The world’s expanding human population is in competition with the populations of most other animals. Our population bomb has already claimed its first casualties. They will not be the last, argue Paul and Anne Ehrlich.
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Flagler Beach Manager Want Ad Draws Just One Internal Applicant, With Little Experience
The lack of heftier applications suggests that the city commission may be forced to go to Plan B, which means opening the application process to a statewide and nationwide search, as was the case five years ago.
21-Year-Old Palm Coast Man, in Prison for Burglary, Now Faces Child-Rape Charge
The girl, 14 or younger at the time, was impregnated, and told her grandmother and her aunt of the alleged rape, only to be brushed off, she told her father and authorities.
Weekend Briefing: Tantalizing New Show at Salvo Art Project, Medical Pot Nears Florida Ballot, Guns and Cop-Killings
Salvo Art Project’s new show Saturday features the enigmatic installations of Laura Mongiovi, the medical marijuana amendment is approaching the 2016 ballot.
House Committee Approves District Joining Flagler, Volusia, Drips of Lake and St. Johns
The shift may be reflective of the weakness of the region’s legislative delegation: neither Sen. Travis Hutson nor Paul Renner, rookies both, has pull in his respective house, neither has bargaining chips to deal with.
3 Weeks After Announcing His Resignation, Airport Director Roy Sieger Says He’s Staying After All
Citing personal and professional reasons, Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger told his airport advisory board this afternoon that he was staying in Flagler County after all, three weeks after announcing his resignation to take a job with the Hillsborough County Airport Authority.
School Bus Depot Building Behind FPC Briefly Evacuated After Worker Reaction from Mysterious 55-Gallon Drums
The large hangar at the school bus depot behind Flagler Palm Coast High School was briefly evacuated shortly after noon today when an employee there was indisposed after catching a whiff from an undetermined liquid in one of nine barrels behind the hangar.
Another Wave of Break-Ins and Car Thefts in Palm Coast Targets Mostly Unlocked Vehicles
Some of the break-ins could not be properly investigated because the vehicle owners had disturbed the vehicles before the arrival of police. None of the break-ins yielded any arrests.
Thursday Briefing: Holland Park Renovation at 26%, A Vigil for Corey Tanner, GM Foods, ISIS Rape Culture
US Marshals gunned down Corey Tanner a year ago, allegedly mistaking a bottle of cologne for a gun. How ISIS claims raping girls and women is a religious reward.
New Congressional Maps Proposed in Face of Criticism, One Restoring Flagler’s Right Tilt
Changes to a proposed map of Florida’s 27 congressional districts emerged Wednesday, a day before key hearings in the House and Senate about how to comply with a court order finding the current map violates the anti-gerrymandering “Fair Districts” requirements.
Citing High Costs and an Arrest, Council Says No to a Fence Around Ralph Carter Park
An arrest in spring and the $70,000 to $160,000 cost of a fence dissuaded council members from giving in to Richardson Drive residents demanding a fence around Ralph Carter Park.
Sen. Travis Hutson Joins Chorus of Opposition to New Congressional Map, Objecting to Split
Sen. Travis Hutson opposes changes to the congressional district that include Flagler because they would split St. Johns, Hutson’s base, while taking in all of Volusia.
Palm Coast’s $2 Million Training Facility: Old Buildings Turned Over to Firefighters Before Demolition
Properties on Bulldog Drive the city acquired for $2 million are the scenes of firefighter training for the Palm Coast Fire Department this week before the buildings are demolished and the properties placed on the market for commercial developers.
Wednesday Briefing: Student Schedules at Indian Trails Middle, David Alfin, Benefactor, Obama on Voting Rights Act
Big day for students at Indian Trails Middle School, Realtor David Alfin becomes a Chamber of Commerce benefactor, Barack Obama responds to revelations of the undoing of the Voting Rights Act.
Report on Active-Shooter Exercise at FPC Points to Serious Flaws in Command, Communications and Cooperation
The unvarnished after-action report paints a troubling picture of sheriff’s and fire rescue operations that worked poorly as a coordinated, cooperative and unified response, though they worked well in their individual parts.
Florida League of Women Voters Targeting New Campus Concealed Weapons Bills
The goal is to make the opposition stronger than during the 2015 session, by uniting with students, professors, administrators and the national organization Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus.
Flagler Beach Man Accused of Burglarizing Shell Station After Hiding in Bathroom Ceiling
John Dugent Jr., a 20-year-old resident of 5906 John Anderson Highway had snuck into the Shell station on A1A in Flagler Beach before closing time.
