Last chance to register for the Aug. 30 primary, the County Commission has a busy day with two meetings and a tribute to the late Frank Meeker, FPC students get their laptops, Hobby Lobby opens at Island Walk, the doping Olympiads get set to begin, and picking rice is hard work.
Backgrounders
John Brady, Palm Coast Mayoral Candidate: The Live Interview
John Brady is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor. He faces three other candidates: Milissa Holland, Dennis McDonald and Ron Radford in the non-partisan election on Aug. 30, in which all registered voters may cast a ballot.
Texting 911? After Orlando Massacre, More Cities and States Moving Toward Next-Generation System
Texting 911 could be valuable in emergencies like the Orlando shooting or a domestic violence incident, where it is unsafe to make any noise let alone talk out loud about the danger at hand. And sending text messages to 911 could allow people who are deaf or have speech impairments to communicate without other special devices.
Arthur McGovern Jr., Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Arthur McGovern Jr. is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. He does not appear to be taking his candidacy seriously.
Sims Jones, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Sims Jones is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. He faces three other candidates: Robert Cuff, Troy Dubose, and Arthur McGovern, Jr. in the non-partisan election on Aug. 30, in which all registered voters may cast a ballot.
Weekend Briefing: Meeker Services, Tea Party Candidate Night, Solar Plunge, Trump’s Islam Problem
Services for the late Frank meeker are on Saturday morning in Palm Coast, the Tea Party hosts its traditional meet-the-candidate night Saturday evening, Trump’s Islam problem and Ray Bradbury.
Troy DuBose, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Troy DuBose is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. He faces three other candidates in the non-partisan election on Aug. 30: Robert Cuff, Sims Jones and Arthur McGovern, Jr. All registered voters may cast a ballot.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index Up to 106, Flagler Beach Talks Higher Tax and Montessori, Cop Fatalities
Flagler Beach’s tax rate may jump considerably next year, a lease is in the works for its Montessori school, another global warming scorcher, Alan Wolfe on religion in the public sphere.
Robert Cuff, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Robert Cuff is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. He faces three other candidates in the non-partisan election on Aug. 30: Troy DuBose, Sims Jones and Arthur McGovern, Jr. All registered voters may cast a ballot.
Wednesday Briefing: Chris Sepe on Blue, Black and All Lives, Indian Trails Stampede, America’s Colored Prisons
21-year veteran Sheriff’s Cmdr. Chris Sepe on black, blue and all lives, back to school continues with Indian Trails class assignments, disproportionate black populations of U.S. prisons.
Tuesday Briefing: Ex-Cop Stavris’s Sentencing, School Tax Rate, 911 Maintenance, Zero-Sum Politics
Ex-Bunnell cop Michael Stavris’s computer porn charges were reduced to felony child abuse in a plea, the school board sets the lowest tax rate in at least 22 years, Palm Coast talks 911 dispatching.
Anita Moeder, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Anita Moeder is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. She faces two other candidates: Nick Klufas and Pam Richardson in the non-partisan election on Aug. 30, in which all registered voters may cast a ballot.
Monday Briefing: Plantation Bay Steams Off, Joan Rivers’s Sex Life, Religious Americans
The Plantation Bay utility’s less than satisfied customers meet with county officials, Bob Graham meets with Florida’s Democratic delegation at the Democratic National Convention, how Americans’ religious beliefs stack up in the West.
Chris Yates, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Chris Yates is one of six Republican candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Two Republicans are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
At City Rep’s Theater Workshop for Teens, Homer’s Odyssey Navigates Scylla and Charybdis of Bad Habits
CRT’s “Odyssey,” staged this weekend at City Marketplace in Palm Coast, stars eight performers ages 15 to 21 in the culmination of the six-week-long workshop that sought to break the performers from the bad habits of middle and high school theater.
Weekend Briefing: Back to School Jam, Pehota Closings, Midnight Fishing on Pier, Tour de Palm Coast
The annual Back to School Jam is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Flagler Palm Coast High School, midnight fishing on the Flagler Beach Pier Saturday, another black man shot, this time with his hands up, a puppy dies at Humane Society.
2nd Trial Day Curdles for Pehota as 3-Hour Tape Shows More Resolve Than Remorse in Husband’s Killing
The defense rested without calling a single witness in Anna Pehota’s murder trial today, and what dementia issues may have played a role in her husband’s killing could not be introduced before the jury. Closing arguments are Friday morning.
