A quiet summer solstice day in Flagler as the county’s technical review committee and its contractor review board meet, it’s Greenland Day (before it melts), and Bohemian Rhapsofy as you’ve never heard it.
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Flagler School Board Apprehensive of Changes in Law Affecting Charters, Recess and Religion
One law is altering the relationship between the district and its charter schools and imposing new requirements on eligibility for Bright Futures, and other laws will have broad impacts.
Court Allows ACLU’s Public Record Fight Over Police Tracking of Cell Phones
The ACLU requested the records from Jackson as part of a broader inquiry in 2014 into the Sarasota Police Department’s use of what are known as “Stingray” tracking devices.
FPC’s Anna Crawford Is Wasdworth’s New Principal, Volusia’s Reeves Takes Matanzas
Anna Crawford had been assistant principal at Flagler Palm Coast High School and Belle Terre Elementary, Jeff Reaves is a Volusia County import.
Divided Palm Coast Council Sticks With Controversial FPL Path in F-Section, But Alternatives Still Possible
The 3-2 vote to stick with the FPL path leading to Matanzas High School doesn’t yet kill alternatives, including the possibility of a temporary footpath along Old Kings Road, the city manager pledged.
Tuesday Briefing: Education Funding Fallout, FPL Footpath Rethink, Women in Politics, World Refugee Day
Palm Coast council members may rethink the FPL footpath through the F Section, the Bunnell Planning Board considers transitional housing for women and children, 60 million refugees in 2017.
Felony Charge Against Palm Coast Man Accused of Ordering Dog to Brutalize a Neighbor
John A. Benedetto, 37, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon–his dog–after allegedly ordering it to attack his neighbor, who was trying to stop Benedetto’s argument with two women.
Thirty Months Later, Holland Park Re-Opens To Cheers, and Echoes of a Brooklyn Basketball
The $4.3 million reconstruction project at the 27-acre park became a $4.7 million project and took exactly twice as long to complete as projected, but its re-dedication drew scores of children who could care less: they just wanted to play.
What Financial Constraints? Flagler Government Prepares to Spend $1.8 Million On Document-Management System
The new system would make many parts of government paperless, but it’s not yet clear how the county will pay for it even as it strains from Hurricane Matthew-related expenses.
Florida Health Officials Move Ahead With Medical Pot Rules Approved in Special Session
The just-passed bill addressed major issues, such as how many companies will receive marijuana licenses and how many retail outlets they can run.
Behind Closed Doors: 5 Things Being Weighed In Secret Health Bill Also Weigh It Down
As 13 GOP senators continue to secretly craft a health care bill, some of the policies under consideration have slipped out, and pressure points of the debate are fairly clear.
Monday Briefing: Teddy Bears Against Violence, Voting Precincts, Medical Pot Moratorium, Down in the River to Pray
The County Commission is expected to extend the medical pot moratorium on new businesses through mid-September, teddy bears donated to fight domestic violence, Vidal-Buckley ’68.
In 1st Joint Forum of 2018 Race for Governor, Three Democrats Try To Lift Profile Above Trump Din
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former Congresswoman Gwen Graham and businessman Chris King did not clash much on the issues so much as present an opening salvo in the 2018 race for governor.
Trump Administration Quietly Rolls Back Civil Rights Efforts Across Federal Government
Previously unannounced directives will limit the Department of Justice’s use of a storied civil rights enforcement tool, and loosen the Department of Education’s requirements on investigations.
More Washouts Plague Flagler Beach’s A1A as Commissioners Wonder: Another Year and Half Of This?
Heavy rains caused more washouts of the low dunes and rock revetments along State Road A1A this afternoon in what is becoming a recurring problem with almost every heavy rain event.
Flagler Sheriff Arrests 5 Unlicensed Contractors in Sting Operation, Files Charges On 5 More
The Sheriff’s Office set up a sting operation at a house in Palm Coast’s C-Section, where the five contractors had come back to collect their deposits. Volusia County conducted a similar sting.
Flagler’s Unemployment Stays at 4.5% as Number of People With Jobs Hits Record 44,000
The number of unemployed persons–2,065–was essentially unchanged compared with April, but it’s down by 250 people from a year ago. The Florida unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent.
