Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president, retired to Palm Coast in 1991. She received the posthumous medal from President Obama today as an awareness campaign about her life and impact on Palm Coast grows locally.
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Palm Coast Ties Emergency Communications System to Recent Crash–Falsely, County Says
City Manager Jim Landon says he’s concerned about maintenance of the countywide 800 mhz communications system, suggesting it could crash as parts of the sheriff’s computer system recently did–an inaccurate suggestion that deflects from other problems, the county retorts.
DUI Arrest Turns Into Violent Confrontation With Cops and Paramedics
Elisabeth Akers of Palm Coast faces two felony and two misdemeanor charges after allegedly spitting on paramedics and resisting arrest with violence in the Seminole Woods area.
Palm Coast Wants Changes to County-Controlled Ambulance Services in the City
The city wants to reduce the need for fire trucks and ambulances doubling up on EMS calls, and to lower overall costs. The county has its own ideas. The two sides will meet administratively to hash out possibilities.
Tree Lighting in Palm Coast’s Town Center Ignites Series of Holiday Events
The tree lighting on Monday also starts the annual Fantasy Lights display in Town Center. The boat parade is on Dec. 5, the Starlight Parade on Dec. 12.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Talks EMS and Its Own Pay, Imagine’s K-Kids, Hubert Grimes Gives Thanks,
The Palm Coast Council talks about its own pay and discusses overhauling county’s EMS system, Hubert Grimes gives thanks at Methodist gathering, Imagine school’s K-Kids care for the less fortunate.
Scott’s $79.3 Billion Budget Proposal Draws Criticism for Gimmickry and $250 Million Fund
The budget would cut taxes $1 billion, create a business fund and raise per-student funding but would still be $1,284 per student below the 2006, inflation-adjusted level.
Bunnell Woman Accused of Aggravated Manslaughter in Death of Her Disabled Uncle
Holly Norris, a 34-year-old Bunnell woman with a long list of criminal charges and penalties over the past 10 years, was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of her uncle, John Satanoski, two years ago.
The Politics of Resentment: Why Poorer Areas Are Increasingly Voting Republican
A political puzzle: Parts of the country that depend on the safety-net programs supported by Democrats are increasingly voting for Republicans who favor shredding that net. The reason: the poor don’t vote.
Monday Briefing: Mayor Netts Honored, Enterprise Florida’s Fans, Scott’s Budget Unveiled
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts is the recipient of a Northeast Florida Regional Council award, Gov. Scott unveils his proposed budget while pushing for more powers for Enterprise Florida.
Conservatives Should Be Leading the Charge to Accept Syrian Refugees. We Have No Choice.
Doesn’t American exceptionalism demand that we lead where others have neither the will nor the courage? We have no choice. America gives sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, argues Nancy Smith. This is what we do and who we are. We’re the good guys.
Traffic Tickets as a Sleigh to Christmas Come True: Yes Virginia, There’s Santa Cop
The Flagler Beach Police Department is issuing “toy waivers“ with warning citations for certain offenses to help Christmas Come True, Nadine King’s annual fund-raiser for poorer children that’s considerably short of its $40,000 goal this year.
What It Takes to Get New Retailers to Palm Coast: Behind a $135,000 Matchmaking Deal
Palm Coast signed a three-year, $135,000 contract with Texas-based Buxton, a retail recruiter, in hopes of filling storefronts and empty commercial lots. The approach has its mix of skeptics and cheerleaders.
Flagler Unemployment Falls to 5.9%, an 8-Year Low; Job Growth at 23.7% Since 2007
The number of people with jobs in Flagler has grown by 23.7 percent since 2007, even though the population has grown by just 13.6 percent, pointing to a relatively robust recovery.
Weekend Briefing: Salvo Art Project’s 1-Year Bash, Jim Guines Appreciation, Chili Pipers at the Auditorium
The great Jim Guines is celebrated and appreciated Sunday at 3 p.m. at FPC, JJ Graham’s and Petra Iston’s Salvo Art Project turns 1 year old in a Saturday celebration, the myth of Sisyphus in an Oscar-Nominated short film from 1974.
America’s Responsibility for Enabling ISIS, And How to End Blowback Terrorism
More wars – especially CIA-backed, Western-led wars – will solve nothing. By contrast, a surge of investment in education and sustainable development is the real key to building a more stable future for the Middle East and the world, argues Jeffrey Sachs.
Crime Rises 2.4% in Flagler in Mid-Year Report, First Increase Since 2009
A spike in burglaries and larcenies sent Flagler County’s overall crime rate up 2.4 percent in the first six months of 2015, in contrast with crime in Florida as a whole, where it has fallen 2.2 percent.