Mark Whisenant, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Mark Whisenant is one of six Republican candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Two Republicans are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
Thursday Briefing: Peers on the Pier Party, Florida Delegation Rocks and Rolls, Political Correctness and Thin Skins
Most Americans think too many people are easily offended, the third annual Peers at the Pier party kicks off this evening, Anna Pehota trial day two, Florida’s delegation at the convention heads to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.
Wednesday Briefing: Buckets of Tourism Grants, Complying With New Overtime Rule, Pehota Trial, Cleveland Rips
The Palm Coast Tourist Development Board prepares to grant upwards of $200,000, the Anna Pehota trial begins in earnest, understanding new overtime rules.
Palm Coast Votes 3-2 Against $5,000 Hike For Jim Landon in Stinging Rebuke
Two council members said Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon had been overpaid, with his $169,000 salary now where it should be. The vote ends a long, in many ways improper and opaque process.
Jerry O’Gara, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Jerry O’Gara is one of six Republican candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Two Democrats are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
Tuesday Briefing: A Raise for Jim Landon, Value Adjustment, Food Truck Tuesday, The Trouble With Merit
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon is up for a raise, Food Truck Tuesday in central Park benefits summer programs, meritocracy isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
John Lamb, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
John Lamb is one of six Republican candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Two Democrats are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
Monday Briefing: Anna Pehota Trial, Canvassing Board Pick, Backing the Blue, D.C. Denied, Heat Waves
Anna Pehota, who killed her husband last fall, goes on trial, the county commission must yet again make a canvassing board appointment, a fund-raising event for fallen cops’ families at European Village.
Don Fleming, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Donald Fleming is one of six Republican candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Two Democrats, including incumbent Jim Manfre, are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
Weekend Briefing: Marilyn Levetron at Salvo, North Florida Chess, White Delusions, Baldwin v. Buckley
Sculptor Marilyn Levetron is the featured artist at Salvo’s latest opening Saturday, Green Grass Band’s lead singer at European Village, a killer heat wave on its way, Kristof on white delusions about race in America.
Jim Manfre, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Jim Manfre is one of two Democratic candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 30 primary. Six Republicans are contesting the primary in what has been the most heavily and expensively contested race for a local office this year.
Thursday Briefing: Palm Coast Council and Mayor Candidates Forum, Elks Vigil for Dallas Cops, Hottest Year on Record
All candidates for Palm Coast Council, including mayor, meet in a forum this evening, the Elks hold a vigil for fallen cops in Dallas, the Flagler Beach City Commission thinks legislative priorities, the hottest year on record for the ninth consecutive year.
At Flagler NAACP Town Hall, Matters of Black Lives, “The Talk,” and the Gap Between Community and Policing
A town hall organized by Flagler’s NAACP branch, with several top officials from the sheriff’s office, took stock of the recent police killings of black men and the killing of five white police officers in Dallas by a black veteran sniper.
Abra Seay, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Candidate: The Live Interview
Abra Seay is one of three candidates for Flagler County Elections Supervisor in the Aug. 30 primary, which in this race amounts to the general election: All voters, regardless of party affiliation, may cast a ballot in this race, which will decide the winner.
Home Invasion Assailant Killed by Tenant on Frank Place in Palm Coast, 2nd Suspect Surrenders
Victor J. Betty, 28, was killed in an attempted home invasion on Frank Place in Palm Coast early this morning, and Carl Devore of Palm Coast turned himself in later today as the wanted second suspect in the incident.
Wednesday Briefing: Pot Citation Verdict, Cultural Art Grants Workshop, Rubio v. Zika, “Terrorist”
The Public Safety Council delivers its verdict on de-criminalizing pot, Palm Coast’s non-profit cultural organizations can learn how to apply for city grants worth up to $3,000, “terrorist” as a biased word, alarm bells over the bond market.
Kimble Medley, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Candidate: The Live Interview
Kimble Medley is one of three candidates for Flagler County Elections Supervisor in the Aug. 30 primary, in which all voters, regardless of party affiliation, may cast a ballot. The primary will decide the winner with no further vote in November.
Tuesday Briefing: NAACP Town Hall on Violence, Palm Coast’s Property Tax, School Budget, Syd Schanberg
The sheriff is expected to attend an NAACP town hall on ending violence, the Palm Coast City Council sets its maximum tax rate for next year, the school board gets a presentation on its financial numbers.
