The city will pay a management firm $630,000 a year to maintain the golf course’s grounds while adding eight employees to the city’s payroll and running the operation itself.
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Palm Coast Council Wants To Be More Accommodating of Public Participation at Meetings
The Palm Coast City Council will devote the first part of each of its meetings, including workshops, to public participation in hopes of broadening voices heard.
A New Generation of White Supremacists, Better Organized, Emerges in Charlottesville
A group that included many people who were college-educated or ex-military displayed effective planning. “White people are pretty good at getting organized,” said one.
Tuesday Briefing: Are You Kidding Us? Heat Index To 110, Kids’ Computer Safety, Joseph Milici Sentenced
Superintendent Jim Tager gets a bonus amendment to his contract, school board discusses students’ computer safety, Palm Coast talks medical pot, Joseph Milici sentenced.
Between Umbras and Penumbras, Flagler Schools and Others Ready For Great Eclipse
The greatest solar eclipse to cross the United States since 1918 on Aug. 21 has the Flagler school district and others talking safety, best viewing practices and Palm Coast time checks.
Gov. Scott Seeks Amendment To Require Supermajority When Lawmakers Raise Taxes
Gov. Scott didn’t define the meaning of “supermajority” but 15 states, liberal and conservative, already have the requirement of from 60 to 75 percent supermajorities when lawmakers raise taxes.
Stabbing on Palm Coast’s Kaywood Place Sends Man to Hospital and Another to Jail
Harold “Doug” Cook, 50, was jailed on a felony charge after he allegedly stabbed Jarrett Register, 25, at the end of a fight that had started earlier at the Flagler Cracker Ranch.
As Deadline For Plea Looms, Kimberle Weeks Heads for December Trials On 5 Felony Counts
Former Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorney filed a second motion to suppress the search warrant that revealed evidence against her, arguing that the remaining counts are fruit of a poisoned tree.
Monday Briefing: Renner at FlaglerCares, Water Safety Class, Heat Index to 105, Nikolai Kedrov, Extremism
Rep. Paul Renner speaks to FlaglerCares about health care at the legislature, the Bunnell City Commission talks budget and park naming, Nikolai Kedrov will blow your socks off.
Three Ways the Trump Administration Has Downplayed White Supremacy
In the weeks leading up to the protests, Trump and those close to him have often played down the real threat of violence being committed by white supremacists on a regular basis across the country.
Desir Desinor, 65, Dies, Woman Hurt in Head-On Crash in Old Kings Road Passing Zone
Desir Desinor, 65, of Palm Coast, died and Brianna Peres, 18, was seriously hurt in a head-on collision on Old Kings Road south of Oak Trails in Palm Coast Saturday evening.
Kim Jong-Trump
There is no pre-emptive military option against North Korea. None. No matter how much Korea “provokes.” There is only containment, and shutting up Donald Trump.
Seminole Woods and C-Section in Palm Coast Struck With a Dozen Car and House Burglaries
Jewelry was stolen in one house burglary, four guns and $7,000 in cash in another, but most of the other burglaries seemed hurried jobs that lifted trivial items.
Not This Time: Supreme Court Rejects Re-Sentencing For Murderer of 13-Year-Old Girl
Hitchcock was sent to Death Row after a 10-2 jury recommendation. Attorneys argued that the new unanimity standard should retroactively apply to his case and lead to a new sentencing hearing.
Weekend Briefing: Art League’s Exhibits, Dinosaurs, Henry Flagler, Chamber President, Kascel Therapy
The Chamber of Commerce outs its three short-listed president candidates, the Flagler County Art League opens new exhibits, movie in the park, a new kind of therapy business.
In Reversal, Flagler Beach Will Allow Medical Pot Dispensaries, Limiting Them to Mainland
The Flagler Beach City Commission unanimously agreed to drop a proposed ban and allow dispensaries along State Road 100, but not on the beach side.
At Flagler’s Troubled Mosquito Control, $115,000-a-Year Director Turns Over Duties to Assistant–But Would Retire In 6 Months
Director Joe Cash told staffers his last day was Aug. 7, but that he would actually retire in February, sowing confusion about his status. The government agency faces a $1.1 million deficit.