Palm Coast Seeks to Bail on County-Wide Communications System It joined in 2009 in Latest Clash With Flagler
Palm Coast and Flagler County governments are trading accusations of violating a 2009 agreement over the critical 800 mhz system as Palm Coast quit contributing its share of dollars to it and the county charges that the city is inventing an issue without a problem.
Measure Allowing Guns on Florida College Campuses Heads for Likely House Passage
But the fate of the NRA-supported gun measure, vehemently opposed by university officials, still hangs in the Senate, where passage is less certain.
Nutrition Supplement Firm Will Expand Into Ex-Palm Coast Data Building, With 50 Jobs
Designs for Health, a nutritional supplement and vitamins company, will get a $25,000 county subsidy to expand from Hargrove Grade to Commerce Boulevard in exchange for 50 jobs and a $3 million investment in the old Palm Coast Data building complex.
Thursday Briefing: Civil Liberties v. Security, Ambulance Wars, Jindal Drops Out, and Henryk Wieniawski
How to balance civil liberties in an age of insecurities, Palm Coast and Flagler County are at loggerheads over ambulance services again, Bobby Jindal is the latest GOP candidate to drop out of the presidential race.
Syrian Refugees, ISIS, the Attacks to Come and What To Do: A Grim Q&A
Tom O’Hara’s sobering answers to basic questions on the next ISIS attack, the refusal to take in Syrian refugees, what ISIS wants and whether an invasion of Syria and Iraq can work.
Trump in Florida Maintains Big Lead Over Rubio and Easily Beats Clinton in Latest Poll
Donald Trump has double the support of Marco Rubio, with Ben Carson a distant third, and would beat Hillary Clinton by 8 points in Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative.
Splits Limited to Details as Bunnell Sets Next Manager’s Pay Range and Qualifications
The city manager’s position will go for a salary range of $65,000 to $80,000, internal applicants will get a week’s head start, there will be no interim for now, and a four-year degree is required, thus closing the way to several potential internal or previous applicants.
Palm Coast Moves to Restrict Bottle Clubs, Speakeasies that Skirt Booze Regulations
There are no bottle clubs in Palm Coast or Flagler County. Palm Coast wants to keep it that way after businesses complained of a place possibly opening at City Market Place.
No Longer State of the Art, Flagler Auditorium Seeks School Board Support for Improvements
A joint meeting between the school board and the auditorium board revealed a wish-list of costly needs that would require the district to shift dollars and priorities toward the auditorium. First, school board members want more clarity on those needs.
Wednesday Briefing: Curbing Bottle Clubs, a Manager’s Job Description in Bunnell, ISIS Debates
Palm Coast’s planning board takes on bottle clubs, where patrons gather with their own liquor to socialize, Bunnell takes on its manager search, and a slew of other government meetings are scheduled before Thanksgiving.
In Rare Defeat for NRA in Florida, Lawmakers Kill Broader Stand Your Ground Measure
A National Rifle Association-backed measure that could have made it easier legally for people to claim self-defense in shooting incidents failed to get through its first House committee on Tuesday.
School Board Member’s Home Among 4 Targeted for Burglaries in Central Palm Coast
Flagler County School Board member Janet McDonald’s house was among the four residences targeted in the B, C and Palm Harbor sections of Palm Coast on Nov. 6.
Not All Speech Is Free: County Slams McDonald for Legal Fees Over “Knowingly False” Claims
Dennis McDonald, the Ronald Reagan Assembly member and frequent critic of government, said he’ll “absolutely” contest the county’s move on First Amendment grounds.
Sheriff Rethinks Joint IT Operations With County Amid Discord Over Computer Failure
Sheriff Jim Manfre wants to “transition” from the merger with the county’s IT operations less than two years after he and the county approved it as a signal of cooperation and efficiency.
We Are At War
No one wants to repeat the errors of the US under President George W. Bush; but to use those errors as an alibi to avoid confronting the world as it is would merely be an error of a different sort.
Tuesday Briefing: FPC Band in Concert, Flagler Auditorium in Review, Florida Lawmakers Ride Refugee Crisis
The FPC band just returned from scoring superior for the 13th straight year. The school board and Auditorium board hold a joint workshop. Florida lawmakers seize on the Syrian refugee crisis to talk illegal immigration.
