Paul Aiello was traveling on Ocean Crest Drive on a 2014 Harley Davidson when he lost control, struck a tree and was ejected. He was the owner of RHS Mechanical.
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“Wrong Turn at Lungfish”: CRT Comedy Pairs Blind Grump and Street Tart in Duel of Wits
A battle of wits plays out between a blind and bitter college professor and an uneducated street tart in “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” the Gary Marshall comedy-drama at City Repertory Theatre in Palm Coast, opening Friday.
Worse Than Trump: Gov. Scott Refuses to Disavow Claim that “Islam Hates Us”
In an appearance on Joe Scarborough’s MSNBC show Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott refused to denounce Donald Trump’s claim the day before that “Islam hates us.” The smear on Florida is the latest of many lows in a lurid election season.
Thursday Briefing: 7 Hours of Live Bombing at Pinecastle, National Guard Homecoming, STEM at Rymfire
A unit of the National Guard’s 265th Air Defense Brigade now permanently stationed at the Flagler County Airport comes home from Afghanistan after a year deployment, more early voting, more bombing at Pinecastle range by the Navy.
For 1st Time in 9 Years, Bonding Out of Jail in Flagler Made More Expensive for Most Suspects
The new bond schedule in some cases doubles bonds or eliminates them for many offenses, but the schedule applies for only a brief period between arrest and first appearance before a judge, when any amount bond (or no bond) can be set.
Suspicion of Individual With Weapon Triggers Code Orange At Matanzas High School
Matanzas High School went on Code Orange security status shortly after 1 p.m. today, restricting students indoors and in their classrooms, after a school official suspected that a student may have been seen with a weapon.
“Little Marco” Borne Out in Latest Florida Poll as Trump Trounces Rubio With 2-1 Advantage
Donald Trump is ahead of Rubio in Florida by a 45-22 margin, with Ted Cruz at 18 percent and Ohio’s John Kasich at 8 percent. The Quinnipiac University poll is considered the most accurate in Florida.
Wednesday Briefing: Rubio as GOP’s John Edwards, Early Voting Day 5, Graham Swamp Walk
Why Marco Rubio is the Republicans’ John Edwards, a walk through Graham Swamp is today’s Flagler Reads Together event, the Public Safety Coordinating Council meets.
Donald Trump’s Pledge of Allegiance to 1933 Germany
Asking supporters to raise their right arms and pledge allegiance to himself embodies Trump’s megalomania perfectly, argues Chris Goodfellow, but time may run out before voters realize their mistake.
Florida Lawmakers Unveil $82.3 Billion Budget That Abandons Scott’s Top Priorities
Because Scott’s tax-cut proposal was sharply reduced and a $250 million package of business incentives was dropped entirely, the governor is expected to lean heavily on his line-item veto pen.
Palm Coast’s Jim Landon Wants to Add to His $218,000 Pay Package, Council Pushes Back Slightly
The Palm Coat city manager, by far the highest-paid public employee in Flagler, wants annual, automatic raises based on his own self-evaluations, but council members want a more formal system.
Linda Solomon, Dervish Painter of Joy and Ex-Flagler Artist of the Year, Dies at 74
Solomon continued dancing and painting dancers, as well as musicians, mystical landscapes and more, throughout much of her years-long battle with ovarian cancer, which took her life on March 7.
Authorities Find Doreen Marie O’Connor, Feared Suicidal, After Search
A helicopter, sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers are searching for Doreen Marie O’Connor, 50, in Palm Coast. She is believed to be suicidal.
Three Vying for 2 Seats on Bunnell Commission Take On Policing, Code Enforcement and Pot
Incumbents Bill Baxley and Elbert Tucker and challenger Jan Reeger appeared Monday in the only candidate forum ahead of the March 15 election, responding to a range of questions that showed them more in agreement than in opposition.
Tuesday Briefing: A Raise for Jim Landon, Safer Bus Stops, Early Voting Continues
The Palm Coast City Council will discuss a raise for city manager Jim Landon, still the highest paid city or county executive in local government, along with a few other matters.
Utilities’ Proposed “Smart Solar” Amendment Draws Smarter Questions From Justices
A utility-backed measure intended to put existing solar-energy regulations into the state Constitution drew indications of skepticism and support Monday from Florida Supreme Court justices.
Weekend Blotter: Accusations of Child Abuse And of Assault on a Pregnant Woman
Gunnar Galambos, 22, is accused of strangulation battery and child abuse involving a 5-week-old. Anthony Vangordon, 20, is accused of assaulting the pregnant mother of his child.