Big Pharma Bullies: How Insurers Force You To Buy Name-Brand Drugs Instead of Generic
Some pharmaceutical companies are cutting deals with insurance companies to favor their brand-name products over cheaper generics. Insurers pay less, but sometimes consumers pay more.
Thursday Briefing: School Starts Again, Doomsday Clock, Medical Pot Redo in Flagler Beach, DeSantis in Daytona
The 2017-18 school year begins, the Flagler Beach Commission takes on medical pot dispensaries again, DeSantis speaks twice in Daytona, Hillary Clinton on God.
Palm Coast Council Kills Memorial To 208 U.S. Soldiers Its Beautification Committee Had Unanimously Approved
The council killed a proposed plaque that memorializes the 34 Navy sailors and Marines killed and 174 wounded by an Israeli attack on the USS Liberty in 1967.
Flagler County Firefighters Ronald Titus and Justin Thomas Off To Help Brethren Battle Oregon Wildfires
The firefighters were activated by the Florida Division of Forestry. Oregon is facing a dozen large wildfires, the largest, the Cinder Butte fire in Central Oregon, having exceeded 52,000 acres.
Palm Coast Council Will Control Charter-Review Process, With Facilitator and Public Comment
The Palm Coast City Council is launching its first charter review in 18 years, sitting itself as the charter review committee, with facilitator Marilyn Crotty, who will shepherd the process for $6,000.
Clash Continues Ahead of Aug. 24 Execution Over Lethal Injection Drug Never Before Used
Asay’s execution would be the first carried out in Florida since a January 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found Florida’s death penalty sentencing system was unconstitutional.
Wednesday Briefing: Canales In Court, School Open Houses, Lifeguard Championship, Einaudi’s Elegy For the Arctic
One day from school opening, a half dozen schools have open houses and meet the teacher days, Jonathan Canales, accused of shooting his wife, is back in court, Ludovico Einaudi on the ice for the Arctic.
Flagler Beach Offers City Manager Newsom 30% Raise, to $120,000; He’d Asked for 7%
City Manager Larry Newsom would get a $28,500 raise–assuming he can make the numbers work in a budget that also calls for a 4 percent across the board raise for employees and other wishes.
Ending Uncertainty, Palm Coast Will Welcome Medical Pot Dispensaries Starting In Fall
The Palm Coast Council emphatically decided that it would allow medical pot dispensaries in the city’s major business districts even as it may approve an extension of a moratorium to work out a zoning regulation.
Alarming Federal Report On Global Warming Elicits Fears Trump Will Suppress It
The report all but erases doubt that climate change is the result of human activity and that warming will worsen, but it’s awaiting President Trump’s approval and that of the Environmental Protection Agency.
December Trials Set For 2 Flagler Residents Facing Capital Murder Charges
Bobby Earl Gore, 74, is accused of shooting his won execution-style in Flagler Beach, Dorothy Singer is accused of shooting her husband and burying him in the couple’s backyard.
Flagler County Seeks Veteran Of The Year Nominations
Flagler County’s Veterans Services Office is asking for nominations for its Veteran of the year award, which will be presented on Veterans Day.
Tuesday Briefing: Accused Murderers’ Pre-Trial, Charter Review, Medical Pot in Palm Coast
The Palm Coast Council discusses how to handle medical pot dispensaries in the city, charter review and the USS Liberty memorial, Bobby Gore, accused of murdering his son, and Dorothy Singer, accused of murdering her husband, have pre-trials.
12-Year Effort to “Renourish” Beaches All But Washes Out as County Urges Wall of Dunes Instead
Flagler County is urging Flagler Beach to sign on to a $20 million plan to rebuild dunes on top of a wall of rock, though most of that money has yet to be secured.
Woman Reports Armed Robbery on Palm Coast’s Leidel Dr. As Her Son Is In Back Seat
The 29-year-old resident at 35 Leidel Drive in Palm Coast reported she was robbed at gunpoint in her car in her driveway, with her 2-year-old son in the backseat Saturday night.
