Would someone please call Chris Christie and tell him that if he thinks he could be President of the United States, he doesn’t have a prayer. By insinuating that the lane closings were the handiwork of a woman suffering from a romantic setback, Christie’s lawyers have ensured that he will be scorned by every woman who has had to endure the canard that women are ruled by their hormones and their feelings.
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“Opportunity Scholarships”: Lawmakers Revive Vast Expansion of School Vouchers By Riding Coattails of Students With Disabilities
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted 8-4 to introduce the measure, which would bind together a program aimed at students with disabilities and the voucher expansion. Senate leaders last week pulled their counterpart to the House voucher bill, but the measure for students with disabilities remains alive.
Palm Coast’s Stephen Newberry, 25, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck on U.S. 1
Stephen C. Newberry, a 25-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was killed Saturday morning as he rode his motorcycle on U.S. 1 just north of the Flagler-St. Johns County line, when an elderly driver broke his right of way.
Flagler-Palm Coast Under Tornado Watch Until 5 PM Saturday
The National Weather Service placed Palm Coast and Flagler County under a tornado watch Saturday through 5 p.m., along with five other counties along a broad southwest to northeast band of severe storm activity.
In “I Do! I Do!” a Half-Century of Marriage to the Tune of Four Bedposts at Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre
“I Do! I Do!,” the Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt musical, traces a couple’s marriage over 50 years through thick and song, and will be staged at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre over three weekends through April 6.
Jacksonville Zoo Mourns Loss of 1-Day Old Gorilla Born to First-Time Mother Madini
It is with great sadness that Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announces the passing of a gorilla infant born Thursday night (March 27). The infant was born to first-time mother, Madini, and first-time father, Lash.
For Pizza and Chicken Wings: Matanzas Football Star and 3 Teens Accused of Robbing Delivery Woman in F-Section
Al’kwazi J. Spencer, a star player on the Matanzas High School football team, and two teens, were arrested early this morning and charged with robbing a pizza delivery woman in Palm Coast’s F Section just after midnight. The boys had allegedly taken the pizza and chicken wings to a house near where the alleged robbery took place and ate the goods with other friends, minus the crust.
Bomb Threat Phoned In Forces Evacuation of Flagler County Courthouse; All-Clear at 4:30p
A bomb threat called in around 12:30 this afternoon forced the evacuation of the Flagler County Courthouse. The building remains evacuated at the moment, with personnel either in the Government Services Building or in the parking lot of the building.
Flagler Unemployment Creeps Up Again, to 9.4%, But Labor Force and Net Jobs Grow
Flagler County’s unemployment rate again rose in February, to 9.4 percent, a decimal-point increase over the previous month and some 80 more people went on unemployment. But The county’s overall employment went up sharply, by 364 (for a total of 31,976), and the county’s labor force went up even more, by 442–both signs of growing strength in the local economy as more workers seem encouraged to join the labor force, and more workers are actually finding jobs.
Lawmakers’ Proposal to Ban E-Cigarettes for Youths Lights Up Local Governments Over Additional Strictures
Health groups and local governments are criticizing a bill (HB 169) that would ban e-cigarette sales to minors because the measure also would prevent cities and counties from passing their own regulations on the sales of electronic cigarettes and tobacco products.
Sheriff Issues Report of Crash Involving Deputy and Driver’s Right-of-Way Violation
Colby N. Mikloiche was cited for violating a right of way after Deputy John Bray, a 12-year veteran of the agency, rear-ended Mickloiche’s pick-up truck outside the entrance to Grand Reserve, on U.S. 1. The crash investigation, which is ongoing, was conducted by the Sheriff’s Office’s Sgt. Michael van Buren.
The End: Palm Coast’s Books-A-Million, Flagler’s Only General-Interest Bookstore, Is Closing
Books-A-Million in Palm Coast on Wednesday announced an everything-must-go sale ahead of closure, ending the town’s very brief romance with a bookstore larger than an attic. The company lost money in 2013. There is no known replacement for the store, a mainstay of the Target shopping center.
Red-Light Cameras Won’t Be Repealed This Year, But Restrictions on Profits May Yet Pass
Red-light cameras’ powerful lobby defeated Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes’s attempt to end the use of the devices, but several proposed restrictions are still moving through the Legislature, such as limiting profits to safety uses and requiring safety studies before cameras can be installed.
As March 31 Deadline Nears: Going Without Health Insurance Will Likely Cost You At Tax Time
If you thought you could get health coverage later this year, you may not get that chance until November, which means that you’ll most likely have to pay a penalty of 1 percent of your income at tax time, even if only a single member of your family is not insured. Penalties rise in subsequent years.
Bunnell Cop Michael Stavris Is Arrested on Charges of Computer Porn Involving Underage Boys
Michael Stavris, an officer with the Bunnell Police Department, was jailed Tuesday evening on two charges of computer porn and a charge of criminal use of someone else’s personal information following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into several instances where Stavris is accused of soliciting naked images from underage boys.