Weekend Briefing: PCAF Art Collection, Holland Park’s Belated Re-Opening, Fitness Challenges, A-Bomb
Holland Park finally reopens Friday evening, the Sheriff talks domestic violence on WNZF, the fire chief and a council member offer a fitness challenge, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation does arts.
How the Education Bill Scott Signed Thursday Will Hurt Flagler Schools, Favoring Charters
The Flagler school district is now 64th out of 67 in per-pupil funding, and the bill Gov. Scott signed today will force the district to turn over more money to charter schools.
Man Provokes Head-On Collision Then Stabs Himself in Suicide Attempt on Flagler Beach’s A1A
Keefe Crawford, 37, intentionally plowed his SUV into a car driven by Lisa Osborne, with passenger Michael Osborne, before Crawford then stabbed himself several times. All survived.
Ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks Rejects Plea Deal as Lawyer, Her 4th, Sets for Trial
The deal would have spared Kimberle Weeks prison on felony charges that she illegally recorded conversations, but would have meant probation, according to Kevin Kulik, her latest lawyer.
Gov. Scott Vetoes Higher Education Bill, Citing Cuts to State Colleges and Caps on Enrollment
Scott objected to an enrollment cap on baccalaureate degrees for the 28 state colleges and cutting college’s budget by $25 million, while substantially increasing spending on state universities.
Thursday Briefing: Weeks Back in Court, Magna Carta’s Birthday, Aaron Bean in Jacksonville, Kenzaburo Oe on Suicide
Former Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks is due in court for her latest pre-trial, this time with a new set of attorneys, Magna Carta was chartered 802 years ago, Neil Patrick Harris 44 years ago.
The Problem with Dividing
‘Good Muslims’ from ‘Bad Muslims’
The “good Muslims” support those “war on terror” policies that result in the expansion of violence against mostly innocent people. The “bad ones” don’t — and are called terrorists.
Flagler-Palm Coast’s Crime Rate Falls Modestly in 2016, But Domestic Violence Up 8.1%
The crime rate has been relatively flat for the past three years, and significantly down from previous years even as the county has been growing by about 2,000 people a year since the end of the recession.
Controversial FPL Footpath Through F Section Back on Agenda as 2 Council Members Demand Options
F-Section residents are incensed at a planned path they rejected in 2008, but City Manager Jim Landon, who knows the volatile history of the path, shifted the blame for the controversy onto the city council.
Jody Hyde Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in DUI Death of 2 Women on County Road 304
Jody Allen Hyde, 28, had originally pleaded not guilty in the drunk-driving deaths of Elizabeth Jean Alley, 45, and Vada Stafford Delk, 72, on County Road 304 the night of October 20, 2014.
Both Sides Pressuring Scott on School Bill That Drew Protest Firestorm from Education Leaders
The bill’s passage infuriated school boards, superintendents, the state’s main teachers and other education advocates. Scott hinted that he was considering a veto at the time.
Wednesday Briefing: Sessions Time-Out, National Guard Progress, Ivanka and Marco’s Family Leave, Mohsin Hamid
The Florida Chamber’s education summit in Orlando, Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump may have family leave in common, Sigmund Freud on our self-destructive selves, Mohsin Hamid.
Saturday From Hell: 3 Stabbings, 8 Arrests Across Flagler As Domestic Violence Stresses Sheriff’s Initiative
Sheriff’s deputies in Palm Coast and police in Flagler Beach and Bunnell were seemingly overrun with violent incidents in barely a 24-hour period this weekend, two weeks from a domestic-violence summit.
A 26-Year-Old Iraq War Veteran In 3rd Suicide in 5 Days in Palm Coast
Justus Albert Leach, A 26-year-old Army veteran of the Iraq war, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his backyard at 71 Ft. Caroline Lane Sunday.
Tuesday Briefing: Chamber Education Summit, Property Taxes in Palm Coast, Game Day Guns, Ted Talk on Lies
The Palm Coast Council talks property taxes, a court reviews the Florida State case about guns on game day, the Bunnell City Commission discusses a pay study, Reagan talks about The Day After.
Behind County Plaint That Relations With Palm Coast “Suck,” a History of Rancor and Cooperation
It’s been five years since Palm Coast and Flagler County governments met jointly, but they have a poor history of it, preferring to work behind the scenes on key issues.