Flagler Hikes Together: “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk” Kicks Off Annual Readers’ Events
Flagler Reads Together, the annual March event, began Friday with Ben Montgomery speaking of his book, “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk,” this year’s featured title, before 84 people at the Flagler County Public Library.
Monday Briefing: Bunnell Candidate Forum, Early Primary Voting, Louis CK and Beck On Heil Trump
Early voting for the presidential primary continues in Flagler at three polling sites, the three Bunnell City Commission candidates vying for two seats in their March election are in their only forum this evening, and Louis CK and Glenn Beck each call Trump Hitler.
With $714 Million For School Construction, Lawmakers Close in on $80 Billion Deal
Lawmakers have to agree on the roughly $80 billion overall spending plan by Tuesday for the legislative session to end on Friday, as scheduled.
Republicans On Crack
The crack-up is upon us. The locks have popped. The insane asylums have emptied. The loons are casting ballots. And Mitt Romney’s string quartet is arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Sandra Lee Ricard, 56, Killed in Putnam County Motorcycle Crash; Husband Lawrence Critical
Sandra Lee Ricard, a 56-year-old resident of Tampa, was killed Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle wreck on State Road 20 in Putnam County that left her husband Lawrence Albert Ricard, 64, in critical condition. The couple were riding a motorcycle.
Troubled Florida Department of Corrections Asks for 734 More Positions for Security. Lawmakers Say No.
The department has been reeling from a series of reports about issues such as contraband smuggling and abuse of inmates. The new jobs were part of an effort by the department to have corrections officers work eight-hour shifts instead of 12-hour shifts.
SWAT Team Serves Search Warrant at House of Man at Center of Puppy-Shooting Controversy
Neighbors have accused Miles Smith, 31, whose house was being searched, of shooting a puppy and texting an image of it, dead in his bathtub, to the dog’s former owners. Smith denies he shot the dog.
Flagler’s Athletic Directors Concerned By Proposed Law Facilitating Student-Athletes’ Transfers
The bill, SB 684, which has drawn little attention, would ease the path for student-athletes looking to transfer, which would benefit big schools at the expense of smaller schools.
Florida House Overwhelmingly Approves Use of Full-Strength Pot for Terminally Ill, 99-16
The measure approved Thursday, in part, would likely lead to more licenses for nurseries that would be able to grow, process and distribute the full-strength and non-euphoric types of pot.
U.S. Economy Adds Robust 242,000 Jobs, Leaving Unemployment Rate at 4.9%
After a relatively weaker December, when only 172,000 jobs were created, the job market resumed the late 1990s-like pace it has maintained for most of the past two years.
Weekend Briefing: Early Voting Begins Saturday, Flagler Reads Together Kick-Off, Volusia Decriminalizes Pot Bits
Flagler Reads Together kicks off today with Ben Montgomery, author of the chosen book, at the public library, early voting in the presidential primary begins Saturday.
Ex-Flagler Superintendent Delbrugge’s Son and Daughter Arrested For Stealing Girl Scout’s Cookie Money
Nicholas Delbrugge, 20, and his sister Ashley Winters, both former residents of Flagler County and the son and daughter of former Flagler School Superintendent Bill Delbrugge, were arrested this evening in Deltona and charged with snatching a a girl scout’s cookie money from her hands four days earlier.
District and Palm Coast Will Redesign Some Bus Stops in 1st Step To Counter Crashes Involving Children
Some of the county’s 600 bus stops will be redesigned to include a $1,200 “pad” where students should wait for buses, while an education campaign will target students in elementary and middle schools.
Gov. Scott Sought $1 Billion in Tax Cuts. Senate Cuts It Down to $129 Million.
The new tax-cut package will combine with about $290 million earmarked to hold down local property taxes that would otherwise go into the state’s school-funding formula.
Sheriff’s Office Swears In 8 New Recruits, This Time With More Than Token Minorities
Three of the eight new recruits sworn in Wednesday are black. In late September, 13 young deputies were sworn in, though not all made it, and attrition has continued.
Thursday Briefing: Palm Coast Fire Chief Beadle Is Elks’s Citizen of the Year, Romney Panic, Dr. Seuss Night at Rymfire
The Elks name Palm Coast Fire Chief Mike Beadle their Citizen of the Year, Mitt Romney on the end of the world as Republicans know it, Dr. Seuss takes Rymfire, Samatha Bee explains the war on women.
