Cecile Robilliard on flute, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market, what makes you a conspiracy theorist, and 2023 on pace for a record-breaking year of mass killings in the United States.
Drag Queen Story Hour Is Not What You Think
Contrary to misconceptions, exposing children to diverse gender identities and expressions supports their natural development. Further, it fosters inclusive and accepting communities and school environments, which is fundamental for developing well-adjusted adults.
To Survive Poverty, Prayer Helped. But So Did Government.
In Florida, I worked three jobs — not enough to make ends meet, but enough to disqualify me from food stamps and cash assistance. Politicians who cut our safety net say these strict rules encourage work, but for me it was the opposite.
Five Florida Law Enforcement Officers Inducted Into Hall of Fame
Five former law enforcement officers from throughout Florida were honored this morning at the Florida Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. They are: John E. Brooks, Gary W. Hester, Douglas F. Muldoon, Anthony L. Peterson and Dorene E. Thomas.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, The First Saturday Creative Bazaar Arts and Craft Market, Nate Persily on Alex Jones type conspiracists.
Palm Coast Fire Department Dedicates Fire Engine to Raheen Tyson Heighter
The Palm Coast Fire Department hosted a Gold Star Dedication ceremony in which they dedicated a Fire Engine 24 in memory of Army Corporal Raheen Tyson Heighter this past weekend.
Debt Deal a Rare Triumph for Political Center
The House vote on GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s deal with Democratic President Joe Biden to suspend the debt ceiling through Jan. 1, 2025, successful passage was undoubtedly carried by centrists. The middle may be shrinking, but it still exists, and it is critical in a closely divided Congress.
Drunk Driver Allegedly Goes Nuts on Deputy After Crashing Into Hydrant
Frank Clement Jr. of Palm Coast, who was drunk, faces a first-degree felony charge after allegedly assaulting a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy by grabbing the deputy’s crotch and twisting his testicles, causing the deputy great pain.
AdventHealth Dedicates New Medical Office Building on Palm Coast Parkway, Ahead of Hospital
AdventHealth Palm Coast hosted a prelude-like opening this afternoon as the medical office building next to the hospital was blessed and dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by physicians, hospital executives and others.
At FPC, Misplaced ‘Man Cave’ Culture and Improprieties Cause Demise of Girls’ Basketball Coach
A Flagler County school district investigation of now-former Flagler Palm Coast high School basketball coach Anthony Wagner found that he had committed various improprieties and acted unprofessionally, resulting in his second written reprimand and his removal from that role. He is also not being recommended for reappointment as a teacher.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 2, 2023
Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord on Free For All Fridays, First Friday in Flagler Beach, the irony of Student Safety Month, Edward Gibbon on Christianity’s effect on progress.
LGBTQ Rights Under Assault Even in Israel
Many Israelis fear that hard-line conservative ministers will roll back LGBTQ rights. And LGBTQ issues are a potent symbol of a chasm fueling debate over the judicial overhaul: secular and religious Israeli Jews’ very different visions of the Jewish state.
Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
An examination of the communications between Waste Pro and Palm Coast illustrates the scope and depth of the two sides’ dispute over recycling bins, with Palm Coast essentially considering their removal a form of theft, and Waste Pro standing by its decision to take back thousands of them. The two sides may be heading to court.
Mom Arrested After Witnesses Report her Brutalizing Her 7-Year-Old Child on A1A
Amanda Hopkins, a 33-year-old Smith Trail resident of Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge late Wednesday night in Flagler Beach after witnesses reported she brutalized her 7-year-old daughter by the side of State Road A1A, near South 6th Street, in what appears to have been a drunken rage.
FCC Environmental Begins Trash Pick-Up in Palm Coast
FCC Environmental Services Inc. begins providing trash and recycling services to the City of Palm Coast today, June 1, 2023. Residents should have received a mailer from FCC with more information about services, pickup dates, and more.
Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
(Redirected) Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 1, 2023
Two Florida medical boards look to curtail transgender treatment, the New College of Florida board meets, on the verb “rootle,” a Knausgaard bit.
AI May Be an ‘Extinction Risk,’ But How?
