A contentious handshake between McLaughlin and Kevin Richter, the 27-year-old son of candidate and McLaughlin opponent Mark Richter, led to an uncomfortable quarter hour at Monday’s candidate forum at the Hilton Garden Inn, with allegations and counterclaims from both sides.
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2 Suspects Wanted for Robbing Pizza Delivery Man at Gunpoint Arrested at Flagler-St. Johns County Line
A concurrence of motorists’ calls to police combined with a ground and air search in the area of the Flagler-St. Johns County Line Wednesday morning to capture two men suspected of robbing a Domino’s delivery man at gunpoint and stealing his car in Broward County.
4th Judge in 3 Weeks Strikes Down Florida’s Gay-Marriage Ban
A Palm Beach County circuit judge ruled Tuesday that Florida’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional in a probate case involving a gay couple who married in Delaware.
Crist Pitches Tuition Loan-Forgiveness Plan as Part of Middle Class Boosting Program
The plan, announced during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, featured a number of education-related proposals as well as several previously discussed ideas, such as increasing the minimum wage and expanding access to health care.
County Forcefully Rejects Elections Supervisor’s Claims That Campaign Sign Restrictions Hurt Turnout
Aided by a political candidate, Flagler Supervisor of Elections criticized county rules barring election signs on public property, claiming it lowers turnout and interferes with elections, promoting forceful rebuttals from the county administration.
Three Palm Coast Teens Arrested in Venus de Milo Vandalism at European Village
They are Tyrone Walker, 19, of 55 Fischer Lane, Joseph Orza, 18, of 12 Conley Court, and Sequawne Solomon, 18, of 42 Louisberg Lane. Two additional suspects were identified, but their names were redacted, suggesting they are underage.
On Medical Pot, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Governments Are Smoking the Wrong Stuff
Flagler Beach’s actual and Palm Coast’s planned zoning restrictions on medical marijuana are wrong-headed, needlessly antagonistic toward medical pot users, and based on more misinformation than public expectations on medical marijuana.
Extensive Plagiarism Detected in Flagler School Board Candidate Maria Barbosa’s Interview
Out of 15 questions Maria P. Barbosa answered, 14 instances of plagiarism were detected, including lines lifted from her opponent Andy Dance’s website, from School Board member Colleen Conklin’s interview, and from numerous other academic, journalism and political web sites.
Florida Blue Raising Premiums 17.6% for Exchange Policies as Obamacare Ire Spikes
A dearth of younger and healthy enrollees and a greater-than-expected surge of people seeking expensive health services are factors driving up premiums. A new polls shows disapproval of Obamacare spiking in July.
Flagler Beach Business Owner Shane Kitchens Critically Injured by Motorcycle on A1A
Shane Kitchens, a 37-year-old Flagler Beach resident and business owner, was in critical condition overnight after a motorcyclist struck him as Kitchens was crossing State Road A1A around 12:45 Sunday morning. Kitchens was a few blocks from his home on South Flagler Avenue.
Judge Gives Legislature 2-Week Deadline to Redraw Districts, Upending Primary
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis also the state and local elections supervisors to come up with a new voting schedule for any districts–likely to include Flagler’s–that lawmakers would have to redraw in the wake of his ruling last month that the current congressional map violates the Florida Constitution.
A Day After an Embarrassing Revelation About His Lacking Gun Qualification, Sheriff Manfre Passes 2 Tests
Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre secured his gun qualification today but only after an embarrassing revelation that he’d gone a year and a half without it, though he is not required by law to have it.
Misleading TV Report Raises Overblown Fears About “Flesh-Eating” Bacteria on Beaches
Flagler County Health Department Director Patrick Johnson and his staff have been fielding calls from tourists worried about reports of “flesh-eating” bacteria on local beaches. And they’ve been telling them to relax: the reports are misleading and outright false.
Economy Adds 209,000 Jobs But Unemployment Rate Ticks Up to 6.2%
Mediocre: it’s the The best that can be said about the unemployment report for July as the economy added 209,000 jobs, about 20,000 jobs short of expectations, and the unemployment rate edged up to 6.2 percent, from 6.1 percent the previous month.
Gambling Is For Losers: We Should Ban It in Florida
We need a state constitutional amendment to ban all wagering in Florida, argues Stephen Goldtsein. Oddly, raising taxes is considered a cardinal sin, but gambling is supposedly a blessing — especially since the state began pimping it through the Florida Lottery.
Sen. Sobel Calls for All Child Deaths, Not Just Those From Abuse, To Be Reported
Florida just passed a law requiring the reporting of all child abuse deaths in an annual report. That’s not enough, Sen. Sobel says, proposing that all criminally-related child deaths, even in car wrecks, should be part of the report.
Study Reveals Severe Tornado-Awareness Gap in Palm Coast Despite Ready Warnings
More than half Palm Coast residents warned of December’s tornado took no safety precautions afterward, a new study finds, alarming officials about an apathy they say must be countered, though Palm Coast’s response to the study has been more muted than another city’s where tornado awareness is far more heightened.
