Watch out for that heat, the African American Entrepreneurs Club gets the county’s economic development board’s sponsorship, Stewart Marchman Foundation’s annual gala.
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Balking at Proposed Tax Increase, County Commissioners Offer Alternatives Outside of Public Meeting
Flagler County commissioners want to cut a proposed budget increase but didn’t do so at a workshop, and plan to offer their suggestions outside of budget workshops.
Supreme Court Orders Flagler’s Judge Scott DuPont Removed in Unanimous Decision
Scott DuPont, who’d served on Flagler’s and Putnam’s civil benches since 2010, was investigated for improprieties on and off the bench.
Being Separated From My Child Nearly Destroyed Me
The administration’s policy of separating families is torture, and Trump’s executive order to incarcerate families together doesn’t solve the crisis.
In the Hammock, Boyfriend Shoots Girlfriend In the Ear During Argument Over Chinese Food
George Virgin, a 65-year-old resident of 11 North Shady Lane in the Hammock, faces a second-degree felony charge over the shooting.
Tuesday Briefing: NAACP Candidate Forum, Youth Baseball, Heat Index 101 to 105, Juvenile Justice Study
The NAACP holds one of its famed candidates’ forum at the African American Cultural Society, a study on juvenile justice in Florida is released.
Sea Ray Boats’ Palm Coast Plant Shutting Down in Major Blow to 440 Workers
Palm Coast’s Sea Ray Boats plant, one of the top five employers in the county, with some 440 employees, is shutting down as Brunswick corp. abandons the yacht line.
Bunnell Votes 3-2 To Hire Martin Murphy as Manager, a Planner From New York
The divided vote to hire Martin Murphy reflected the mayor’s wish for a second round of interviews and another commissioner hoping for a different candidate.
Samantha Posella of Palm Coast Now Missing 8 Months, Sheriff Names “Persons of Interest”
Flagler sheriff’s detectives are worried that Samatha Posella, 17 when she disappeared, may have been the victim of a crime. Two Palm Coast residents are persons of interest.
Monday Briefing: Flagler County Taxes, Bunnell Manager Pick, CR205 Road Closure, Indivisible
The Flagler County Commission meets to discuss next year’s likely increase in proeprty taxes, the Bunnell commission meets to possibly choose a new manager, County Road 205 closes for construction.
For a 6-Year-Old Snared in the Immigration Maze, Lifeline in a Memorized Phone Number
As the U.S. attempts to reunite migrant families, children will bear the burden of helping to identify who and where their parents are. One 6-year-old girl has an advantage.
Ralph Nader’s Open Letter to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Given your successful tax avoidance mania, you should be ashamed of yourself, Nader tells the Amazon founder. “You should spend some personal time” with the homeless.
Once a Jail Commander, 23-Year Sheriff’s Employee Is Demoted to Deputy Over Chronic Flaws
Tammy Stakes last September was a commander making over $80,000 a year. She was demoted to deputy over a series of supervisory failures and missteps.
Andy Dance Re-Elected To Flagler School Board Without Opposition; Others Must Slog It Out
Andy Dance was re-elected to a fourth term. A school board and a Palm Coast council race will be decided in August, others won’t be decided until November.
Felony Child Neglect Charges For Two Palm Coast Men Accused of Drug-Dealing
Two Palm Coast men arrested in three days saw their drug-dealing charges complicated by felony child-neglect charges involving children ages 1 and 2.
School Board Rejects $2.5 Million Bid For Palm Coast Parkway Property It Bought For $3.5 Million
The $2.5 million offer was $500,000 higher than the best appraisal of the property. The board split 2-2 on the offer from Michael Collard Properties, who’d offered $1.8 million last year.
Weekend Briefing: Qualifying Window Closes, Jazz at Salvo, Amateur Radio, Social Justice Conference
National Amateur Radio Field Day at the Hammock Community Center, Bethune Cookman University hosts an education and social justice conference, Jazz at Salvo Art House, World Cup Watch Party in Palm Coast.