After Matanzas Golf Course Owners a No-Show at Hearing, Palm Coast Moves to Recover $228,000
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont rejected what defenses the golf course owners had produced regarding overgrowth, clearing the way for foreclosure on the long-troubled course.
Health Providers Prevail Over Gun Promoters in Guns v. Glocks Duel as 2011 Law Dies
The plaintiffs in the case, including individual doctors, argued that the restrictions were a violation of their First Amendment rights. A federal court agreed.
At International Competition, FPC’s Teams Take Grand Champion and 1st, Bunnell Takes 2nd
An FPC team’s project designed to cater to those who cater to the sick in hospitals won grand champion, the project that built bat houses to combat the Zika virus won first place.
Monday Briefing: Remembering the Pulse Victims, Drought Index Down to 151, Flagler Budget, Reza Aslan’s Firing
A large commemoration ceremony at Lake Eola Park to remember the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, with SunRail providing extra service. Flagler commissioners talk budget.
When Elected Officials Block Constituents on Twitter or Facebook, Possibly Breaking the Law
As elected officials increasingly turn to social media to communicate with constituents, some are blocking those who disagree with them. Some say it violates the First Amendment.
50 Years Later, Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty Still Provokes Unsettling Conclusions
On June 8, 1967, during the Arab-Israeli war, Israeli jets and gunships attacked the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean, killing 34 Americans. Israel called it an accident. Survivors doubt it to this day.
Cities Can’t Go It Alone: They’ll Need State Help to Meet Paris Climate Goal
Even Palm Coast’s mayor has received requests to join the pledge, but many cities may be hamstrung by Republican governors and state legislatures that are less supportive of policies that would reduce fossil fuel emissions.
Palm Coast’s Daniel Torres, 37, Killed In Head-On Crash on Old Kings Road
Daniel G. Torres, 37, of Palm Coast, was killed in a head-on collision as he drove the wrong way south on Old King’s Road near Palm Coast Parkway early this morning. Two people in the other vehicle were injured.
Four Funerals and a Wedding
In the past couple of weeks we’ve had four mass funerals and a wedding. Each tells a story about what we’ve become in a world turned on its head. Honorable is the least of it.
A Man Is Found Dead at Palm Coast’s Abandoned Players Club in Apparent Suicide
Clifford D. Van Gorden, a 92-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s C Section, was found by the club’s old tennis courts with a gunshot wound to the head. He had left a note and was suffering from cancer.
A Special Session Gorged on Wheeling and Dealing Ends With All Sides Declaring Victory
The agreement gave each of the three sides at the Capitol — Scott, the House and the Senate — something that could be called a victory, but more vetoes may yet be to come.
Flagler’s Mosquito Control District’s Operations Move Into New Home at County Airport
Just as Flagler got drenched with mosquito-spawning rains, the agency responsible for monitoring and killing mosquitoes moved into a new, ample headquarters with its own helipad.
Lawmakers Find Agreement On Much Broader Allowances for Medical Pot Dispensaries
The cap on dispensaries would end in less than three years and the number of medical-marijuana operator licenses would increase as the number of patients eligible for the cannabis treatment grows.
Weekend Briefing: Portugal Day, Jiggleman Reading, Sportsfishing Tournament, Fantastic Beasts, Ali on Being Muslim
Celebrating Portugal Day at City Hall, a free movie in the park at dusk, Jiggleman kicks off a summer of reading at the public library, the special session concludes, maybe, Muhammad Ali speaks.
Flagler Students Make Gains In Almost Every Discipline, Ranking in State’s Upper Half or Third
By almost every measure, Flagler students improved their English, math, science and social science scores, year over year, according to 2017 test results released today.
Court Throws Out Medical Malpractice Caps, Legacy of Jeb Bush Years, as Unconstitutional
Justices were sharply divided, with the majority finding that the caps on “non-economic” damages violated equal-protection rights and disputing that a malpractice insurance “crisis” exists.
Drought Relief: Rains Drench Flagler and Surrounding Counties, Reducing Parched Conditions
Three days of recurring rains ended, or at least significantly reduced, drought conditions that have been taxing the region, leading to water restrictions, brown lawns and heightened fire dangers.