The economy added 678,000 jobs in February, the largest one-month gain since March 2021, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent and nearing pre-Covid employment level of 3.5 percent, when 5.7 million people were unemployed. In February, 6.3 million were unemployed. The economy still has 2.1 million jobs to recover before matching pre-covid employment, however.
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The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 4, 2022
First Friday in Flagler Beach, Stephen Sondheim at the Flagler Playhouse, The 13th Paralympics Games open in (sigh) Beijing, a few bad memories of Grover Cleveland, the chauvinism behind the Russia-Ukraine war.
Stripping Bare the Illusion That Sports Are Apolitical
FIFA has suspended Russia from international competition, potentially excluding Russia from the World Cup in Qatar later this year. There are several reasons why the Ukraine invasion has served to break FIFA’s policy of viewing national teams apolitically. The brutality of the Russian aggression is one, the self-evident innocence of Ukraine is another.
William Oscar Dotson II, Obituary
William Oscar Dotson II, a resident for the past 30 years coming from Akron OH passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at the Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House with his loving family near him.
Javian Neesmith, Is Sentenced to 15 Years in prison in Fentanyl Overdose Death of Dimitry Popkov, 39
Javian Neesmith, a 22-year-old former resident of Buttermilk Drive, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday in a plea to manslaughter in the death by fentanyl overdose of
Dimitry Popkov, 39, on Karas Trail in September 2020.
A Parent’s Counsel to FPC Principal Greg Schwartz: Accommodate LGBTQ Students, Don’t Suspend Them
Randall Bertrand, the parent of an LGBTQ student who was at the forefront of the effort to protect gender-identity rights in the district, recommends to Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Greg Schwartz how to diffuse the situation at FPC after the principal opted to suspend student-protest organizer Jack Petocz following today’s walkout protesting anti-LGBTQ legislation.
‘Say Gay! Say Gay! Say Gay!’ FPC Students Chant in Walkout Protesting Bills; Organizer Jack Petocz Is Suspended
Hundreds of students at Flagler Palm Coast High School staged a 12-minute walkout this morning to protest bills nearing passage in the Legislature that would silence educators’ freedom to discuss certain topics, including gender identity, sexual orientation and certain anti-racism themes. Jack Petocz, the organizer of the protest, was suspended after the event.
Walmart Voids Trespass Warning Against Ex-Councilman Victor Barbosa
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has voided the Feb. 27 trespass warning against ex-Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa after receiving a request to do so from a Walmart employee.
With Average Gas Price in Florida at $3.57 a Gallon, Some Begin to Change Driving Habits
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine caused oil prices to surge above $110 a barrel for the first time in a decade. Oil is now $19 a barrel more than Friday’s settlement. An increase of that magnitude could signal a 40-50 cent jump at the pump.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Jack Petocz, a junior and student leader at Flagler Palm Coast High School, speaks at the Palm Coast Democratic Club, “Company,” the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim, opens at the Flagler Playhouse, discriminating among refugees from Ukraine.
Ultimatum from Flagler Beach, Husband in Prison: Ocean Palm Golf’s Unintended Owner Tells Her Story
Belle McManus had to take over the city-owned, privately managed Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach after her husband was imprisoned on a DUI conviction. The city and the golf course already had rocky relations, and now the golf course faces a lease termination ultimatum. McManus describes her attempts to save the business in her new, unexpected role.
DeSantis Heckles Students to Take Off Face Masks and Derides ‘Covid Theater’
While Gov. Ron DeSantis has touted a law called the Parents’ Bill of Rights, he didn’t take into consideration Wednesday that he could be imposing on parent rights when he aggressively told masked students they they didn’t have to wear them.
51-Year-Old Woman Is Killed in Crash Between SUV and Classic Car on Belle Terre Parkway
A 51-year-old woman died following a two-vehicle crash at Belle Terre Parkway and Pine Grove Drive Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m.
Sanctions Won’t Topple Putin
Putin’s support was not so big anyway: why else would the administration indulge in massive election fraud? Sanctions that make Russians poorer are therefore unlikely to motivate them to vote differently.
In Bunnell, a Group of Volunteers Seeking to ‘Secure Our World’ Clean Up ‘Decades’ of Trash Down Avenue
Tiyona and Tyona Ash, 21-year-old twins born and raised in Bunnell, partnered with the Flagler Housing Authority and organized what appears to be Bunnell’s very first clean-up, picking up trash that had accumulated for “decades” down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The effort is the first of many, the Ash sisters say.
Florida Wildlife Officials Clear the Way for 24-Hour Alligator Hunting
Concerns were raised, in part, that the 24-hour proposal would conflict with other outdoor activities, such as bass fishing and duck hunting, and that there is the potential for meat spoiling from alligators harvested during the hottest part of the day.
A 246-Unit Apartment Complex Will Rise on Old Kings Road, With an Eye on the Site’s Historic Value
The historical nature of the old and no longer readily visible Old Kings Road was a matter of discussion Tuesday evening at the Palm Coast City Council as developers presented their plans for a seven-building, 246-unit apartment complex off the new Old Kings Road, just north of State Road 100, paralleling the historic roadbed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, “Company,” the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim, is staged by Flagler Playhouse starting with a Community Night tonight, Colin Thubron on the fabrication of Uzbekistan.
