Makenna’s story illustrates the pernicious tenacity of a disease that upends, separates and traumatizes families, cuts off income, creates unspeakable loneliness even for those not hospitalized, and leaves its casualties fuming at a community’s refusal to embrace–beyond thoughts and prayers–the small, effortless measures that could prevent much of the harm to most.
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Friends of the Library Book Sale Saturday
The Friends of the Library is having a Welcome to Fall book sale Saturday, October 2, at the Flagler County Library. The sale is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 28, 2021
The trial of Joshua Carver on a first-degree felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident with a death enters its second day, the gundemic takes its toll, Daniel Boorstin on essential, unsung workers then and now.
Is It Autumn for the First Amendment?
Freedom of speech has long been the very foundation of our country, but a majority of Americans are now afraid to exercise it. That sad fact has become the new normal in America. And that’s a lot more frightening than the scariest haunted house anyone will enter this autumn.
The Sharpest Murder Spike in 61 Years of Record-Keeping: What Happened?
Homicides in the U.S. spiked by almost 30% in 2020. The fact that big cities, small cities, suburbs and rural areas – in both blue and red states – experienced similar increases in homicides suggests that nationwide events or trends were behind the rise. what happened in 2020 was a confluence of events that created the perfect conditions for a spike in murders.
Seven Flagler County Fire Rescue FireFlight Medics Complete Shallow Water Egress Training (SWET)
All seven Flagler County Fire Rescue FireFlight medics trained September 18 to complete their Shallow Water Egress Training (SWET) to ensure they can escape from the helicopter’s cockpit should an accident leave it and its crew upside down in the water.
Charles and Elizabeth Duva’s Seed Gift Kicks Off $5 Million Embry-Riddle Fundraising Initiative to Promote Entrepreneurs
Charles “Chuck” Duva, M.D., and his wife, Elizabeth “Beth” Duva, Ph.D., longtime community leaders in Volusia County, Florida, have made a generous half-million-dollar gift to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The gift will kick-start an ambitious $5 million Embry-Riddle fundraising initiative to elevate the school’s Launch Your Venture competition.
New Laws: Florida’s Minimum Wage Goes to $10 an Hour, Vaping Minimum Age Rises to 21, DNA Regulations
Minimum wage workers in Florida will get a voter-approved pay boost this week as the state’s wage makes its way to the $15 minimum by 2026, and about two-dozen new laws kick in, including a regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes and DNA sample privacy.
Deputies Break-Up Underage House Party of Over 30 People on Selden Court, Arresting 50-Year-Old Woman
Some 33 people were counted at the house by the time the questioning was done, and the owner, 50–year-old Christan L. Myers, was under arrest on a county of holding an open-house party with alcohol and a count of causing the delinquency of a minor.
County Goes Over Redistricting Boundaries in ‘Numbers Game’ That Will Barely Affect Voters, Maps or the Elected
The process is formal and obviously important as a reflection of fairness in elections and representation. But at the local level, it is far less consequential than at the state and federal level, especially in counties like Flagler, where school board and county commissioners serve at-large–meaning they are elected by voters across the county, not just by voters in their districts.
Richard Dunn, Who Killed His Father in 2006, Back in Jail as ‘Bizarre’ Behavior Raises Concerns of More Violence
Richard Dunn, 60, was found not guilty by reason of insanity following the 2006 killing of his 87-year-old father, the famed Dr. Jack Dunn, in Palm Coast. Dunn had been inching his way back to full freedom without court supervision–until a series of weird and at times disturbing behavior in the last few months, including a probation violation, put a pause on all possibilities of full freedom.
How Some Schools Use Weekly Testing to Keep Kids in Class And Covid Out
These measures stand in sharp contrast to the confusion in states, including Florida, where people are still fighting about wearing masks in the classroom and other anti-covid strategies, places where some schools have experienced outbreaks and even teacher deaths.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 27, 2021
Court trials are back on, with the trials of Joshua Charles Carver, facing a first-degree felony hit and run charge, Tessie Lynn White, facing a child neglect charge over the discovery of her 2-year-old son wandering the streets of the B-section unsupervised. The County Commission holds a redistricting workshop.