Raise the Gas Tax Already
The federal gas tax has been stuck at 18.4 cents a gallon since 1993, lowest among advanced countries. Yet Congress just adopted a three-month stopgap measure, kicking the gas can down the road for the 35th time since 2009.
To Battle Nit-Pickers, Palm Coast Will Make Anonymous Code Enforcement Complaints More Difficult
In an attempt to fight back against harassing and nit-picky neighbors, the Palm Coast City Council will require names and email addresses from people filing code violation complaints electronically.
Tuesday Briefing: Flagler Firefighters Head West, Palm Coast Talks Code Enforcement, Ann Beattie Returns
Flagler firefighters are sent to help battle wildfires in California, the Palm Coast council gets a better understanding of how code enforcement enforces.
In Defense of Megyn Kelly
Megyn Kelly deserves conservatives’ admiration, not their disdain, for leveling the sort of tough questions at Donald Trump and other candidates that should be asked of any presidential hopefuls, argues Nancy Smith.
GOP Opens Special Session With Complaints That Fair Districts Infringe on Free Speech
Senators scolded the Florida Supreme Court for trampling on their First Amendment rights as lawmakers began a special session Monday aimed at redrawing congressional districts the court said were gerrymandered to help the Republican Party.
1-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Dies From Fall Into Exposed Septic Tank While Visiting Ocala
Wyatt Steed, the 1-year-old son of Palm Coast resident Linsay M. Steed, 25, died Sunday when he fell into a septic tank near an apartment complex in Ocala, where the boy and his mother were visiting.
Sunburned Child at Flagler Camp Exposes a Florida Paradox: Paddling Is OK. Applying Sunscreen Is Not.
The Palm Coast mother of a 5-year-old child who got sunburned while in care of Flagler camp counselors was surprised to find the strict limitations on school employees touching children.
Monday Briefing: Sheriff’s K-9 Euthanized, Bunnell’s Budget, Amendment 1’s Fallout, Redistricting Session
The special session on redistricting congressional boundaries begins today, a K-9 is euthanized at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, a Flagler panel discusses land acquisitions under Amendment 1.
2nd Only to Texas With Military Retirees, Florida Facing Stiff Competition For Them
Military retirees are some of the best-educated, best-trained and youngest retirees around. Florida has nearly 200,000 of them. States are using their tax codes to lure them.
Scout’s Dishonors: Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman,” Chapter 9
In Chapter 9 of “Go Set a Watchman,” Harper Lee gives us a short biography of Scout’s past between various deaths and blood flows, without as yet revisiting her recent discovery about a bigoted father.
Jailhouse Porn
Fort Apache: Flagler
There’s nothing to be proud of in the pornography of incarceration: Flagler had no reason to triple the size of its jail other than to amplify an indefensible architecture of disproportionate punishment.
Rick Scott, 1st-Ever Florida Governor Successfully Sued Over Sunshine Law, Settles for $700,000 in Taxpayer Dollars
The suit alleged Gov. Scott and his staff, violated the Sunshine law when they created email accounts to shield their communications from state public records laws and then withheld the documents.
Java Joint Burglary: Suspect In Custody in Georgia, Wanted on Numerous Break-Ins
Joseph C. Hodge, 52, of Jacksonville, has been sitting in a county jail in Georgia on a burglary charge for the past 39 days, and was tied to a burglary at Java Joint, the restaurant in Flagler Beach, in late June.
Ex-Supervisor Kimberle Weeks Billed Taxpayers $12,500 For 3 Lawyers and Misled Media
The bills include $5,000 to defend herself in a state investigation that resulted, after she resigned, in 12 felony counts against her. She charged the bills to taxpayers.
Matanzas Woods Parkway Re-Opening on Monday, 2 Weeks Before School Resumes
Though more lane closures are projected, none will be allowed on Matanzas Woods Parkway between 7 and 8:30 a.m. or between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on days when school is in session.
Economy Adds 215,000 Jobs, Keeping Unemployment Rate at 5.3%, But Wages Lag
The national economy added 215,000 jobs in July and has averaged 235,000 new jobs each of the last three months, while the unemployment rate held steady at 5.3 percent for the second month, the Labor Department announced Friday morning.
U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown Goes to Court
To Stop Her District From Heading West
Brown is hoping to intervene in the lawsuit and get judges to order the Legislature not to reorient the district, which currently ambles from Jacksonville to Orlando.