With Curt Emphasis on “NOW,” Palm Coast Mayor Wants Radio Answers from County
For Netts, usually a model of decorum and grace, it was an unusually demanding letter over an issue that has created simemring tensions between the county and city managers for months.
In a First, Flagler’s Early Voters Will get Ballots Printed On Demand, Saving Money and Paper
The old approach of printing surplus ballots creates costly redundancies and, eventually waste: unused ballots are discarded. That approach will still be used on election days.
Supreme Court Halts Double Murderer James Asay’s Execution, 2nd Stay in 4 Weeks
Hours after hearing arguments in the case, the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday indefinitely postponed the execution of Mark James Asay, a convicted double murderer scheduled to die on March 17.
Centra Urgent Care Center Opens on Palm Coast Parkway Under Florida Hospital Imprint
Centra Care on Palm Coast Parkway is the latest urgent care clinic to open in the region as health care providers shift services away from emergency rooms when possible, to control costs. But Centra Care also helps channel patients to the Florida Hospital Flagler system.
Wednesday Briefing: Avoid Old Kings Road in F Section, Centra Care’s Grand Opening, Cop Shootings in LA
Old Kings Road’s southbound lane just south of Forest Grove Drive will close most of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, another groundbreaking for a Florida Hospital Flagler facility.
Fiercely Opposed by Environmentalists, Bill To Ease Fracking in Florida Dies In the Senate
The bill was backed by the Florida Petroleum Council, Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. It is opposed by environmental groups and dozens of local governments that have approved fracking bans.
Palm Coast Takes 9th and Nearly Final Step to Ban Bottle Clubs
No businesses will be forced to close. They’ll simply not be allowed to open. But aside from one possible such club at City Market Place, bottle clubs were not lining up to open in the city.
A Dog Is Shot Dead in Palm Coast’s W-Section, Triggering Murky Investigation–and Fear
The Flagler County sheriff’s office is investigating the strange case of a three-and-a-half-month-old puppy killed apparently by gunshot sometime late Saturday or early Sunday as accusations fly between two neighboring households in Palm Coast’s W Section.
2015 Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2015 Flagler County jail bookings, day and night shift commanders’ crime and incident reports investigated by Sheriff’s deputies and archive.
Gary Smith, 53, of Palm Bay, Killed in 2-Vehicle Crash on I-95 in Brevard
Gary Smith, 53, of Palm Bay, was killed and Justin Looman, 29, of West Melbourne was seriously injured in a crash involving the men’s two Jeeps on I-95 in Brevard early the morning of March 1.
In Major Shift, Florida Senate Panel Approves Use of “Full-Strength” Pot for Terminally Ill
The bill, in part, would likely lead to more licenses for nurseries that would be able to grow, process and distribute the full-strength and non-euphoric types of pot.
Tuesday Briefing: School Board Haggles Over Talking Rules, Little League Pitches to Palm Coast Council
The Flagler County School Board will hold a refresher on its own parliamentary rules following the controversial end to a previous meeting’s discussion. Palm Coast Little League appear before the city council, also in a follow-up to a controversy late last year.
Firearm Flagler: 3 Separate Gun Incidents Land 1 in Hospital With Gunshot Wound and 2 in Jail
A Palm Coast man shot at his wife and son through their front door on Kathleen Trail, a man was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler with a gunshot wound to his leg after a Seminole Woods party, and an ex-boyfriend allegedly threatened to shoot his girlfriend as he held a 9 mm gun during an argument.
FPC Will Launch a Firefighter-EMT Academy, Filling a Recruiting Gap for Fire Departments
The Fire Leadership Academy is designed to appeal to students who may be losing interest in school while giving the county’s and cities’ fire departments a reliable recruiting ground of new firefighter-EMTs.
“Spotlight,” the Oscars’ Best-Picture Upset Winner, Gets Investigative Journalism Right
Unlike many films about reporters, “Spotlight,” about the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sex abuse by priests, accurately depicts the frustrations and joys of breaking a big story, from the drudgery of spreadsheets to the electric thrill of revelatory interviews.
Monday Briefing: The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Strings Around the World Concert, Reporting Poverty
The 350 musicians of the Flagler Youth Orchestra take the stage at the Flagler Auditorium tonight at 7 p.m. for their 32nd concert, a new book about evictions is a shocking revelation about poverty in America.
William Lavender, 92, Dies in Wreck as Car Crashes Into McDonald’s on Belle Terre
William Lavender, a 92-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P-Section, died of a heart attack Sunday afternoon as his car crashed into a McDonald’s, slightly injuring three patrons.