Alien Future: How Warming Climate May Create an Unrecognizable World
A team of scientists’ climate projections for 2500 show an Earth that is alien to humans. Heat stress may reach fatal levels for humans in tropical regions which are currently highly populated. Such areas might become uninhabitable. Even under high-mitigation scenarios, we found that sea level keeps rising due to expanding and mixing water in warming oceans.
Joshua Carver Goes on Trial on 1st Degree Felony Hit-and-Run Charge in Death of Jonathan Rogers on SR100
Jonathan Raymond Rogers was less than two weeks shy of his 30th birthday when he was killed as he walked on SR100, when Joshua Charles Carver’s van swerved and struck him. Carver kept going, claiming he though he’d just hit debris from a truck ahead.
Ground Up, a Muscle Car Parts Company, Moves Into Ex-Palm Coast Data Building With 30 to 40 Jobs
Ground Up SS396, a Connecticut-based e-commerce company that sells parts for muscle cars like Chevelles, Camaros and El Caminos, is shifting its warehouse, call center and offices into the 70,000 square-foot building on Commerce Parkway formerly owned by Palm Coast Data, and used as Palm Coast’s City Hall before that. The company will be closing its Connecticut operation.
Florida Department of Health Argues for Suppressing Covid Data in Public Records Lawsuit
The Florida Department of Health is trying to scuttle a public-records lawsuit seeking information about Covid-19, arguing that requested reports don’t exist and that the underlying data is confidential.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 26, 2021
Today is the 4th Annual 5k to support local children battling childhood cancer in Palm Coast’s Central Park, in Town Center. Last day for Billie Holiday at City Rep, Godpsell at the Daytona Playhouse, Rumors at the Flagler Playhouse, Terry Anderson in captivity.
Hunger in 2020 Sharply Affected Even Middle-Class Americans
Americans in households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $75,000 experienced the sharpest increase in food insufficiency when the COVID-19 pandemic began – meaning that many people in the middle class didn’t have enough to eat at some point within the previous seven days.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 25, 2021
The Fall Festival recognizing veterans in Palm Coast’s Central Park, lots of theater with the final weekend of Billie Holiday at City Rep, Godpsell at the Daytona Playhouse, Rumors at the Flagler Playhouse, and the devil God’s special forces?
Committee Week in Florida’s Capitol: Welcome to the Festival of Ignorance
Legislators came to town for the autumn ritual of political harlotry they call “committee week.” Tallahassee’s collective IQ dropped by a good 60 points. That’s bad, but what they propose doing to Florida is worse. Diane Roberts reports.
How Conservative Comic Greg Gutfeld Became King of Late Night
Greg Gutfeld’s success might come as a shock because it punctures long-standing assumptions about what comedy is, who can produce it and who will enjoy it. These prejudices obscure an important truth: Right-wing comedy has become both a viable business strategy and a crucial element of conservative politics.
Charlie Crist Denounces New Covid School Policy and Seeks Ouster of New Surgeon General
Democrat Charlie Crist denounced Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday as an “oppressive tyrant” willing to send coronavirus-infected children into the public schools and risk the health of other children to please his covid-skeptical political base.
Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard Presents Colors on House Floor at Rep. Renner’s Invitation
Florida State Representative Paul Renner invited the Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard to present the Nations Colors on the House Floor at the Speaker Designee Ceremony in Tallahassee on Tuesday.
‘We’re Running Out of People’: Flagler’s Covid Case Load Drops Sharply, But Vaccinations Also Plummet
Flagler County recorded just over 200 covid cases in the week ending today, the lowest total since early summer, but vaccinations have plummeted to a new low since after the initial rollouts. While school cases have also dropped, the Flagler school district is struggling through significant teacher and other staffing shortages.
