The center of Tropical Storm Nicole was about 300 miles southeast of Flagler Beach in mid-afternoon today, but the vastness of its strength and impacts was apparent up and down Flagler County’s coast, with most pronounced damages to dunes south of the Flagler Beach pier and toward the Flagler-Volusia County line.
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Florida Voters Reject Additional Property Tax Breaks or Ending Constitutional Revision Commission
Florida voters late Tuesday appeared to have rejected three proposed constitutional amendments that would have provided property-tax breaks and eliminated the state’s Constitution Revision Commission.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 9, 2022
The day after the election, Flagler County is mostly closed in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole’s effects, Iran’s women, remembering Spiro Agnew, that hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.
Number of Encounters at Mexico Border Doesn’t Mean What GOP Claims
Numbers Republican candidates and politicians keep referring to as representing an “invasion” of migrants represent encounters, not the number of individuals who have come across the border. It’s a misleading and inaccurate way of describing the number of people coming into the U.S.
Leann Pennington, Theresa Pontieri, Will Furry and Cathy Heighter Win, Half-Cent Tax Passes, Amendments Fail
For Flagler County and Palm Coast, it is an election of new faces: four races, four newcomers to elected office: Leann Pennington won a seat on the County Commission, Theresa Pontieri and Cathy Heighter won seats to the Palm Coast City Council, and Will Furry won a Flagler County School Board seat.
Tropical Storm Nicole: Barrier Island Evacuation Ordered and Shortened School Day Wednesday, Closed Thursday
Tropical Storm Nicole’s path has been edging closer to Flagler County. A hurricane watch was issued for the Flagler County coast late this morning. A tropical storm warning is also in effect for Flagler. Rougher, more hazardous and more damaging effects are expected on the barrier island, but possibly not as violent on the mainland, though rain amounts may be closer to 6 inches for much of the county.
Election Day Opens With Most Ballots Already Cast in Brisk Early and Mail Voting
Polls opened today for the final day of the 2022 election, with nearly 42,000 votes already cast by mail or in early voting in Flagler County. Only a handful of local races are on the ballot.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 8, 2022
It’s Election Day, and Flagler needs 21,000 votes to have a higher turnout than in 2018, recalling the “Astounding Triumph of Republicanism…” in 1860, a total lunar eclipse, James Howard Kunstler on the ugliness of America’s urban landscapes.
The Live Calendar: Palm Coast, Flagler and Nearbys’ Complete List of Events
Palm Coast Flagler and the region’s most comprehensive calendar of political, cultural, civic, social and entertainment events for coming days, near and far.
America’s Election Workers: Overworked, Underpaid and Feeling Pressured
The focus on the machinery of elections has obscured a different threat to the nation’s elections: Local election administrators work under increasingly difficult circumstances, with dwindling resources and mounting challenges.
Rotary Club Delivers 1,000 Free Dictionaries to Flagler County’s Third Graders
The Rotary Club of Flagler County delivered 1008 dictionaries to seven schools as part of a national program that gives dictionaries to students free for their use. The program has just restarted this year after being on hold due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
After nearly 6,000 Flights, County Hails Dana Morris, FireFlight’s Chief Pilot, on Eve of His Retirement
After nearly 6,000 flights and 4,300 flight hours, FireFlight Chief Pilot Dana Morris’s career in Flagler is ending. His co-pilot Todd Whaley gifted him a replica of FireFlight today as the County Commission recognized his 20-yuear career in Flagler.
Barrier Island May Be Evacuated Wednesday Morning as Nicole’s Effects on Flagler Could Repeat Ian’s
Flagler County emergency management officials are cautioning residents of the barrier island, from Flagler Beach to Marineland, to be ready to evacuate as early as Wednesday as sub-tropical storm Nicole strengthens into a hurricane, making landfall in south Florida in the first hours of Thursday. Talks are ongoing possibly to stand up a shelter at the Palm Coast Community Center.
Five Inmates Graduate from Flagler Jail’s Immersive Addiction Recovery Program, for Total of 42
Inmates in the addiction-recovery program live, breathe and eat together at the Flagler County jail, replicating the value of an in-patient recovery program and vastly improving its success rate, as most of those who are released–with follow-up care–do not return to the jail.
‘Chaos and Confusion’: The Campaign to Stamp Out Ballot Drop Boxes
Drop boxes have become a symbol of the attacks on voter access even though there’s been no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft involving drop boxes that could have affected election outcomes. Up to one-fourth of Florida drop-boxes had to be eliminated due to a new law restricting their use and locations.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 7, 2022
The Flagler County Commission honors Dana Morris, who is retiring after flying Flagler County FireFlight for two decades, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, Bill Bryson’s cruel words about Iowa women.
