The 5th District Court of Appeal today sided with the state in two death penalty cases, saying that blocking the executions “impermissibly invades” the discretion of the state to seek the sentence.
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Flagler on “Budget-Signing Watch” as 4 Local Items Totaling $3 Million Await Scott Signature
Pending appropriations include $2 million for improvements to the Plantation Bay utility, $200,000 for the Malacompra drainage fix, and $200,000 for Flagler Beach’s stormwater improvements.
47-Year-Old Bunnell Man Arrested On 12 Counts of Child Porn Possession
Michael Giachetti, a 47-year-old resident of the Palm Terrace community in Bunnell (Lot 63), faces 12 third-degree felony counts. He is being held on $60,000 bond.
Weekend Briefing: Lungfish at City Repertory, Grandma Gatewood Documentary, Up with Down Bike Ride
Last weekend for “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” the comedy-drama at City Repertory Theatre in Palm Coast, an Emma Gatewood documentary at the public library is the latest Flagler Reads Together event.
Sheriff Applauds New Law Regulating Police Authority to Seize Cash and Property
“Civil asset forfeiture” is a controversial practice that gives police authority to seize cash, cars, homes or pother property suspected of use in a crime even absent an arrest. Florida just reformed the law to make forfeiture more difficult and accountable.
Senator, Governor, President, Nothing: For Marco Rubio, a Fuzzy Florida Future
For essentially the first time since he won a city commission seat in 1998, Rubio will soon be without a government office and without a campaign. What office Rubio seeks next, if any, isn’t clear.
Thursday Briefing: Leprechaun Hunt at Gamble Rogers, 8,000 Acres of Hutson Land for Sale, Ulysses
The Hutson family puts up 8,000 acres–four parcels–for sale in southern St. Johns, St Patrick’s Day is all about leprechauns, Guiness and James Joyce.
The Closing of the Academic Mind
Any denial of academic freedom is a blow struck against the meaning of a university. The irony today is that some of the most worrying attacks on academic freedom have been coming from inside university.
In a Child-Rape Case, Fair Questions Are Weighed Against Inadmissible Evidence
Waldemar Rivera is accused of raping his 13-year-old step-daughter. A hearing today tested the boundaries between justified questions and blaming the victim as a judge ruled on witness statements and what sexual histories may be admitted when the trial resumes next week.
Gov. Rick Scott, Likening Himself to “Businessman Outsider,” Endorses Donald Trump
The endorsement was as much a plea for party unity as another signal from Trump that he is open to Trump’s invitation as his vice president nominee.
Full Funding Restored to Flagler’s Adults With Disabilities Program, a Big Victory for District
Intense lobbying by local school officials and their legislators helped restore the full $545,000 appropriation they’d lost last year, enabling the district to again double enrollment in the Adults with Disabilities’ Step Up program starting July 1.
Gov. Scott’s $256 Million in Vetoes Include Palm Coast’s $200,000 Wellfield Project
The veto of Palm Coast’s funding and county government’s failure to secure various appropriations is a reflection of a somewhat weaker legislative delegation.
Wednesday Briefing: New Assisted Living on Cypress Point, Florida Fossils, Elections Recaps
Palm Coast’s planning board considers a new assisted living facility near City Market Place, election-day hangovers, lunch-n-learn series lecture focuses on… fossils.
Bill Baxley and Elbert Tucker Win Big in Bunnell, Trump and Clinton Win Flagler and Florida
There were ballot problems in one precinct in Palm Coast, where voters were handed the Bunnell ballot, but not in large enough numbers to alter the results.
Palm Coast Floats New Rescue System in Name Of “Efficiency,” But County Sees Many Flaws
No one is complaining about ambulance service in Palm Coast, but the city council is favoring changing the system by adding two county ambulances and spreading manpower around. The county, which runs EMS, says the plan is costly and unnecessary.
One Arrested in Burger King Armed Robbery, 2 Arrested in U.S. 1 Carjacking
Dwight Lanfair, a 47-year-old resident at the Madison Green apartments in Palm Coast, was arrested in the robbery charge. Roy Wood and Frank Lawson were arrested on a carjacking charge involving a motorcyclist on the last day of Bike Week.
Tuesday Briefing: It’s Election Day, Historic Flagler Takes the Bus Again, Food Trucks in Park, Voting for Einstein
It’s not just Trump, Sanders and the rest of them today, but Bunnell, too, has an election. It’s Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast’s Central Park, plus memories of Albert Einstein.