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling On Web Retailers Could Boost Florida’s Sales Tax Revenue
A 5-4 ruling upheld a law that allowed the state to apply its sales tax to major online retailers, even if they had no physical presence in the state.
First McDonald, Now Abby Romaine Will Challenge Hansen For County Commission
Abby Romaine, who ran for the seat in 2012 as an independent, is challenging County Commissioner Greg Hansen in the August Republican primary.
Flagler County Passes Precedent-Setting Ordinance Protecting Public Use of Private Beaches, But Its Future Is Uncertain
Flagler’s customary-use ordinance forbids the walling off of private sections of beaches, though a new state law allows just such segregation from public use. Flagler expects its ordinance to be challenged.
Caution About Possible Phone Scam Targeting Military Families in Tricare
Officials are cautioning about a possible phone scam involving Tricare, the military health care program for active and retired service members, but there are no reports of scamming in Flagler.
Critics Assail Scott Policy Shift That Would Reduce Eligibility Window For Medicaid
The majority of the 39,000 people impacted by the change would be seniors and people with disabilities. But Gov. Scott wants the shift to save nearly $100 million.
Thursday Briefing: Senior Self-Defense, World’s Largest Swim Lesson, Heat Index Up to 109, Dante Mobley
Beware, the heat index is set to rise to 109 in the afternoon in parts of Flagler, Lunch ‘N Learn is about senior self-defense, Dante Mobley is back in court on a probation violation.
Dennis McDonald Files to Run Against Greg Hansen as Sheriff’s Building Fuses Explosive Campaign Issue
Dennis McDonald will challenge County Commissioner Greg Hansen as an independent, with the mess surrounding the Sheriff’s Operations Center leading his decision to run.
Ambulance Fees Going Up 48% as Flagler Fire Rescue Makes Pitch For Big Budget Increase
Flagler County’s fire department is asking for a substantial budget increase to raise pay and buy $1.5 million worth of equipment, and the county approved huge increases in emergency transportation fees.
We Get It. Trump Is Awful. But Standard-Issue Democrats Are Not an Alternative.
The neoliberal establishment that runs the Democratic Party party holds fast to the very policies that are making it shrink into oblivion, argues John Atcheson.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index 100 to 104, Live Bombing, Portugal v. Morocco
Palm Coast’s Portuguese community mobilizes at 8 a.m. as Portugal faces Morocco at the World Cup, a day of extreme heat, Boris Berezovsky plays Chopin.
Palm Harbor Charter School Will Shut Down Oct. 31 From Chronically Poor Performance
The Palm Coast charter school becomes the third in six years to shut its doors. Irregularities and poor student performance led the district to pressure Palm Harbor to close.
Bunnell Manager Interviews: Some Drop Out, Some Stand Out Some Evoke Testy Memories
The Bunnell commission interviewed ex-Bunnell Manager Lyndon Bonner and Martin Murphy Monday, and began taking up positions on narrowing the list of four remaining candidates.
Rotary Club’s Fabulous Fourth Parade in Flagler Beach Calling For Floats
This year’s parade theme is “Freedom for All.” The application entry deadline is July 1. There is no cost to enter a float in the parade.
Floridian Wins 2nd Case at Supreme Court Over Arrest During Public Comment
Justices, in an 8-1 decision, sided with Fane Lozman, who filed a lawsuit against the city contending that the arrest involved retaliation for his outspoken criticism of officials in the Palm Beach County community.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Harbor Charter, School Vouchers, Food Truck Tuesday, Historic Flagler Tour, Stewart Goodyear
Flagler Woman’s Club scholarships, the school board takes another look at troubled Palm Harbor charter school and discusses private school vouchers.
Sheriff’s Potentially Sick Building Testing Done in 1 Day, Results Not Expected Until July
An environmental engineer Flagler County government hired to test the Sheriff’s Operations Center gathered some 30 air, soil and other samples in a one-day testing spree at the building.
