After hosting “Open Lines” for two years, and with Rush Limbaugh coming on, WNZF General manager David Ayres is shuffling the station’s lineup. He’ll host a weekly Saturday show.
Backgrounders
These Dorks’ Fun Begins After They Get Hit By a Bus: “Forever Plaid” At Flagler Auditorium
“Forever Plaid” is a musical tribute to the 1950s, to innocence, to lovable dorkiness and to four-part harmonies. The show has been pleasing audiences for more than 20 years across most continents.
Florida Schools’ B-, Homelessness in Our Midst, Gun Cultures and Great Composers: The Live Wire, Jan. 11
Florida schools rank high in an Education Week survey, another oil leak in Alaska, Arizona’s gun culture, the 10 greatest composers of all time, more on Joseph Brodsky, and more else.
County Commissioners Trip Into “Inadvertent” Sunshine Violations Through Emails
County administrator Craig Coffey solicited feedback from commissioners on an economic development document he was preparing. Two commissioners copied their replies to fellow-commissioners, a violation of the sunshine law.
FPC Bulldogs’ Big Win, Foreclosure Bandits, John McCain’s Crankiness: The Live Wire, Jan. 6
The FPC Bulldogs basketball team beats Mainland at Mainland, how the recession smashed up state budgets, the war on journalists, Facebook vs. Twitter, a look at Damascus and Jerusalem in 1938, and more.
Edouard Manet: “Olympia” (1863)
Edouart Manet’s “Olympia” (1863)
Rick Scott’s Forgettable Inaugural, a GOP Welcome, JailinG girls for Men’s Crimes: The Live Wire, Jan. 5
Also, David Brooks as the Babbitt of Bobos, Oprah’s fake love of Dickens, the wussification of America, the importance of analytical reporting, and more.
For Jobless Flagler, 3 Economic Development Plans But Little Direction or Unity
As joblessness persists in Flagler County, local governments want to increase their role in economic development, but there’s no agreement about who would lead, and how.
News-Journal Circulation Plummets 10% in First 6 Months Under New Ownership
The News-Journal circulation has fallen by more than 41,000 copies, or 39 percent since 2005 though its recent, accelerating decline is far steeper than losses the newspaper industry is experiencing across the country.
Florida Corruptions, Grayson’s Farewell, Disney’s Mammoth: The Live Wire, Jan. 4
Florida’s foreclosure mediation is less than advertised, Scalia has weird ideas on equal protection, Chinese breast stimulators are very funny, going from birth to 10 in a time-lapse video, and more.
School Uniforms in Alachua, Rick Scott’s 70s Nostalgia, Junk-Touching Diagrammed: The Live Wire, Jan. 3
Also, a Florida appeals court throws out a conviction against pill pushers, Shel Silverstein reads the Giving Tree, a Christmas rewind from the Flagler Fire Department and more.
Flagler Lays Off Sex as Births Fall For First Time in 16 Years; Deaths Also Dip
Flagler County’s old norms keep dying. Used to be that property values never fell. And for more than two decades, they didn’t. They only increased. That changed in 2008, when they fell 8.5 percent, and kept falling more steeply the next two years. Values are set to fall again next year, if the last six […]
Florida Bulks Up, FCAT Hype, Adam Putnam’s Bosses, Eclipse Toons: The Live Wire, Dec. 22
Also, graphing your own Census, Medicare’s therapy fraud express, the Smithsonian’s new culture wars, buzzrords of 2010, F. Scott Fitzgerald reading Keats, and more.
FPC at EPCOT, George Hanns as Burt Reynolds, a Lunar Eclipse and Tiger’s Sex: The Live Wire, Dec. 20
Your police state (and local police agencies) on steroids, how Facebook is more dangerous to soldiers than Wikileaks, WNZF soars higher, when China overtakes America, and more.
All Eyes on Pensacola Federal Judge Roger Vinson as Health Reform Faces Its Next Bug
Pensacola-based federal District Judge Roger Vinson will be ruling soon on the constitutionality of Obama’s health care reform. He’s likely to rule it unconstitutional, further weakening the law’s legitimacy as it moves toward the U.S. Supreme Court.
Flagler Unemployment Spikes Back Up to 16.6% and Florida’s Back Up to 12%
Just as Congress sent an $801 billion tax cut package that includes $57 billion in extended unemployment benefits, Florida’s and Flagler’s unemployment rates resume their climb. That climb should be brief, however.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Dec. 10-14, 2010
Must be Christmas: a slew of shoplifting–wine and cheese at Publix, shoes at Bealls, beer at target, some toy at Walmart–plus an angry dog, an unlucky jailbird, and more.
Saluting FPC’s Student Government, Developers’ Psyche, USB’s New Dress Code: The Live Wire, Dec. 16
BP’s other blow-outs, are developers greedy or misunderstood?, your answers if you want to be a journalist, debating Islam, how relationships die, and more.