Weekend Briefing: Cleaning Up Matanzas Woods Golf, Art League’s Plein Air, Trump’s GOP Show-Stealing
Trump steals the show at the GOP debate, the Matanzas Woods golf course owner is ordered to clean up, First Friday in Flagler Beach, the emotional journey of a plastic bag.
In Setback for Sea Ray, Flagler Beach Votes 3-2 to Challenge Land Use Change Over Parking lot
A divided Flagler Beach City Commission voted 3-2 Thursday to take a challenge to the state of a county land use amendment enabling Sea Ray Boats to build a parking lot on 24 acres south of its property off Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
Flagler’s Irresponsible Gun Owners: 37 Firearms Stolen Since 2014, Mostly From Unlocked Cars
Just seven of the stolen guns have been recovered. The rest are in the hands of criminals, putting residents and police at greater risk, the Flagler sheriff’s office warns.
Flagler Beach Will Seek In-House City Manager Before Putting Out Broader Call
As it replaces Bruce Campbell, who’s leaving in september, the city will give preference to an internal applicant, then possibly advertise more broadly later this month if internal applicants don’t make the cut.
In Latest Round of County-City Water War, Flagler Now Objects to 25% Surcharge From Palm Coast
The county is giving Palm Coast 30 days to consider reducing or waiving the surcharge while also exploring importing water from Bunnell to serve the county airport, which is surrounded by Palm Coast.
Thursday Briefing: City Hall 80% Done, Flagler Beach vs. Sea Ray, Hiroshima War Crime at 70, Iggy Pop Does Poe
Flagler Beach takes on Sea Ray this afternoon and thinks about its next city manager, Republicans take the stage, Japan marks the 70th anniversary of the nuking of Hiroshima, Jon Stewart signs off.
Sea Ray Issues Open Letter to Flagler Beach Ahead of Thursday’s Special Meeting
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets in special session Thursday to consider taking its opposition to a Sea Ray plan for a parking lot to the state. Sea Ray offers its side.
Flagler’s Congressional District Would Lose Putnam and Most of St. Johns But Pick Up Volusia
The change suggests that the district would tilt left somewhat, compared to its current makeup, which could favor Democrats. A special session of the Legislature will decide the final boundaries in accordance with a Supreme Court Order.
Trauma Alert and 1 Child Among 6 Hospitalized After 2-Car Wreck on A1A Near Bing’s Landing
Six people were hospitalized, one of them in serious to critical condition and one of them a child, after a two-car collision on State Road A1A at the entrance to Bing’s Landing late Wednesday afternoon. Three Flagler County Fire Rescue ambulances and Flagler County FireFlight, the county’s emergency helicopter, transported patients. Fire Flight transported one […]
Driver at Origin of 2 Wrecks That Killed 6 People is Fined $1,000 and Loses License
Roy White, 39, was found to have caused the wreck on I-95 in Palm Coast in June 2014 that killed two people, and that caused a back-up that led to a second wreck in which four people died.
Case Dismissed: No Penalty Against Brian Szmitko, Responsible for Death of Elisa Homen in Whiteview Wreck
Because of a technicality on the careless driving citation, Szmitko walked off free of any penalty or so much as points on his license for the crash, let alone a license suspension.
Wednesday Briefing: A Kitten Is Saved From Walmart, Dennis McDonald Pays Palm Coast, Elizabeth Warren on Planned Parenthood
Elizabeth Warren unravels the GOP’s latest of endless attacks on women, a kitten is heard and saved from between two containers at Walmart.
Clowns on the Campaign Trail and the
Revolt Against Professional Politicians
Donald Trump is part of a wider phenomenon of disaffected voters turning away from mainstream political parties and following populists and political entertainers, or clowns if you like, argues Ian Buruma.
Atticus Finch, Grand Wizard of the KKK: Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman,” Chapter 8
In Chapter 8 of “Go Set a Watchman,” Scout discovers that her father Atticus is the leader of a KKK-like organization, and her boyfriend is just as much as a white supremacist.
In Latest Fallout from Factious Weeks Era, Hutson Files Bill to Clarify Attorney Role on Canvassing Boards
The Hutson bill would designate the county attorney as the canvassing board’s counsel absent a two-third vote by the board to appoint a different attorney.
Mother Accused of Assaulting Her 13-Year-Old Daughter, Then Going After Her Protectors
Dawn Nickonovitz, 39, of Palm Coast, previously arrested for abusing 911 and violence against her daughter, was re-arrested for violating an injunction and allegedly assaulting her daughter’s father and grandfather.