There is data on where and how armed personnel are used in school districts across the nation. There is less data on how effective that armed presence has been. That’s not a result of partisanship but simply a matter of fact: little systematic and peer-reviewed research has been carried out on the subject, and what little there is tends to lack the sort of rigor that can be the basis for sound conclusions one way or the other.
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FDLE Is Launching Florida Purple Alert Program for Missing Adults With Mental Disabilities
The Purple Alert will be used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from mental, cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 16, 2022
Judge Perkins’s Drug Court, Joan Didion’s Notebook, Boy George’s karma, the Ocala forests’s bombings.
FPC’s Jack Petocz, Suspended in March, Is President Biden’s Guest at White House Signing of LGBTQ Order
Flagler Palm Coast High School senior Jack Petocz was among President Biden’s guests today at a White House Pride event and signing of an executive order extending protections to LGBTQ+ people. Petocz caught the White House’s attention after leading a walkout at FPOC to protest a new law discriminating against LGBTQ people. He was suspended for three days after the walkout.
There Is No One ‘Religious View’ on Abortion
One in four Americans who have had abortions are Catholic, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for reproductive health. It’s a clear reminder of the complex relationship between any religious tradition’s teachings and how people actually live out their beliefs.
Inspiration of Hope Hosts Gospel Extravaganza at Palm Coast Community Center June 25
Inspiration of Hope Community Resources, Inc. is hosting a Gospel Extravaganza at 3 p.m., on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the Palm Coast Community Center.
Florida Court Rejects Attempt to Suppress Grand-Jury Report on School Safety
An appeals court Wednesday rejected attempts to block the release of information in a final report by a statewide grand jury formed to investigate school safety and other issues after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Student Michael Baskin’s Design Wins Scenic A1A Logo Contest
Flagler Palm Coast High School student Michael Baskin’s digital art design was selected from more than 20 submissions for the contest. The design will be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation for review and installation at strategic locations along the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway.
Another Cell Tower Plan Near Palm Harbor Golf Has Palm Coast Council Fearful of Public Reaction
The Palm Coast City Council is set to approve leases for two new cell towers–one off Royal Palms Parkway in Town center, one off Club House Drive, near the Palm Harbor Golf Course. But the Club House Drive tower is controversial, as was a similar proposal for a tower within the golf club in late 2020. Public opposition defeated that proposal. The council is worried about a replay.
3 Months in Jail for Travis Smith, Who’d Drunkenly Assaulted and Spat on Lyft Driver
Travis Schriever Smith, the 38-year-old Palm Coast resident a jury in May found guilty of assaulting a Lyft driver in his car and by the side of a road in 2020, was sentenced to three months in jail and six months on probation today by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. The jury had acquitted him of a felony burglary charge that could have exposed Smith to prison time.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Travis Smith, Robert Batie and Brennan Hill are in court, the Palm Coast Planning Board takes on Grand Reserve East, Brad Swanson at Tiger Bay, Edvard Grieg’s birthday, Mayor Lindsay’s luck.
Inflation Is Spiking. Can the Fed Raise Interest Rates Without Spiking Unemployment, Too?
Economists fear that raising rates too fast and too steeply would likely put the brakes on economic growth, resulting in an economic recession and soaring unemployment. An economist who studies inflation believes there are several reasons the Fed can more fiercely fight inflation without worrying so much about unemployment.
3 Arrested, 4th Sought in Murders of Noah Smith and Keymarion Hall by ‘Wannabe Badasses’
In a major break in two related murder cases, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly today announced the arrests of three of four individuals in the shooting deaths earlier this year of Noah Smith and Keymarion Hall, both 16, both in South Bunnell, both in drivebys resulting from a simmering feud between wannabe gangs in Bunnell and Palm Coast.
As Sheriff Staly Asks for 10 More Deputies from City and County, Alfin Floats Impact Fee Budget Model
Sheriff Rick Staly is asking for 10 more deputies from Palm Coast and the county and renewed focus on better salaries. Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is proposing to shift law enforcement budgeting to an impact fee model, thus having new development shoulder a substantial part of the cost.
Arrested for Driving School Bus Severely Drunk, He’s Back in Jail for Showing Up to Court Drunk
Mark McNeill, 60, was arrested in February for driving severely drunk with 40 Buddy Taylor Middle School students aboard. He appeared before a judge on Monday for a plea deal. He was drunk. The judge sent him back to jail. The plea deal is in doubt.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
The Community Traffic Safety Team meets as do the Palm Coast City Council and the Flagler County Planning Board, it’s Donald Trump’s birthday, bombing in the Ocala forest, and Munich’s beer.
Blaming ‘Evil’ Is Not Enough
Evil is one of the most complex and paradoxical words in the English language. It can galvanize collective action but also lead to collective paralysis, as if the presence of evil can’t be helped. As a philosopher studying moral concepts and their role in communication, I find it essential to scrutinize this word.