Judge Refuses to Revoke $400,000 Bond on European Village’s Would-Be Shooter; Bova Behaves
Daniel Noble, accused of attempted murder in the March 15 European Village incident, was in court today, as were the men who disarmed him, as prosecutor tried unsuccessfully to revoke his bond. Joseph Bova, the accused murderer of Mobil Mart store clerk Zuheily Rosado, was also in court, subdued this time, and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in May.
David Beckham Lobbies Tallahassee for Tax Breaks on a Soccer Stadium in Miami
Elected officials — including Gov. Rick Scott — and staffers flooded Twitter with “selfies” alongside Beckham, who wants to bring a professional soccer team to Miami and has set his goal on the Port of Miami as a potential stadium site.
Now Leery of Old Courthouse, Bunnell Fears Money Pit and Talks of Giving It Back
With two commissioners ready to give back the old courthouse to the county, Bunnell opted Monday to get more solid bids on what it would cost the city to turn the problematic building into its city hall, but the city administration drew a bleak picture of finances that cannot bear new burdens regardless.
For 2nd Time in 5 Days a Deputy Is Involved in Serious Crash, But No Report Yet from Sheriff
Monday’s crash took place at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Grand Reserve, within the city limits of Bunnell, where a sheriff’s deputy rear-ended another motorist. The motorist was reportedly cited, and the sheriff’s office, not the Bunnell PD or FHP, investigated the crash.
Measure to Cut Local Red-Light Camera Revenue Falters as Cities Cry Foul
A lawmaker had initially proposed that the state ban new red-light cameras while reducing the fine from $158 to $83, eliminating the money local governments could collect. The outcry from local governments over his initial proposal to eliminate the money demonstrated that the issue is strictly about money, he said.
The Problem With “Step Up for Students,” Florida’s Voucher Jockey
Step Up For Children CEO Doug Tuthill is shameless about the way his organization–the administrative agent for Florida’s school voucher program–spends lavishly on political races, which may explain why a Senate proposal to vastly expand the voucher program this year foundered.
Palm Coast Cancels Special Meeting as Conflict With Elections Supervisor Again Flares
Tuesday’s special meeting between the Palm Coast City Council and Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks was to have ironed out a mutual agreement for Weeks’s office to run the city’s municipal elections this year. Weeks, however, is demanding that the city approve the agreement she drafted without such a meeting, and virtually without changes, something to which the city is not likely to agree before the April 2 deadline set by Weeks.
Brianna Bellon, 23, Is Killed in Late-Night Wreck South of Mondex as Car Rolls Into Canal
Brianna Bellon, 23, a resident of Beach Village Circle in Palm Coast, was killed late Sunday night as the car she was either driving or riding in with two men rolled into a canal in an isolated part of Flagler County, south of the Mondex. Zackariah Holden and Corey Doyle-Carlson, both 23 and both of Palm Coast, were not injured.
Bill Vastly Expanding School Vouchers Dies As Questions About Accountability Mounted
The decision represents a defeat for the GOP’s Will Weatherford, who was home schooled as a child and strongly pushed the expansion of the system, which gives companies tax credits for donating to scholarship funds that help children attend private schools. Under the bills, retailers would have been allowed to divert sales-tax payments to the system.
Malcolm P. Clevenstine, 71, a Palm Coast Industrialist, Is Dead From Injuries in Saturday’s Plane Crash in Palatka
Malcolm Clevenstine, 71, of Palm Coast, the owner of Warfab Corp., died late Saturday after a plane crash in Palatka. Richard Carrara, 73, of Old Oak Drive in Palm Coast, was piloting a 2008 Cessna 400, which he owns, and practicing touch-and-go maneuvers at Kay Larkin Airport.
Spurred By Judge Craig’s Drubbing of Palm Coast, Rep. Hutson Calls for Repeal of Red-Light Cameras
Calling himself “in complete opposition to the use of red light cameras in Florida,” Rep. Travis Hutson, whose district includes all of Flagler County, took the unusual stop of criticizing Palm Coast’s method of unduly punishing vehicle owners who are cited even though they may not be driving the cited vehicle. He called attention to two measures that would repeal ca,eras or change the rules in drivers’ favor.
Violating Right-of-Way, Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Sends Motorcyclist Selbert A. Mills, 54, to Hospital
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Chambers sent 54-year-old Palm Coast motorcyclist Selbert A. Mills to a hospital in serious condition after the deputy’s cruiser collided with the motorcycle at Seminole Woods Boulevard and Sloganeer Trail early Thursday evening (March 20).
Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Council More PR Than Input as Few Citizens and Board Members Show Up
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre created the Citizens Advisory Council to give residents’ complaints about the Sheriff’s Office a way to be heard directly and transparently. But two of the three council meetings were not advertised and none of the meetings has produced much more than PR for the sheriff.