Toxic Bosses: When Supervisors Inflict the 7 Deadly Sins of Business on Their Employees
When it comes to anger, greed, laziness, pride, lust, jealousy and, of course, gluttony, there’s no beating the boss: Florida State University researchers are documenting the toxic effects of lousy supervisors on their workers.
Half of Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Listens to Local Pleas Without Quite Hearing Them
Sen. John Thrasher and State Rep. Fred Costello listened to 90 minutes of pleas and policy suggestions from Flagler County officials Wednesday in Bunnell. Whether they heard anything is debatable. And two of Flagler’s legislators didn’t show up.
Rick Scott’s School Bashing, Florida’s $3.5 Billion Deficit, Jesus as Left-Wing Pinko: The Live Wire, Dec. 15
Not to mention a Nate Truelove update, James Baldwin On Malcolm X, Time’s Man of the Year, Congress’ lowest approval ever, dinner with Santa, and more.
Palm Coast’s Population Drops to 69,000 in Latest Census Estimate, Flagler’s to 85,600
While those aren’t yet the final 2010 Census figures, the 5-year community survey numbers are the next-most precise set of data, with startling results for Flagler County, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell.
More Trouble for Palm Coast Marathon Promoter Dean Reinke: Sued in Federal Court
A Missouri city last week filed a motion for an injunction against Dean Reinke of Reinke Sports Group, who faces a copyright-infringement suit in Indiana and a string of setbacks in other cities where he staged half-marathons.
Health Care Reform Ruled Unconstitutional; Florida Judge’s Decision Up Next
Monday’s ruling doesn’t stop the roll-out of federal health care reform. Two federal judges have previously ruled the law constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court will settle the issue by 2012 or 2013.
Florida Loves Polluters, Girl Crushes of 2010, and Madonna vs. Lady Gaga: The Live Wire, Dec. 13
The Florida Legislature’s coming war on civil liberties, Florida’s new muscle in DC, the state of giving in the US, Madonna takes on lady Gaga, Palm Coast’s holiday joy ride, and more.
Palm Coast’s Chrysler Dealership Burglarized, Jacksonville Thieves Descend on the City
The burglar at the Chrysler dealership on S.R. 100 tried but fail to drive a car out of the service department. Deputies in unrelated incidents arrested three alleged retail thieves in Palm Coast, all of them from Jacksonville.
Palm Coast Data Parent’s Headaches: Diving Revenue and $22.5 Million Loan Due
At Palm Coast Data, revenue declined $10.9 million in the six months ending Oct. 31, a 22 percent decline from the same period last year. Palm Coast Data parent AMREP Corp.’s Southwest subsidiary owes a $22.5 million loan to be repaid on Dec. 16.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 8-hr 38mn Speech on Obama’s Deal With the GOP
On Dec. 10, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, held the floor of the Senate for eight hours and 38 minutes in a remarkable filibuster-like speech opposing Obama’s tax deal with the GOP. Here’s the full speech.
A Fund-Raiser for Jamie Bly, Florida Apologies, Foreclosure City and Humboldt’s Gift: Live Wire Weekend
Help for Jamie Bly, who was in the wreck with the late Josh Crews, Florida apologizes for its civil rights-era bigotries, Palm Coast is foreclosure city, the GOP’s 9/11 follies, Jay-Z on profiling, Clint Eastwood on death, and much more.
Turnout Strategy: Florida’s War on Federal Health Care Reform Targets 2012 Ballot
Florida Senate Republicans approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would exempt Floridians from following federal health care reform mandates. The 2012 ballot measure is intended to bring out anti-Obama voters.
Despite Evidence, Palm Coast Hooks Up With Marathon Promoter With Troubled History
Dean Reinke’s Reinke Sports Group has left a trail of severed relationships, disillusioned local officials and one law suit in several cities where Reinke has promoted his half marathons. Palm Coast is now embracing him.
The Many Lies of Waiting for Superman, Beating Terrorism, Disney’s Epic Mickey: Live Wire, Dec. 8
Waiting for Superman, a documentary packed with exciting lies about charter schools, comes to Palm Coast, why no one cares about the jobless, suicide bombers, Beatles fans getting excited about Paul McCartney’s death, and more.
Alan Peterson Ascends, Elizabeth Edwards Dies, So Does Obama’s Resolve: The Live Wire, Dec. 7
Alan Peterson is the new chairman of the Flagler County Commission, remembering Frederick Robert Gleissner, the tax cuts few people want, clobbering the 4th amendment, Picasso at work, and more.
State DOT Unveils Its Priority List for Flagler, Riling Commissoners Over Matanzas Overpass
Long-sought dollars to help build the Matanzas interchange at I-95 made the list, at Number 2, but not before 2014, and only for the design phase of the project–which would be done by then, the county argues.