Behind Campaign to ‘Save Cooper’ the Dangerous Dog, Broken Pledges on Both Sides and Palm Coast’s Arbitrary Calls
Cooper’s owner broke a pledge to kill the dog, and the victim broke a pledge not to sue, while Palm Coast pursued euthanizing the dog but not charges against the owner, even though the law says it should do both.
Flagler Beach Golf Course Struggles On, But City Declares Re-Evaluation Committee Premature
Flagler Beach commissioners rejected Kim Carney’s call for appointing a reevaluation committee for the nine-hole golf course at the south end of town.
Monday Briefing: Election Qualifying Starts, Live Bombing, Dante Mobley, Bunnell Interviews Round 2
Qualifying for this year’s elections starts at noon, Bunnell holds the second round of its manager interviews, sex offender Dante Mobley is back in court, bombing in Ocala forest.
Cruel and Usual Trump
The Trump-Sessions zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their parents at the border has no precedent except in America’s slavery times.
Judge Says Legislature Illegally Spending Florida’s Land-Preservation Money on Operating Costs
Striking a blow to the Legislature, a judge ruled lawmakers failed to comply with a voter-approved constitutional amendment to buy and preserve environmentally sensitive lands.
Five First Responders to the Pulse Massacre. One Diagnosis: PTSD.
“My head’s still not right,” said one paramedic who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting two years ago. He and some other responders say their departments haven’t given them the help they need.
FDLE Adds Texts and Other Notification Systems for AMBER/Missing Child Alerts
Citizens can now receive AMBER and Missing Child Alerts through text messages as well as email. To use the new system, citizens must create an Everbridge account.
Court Orders Re-Hearing in Death Penalty
Case Over Juror Calling Gays ‘Depraved’
Justices ordered a new sentencing hearing for inmate Eric Kurt Patrick because the jury split 7-5 in recommending the death penalty to a judge, and because a juror was prejudiced against Patrick.
Sheriff’s Office Completes Evacuation as Length of Nomadic Exile Remains Uncertain
The Flagler Sheriff’s Office completed its relocation to the courthouse and its old administrative building pending analysis of the potentially sick operations center.
For Flagler Students, Slight Declines In English and Math Mask Stronger Gains in the Details
When broken out, the declines tend to be more isolated than systemic, and despite the declines, the district remains above the state average in both English and math.
Flagler Unemployment Settles Below 4% in Echo of Pre-Recession Vigor, Labor Force at New High
The Flagler labor force hit a new high of 47,204, up 600 compared to a year ago. Of those, 45,423 residents are holding jobs either in the county or out of the county.
Flagler Firefighters Pull Off Two Saves in 12 Hours–A $1.2 Million Home and Strip Mall Shop
This morning’s fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. at the Bikes ‘N Coffee shop at Flagler Plaza. Thursday evening a three-level house in the Hammock caught fire from a lightning strike.
Weekend Briefing: CPR Class, Get Out the Vote Class, “Benji,” Women’s Hall of Fame, Claude Bolling
Palm Coast Fire Station 25 hosts a CPR class, the Flagler NAACP hosts a Get Out the Vote class, Marineland shows “Benji” outdoors, 10 World Cup games over the weekend.
If Trump Is Giving Diplomacy a Chance in Korea, His Critics Should, Too
The North Korea negotiations are far from over, and could still tip from a fragile diplomacy back to middle-school insults, but diplomacy isn’t just the better way. It’s the only way.
Flagler Beach Restores Beach Management Panel In Hopes of Securing $500,000 A Year
The Flagler Beach City Commission restored the Beach Management Committee disbanded in 2014 in hopes of ensuring that a state agency sends $500,000 a year to the city for management of 6 miles of dunes.
Palm Coast Council Prepares Residents For Big Tax and Fee Changes Ahead
A combination of a potential huge revenue loss combined with rising infrastructure needs mean the current Palm Coast tax and fee structure is unsustainable.
Black Bear Roaming Around Seminole Woods Catches Attention of Residents and FWC
The bear has been linked to areas around Ulaturn Trail, Ullian Trail and Selma Trail. FWC is canvassing the neighborhood and urging residents to eliminate outdoor food sources.