Palm Coast’s Brittany Myers, a NICU Nurse, Arrested for Aggravated Child Abuse; 4 Children Describe Chronic Beatings
Brittany Myers, a 38-year-old mother of five and a nurse at an AdventHealth newborn intensive care unit, was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse after her 16-year-old daughter took video of her mother brutalizing her 14-year-old brother on Tuesday evening at their P-Section home in Palm Coast.
Stetson University Achieves 70% Vaccination Goal on Both Campuses
The DeLand campus hit its +70% vaccination rate following its recent on-campus vaccination clinic on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The campus includes nearly 3,000 undergraduate students, along with more than 400 graduate students and approximately 400 faculty and staff. Stetson’s College of Law campus in Gulfport topped the 70% vaccination rate nearly two weeks ago and is currently closer to 77%.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 24, 2021
Builders and a couple of elected push against the school board’s impact fees on WNZF, Richard Dunn, who killed his father 15 years ago, has a status hearing on his march back to the full freedom he’s seeking, and all stages come alive in Palm Coast, Bunnell and Daytona this weekend.
47 Million Americans Think Biden Is ‘Illegitimate.’ 21 Support Violence to ‘Restore’ Trump
The survey found that many of these 21 million people with insurrectionist sentiments have the capacity for violent mobilization. At least 7 million of them already own a gun, and at least 3 million have served in the U.S. military and so have lethal skills. Of those 21 million, 6 million said they supported right-wing militias and extremist groups, and 1 million said they are themselves or personally know a member of such a group, including the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
Alachua School Board Gets $150,000 Federal Grant to Cover Salaries DeSantis Cut Over Mask Fight
State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced Aug. 30 that the Florida Department of Education had started to withhold funds from the Alachua and Broward County school districts in amounts equal to the monthly salaries of school board members who voted for student mask requirements.
The Story Behind the Pipe Failure on Royal Palms Pkwy: What Went Wrong, How It’ll be Fixed, What to Expect
The pipe failure beneath Royal Palms Parkway that closed the busy east-west road on Sept. 16 and will keep it closed until near mid-October is an example of Palm Coast’s aging infrastructure, which sometimes outruns the city’s ongoing $75 million plan to reinforce, repair or replace it.
Stop Yelling. Have a Point: Advice for School Board Meeting Disrupters from Someone Who’s Been There.
In the wake of two turbulent school board meetings, Randall Bertrand was left wondering what all the sound and fury was about since many speakers’ loud and disruptive message was already made moot by school board votes or state policy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 23, 2021
Weekend performances on stage kick-off with the final weekend of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” at the Flagler Playhouse, tonight at 7:30 p.m. Nixon’s Checkers speech at 69. Shock and awe and Trump’s hydroxychloroquine.
Evidence Shows That, Yes, Masks Prevent Covid, and Surgical Masks Are the Way To Go
The largest randomized controlled trial to date testing the effectiveness of mask-wearing provides gold-standard evidence that confirms previous research: Wearing masks, particularly surgical masks, prevents covid-19.
After Parents Object to ‘Equity’ and Race-Driven Balance, Rezoning Plan Now Limits Impact to Palm Coast’s R-Section
After facing a relatively small but angry group of parents who accused the district of wanting to balance school populations in part based on racial and socio-economic equity, the Flagler County school administration on Tuesday announced it was drastically scaling back what would have been a county-wide rezoning plan set for next year. The district is opting instead for rezoning that will affect only the two middle schools, the two high schools and the entirety of Palm Coast’s R-Section and parts of west Flagler, but none other.
Two Child Care Centers in Flagler Report Outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County has received reports of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in two childcare centers in the community. The Health Department is not disclosing the names of the two child care centers, nor it clear for now whether they are large centers or home-based centers with a limited number of children.
Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s New Surgeon General, Signals Sharp Turn Away from CDC’s Covid Guidance
Florida’s new surgeon general is Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA heart specialist who has fully embraced Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approach to the covid-19 pandemic, which favors natural infections as a means of combating the pandemic and minimal state interference with parental discretion over masking, quarantining and vaccines.