Where Florida’s Veto-Ready Pork Went: County Fairs, Gun Ranges, Oyster Farms, Space Tourism
Throughout the record spending plan are hundreds of local and agency projects that some lawmakers argued will help the economy or Florida residents. Now, Gov. Rick Scott will use his veto pen to decide which projects survive in the budget that takes effect July 1.
29% Have Already Voted in Flagler; Trump and Clinton Hold Commanding Poll Lead in Florida
In Flagler, 15,659 voters have already cast a ballot through early voting and voting by mail, a significant increase from 2012 even after accounting for two major primary contests. .
How the Florida Legislature Turned Police Radios Into $7 Million in Rotten Sausages
In a case with echoes in Flagler, experience pokes a hole in the Florida House speaker’s argument that first responders on the state system “need” radios, even though they didn’t ask for them.
Flagler Unemployment Ticks Up To 5.8% in January, Florida’s at 5%
The number of Flagler County residents with jobs has increased from 27,652 in March 2010 to 41,053 in January–an increase of 13,401, or 48 percent.
Monday Briefing: Waldemar Rivera Trial on Rape Charge, Lab Meat, Chitwood’s Run for Sheriff
The trial of Valdemar Rivera on a rape charge begins before Judge Foxman this morning, Daytona Police Chief Mike Chitwood announces run for Volusia sheriff, meat made in a lab is explored.
Palm Coast Woman, 57, Dies after Being Jailed For Not Abiding By Drug-Treatment Order
Kathleen Feiler had an apparent seizure at the jail hours after her arrest. A potential contempt charge aside, she had not been booked on the suspicion of a crime but because she was suspected of not following through on substance abuse treatment.
I’m For Bernie
Flawed as she is, Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and crush any Republican opponent. That doesn’t make her the best candidate. The more reason for Bernie Sanders’s candidacy, regardless of outcome.
Kathleen J. Boos of Palm Coast and Carl W. Boos Are Killed in A1A Crash, One Critical
One additional driver was injured critically and one was injured seriously as a result of a head-on crash involving four vehicles north of Painters Hill on Oceanshore Boulevard at 6:25 p.m. Another person was treated for minor injuries at the scene, and released.
In Stunning Turnaround, Sheriff Manfre Says He Will Fight Ethics Fine and Censure After All
After deciding last month to agree to a $6,200 fine and move on, Manfre now says he’s changed his mind, citing the disparity between his fine and that of his predecessor, Don Fleming, for what Manfre says were worse ethical lapses.
Deputy Rescues 21-Year-Old Woman Stuck in Ditch for 45 Minutes in Overturned Pick-Up
Brandy Demarco, 21, was driving her red Toyota Tacoma west on isolated County Road 80 around 1 a.m. Thursday when she swerved to avoid a deer and ended up overturning into a waterlogged ditch.
Glorious Creatures, With Retired Greyhounds in Attendance, Liven New Art League Show
The March 12 reception for the “Oh! Glorious Creatures” show at the art league will also feature a poetry contest, with patrons selecting the winner. The show is on exhibit through April 5.
3-Day School “Tax Holiday” Part of $129 Million Tax-Cut Package Nearing Approval
The package is far short of the $1 billion in tax cuts that Gov. Rick Scott requested. The trimmed-down package is the result, at least in part, of lawmakers responding to state economists reducing revenue forecasts for the next couple of years.
Weekend Briefing: Job Fair, Aerosmith, Lungfish at CRT, Unnecessary Farce at Playhouse, Experiencing the Appalachian Trail
A weekend rich in theater with “Wrong Turn at Lungfish” at CRT and “Unnecessary Farce,” at the Playhouse, an Aerosmith tribute band at the Auditorium, and another Flagler Reads Together event.
Flagler Deputies Bust Chop-Shop on Sawgrass Road, Hauling Off Commercial Vehicle Parts
The sheriff’s office said the chop-shop was located at 331 Sawgrass Road, in buildings owned by 4 C’s Trucking and Excavation but rented out to two Palm Coasts residents, Wilfredo Velasquez and Richard Espinoza. There were no arrests Thursday.
Palm Coast’s Paul Aiello, 52, Local Business Owner, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck Near Hammock Resort
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.
“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.