This week a group of well-known and reputable AI researchers signed a statement comparing the risk posed by artificial intelligence to pandemics and nuclear war. But its authors should probably be more specific and clarify their concerns.
DeSantis Lifts Hold on Killing of Duane Owen as Attorneys Battle Over Competence
Gov. Ron DeSantis has lifted a temporary hold on the planned June 15 execution of convicted murderer Duane Owen, as attorneys for Owen and the state continue to battle at the Florida Supreme Court about whether he is mentally competent to be put to death.
251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
Almost a year to the day when the Palm Coast City Council approved the project, Crest Residential broke ground on Wilton Palm Coast, a 251-unit luxury complex split between a quadrangular, four-story building and a few three- and two-story buildings.
Two-Week Sales Tax ‘Holiday’ for Disaster Preparedness
The State of Florida is offering disaster preparedness financial assistance through two programs: the 2023 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday and the UNITE Florida Sheltering at Home for Recovery Continuation (SHRC) Program.
As Investigation of Principal Paul Peacock Nears Conclusion, His Absence from Reappointment List Draws Speculation
As an independent investigation into employee complaints against Wadsworth Elementary Principal Paul Peacock concluded, Peacock’s name was absent from the list of administrators to be reappointed next year, raising speculation about his fate. The school board attorney said the list is not complete.
Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
Property values didn’t rise as sharply this year as they did in 2022. But the increase is still the second-highest in 16 years, generating substantial new revenue for local government budgets.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the county library, Separation Chat by the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, where has Clint Eastwood been, when Keith Jarrett trashed Wynton Marsalis.
A Former Nun’s Account of Abuse and Brainwashing
“Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin.” So spoke the author’s mother, 15 when she entered a convent in Ireland in 1950 and 34 by the time she finally managed to leave.
Voters Approved an Amendment For Racial Equity in Districts. DeSantis Wants It Ignored.
A lawsuit filed by voting-rights groups focuses a Jacksonville-area district that helped elect Black Democrat Al Lawson until a DeSantis plan redrew it and installed two white Republicans instead. Now DeSantis is asking a court to ignore a 2010 constitutional amendment requiring “Fair Districts.”
Fishing on Florida’s Historic Coast Heats Up This Summer
From fishing piers and kayak fishing to deep sea charters, fly fishing, and everything in between, there is never a shortage of fishing opportunities when you visit St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and The Beaches – making it a top destination for anglers from around the world.
Palm Coast’s Belk Converted Into One of 16 Outlet Stores as Company Struggles
Belk has converted its Palm Coast location on Cypress Edge Drive into an off-price outlet store and will host a grand opening on June 3. The outlet has been opened as such since May 16. The retailer itself has been struggling.
Flagler Replaces Confusing Letter-Based Evacuation Zones With Neighborhood Names as Hurricane Season Begins
As the 2023 hurricane season begins–with a forecast of 12 to 17 named storms–Flagler County’s Evacuation Zones A and B and C are a thing of the past, replaced by a more intuitive, neighborhood-named system. Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord previewed the season and a few changes ahead.
Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
A Flagler Palm Coast High School committee of faculty and residents voted 7-0 to keep Becky Albertalli’s The Upside of Unrequited on high school library shelves. It was the last challenge of the year by just three individuals, who had filed 44 challenges to 22 titles, succeeding in having 12 of them removed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Flagler Palm Coast High and Matanzas High School graduations, docket sounding in court, the Newseum’s demise and its last exhibit, on LGBTQ rights, as Target caves to the fanatics, the poisons of Alex Jones’s algorithms.
Should the Paleo Diet Go Back to the Cave It Came From?
The Paleo Diet urges us to mimic our prehistoric ancestors’ food choices. In practice, this means eschewing dairy products, cereals, pulses and processed sugar, and consuming vegetables, fruit, nuts, pasture-raised meat and wild-caught seafood instead. Clinical research has yet to substantiate its purported health benefits.
I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
Our tax laws shouldn’t protect giant CEO retirement accounts when my coworkers and I can’t afford to save at all: even after 22 years of working for Walmart, our nation’s largest employer, I can’t afford to retire any time soon.