Pro Wrestler Jeff Hardy, in ‘Stupor,’ Arrested on Felony DUI and Driving on Suspended License
Jeff Hardy, the 44-year-old professional wrestler and musician with a storied career and a few previous arrests was arrested again today on a felony charge of drunk driving and driving on a revoked license. He was on I-95 in Volusia County when Florida Highway Patrol trooper Zach Steiner pulled him over.
Larry Cavallaro, 75, Says He’s Guilty of Raping Flagler Woman, But Evades Prison Time in Plea
Larry Cavallaro, 75, a former gallery owner in Flagler Beach, pleaded guilty today to raping a woman at his home in Beverly Beach in December 2017, but was sentenced only to two years’ house arrest and eight years of sex offender probation.
Still a Dime Short in Flagler and Florida, $5-a-Gallon Gas Swills Over 21 States
Share prices on Wall Street continued to tumble today, entering bear-market territory, meaning that share prices have lost 20 percent of their value since January, with one notable exception: Big Oil.
Flagler Pride: Local LGBTQ+ Community Celebrates Itself, with Activism, Avowals and 2 Mayors
The third annual Flagler Pride weekend held at Palm Coast’s Town Center and in Flagler Beach this weekend drew some 500 participants, featured musicians, comedians and a belly dancer on Saturday, a vigil on Sunday, and two mayors along the way–Palm Coast’s David Alfin and Flagler Beach’s Suzie Johnston–reflecting Flagler Pride’s growing local imprint and embrace.
Armed Car Jacker Who Stole Pick-Up in Daytona Beach Is Chased in P-Section, and Apprehended
An alleged car-jacker who’d stolen a work truck in Daytona Beach before dawn was apprehended after a two-hour search in Palm Coast’s P-Section, including the assistance of an emergency helicopter.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 13, 2022
Larry Cavallaro pleads out his first-degree felony rape charge, free meals for kids at Bunnell’s Housing Authority and FPC, the Bunnell City Commission meets, Malcolm McDowell, Anthony Burgess and A Clockwork Orange.
Did the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Diminish Mass Shootings? Yes.
The risk of a person in the U.S. dying in a mass shooting was 70% lower during the period in which the assault weapons ban was active. The proportion of overall gun homicides resulting from mass shootings was also down, with nine fewer mass-shooting-related fatalities per 10,000 shooting deaths.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 12, 2022
Flagler Pride Weekend 2022 concludes, Grace Community Food Pantry, Loving v. Virginia, Ronald Reagan’s Tear Down This Wall speech and a Brandenburg.
Crowded Primaries Are Good for Extremists, Bad for Voters
Each additional candidate who gets votes lowers the number of votes needed to secure a nomination. The outcomes of primaries with many candidates are unpredictable and may result in extreme, inexperienced or controversial nominees who may not truly represent a majority of voters. And a fringe candidate winning the primary and advancing to the general election can mean a risky candidate for their party.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 11, 2022
It’s Flagler Pride Weekend 2022 at Palm Coast’s Town center, with music, food and all sorts of fun, and who doesn’t miss red-capped Jacques Cousteau, and a word from Bernard Rustin.
To Get Safe Schools, Mental Health Resources Are Critical
School violence prevention requires professionals – counselors, psychologists and social workers – who know how to create an emotionally safe environment, which research shows is critical to safe schools. There is a critical shortage of such employees.
$200,000 Goal in Day of Giving for Bethune-Cookman University on June 17
Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) is celebrating a Day of Giving from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday, June 17. The university is asking alumni, stakeholders and those who love and support B-CU to help reach its goal of raising $200,000.
Prison ‘Gain Time’ Case Roils Court as Sexual Offender Is Deemed Eligible for Early Release
Rejecting longstanding legal precedent, a state appeals court said Friday that a man convicted of attempted sexual battery on a child is eligible to be considered for early release from prison.
In Major Shake-Up, Bossardet Is New FPC Principal, Peacock to Wadsworth, LaShakia Moore is Deputy Superintendent
The district insisted the two former assistant superintendents, Bobby Bossardet and Paul Peacock, were not being demoted back to principalships, a claim that was far more credible regarding Bossardet taking over FPC than it was about Peacock, who is taking over Wadsworth Elementary School and whose tenure at the district had been problematic.
For Emma Stanford, an Odyssey on Behalf of K-9s Leads to Bill-Signing in Bunnell With Gov. DeSantis
Emma Stanford, 14, a Flagler County resident, has been advocating and fund-raising for local sheriff’s K-9 units for years. Today, she stood alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis at the signing of a bill at the Flagler County courthouse that will ensure the payment of medical expenses for retired K9s across the state.
Flagler Beach Kills Fireworks on July 4 Over Dissatisfaction With Vendor and Contract Changes
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally and irrevocably killed this year’s July 4 fireworks after further dissatisfaction with both the fireworks vendor and the administration’s handling of the matter, which means it’ll be the third year in a row that the pier will be dark the night of Independence Day.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 10, 2022
Travis Smith sentencing, Portugal Day Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall, Saul Bellow and his “Silver Dish” and an excerpt from The Adventures of Augie March.
