alice Munro’s “Carried Away,” the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Annual Turtle Fest in Flagler Beach, the Flagler Beach All Stars hold their monthly beach clean-up, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone.
Cory Booker’s Challenge
The Democrats have been under intense pressure to find an effective way to challenge US President Donald Trump without control of either chamber of Congress or a de facto opposition leader. They may have just found one in New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
In Flagler, Voters Cast Half a Million Ballots in 8 years; 5 Were Non-Citizens. Where’s the ‘Fraud’?
An executive order requires that all votes be counted by the end of Election Day. It also requires proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The order relies on a lie: that fraud is corrupting American elections. Let’s not look far and take Flagler County’s recent elections to test the claim.