Florida Man Vandalizes 13-Foot Bunny Sculpture With His Car
A 49 year old man last week intentionally drove his car into Thunderbunny, a 14 ft blue mosaic bunny sculpture, just days after it was erected at Justin Flippen Park in Wilton Manors, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 29, 2023
Palm Coast and county government hold Memorial Day ceremonies at 8 and 10 a.m., Walt Whitman on soldiers in battle, looking at Vermeer anew.
Remembering Martin Amis
Martin Amis, pre-eminent novelist-critic of his generation, has died at the age of 73. His dazzling, pyrotechnic prose dominated the world of English writing from the mid-1970s through the fin de siècle.
A Memorial Month for Our Rights
Tuesday begins a month of memorial days as we watch our Supreme Court continue to roll back those very rights soldiers died for, trampling them more effectively than any enemy foreign or, for the most part, domestic, ever has.
World’s Tallest Digital US Flag Lights Up Miami Skyline for Memorial Day
The world’s tallest digital American flag coupled with the world’s most enormous electronic “Uncle Sam” image are lighting-up the South Florida skyline this Memorial Day weekend, at the 60-story Paramount Miami Worldcenter skyscraper, in downtown Miami.
A Trans Teen No Longer Feels Welcome in Florida. So She Left.
Josie moved more than a thousand miles from St. Augustine — and her parents — to start a new life in Rhode Island to escape a state where Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP Legislature politicized and passed policies that de-legitimize and demonize trans people.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 28, 2023
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, the Ron DeSantis legislative scorecard, “Shenandoah,” the anonymous traditional, for brass, Willa Cather’s “Double Birthday.”
The Colorado River Wins a Reprieve. Now the Hard Part.
Arizona, California and Nevada have narrowly averted a regional water crisis by agreeing to reduce their use of Colorado River water over the next three years. This deal represents a temporary solution to a long-term crisis. Nonetheless, it’s an important win for the region.
Gun Groups Perpetuate Militia Myth to Keep Whatever Arms They Dream Of
This idea of the average American stockpiling an arsenal seems rather quaint when compared to the military and the taxpayer funded arsenal we’ve allowed the government to develop. It’s kind of like putting up a macaroni collage right next to the Monet.
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services Receives Recovery Leadership Award
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (Flagler OARS) is pleased to announce that the organization was recognized with a Recovery Leadership Award this month in St. Pete Beach at the Floridians for Recovery Leadership Summit 2023.
Palm Coast’s Darryl Boyer, Running for Renner’s Seat, Appears on Fox & Friends to Talk Trump/DeSantis
Darryl Boyer, the youngest emerging face of Flagler County’s Republican Party and a candidate for the Florida House seat held by Paul Renner in the 2024 election, was a guest this morning on Fox & Friends Weekend, his second appearance in four weeks on the show.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 27, 2023
The City of Palm Coast Public Works Department hosts its Touch-a-Truck event, Gamble Jam, Rachel Carson and the sense of childhood wonder.
The Supreme Court Just Plundered Wetlands Protection
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in Sackett v. EPA that federal protection of wetlands encompasses only those wetlands that directly adjoin rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. This is an extremely narrow interpretation of the Clean Water Act that could expose many wetlands across the U.S. to filling and development.
Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
Sgt. Michael Breckwoldt, a 20-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the supervisor of its narcotics unit, is at the center of an allegation that he had a physical altercation with a bar patron and flaunted and abused his power while drunk at a Flagler Beach bar early this morning, claiming he runs the town.
State Urges Justices to Reject Arguments Seeking to Blocking Duane Owen Killing
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Thursday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject arguments aimed at blocking the scheduled execution next month of Death Row inmate Duane Owen.
He Was Convinced the School Board Was Pushing “Transgender BS.” He Was Arrested. And Emboldened.
A parent had grievances to air about library books “trying to convert kids to gay,” and about mask and vaccine mandates. So he joined an activist group and headed to a school board meeting. This story explores how school board meetings across the country are fomenting conflicts and controversies that have led to violence and arrests.