Antarctica’s Riskiest Glacier Is Losing Its Grip
Antarctica is a continent comprising several large islands, one of them the size of Australia, all buried under a 10,000-foot-thick layer of ice. The ice holds enough fresh water to raise sea level by nearly 200 feet. You don’t want its glaciers melting. They are.
In Flagler, Red-Flag Law and Therapy Dogs Begin to Impact Response to Domestic Violence and Other Crimes
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly hosted the latest domestic violence summit today at the Hilton garden Inn, where much of the discussion centered on changes that have taken place since 2016, and more especially since 2018: how the so-called red-flag law now plays a role in the gravest domestic violence cases, and how therapy dogs can be the difference between a witness cooperating, or opening up, and not.
DeSantis Scraps Another Cabinet Meeting, Canceling State Business; Fried Calls It ‘Insult’ to Floridians
Gov. Ron DeSantis has cancelled a meeting of the Florida Cabinet again, prompting complaints from Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried that the governor is evading oversight under Florida’s unique executive branch mechanism.
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly Elected President of Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is honored to have been elected as the President of the Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association (FDSA) with his term beginning in July 2022. Sheriff Staly previously was the Vice President for FDSA for two years.
DeSantis Defends Press Secretary Christina Pushaw, Who ‘Belatedly’ Registered as Foreign Agent
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended his press secretary, Christina Pushaw, after The Washington Post reported that Pushaw this week registered as a foreign agent because of previous work for the former president of the country of Georgia.
Expect Lane Closures on SR100 as Work Crews Install Beams on Future Pedestrian Bridge
A new phase of construction for the soon-to-be pedestrian bridge that will cross over State Road 100 began today (June 9) as crews, using a crane, installed the first of several colossal, concrete beams across the roadway. The beams are being trucked in on oversize trucks.
Flagler Beach Mayor Declines to Sign Fireworks Contract, Citing Unapproved Cost and Shorter Show
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston said she is not signing the city’s fireworks contract with a pyrotechnics producer, at least not until the city commission reviews them, because the commission had not approved the extra $1,000 cost and a diminution of the show’s length to 17 minutes, from 20. it is is yet another delay from yet another unexpected twist in what has been a drudging effort to secure a July 4 fireworks for the city.
A 45-Year-Old Woman Is Killed in 2-Vehicle Crash at U.S. 1 and Whiteview Parkway
A 45-year-old Palm Coast woman was killed Wednesday evening in a t-bone crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Whiteview Parkway. The crash resulted in the 16th fatality of the year on Flagler roads.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 9, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, talks sewer plant again, and fireworks (again), it’s Donald Duck’s birthday, and the question is asked: Who killed journalist Shireen abu Akleh?
Officials Warn of Phone Scam Impersonating as Bunnell Police
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office notified the Bunnell Police Department they received complaints from area residents regarding a “spoofing” scam where the suspect manipulates the phone system to indicate on the Caller ID the same phone number as the one for the Bunnell Police Department.
Democrats Seek Special Legislative Session on Guns, But Need 60% of Lawmakers to Back Bid
Florida lawmakers will have until 3 p.m. Friday to weigh in on a proposal by Democrats to hold a special legislative session on gun violence.
The Legal Age to Buy Assault Weapons Doesn’t Make Sense
Considering someone an adult once they turn 18 is a relatively recent trend, and it’s not clear that it can stand up to public scrutiny as a meaningful threshold for legally purchasing firearms.
State Road 100 Will Be Repaved, Have New Sidewalks and Additional Crossing Points
The Florida Department of Transportation plan s a $11.6 million upgrade of State Road 100–or East Moody Boulevard–from just east of Old Kings Road and I-95 in Palm Coast to the edge of central Bunnell to the west, a 4.55-mile project starting in the fall of 2023.
Fourth Grade Survivor of Uvalde Shooting Tells Congress: ‘I Don’t Want It to Happen Again’
11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grader who survived the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting where 19 students and two teachers were murdered told lawmakers Wednesday that she is afraid to go back to school.
Anti-Alabama Slurs Aside, Palm Coast Council Clears 251-Apartment Complex in Town Center
The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote approved the 251-unit Wilton apartment complex off Brookhaven Drive, but not before Council member Eddie Branquinho repeatedly took on the project’s Alabama-based investors, asking openly whether the council was “on the side of Alabama” or on that of Palm Coast residents.
The Live Profile | Raise High the Roof Beam: Kyle Berryhill Is Palm Coast’s New Fire Chief
Kyle Berryhill, 42, was named Palm Coast’s next fire chief when Jerry Forte officially retires on Oct. 14, though Berryhill has been gradually taking the reins for months. It is the culmination of a career that started in 2005 with his first job as a firefighter-EMT in Palm Coast, and that’s been defined by a combination of command and humility both as a union leader and a manager.