Cold Weather Shelter Needs You, A Panther at Linear Park, Qatar’s US Trouncing: The Live Wire, Dec. 6
The cold weather shelter for the homeless is open in Bunnell and needs your help, 2011’s biggest job killers (your local governments), Obama’s wimpiness,Christmas parades and grand marshals, Starbucks’ language problem, and more.
In a Victory for Palm Coast Firefighters’ Union, City’s Attempt to Split Bargaining Units Fails
The Palm Coast city administration objected to lieutenants’ inclusion with rank-and-file firefighters in the collective bargaining unit. The state dismissed that objection, clearing the way for the unit’s formation.
Taj Mahal Proposal (No, Not City Hall), Bulldog Drive Bulldogs, Atheist Buses: Live Wire Weekend, Dec. 3-5
Catherine Manfre’s Egyptian adventures, Pentagon lit majors, art nudes in the Middle East, the 10-year-old girl saved from Wolf Blitzer, the Titanic’s last days (on tape) and more.
More Foreclosure Screws, Jeb Bush Finds His Inner Hispanic, Christmas in Flagler Beach: The Live Wire, Dec. 2
Flagler Beach celebrates Christmas Dec. 3 and 4, the GOP denies children their lunch, Amazon censors Wikileaks, remembering Rosa Parks’ moment, the decline of marriage, the latest from Little Miss Flagler Daviana Campbell, and more.
Spying Employers, Dont Ask Don’t Tell Idiocy and a Death Special: The Live Wire, Nov. 30
The Pentagon discovers that gay soldiers aren’t nearly as scary as the bigotry keeping them out, employers discover the joys of spying on employees, Alice’s Restaurant is illustrated, and a big wild death special.
Palm Coast’s BMX Gamble, Racism and Obama, Small Business Saturday Recap: The Live Wire, Nov. 29
BMX’s Renny Roker didn’t tell Palm Coast how checkered his financial past is, plus the best Congress money can buy, legacies of bullying, a naked tribute to Leslie Nielsen, Obama’s national security sham, and more.
Wrongful Foreclosure: What You Need To Know
Banks and foreclosure defense attorneys disagree on whether errors in the process have caused wrongful foreclosures — but their definitions of what constitutes a “wrongful foreclosure” differ.
3,338 Days: U.S. Occupation of Afghanistan Is Now Longer Than Soviet Union’s
A photo gallery of the human and inhuman side of a conflict that’s worse than Vietnam in many ways, and is damaging American strategic and financial interests–with no end in sight. The only clear winner: al-Qaeda.
A Little Frankenstein to Brighten the Holiday Season: Culture Worth the Miles
You want culture? Free culture? You’ve got it: Winter Park’s Central Park offers the annual Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s Holiday Pops concerts Nov. 28; on Dec. 2, it’s the Bach Festival Choir singing to the illumination of the Morse Museum’s Tiffany windows. Plus Frankenstein and much more.
Story of a Rescue: How 12-Year-Old Barak Ordonez Made It Out of the Bulow Marshes
Looking for a shortcut to outrace his brothers during a hike deep in Bulow Plantation, 12-year-old Barak ended up lost 15 miles inside the marshy, park until a helicopter airlifted him out.
Casablanca, Thoreau, Haydn, Even Ayn Rand: A Thanksgiving Weekend LiveWire
Big thanks to FlaglerLive readers, Dooley Wilson plays it again, the hero entrepreneur myth is questioned, Joseph Haydn as Rodney Dangerfield, Ayn Rand on atheism, Richard Pryor on “nigger,” and plenty more.
Ice Skating in Palm Coast, Sex Advice From Poets, M*A*S*H Rewind: The Live Wire, Nov. 24
Palm Coast finds ways to materialize Christmas, North Korea goes mad again, a liberal defense of money, Obama’s speech to the nation on pardoning a turkey, and more.
Don’t Call Them Pill Mills: Palm Coast’s Pain Management Practices Recoil at Bad Rap
When Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming described three local pain management practices as “pill mills,” their doctors and practitioners were stunned and explained: Pill mills are a problem. Pain management clinics are not.
More Florida Follies, JFK, Keith Richards and John Updike Redux: The Live Wire, Nov. 22
Too many Florida follies, corporations and privacy rights, JFK’s inaugural, Lebanese independence, against dumb, an unpublished interview with Updike, Keith Richards on Mick Jagger, the beauties of Bayonne, and much more.
Sharples Gets a $1.2 Million Parachute, Free Will, Death Row and Steven Wright: Live Wire Weekend
Kent Sharples nails Daytona State College and gets a $1.2 million reward for it, Dick Cavett reminds us what talk shows were really about, foot-in-mouth diseases, Bill Nye on science and religion, and much more.
Chicks With Cans, Enterprise Flagler Undead, Flabby Supremes, Flabbier Sex Drives: The Live Wire, Nov. 18
Chicks With Cans show how Feed Flagler is done, Enterprise Flagler returns from the dead, militarist madness, philosophy on the radio, Wallace Stevens Week, mental illness redefined, and more.