Matanzas High Student Faces Felony After Accusation of Hitting Dean of Students
Charmia Mone Jackson, 18, of Palm Coast, is alleged to have struck the Matanzas High School dean of students in back of the head as she was aiming for another student during an altercation on Friday.
Gov. Scott Orders DCF to Stop Aiding Relocation of 425 Syrian Refugees
Governors in Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin have also announced they will refuse to accept any more Syrians.
Setting Special Meeting, Bunnell May Haggle Over Next Manager’s Pay and Qualifications
There is some division within the Bunnell commission over the qualifications of the next manager and whether to appoint an interim meanwhile, risking the commission’s hard-won cohesion of the past year.
Palm Coast Resident and TSA Employee Sentenced to 15 Years For Raping Wife’s Minor Sister
Esteban Alejandro Rodriguez, a 30-year-old resident of Palm Coast, had been raping and sexually abusing the girl since she was in 6th grade. Two other minors lived in the household at the time of his arrest.
Monday Briefing: John Oliver Gives It to ISIS, A Cell Tower on Colbert, Open Government
The county commission considers a cell tower on Colbert Lane, no more county-provided bus trips for the Historical Society, John Oliver takes on ISIS in terms befitting ‘premium-cable profanity.’
At Florida’s GOP Summit, 2nd-String Candidates Focus on Paris Attacks and Blame Obama
Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and Bobby Jindal spoke on the second day of the Sunshine Summit and criticized current policy regarding ISIS as they sought to distinguish themselves and lift their sagging place in polls.
As Paris Bleeds
The Paris attacks strike at the mother democracy and culture, but they’re the continuing consequence of 15 years reckless militarism in the Middle East. More of the same will solve nothing.
“Greetings” at Flagler Playhouse: A Miracle of Fortune Cookie Wisdom
“Greetings,” the Christmas-themed 1990 comedy by Tom Dudzick staged by the Flagler Playhouse through Nov. 22, doesn’t quite rise to the charms or “It’s a Wonderful Life” but only a Grinch would say it’s not a pleasant Yuletide diversion.
Sheriff Reveals Breadth of Computer Failure and Safety Lapses, and Sharply Blames County
Sheriff Manfre, in a terse letter to County Administrator Craig Coffey, says the failure was one of several, it jeopardized officer safety and may have wiped out 20 months of critical data, and he asks for answers.
Palm Coast Taxi Driver Arrested on Trafficking and Other Charges After Drugs Are Found in Cab
James Mabry, a 53-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s W-Section who drove an Alliance Taxi, was arrested in his Taxi on Nov. 5 as he weaved across the Palm Coast Parkway bridge over I-95, and found in possession of several prescription drugs, controlled substances and marijuana, which were stored in the cab, according to his arrest report.
Flagler Beach Hires Larry Newsom as City Manager, From a County 70 Times Larger
Larry Newsom, hired by a 5-0 vote Thursday night, had been assistant and interim manager in Escambia County, with a population of 350,000. Flagler Beach’s population is 5,000.
Weekend Briefing: Legislative Delegation Meeting, Marineland’s 75th, Sevyn, Greetings and Roof-Raising
Flagler-Palm Coast officials will appear before the county’s legislative delegation–Travis Hutson and Paul Renner–to make their pitch of priorities, Marineland is celebrating all weekend.
Steven Nobile, Professed Conservative, Wants a 324% Pay Increase for Palm Coast Council
Steven Nobile’s proposal dovetails fellow-council member Heidi Shipley’s request for health benefits and some higher pay, but they may face opposition from two members facing elections next year.
The United States Has Been Dithering on Climate Change Since LBJ. Enough.
despite 50 years of growing scientific consensus, the warming of the earth continues unabated. Well-funded lobby groups have sowed doubt among the public and successfully downplayed the urgency of the threat.
Florida Wildlife Officials Call Bear Hunt a “Success,” Opponents Call It a Slaughter
Some 304 bears were killed in two days and few hunters cited for violations, but critics called it a slaughter, saying most of the bears were killed on private land, where state regulations could be more easily skirted.
Palm Coast Sheriff’s Precinct Cmdr. Mark Carman T-Boned in Cypress Edge Collision
Mark Carman, the long-time captain–now commander–of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Palm Coast Precinct, was t-boned by a 23-year-old driver but not seriously injured in a crash as he drove on Cypress Edge Drive last week.
On Marineland’s 75th Anniversary, Celebration of More Than Dolphins or a Storied Past
Marineland’s 75th anniversary celebrates past, present and future, highlighting the town’s continued ecological and cultural importance beyond dolphin adventures, which nevertheless play a large role in the town’s identity.