Quarantining for Asymptomatic Students Is Now Optional as Florida Issues New Rules Further Limiting Safety Measures
Pointing to a need to “minimize the amount of time students are removed from in-person learning,” the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday issued a revised rule that gives parents more authority to decide whether children go to school after being exposed to people who have covid-19. The new rule replicates the same standard in effect for masking: it’s permissible, but only at parents’ discretion.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 22, 2021
The Palm Coast City Council holds its second and last public hearing to set next year’s property tax rate and budget. The county’s parks and recreation board meets. A few words from Sally Rooney.
Anti-Maskers Turn Another Flagler School Board Meeting Into Virulent, at Times Bigoted and Threatening Spectacle
Even though there was no chance of a mask mandate, the Flagler County School Board meeting Tuesday evening again devolved into an ugly spectacle of anti-mask militancy that at times turned threatening, homophobic, Islamophobic and covid-denying, and required the meeting again to be briefly recessed and board members sent to a safe room.
The Connection Between Containers and Your Missing Christmas Presents
An estimated 90 percent of the world’s goods are transported by sea, with 60 percent of that – including virtually all your imported fruits, gadgets and appliances – packed in large steel containers. Without the standardized container, the global supply chain that society depends upon – and that I study – would not exist.
Plan Would Reinvent Belle Terre Swim Club as Home to Several District Programs, Preserving Pool
The Flagler County school district is proposing a plan that would reinvent the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club either as a hybrid or as a site exclusively used for several school programs. The school board is favoring the plan, with a hybrid model.
Palm Coast’s Paul Renner Ready to Take Reins as Florida House Speaker in 2022
Rep. Paul Renner formally became the next speaker of the Florida House on Tuesday, as the Palm Coast Republican prepares to move into one of the most-powerful positions in the state after the 2022 elections.
Between Bouts of Rudeness, Palm Coast Votes Against Removing Ban on Commercial Vehicles in Residential Driveways
The Palm Coast City Council this morning voted 3-2 against changing its ordinance banning the parking of commercial vehicles in residential driveways, unless the vehicles are on a work call. An attempt to consider a referendum on the issue, assuming the question can be appended to the 2022 ballot at no additional cost, was set aside.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 21, 2021
The Palm Coast City Council finally takes an up-or-down vote on whether to relax the ban on commercial vehicles in driveways, the school board hears a scaled-back re-zoning plan affecting the two middle schools, Goethe on what he believes.
New Treatments Staving Off the Worst of Covid
For hospitalized covid-19 patients, these new treatments, along with supportive care advances – such as placing some patients on their stomachs in a “prone position” – were helping bring down mortality rates before the Delta variant hit and are continuing to improve patient outcomes today.
Another Juvenile Is Arrested at Indian Trails Complex For Illegally possessing 2 Guns, One of Them Stolen
Amarilis Merino, a 17-year-old resident of a group home on Burgundy Place in Palm Coast, and Justin Brown, 19, of Lake Gray Blvd. in Jacksonville, were arrested at the Indian Trails Sports Complex after a deputy’s search uncovered two guns and drugs.
Gov. DeSantis Reshaped Florida’s Appeals Courts. It Seems to Be Working Out for Him
The question is whether the conservative monoculture DeSantis and his predecessors have built within the judicial branch is willing to check excesses committed by the executive and legislative branches, which the Republican Party has dominated for decades. The question is being answered in the negative.
Flagler District Prepares to Re-Zone Schools for the First Time in Over a Decade in Face of Some Sharp Objections
The Flagler County School Board will vote on a rezoning plan in December, and on Tuesday will hear an updated, phased-in approach that will focus on the two middle schools first, where sixth graders will be shifted starting next year. Localized but intense opposition to rezoning plans compelled the administration to propose a more phased-in approach than a county-wide rezoning.
County Approves $16 Million for Next Phase on Sheriff’s HQ Construction, and October 2022 Move-In
The project’s “substantial completion date” of the 51,615 square-foot, two-story, $23 million building is now slated for Oct. 10, 2022, almost a year later than projected last December. But there have been no further delays since June.