Can Rich Nations Stop Buying Russian Oil?
Sanctions against Russia’s oil industry would have a greater impact than limiting natural gas flows because Russia’s oil receipts are higher and more critical to its state budget. Russia earned over US$110 billion in 2021 from oil exports, twice as much as its earnings from natural gas sales abroad.
Palm Coast Mayor and Council Call for 365% Pay Increase for Themselves, to $44,670 a Year
In a day of stunning developments, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin capped a City Council meeting this evening by asking for a 365 percent pay raise for council members–from $9,600 to $44,670 a year–and for a similarly hefty raise for the mayor, to $44,670. The council went along, voting 3-1 to move forward with the proposal.
Following House, Florida Senate Poised Wednesday to Impose 15-Week Abortion Limit
After weeks of speeches and raucous protests, numerous votes in legislative committees and a full vote in the state House, Florida is at the endpoint for a decision on a 15-week abortion ban that doesn’t include rape, incest and human trafficking.
New Bunnell Police Chief’s 1st Hours: Cop Assaulted and Injured, Car Thief Tased, Shooting Near Carver Center
Within minutes of new Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon’s swearing in Monday evening before the City Commission, one of his sergeants was involved in a high-risk pursuit and was assaulted by a car thief and injured. Hours later, Bunnell was the scene of burst of shooting reported by several residents near Church Street or the Carver Center.
Victor Barbosa Resigns Palm Coast Council Seat, After Report of Shoplifting; He Cites Threat to His Life
Victor Barbosa, the volatile Palm Coast City Council member whose brief tenure since November 2020 was dogged by boorish behavior on and off the council, by a sheriff’s investigation and a state inquiry into crimes he allegedly committed in Costa Rica, and by an accusation of shoplifting at Walmart over the weekend, has resigned.
In Unusual Break with Meeting Customs, a Flagler Beach Commissioner Blasts Another Over Campaign Claims
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Ken Bryan described fellow-Commissioner Rick Belhumeur’s claims on the campaign trail of extravagant spending by the commission as “offensive” and “wrong” in statement unusually critical of a fellow commissioner–at a commission meeting. Bryan isn’t running in the March 8 election. Belhumeur is, and Bryan is backing a challenger.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
A status hearing is scheduled in the case of Cornelius Baker, whose death sentence has been in a legal twilight zone for a few years, the School Board holds a workshop, the Palm Coast City Council discusses apartments, Russian writers assess the Russian character.
Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis Are in a Race Back to the 1950s
Sen. Rick Scott proposes to take us back to the 1950s, that glorious era when Black people were beaten and arrested for trying to vote, when women of all colors were expected to stay home and raise the children, when Christianity dominated the culture, when gay people had to stay in the closet, and we lived in mortal terror of socialism.
Putin’s ‘Denazification’ Slur on Ukraine
The victims of the genocide claimed by Putin are Russian speakers; the Nazis he referenced are the elected representatives of the Ukrainian people. Russian speakers have more freedom in Ukraine than they have in Russia, where Putin’s authoritarian government routinely suppresses political dissent.
Palm Coast Councilman Victor Barbosa Trespassed from Walmart on Allegation of Shoplifting
Victor Barbosa, the Palm Coast City Council member and a candidate for re-election this year, was trespassed from the city’s Walmart on Sunday after a store officer accused him of shoplifting by skip scanning some of his items at self-checkout.
Race, Gender, Wealth, Books: It’s All in “The Personal Librarian,” Flagler Reads Together’s 2022 Pick
Flagler Reads Together’s choice this year is a historical novel about Belle da Costa Greene, the Black woman who passed herself as white as the J.P. Morgan librarian for 43 years.
A Disgusted Sheriff Explains Why a ‘Drug Dealer Victim’ Won’t Be Charged in Home-Invasion Killing
Sheriff Rick Staly was clearly and explicitly appalled with having to call Danial G. Marashi a “victim” of the home-invasion and shooting on Dec. 29 at 8 Regent Lane in Palm Coast as he briefed reporters on the arrest of two other suspects. “This is the disgusting part of our job and the criminal justice system,” Staly said.
Take the Survey to Identify Needs of Older Adults and Caregivers in the Area
ElderSource, the Area Agency on Aging & Aging and Disability Resource Center for Northeast Florida is seeking input from the community to better understand the needs of older adults, persons with disabilities and their caregivers.
Signal Shift: Flagler Health Department Ends Covid Testing As Cases Fade; Deaths Increase by 15 in 2 Weeks
The end of operations at the airport–or at the department itself–signal the Health Department’s shift back to what it is calling “normal,” pre-pandemic operations, exactly two years after mobilizing for the first covid surge.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 28, 2022
Six Appeal Vocal Band at the Flagler Auditorium, the Bunnell City Commission bids farewell to one police chief and welcomes the next, and talks of $1-an-hour raise to all employees, Montaigne, M*A*S*H and Barnes.