Going ISIS in Palm Coast: Vandals Smash a Venus de Milo Statue at European Village
Sometime in the night of July 9, a group of five teen-looking individuals were caught on surveillance video smashing a small replica of the famed Greek Venus de Milo. The statue will cost $3,500 to replace,
Backing Down From Stricter Rules, State Regulators Would Allow Mobile Pot Delivery
Florida pot dispensers could truck their product to patients, under a revised rule proposed by health regulators in advance of a workshop Friday about the state’s move to a limited type of medical marijuana.
Following Flagler Beach’s Lead, Palm Coast Is Drafting Restrictions on Medical Pot Shops
Floridians’ vote on Amendment 2, the proposal to legalize medical marijuana, is still four months away, but the Palm Coast City Council wants to prepare with an ordinance that would restrict dispensaries to commercial areas, though how that would differ from regular drug stores is unclear.
Briefing : Amendment 2, Medical Marijuana Legalization
The Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, known as Amendment 2, is on the November 4, 2014 ballot in Florida. The measure would legalize medical marijuana through an amendment to the state Constitution. Here’s a briefing, including the ballot summary and the full text of the amendment.
Palm Coast Data Lost 70% of Clients in 6 Years; Parent Company Posts $2.9 Million Loss for ’14
Palm Coast Data now performs subscription fulfillment services for 405 magazine titles representing 90 clients, down from 1,050 magazines and 300 clients when it inked a deal with Palm Coast government in 2008 to stay in the city and pledge to increase the workforce by 700. That increase never took place.
Q&A Forum Featuring All Candidates for Local Office Monday at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn
It starts at 5 p.m. with a little booze and at 6 p.m. with a lot of questions. The public is not only welcome but urged to be there: voter apathy has been embarrassingly pronounced in Flagler County, with the last two off-year election primaries striking successive turn-out lows of 23 and 22 percent.
Consumer Confidence in Florida Hits Another Post-Recession High as US Economy Grows 4%
The consumer-confidence report coincides with the Department of Commerce’s report Wednesday morning that the national economy grew at a brisk annual 4 percent rate in the second quarter, compared to a shrinking of 2.1 percent in the first quarter.
Impeaching Obama, Ghastly Gaza, The Times Goes to Pot, Sarah Palin Goes Oprah
The GOP fantasizes about impeaching Obama, The New York Times finally loves pot legalization, Gaza explodes all sorts of myths, Sarah Palin launches a ghastly channel, Siegfried Sassoon reminds us of heroism’s ironies, and what your stomach does to a burger.
The Revealing Arrogance Behind Rick Scott Re-Election Campaign’s Leaked Memo
As usual with Scott and Company, argues Daniel Tilson, you learn at least as much about their mindset and strategy from what they don’t say, as from what they do.
Bunnell Eliminates 40% Of Police Department as Part of Wider Cost-Cuts and Lay-Offs
Seeking to cut an $800,000 deficit that represents a fifth of the city’s budget, the Bunnell City Commission Monday cut its commission salaries by 10 percent, eliminated its grants department and laid off staff that have been mainstays of the Bunnell administration and police department over the years.
Repertory Theatre Will Keep Its Home in a Favorable Arrangement With City Marketplace
The theater will remain at City Marketplace for at least one more year. City Repertory’s future had been in doubt for months with the departure of Hollingsworth gallery, which had been its landlord until its departure this month.
Bear Spotted Roaming Around Palm Coast’s B Section
A black bear was spotted late this afternoon in the area of Belle Terre Parkway and Brookside Lane in northwestern Palm Coast. A short time later, it was seen in the area of Brownstone.
For 2nd Time in 5 Days, South Bunnell Is Scene of Violent Attack, This Time a Stabbing
Edward Godwin, a 68-year-old felon on probation and with a long arrest record, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing a woman who interceded between Godwin and his wife as the couple were arguing in front of her house, and Godwin’s wife was calling out for help.
Judge Upholds Blind Trust Law, Allowing Gov. Scott to Shield Assets From Public
Critics say the device contradicts constitutional safeguards requiring Florida voters to be made aware of what a public official owns and how it might affect his or her decisions. Scott, who reported a net worth of $132.7 million as of the end of last year, is believed to be the only official using a blind trust.
61% of Palm Coast’s Blue-Collar Workers Unionize, Citing City’s Inattention to Grievances
A decisive majority of the 140 blue-collar workers in Palm Coast’s utilities department—the city’s largest—voted last week to unionize, making them the second city department to do so. The city’s 50-some firefighters unionized in 2010 but are currently at an impasse over contract negotiations.
A Man Brandishes a Knife at Police Then Jumps To His Death at Ormond Resort on A1A
Ormond Beach police are investigating what they call a “suspicious incident/suicide” that took place early this morning at the Royal Floridian Resort on State Road A1A, claiming the life of Dean O’Hara, 50, of Cape Canaveral.