County Votes To Buy Two Properties for $900,000 Even Though Appraisals, Still Due, May Be Lower
Flagler County commissioners, in a puzzling vote today, approved buying two parcels for a library and a future use even though the appraisals on the properties have not come in, and may be lower than the price paid.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index Up to 105, Ovenshire Arraignment, Flagler Beach-County Workshop on Dunes, Black Violins
Levi Ovenshire, the 19-year-old accused of shooting another 19-year-old in his home in the F-Section, is arraigned, Flagler Beach and county commissioners meet in a joint session.
Upwards Mobility Bunk: Don’t Lie to Poor Kids About Why They’re Poor, And Will Stay Poor
What happens when children born into poverty run face first into the crushing reality that the society they live in really isn’t that fair at all? Hard work has nothing to do with it.
Florida’s State Colleges Will See Their First Enrollment Increase in Seven Years
A new state forecast projects a 1 percent growth rate in enrollment in the 28 colleges during the 2017-18 academic year, representing the equivalent of 324,109 full-time students.
Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation Raises Nearly $140,000 at Annual Dinner Celebration
The event featured Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. SMA provides mental health programs and services in four counties, including Flagler.
At Florida Hospital Flagler, Donated School Supplies, and Children’s Art for ER
Employees at Florida Hospital Flagler and other hospitals in the group donated school supplies by the mound in June and July, and, separately, the Art of Healing program was started in FHF’s ER.
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith Wins State’s Top Prosecutor Award
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith received the Gene Berry Award at the Florida Prosecution Attorneys Association Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida on July 31.
Daytona State College Fall Enrollment Set for Aug. 19
New and returning students can sign up for classes, financial aid and other needs or benefits in one visit to Daytona State College on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Wetherell Center at the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.
In Some States, Sales Tax Holidays Lose Luster as Hype Overshadows Cost
Tax holidays don’t increase buying but merely concentrate it around specific dates. They’re regressive. They’re more political than useful: in Florida, the Legislature turned down Gov. Scott’s request for 10 days.
Trump Will Win In 2020
There’s nothing original in Donald Trump’s presidency when seen through Nixon-colored glasses, considering the similarities–and the invaluable help both got from Democrats to get elected.
William Gamble, 66, Dies Three Days After Dog Attack in Palm Coast’s C Section
William Gamble, a 66-year-old resident of Crossgate Court in Palm Coast, was walking his dog, Dahlyla, not far from his home, when another dog attacked. Gamble died Aug. 2.
Economy Adds 209,000 Jobs in 82nd Straight Month of Growth, Unemployment at 4.3%
The unemployment rate was last this low in 2001, at the end of the Clinton boom, though wages have only recently started to improve at a pace ahead of inflation.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday, Tax Holiday, Ocean Art Gallery Opening, Suicide Rates for Girls, Coolidge
First Friday features Soul Fire in Flagler Beach’s Veterans Park, the back-to-school sales tax holiday all weekend, suicide rates for teen girls at 40-year high, Cabot Lodge on Coolidge.
Flagler Mosquito Control District In Crisis as It Faces $1.1 Million Deficit in $1.8 Million Budget, Weeks After Dedicating New HQ
Six of the tax-supported district’s 14 employees have been laid off and other cuts are ahead weeks after it celebrated moving into a new, $2.1 million building at the Flagler County Airport.
Half of Floridians Now Off Land Lines, Underscoring Need For Stronger Cell Coverage
An estimated 51 percent of homes in the state were wireless-only in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of traditional residential wirelines in the state dropped 15 percent from 2015 to 2016.
Water Management District Offers $2,000 Grants to Teachers Promoting Water Protection
The St. Johns River Water Management District is accepting applications for its Blue School Grant Program of grants of up to $2,000 per teacher per school.
Divided Palm Coast Council Treads Toward Searching For New Manager Starting in January
The Palm Coast City Council will put out a call for search firms in January, and foresees a search taking 12 to 18 months, a schedule that didn’t win unanimity at today’s meeting.
Thursday Briefing: Palm Coast’s Once and Future Managers, Tager’s Message, Muslim Ban
Palm Coast discusses its future, freshman orientation at Matanzas High School, Flagler Democrats meet to hear about the Trump Muslim ban.