Resident Involved in Drug Deal Gone Bad Killed Zaire Roberts After Getting Shot, Reports Show
Details have emerged revealing the drug-deal negotiations that preceded the home invasion on Regent Lane on Dec. 8, when the alleged dealer shot Zaire Roberts. He is not charged in the killing. Two alleged accomplices of Roberts’s are.
Think Twice Before Scanning That QR Code
Scanning a Quick Response, or QR code, is convenient and easy. And it is contactless, which can make people feel safer. But cybersecurity experts say QR codes also created new opportunities for fraudsters, who can tamper with them and direct victims to malicious websites to steal their personal and financial information.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 27, 2022
The Native American Festival at Princess Place, the Academy Awards, Ralph Nader’s birthday (George Bush’s happiest day), Steinbeck, mobs and oil prices.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 26, 2022
The 7th Annual Native American Festival is at Princess Place Preserve, the assassination of Trayvon Martin 10 years later, Michael Cavanaugh at the Jacksonville Symphony, Victor Hugo.
Who Is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Ketanji Brown Jackson is supremely qualified. She has not just an elite education – she went to Harvard for both college and law school – she clerked for the retiring justice whose place she will take, Stephen Breyer.
Palm Coast Man and Woman Are Arrested on 2nd Degree Murder Charges in Killing of Zaire Roberts
Kwentel Moultrie, 21, had bonded out on a 2020 charge of raping a 16-year-old girl. He and Taylor Renee Manjarres, 20, were jailed Friday on second degree murder and armed burglary charges in connection with the Dec. 29 killing of Zaire Roberts, 23, in Palm Coast’s R-Section. Prosecutors had asked that Moultrie’s bond be revoked last year. The court refused.
4th Person Killed in 7 Hours on Flagler Roads as Woman Crashes Off US1 in Bunnell
A fourth person was killed in seven hours on Flagler roads as a woman died in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 in Bunnell, in the noon hour today.
Resident of Blyth Place Arrested for Setting Room on Fire, then Caning a Deputy and a Chaplain-Firefighter
Mark Gregory McKerlie, a 48-year-old resident of 16 Blyth Place in Palm Coast, faces a first-degree felony arson count and two felony counts of assaulting firefighters or law enforcement officers following authorities’ response to the Blyth Place house, where McKerlie is accused of starting a fire.
Three People Killed in Two Separate Head-On Crashes in Heavy Fog on SR100 West of Bunnell
Three people have lost their lives in two unrelated car crashes within minutes of each other in heavy fog on State Road 100 early this morning, causing the road to be closed in both directions from the Putnam County line to County Road 305, Sheriff Rick Staly said.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 25, 2022
Donald Trump is apparently siding with Vladimir Putin, Free For All Fridays on the invasion of Ukraine and what it may mean to Flagler, Anthony Burgess, and Voltaire on arbitrary justice.
Setting the Record Straight on Ukrainian and Russian History
Much of the history of Ukraine and Russia the public is hearing is incomplete, some of it is wrong, and some of it is obscured or refracted by the self-interest or the limited perspective of who is telling it. Here’s a corrective.
Anti-‘Woke’ and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bills Clear Florida House Following Emotional, Futile Debates
Yet two hotly-debated bills — HB 7, limiting conversations about racism and sexism in schools and at work, and HB 1557, restricting classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity — were both passed by the House on near-party lines Thursday.
Found Guilty on All Counts, Palm Coast’s Philip Martin, 56, Faces Life in Prison for ‘Massaging’ Girl, 11
A jury convicted Philip Martin, 56, guilty on three counts of molesting the 11-year-old daughter of his late girlfriend in Palm Coast over a long period, as he took to “massaging” the girl’s legs, back and other body parts while distracting her with his phone. He faces life in prison when sentenced in early May.
15 Year Old Arrested in Shooting Death of Jamey Bennett, 19, Near Matanzas Woods
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly this afternoon announced the arrest of 15-year-old Da’Mari Barnes, a 10th grader currently enrolled at Matanzas High School, on a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of Jamey “JuJu” Bennett, 19, during a bonfire party nearly three weeks ago in north Palm Coast.
Cost and Location Questions Arise Over County’s Push for Visitor Center on A1A and South 9th Street
The chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and the chairman of the county’s tourism council, who also sits on the County Commission, both have questions about the location and the cost of building a potential visitor center the county’s tourism division is eying for South 9th Street and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 24, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission considers permitting a neighboring tattoo business, the Philip Martin trial enters its final day, Wendell Berry on the making of morons, Rodney Dangerfield, and Estonians.
Taxpayers: Expect Serious Delays from IRS This Year
Over 15 million returns and 5 million pieces of taxpayer correspondence from 2021 sit untouched – including 6 million original 1040s. Amended 2021 returns are taking more than 20 weeks to process. It’s not just complicated returns that are getting delayed. Even simple individual returns are caught in the backlog.