Floridians Support Legalization of Medical Marijuana By 9-1 Margin, Sustaining High
The latest Quinnipiac University poll–the most authoritative poll on the matter–finds 88 percent of Floridians favoring medical marijuana, with 10 percent opposed, including 83 percent support from voters 65 and older and 95 percent support from voters 18 to 29 years old.
Three Arrested After Chase and Violent Armed Robbery Leaves 2 Victims Injured on SR100
The armed robbery at 11 p.m. at SR100 and Belle Terre Parkway took place just as firefighters were battling a house fire in Grand Haven. The subsequent car chase and crash required pulling personnel from the fire to the crash scene.
It’s Not Benghazi: Hillary Clinton’s Real Scandal Is Honduras.
Desperate Honduran children are seeking refuge from a human rights nightmare that would cast a dark cloud over Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid right now if the media were paying any attention.
Thank You for Your Service: How One Company Sues Soldiers Worldwide
With stores near military bases across the country, the retailer USA Discounters offers easy credit to service members. But when those loans go bad, the company uses the local courts near its Virginia headquarters to file suits by the thousands.
Palm Coast’s Tom Hanson and Doug Akins Land Awards for City’s Web Design and Tornado Video
For Tom Hanson and Palm Coast’s TV199, annual awards have become the the norm since he launched the city’s public-access TV station in 2007, enhancing the channel’s lineup with far more than videos of government meetings and functions.
Red Knights of Palm Coast Donate $1,500 to Shands Burn Center
Back in May the Red Knights Motorcycling Club of Palm Coast held its ninth annual Poker Run to benefit the Shands Burn Center in Gainesville. The poker run took participants through several area bars in Flagler and Volusia counties, including Finns in Flagler Beach and the White Eagle on U.S. 1.
If You Think Businessmen Have Any Business Running Government, Think Again
Government is about essential services; business is about profit. Essential services must be improved, not cut. Government is designed to protect the common good, and has never and will never be successfully run as a business, argues Marc Yacht.
Florida’s “Docs vs. Glocks” Bill Wins Federal Appeals Court Approval in 2-1 Ruling
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state Legislature had the right to pass the NRA-backed law, which includes provisions restricting doctors and other medical providers from asking questions about gun ownership during medical visits.
Florida Ban on Gay Marriage Is Declared Unconstitutional, But Miami-Dade Judge Stays Decision Until Appeals
Eight days after a Monroe County judge declared a ban on same-sex marriage illegal, a Miami-Dade circuit court judge late today struck down the ban in Florida on behalf of six gay couples, but stayed her decision until the results of an appeal.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Settle “Goes Off” On Resident as Confrontations Rattle Meeting
In two confrontations that upset fellow-commissioners, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Steve Settle questioned resident Rick Belhumeur on what “allowed” him to address issues relating to the city’s fire department and called his public comments “inappropriate” by falsely claiming that Belhumeur was running for office. After the meeting, the two men got in a shouting match.
Get Ready For Moonlight Fishing On the Flagler Beach Pier, Starting in September
The Flagler Beach pier’s balance sheet is struggling this year, with a $23,000 deficit the city government–which administers the pier–is trying to close before the end of the year. One idea: starting the first Saturday in September (Sept. 6), the pier will be open to fishing through the night, but for a $6 charge–the same rate fishermen must pay during the day.
Marketing 2 Go and Curley Tail Design Make the Move to Town Center Offices
Kim Fitzgerald’s Curley Tail Design and Cindy Dalecki’s Marketing 2 Go see the move to Town Center as part of a high-tech corridor to come in the area, though their biggest new neighbor will soon be Palm Coast’s City Hall.
How the NFL Protects Wife-Beaters: Ray Rice’s Laughable Suspension
Baltimore Ravens’s Ray Rice got a mere two-game suspension for beating his fiancee (now wife) unconscious in an elevator a few months ago. The mockery of punishment shows why goons can always depend on a perverted degree of hero-worship in this country.
Authorities Locate Brandon Connolly, 17, Runaway Since July 19
Brandon Connelly has run away three times before, and his father believes that his grounding until a court date was the contributing factor in the latest running away.
Judge Wary of Redrawing Area’s
Congressional Map Before November Election
So far, the Legislature has declined to appeal Lewis’ ruling, and the state’s attorneys say lawmakers will redraw the map in time for the 2016 elections. But lawyers for the voting-rights groups and voters who sued to overturn the map under the Constitution’s anti-gerrymandering standards say that’s too late.
Flagship Schools: How Flagler District Is Changing the Way Students Learn, and Prepare for Careers
The goal is to begin the college and career readiness process much earlier and more comprehensively. The program, incorporated into the normal daily curriculum, is based STEM initiatives, with an eye toward preparing students for employment in area industries.
Florida Insurers Owe $41.7 Million in Rebates to Individuals and Companies, Topping Nation
The latest round of paybacks brings Florida’s three-year total from the Affordable Care Act’s rebate program to almost $220 million. This year’s rebate will average $65 per family in Florida, according to the report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.