What To Expect at the Climate Summit
This year’s climate summit is seen as the one that can bring concrete actions and commitments on emission reductions and also on the financing of losses and damages resulting from climate change to the global south. But will it be more successful than previous summits?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 6, 2022
Kiwanis Club’s Fantastic Musical Comedy Show, “Charley’s Aunt,” at City Repertory Theatre, “Driving Miss Daisy” at Flagler Playhouse, how Trump is still damaging America, the wonder of books.
Pain Management, Opioids and the Promise of Pot
Drug overdose deaths from opioids continue to rise in the U.S. as a result of both the misuse of prescription opioids and the illicit drug market. But an interesting trend has developed: Opioid emergency room visits drop by nearly 8% and opioid prescriptions are modestly lower in states where marijuana is legalized.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 5, 2022
Last day for early voting, 5th Annual Hidden Treasures at Hidden Trails Community Sale, Flagler Beach Farmers Market, “Charley’s Aunt,” at City Repertory Theatre, and how American society is so focused on race that it is blind to class.
There Is No Ethical Reason Not to Vote
Even if November 2022 could see more Americans registering their midcycle political preferences than in recent years, a large chunk of eligible voters – perhaps around half – will not bother. Each of the usual arguments against voting is flawed.
Porsche-Driving Man Gets Impatient With Road-Crew Worker–and Drives Into Him
Donald Steimle of Palm Coast faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after driving his Porsche into a flagman at a job site where Steimle allegedly lost patience.
DOT Dumping Sand at South End of Flagler to Protect A1A, But Heart of Flagler Beach Is Defenseless
Workers have been dumping new white sand at the rate of 590 cubic yards a day to buttress the dunes and protect State Road A1A from the Flagler Beach city limit down into Ormond By the Sea. Yet Flagler Beach itself, including the area at the heart of the city that has eroded even more since Hurricane Ian, remains critically defenseless.
In latest Intrusion on Academic Freedom, Tenure Review Could Be Tied to How Professors Teach Race
A controversial law designed to restrict the way certain race-related topics can be taught in Florida classrooms could factor into a new tenure-review process for university professors, under a proposal that higher-education officials will consider next week.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 4, 2022
“Charley’s Aunt,” at City Repertory Theatre, First Friday in Flagler Beach, “Driving Miss Daisy” at Flagler Playhouse, other media catch up to Will Fury’s sleaze, extremists and political violence.
Political Violence, at Home in America
A warning about the threat of political violence heading into the 2022 midterm elections was issued to state and local law enforcement officials by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 28.
Potential Storm Has Flagler Officials Worried About Further Damage to Weakened Dunes
A storm developing east of the Bahamas has Flagler County officials worried–not about a significant wind or rain event, but about higher tides, high waves and further damage to the already weakened dune system along the county’s 18 miles of coastline.
FEMA Dollars May Not Be Enough to Rebuild Pier, State Emergency Chief Guthrie Tells Flagler Officials
Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told a group of Flagler County and Flagler Beach officials that they’ll need to lobby their state representatives for additional money if they hope to have all the funds necessary for an 800-foot concrete replacement pier.
Palm Coast Loses Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon to Cancer Days After He Is Honored for Milestones
The Palm Coast Fire Department’s Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon died today of an inoperable brain tumor less than three months after he was diagnosed, and barely two weeks after he was recognized in a ceremony for earning his paramedic certification. He had just turned 51 on Tuesday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, November 3, 2022
Three days left for early voting, open registration for spring 2023 classes at all DSC campuses, the Pegasus String Quartet in recital, Beppe Severgnini on shopping in America.
Christian Nationalism’s Gated Community
According to a May 2022 poll from the University of Maryland, 61% of Republicans favor declaring the United States a Christian nation – even though 57% recognized that it would be unconstitutional. Christian nationalism is more than religiosity and patriotism. It is a worldview that guides how people believe the nation should be structured and who belongs there.
Flagler Schools Have Been Quietly Banning or ‘Removing’ Many Books Since Summer in Bow to ‘Moms for Liberty’
The school district has been quietly and steadily banning books from library shelves at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High, and at Indian Trails and Buddy Taylor middle schools since summer, FlaglerLive has found, with every title part of a list of challenges from just three members of the group known as “Moms for Liberty.” There is no indication that the challengers are reading the books, but they have been asked to join the district’s review committee.
Amendment 3: Is Yet Another Homestead Exemptions Needed, Or Prudent?
Florida voters could offer significant property tax exemptions to Florida’s teachers, firefighters, active-duty members of the U.S. military, and other specified professions, amid a relatively hostile housing market. But a well-meaning tax exemption may bring about other complications, such as a loss of local government tax revenue.
Brittany Myers, Former NICU Nurse, Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison Over Child Beatings
Brittany Ann Myers, the 39-year-old former neonatal intensive care nurse and mother of five, was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison followed by three years on probation for brutalizing her 14-year-old son, acts captured on video by the boy’s sister.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 2, 2022
The county’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee talks building incentives, early voting continues, an explanation of Magritte’s treachery of images, the rise of juvenile delinquency, circa 1921.