Kaiti Lenhart, Flagler County Supervisor Of Elections Candidate: The Live Interview
Kaiti Lenhart is the incumbent candidate for Flagler County Elections Supervisor in the Aug. 30 primary, which in this race amounts to the general election: All voters, regardless of party affiliation, may cast a ballot in this race, which will decide the winner.
Monday Briefing: A New Storwmwater Fee in Bunnell, Cremaine Booker’s Adagio, After Dallas, O’Hara’s Early Youth
Bunnell is considering a $4-a-month stormwater fee that would generate upwards of $70,000 a year for the city, cop killings and killings of cops continue to evoke arrays of reactions, John O’Hara remembers his youth.
At Flagler’s New Jail, Science of Self-Contained Cell Blocks To Make Captivity Safer for Inmates and Guards
It’s in the internal designs, the innumerable details and attention to logic, efficiency and security for inmates, guards and visitors that the jail–which opened today– impresses, and that its $17.3 million cost shows its value.
“I’m Putting My Faith In You,” Judge Tells Predator Granted Less Severe Probation Term
Dorian Coppedge, 37, a Palm Coast resident designated a sex predator just last week, had been rendered homeless by a two-year sex-offender probation term, which Judge Matthew Foxman today agreed to alter to simple probation, thus possibly making Coppedge’s living arrangements less restrictive.
Wednesday Briefing: Tourism Office Seeks Bigger Digs, Pot Nurseries, Paul Ryan’s Tax Flight, The Bikini at 70
The county’s tourism office is moving to the airport for bigger space but at considerably higher rent than it’s paying now, Jim Ulsamer to be reappointed to the library board, Paul Ryan’s tax cuts, Liszt’s Rhapsody.
Trial in Gas Station Murder Likely in Late Summer But Suspect, On Meds, Still Unpredictable
Joseph Bova, the impenetrable 28-year-old suspect in the execution-style murder of a Palm Coast’s Zuheili Roman Rosado at a gas station in 2013, appeared in court today for the first time in almost a year, stable but still hinting at the unpredictable.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index Up to 107, Palm Coast Heroes, Brazil’s Olympic Catastrophe, Assault Weapons
Take cover, it’s going to be another scorcher, the Palm Coast Council recognizes a pair of life-saving heroes, the original design and development of assault weapons, Rio is heading for bust.
Father-Daughter Injured in Motorcycle Collision With U-Turning Car on Seminole Woods Blvd.
A man and his daughter riding a motorcycle north on Seminole Woods Boulevard were hospitalized early Friday afternoon after they collided with a car that was performing a U-turn on Seminole Woods Boulevard, and that had apparently not seen the motorcycle heading its way.
159 New Laws Kick In Friday on Domestic Violence, Bullying, Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion, Hunting
New laws include a minimum 30-day jail sentence in domestic violence crimes involving intentional injury, tax cuts, school choice, more benefits for veterans, a new Holocaust memorial, and many more.
New Report Doubles Estimate of Transgender People in U.S.; Florida’s Proportion Ranks 6th
The estimate places Florida’s proportion of transgender people at almost 0.7 percent, for a total of 100,000 people, with the national proportion at 0.6 percent, for a total of 1.4 million.
Thursday Briefing: Drug Court, You Have the Right to Remain Private, Universal Basic Income, President Harding’s Erotica
Flagler County is limbering up for a long Independence Day weekend, so no major events or meetings today, giving you a chance to catch up on President Harding’s erotica, how the rest of the world views Trump, and police-state policing in Delray Beach.
Monday Briefing: Old Kings Road Extension Opening, Bunnell’s Special Events, Bimbo Campaigning, Zola on Reactionaries
The Old Kings Road extension around Matanzas High School opens in a ceremony at 10 a.m., desperate Florida politicians are resorting to bimbo tactics to get elected, Bunnell revises its special-events ordinance.
Florida Congressional Candidate Evers Riles LGBT Activists With Assault Weapon Raffle
Barely a week after the Orlando massacre, state Sen. Greg Evers drew criticism for planning to give away a semiautomatic rifle similar to that used in the attack that killed 49 people and injured dozens of others at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Monday Briefing: 700 at Massacre Vigil, Flagler’s Constitutional Budgets, More Newspaper Graveyards, Trump Profiling
Friday’s vigil in Flagler Beach draws 700, Flagler government talks dollars for constitutionals, Donald Trump wants more profiling, newspapers have another very bad year, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
As Exceptionally American As It Gets
Our mass shootings have developed their own set rituals and denials, none so lethal as the complicity with murder that blames the wrong targets while excusing guns.