Race-Based Diversity in College Admissions Is on the Brink of Extinction
The U.S. military learned a valuable lesson about race during the Vietnam War: Diversity does not happen without affirmative action. The conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court is about to unlearn that lesson.
American Legion Post 115 Commander Headlines Flagler-Palm Coast County Veterans Day Ceremony
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners and the City of Palm Coast invite residents to gather for a blended Veteran’s Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, November 11, at Central Park to honor the men and women who bravely served in the country’s military. The “Flagler County Colonel Gary E. DeKay Veteran of the Year” award recipient will be announced.
Sen. Ben Sasse, ‘Sole Finalist,’ Chosen by Trustees to Lead University of Florida After Secret Search
The University of Florida’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve Nebraska’s U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse as the new president to lead Florida’s flagship institution, despite weeks of outcry, questions about the senator’s political views, and an air of secrecy around the search process that led to his candidacy.
The board agreed to provide compensation for Sasse that would be up to but not exceed $1.6 million.
The Next Medical Examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam: Powerful Panel Narrows List of Candidates to 5
The committee tasked with recommending a new medical examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam County this morning narrowed its search to five applicants who will be interviewed for the $320,000-a-year job on December 6 in St. Augustine. The five candidates are Kent Harshbarger, Keng-Chih Su (he goes by Kenny), Stacey Simons, Catherine Miller and Wendolyn Snead.
‘A Failed Model Ends Today,’ Recovery Pioneer Says in Flagler Launch of New Drug Treatment
Dr. Kenneth Scheppke, a state health official, appeared in Flagler County alongside others in a formal launch of a $1.3 million, medically assisted drug-addiction treatment system called Coordinated Opioid Recovery, or CORE. Flagler is one of 12 counties in the state to enact the program.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
The school board rehearses saying good bye to Trevor Tucker, Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald, early voting continues, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, How To Build a Semi-Fascist Party.
The Dangers Behind the Supreme Court Losing Legitimacy
The Supreme Court’s historically low public standing has prompted a national conversation about the court’s legitimacy. It’s even drawn rare public comment from three sitting Supreme Court justices. What’s referred to by experts as the problem of “judicial legitimacy” may seem abstract, but the court’s faltering public support is about more than popularity.
Sheriff’s SWAT Team Assists FBI in Serving Warrants in ‘Multiple Locations’ in Flagler
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team joined agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation early this morning to serve warrants in “multiple” locations around the county, Sheriff Rick Staly said. But details about the operation, as is common when federal agents are the lead agency, are scant to none.
Higher Proportion of Flagler Democrats Are Voting Than GOP, But Still Not Enough to Outnumber Advantage
The perception is that Democrats appear to be sitting on their hands. They’re not: they’re outvoting Republicans, but only in proportion to their registration numbers, not in ballots cast. Since there are so many more registered Republicans than there are Democrats in the county, Democrats’ slight enthusiasm edge has not been nearly enough to compensate for the huge gap in actual ballots cast by Republicans.
Flagler County Emergency Management Planner Nealon Joseph Deploys to Lee County
Flagler County Emergency Management Planner Nealon Joseph, a mass care (sheltering, victim/evacuee care) specialist, was requested to deploy to the Lee County’s Emergency Operations Center to relieve existing mutual aid support from Brevard County.
Safety Meeting for Holiday Boat Parade Will be Held at Palm Coast Community Center
The venue for the required safety meeting for registered boat captains in the 2022 Holiday Boat Parade on December 3 has been changed. The meeting will be held this year at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast, Florida 32137, not at Pine Lakes Golf Club as previously announced.
Halloween Hangover: Gas Prices Will Jump at Least 25 Cents Tuesday as Election Ploy Ends
The GOP-dominated Florida Legislature and the Biden administration have both manipulated gas prices ahead of the 2022 election, with a gas-tax cut in Florida that ends tonight, sending prices soaring 7 percent overnight, and continued releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, now at its lowest since 1984.
Churches Are Breaking the Law by Endorsing in Elections, Experts Say. The IRS Looks the Other Way.
For nearly 70 years, federal law has barred churches from directly involving themselves in political campaigns, but the IRS has largely abdicated its enforcement responsibilities as churches have become more brazen about publicly backing candidates.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, October 31, 2022
The Halloween Hall of Terror is back at Palm Coast Fire Station 21, giving books for treats instead of candy, Lake Okeechobee in memoriam.
The Ethics of Cancelling Student Debt
Is student debt cancellation unfair? It isn’t as simple as yes or no answer. It seems to violate the moral principle of following through on one’s promises. Fairness and respect, however, also demand that society address the magnitude of student debt today, and especially the burden it imposes on low-income, first-generation and Black borrowers.