Judge Craig Indicts Palm Coast’s “Bad Faith” Red-Light Cameras and Exposes City’s Legal Flaws as He Contests Violation
In a half-hour hearing before Palm Coast’s red-light violations officer, Flagler Circuit Judge Dennis Craig on Thursday ridiculed the city’s guilty-until-proven-innocent standard as well as the council’s claim that cameras are intended to improve safety. The city dismissed his citation not on the grounds he raised, but by inventing a case of “prudent” driving that the evidence did not show.
In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants Passes House, 81-33, as GOP Opposition Thins
The measure allows undocumented immigrants to pay cheaper, in-state tuition rates if they attend Florida middle and high schools for at least four straight years before going to college.
North Carolina Man Wanted for Attempted Murder Is Arrested in Palm Coast’s Walmart Parking Lot
Glen Allen Stewart’s “Born to Die” tattoo on his hand gave him away as the wanted fugitive even as he tried to pass himself off as someone else when he was arrested during a routine traffic stop when his car tag showed a revoked license.
Chris Goodfellow, Author of Theory Gone Viral on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Is a Marineland Resident
When Chris Goodfellow, a retired pilot in Marineland, wrote a 1,000-word blog post debunking many foul-play theories on the fate of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, he did not expect the post to be picked up by media and bloggers around the world, though his theory has now influenced the debate on the missing Boeing.
Florida National Guard Stalls Proposal to Let Residents Carry Unlicensed Weapons During Emergencies
Concerns expressed by the Florida National Guard stalled an NRA-backed Senate proposal that would allow people without concealed-weapons licenses to carry concealed firearms when forced outside in times of emergency.
Heroes Who Foiled European Village Attack Are Jailed on Disorderly Conduct and Battery Charges
The three men who foiled an alleged armed attack at European Village Saturday night–Vassili Mironov, Roman Dubinschi and Joshua Auriemma–were arrested early Wednesday morning after a fight in the parking lot of Finn’s bar in Flagler Beach.
As Flagler District Prepare to Offer Voluntary Pre-K at all 5 Elementary Schools, Board Questions Raising $60 Fee
The half-day VPK programs are free, but many parents opt to leave their children for longer hours that coincide with extended-day care before and after school, at a cost of $60 a week. District administrators are looking to raise that fee to accommodate the expansion of VPK.
Marketing 2 Go, Palm Coast Pioneer in Social Media, Celebrates 4 Years in Business
It was four years ago this month that Cindy Dalecki launched Marketing 2 Go, her own start-up in the emerging but often intractable world of social media–a world almost everyone needs, especially in business, but few understand, and fewer still can navigate to their advantage.
After the Attack: A Pit Bull Owner Speaks In Defense of Second Chance Rescue
In the wake of a pit bull’s–or a pit bull mix’s–attack on two young children at Second Hand Rescue last week, a dog owner who took possession of a pit bull that had been rescued and rehabilitated by Second Hand Rescue writes in defense of the Bunnell animal shelter.
Flagler Favors Getting Into Cottage Business in County Parks, Starting at Princess Place
The twin proposals would result in three cottages at the Princess Place Preserve costing $390,000. and 10 cottages at River to Sea costing close to $1 million. Profits would be modest, but the county’s aim is to broaden the availability of nature tourism in Flagler.
Senate Panel Unanimously Approves Minor Changes to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
The bill would clarify that a law enforcement agency must fully investigate whether a person claiming self-defense has lawfully used force. It also would no longer preclude lawsuits from third parties who are injured by negligent conduct used in self-defense.
Common Core and FCAT Replacement Test Leads “Florida Standards” To $220-Million Contract With AIR
The $220 million contract with American Institutes for Research, which has been providing tests for just seven years, will be cheaper than it would have been to go forward with a test developed by a multi-state consortium that Gov. Rick Scott ordered Stewart to back away from last year, according to the Department of Education.
Attempt to Bribe Flagler Deputy Leads to Arrest; DUI Chase Up Old Kings; Knife-Wielding Over Facebook Punishment
Flagler Beach resident Brandon Michael Smith allegedly tried to bribe a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in which Smith was not implicated. A car chase and an arrest over a Facbook argument round out the weekend’s principal arrests, other than the European Village incident.
Unemployment Spike to 9.3% in Flagler Masks Larger Labor Force, More Job Creation and Flurry of Development Ahead
Flagler County’s January unemployment is up sharply from from 8.8 percent in December. but in a brighter sign, the county’s labor force also added some 400 people, there was a net gain of some 200 jobs, and numerous commercial, residential and government construction projects suggest that the county’s economy is brightening.
Adam C. Mathews, 34, Is Killed in Fiery Car Crash After Collision With Motorcyclist on I-95
Adam Christian Mathews, a 34-year-old resident of Jacksonville, was killed early Sunday morning just north of Palm Coast Parkway on I-95, and Gena E. Coursen was in critical condition, when their Porsche struck a motorcyclist then veered into the woods, striking a tree and triggering a fire.
Saviors of European Village: How Vassili Mironov and Friends Prevented a Bloodbath
In their first interview just back from the hospital, Vassili Mironov and two friends describe how they neutralized the assault-rifle-carrying Daniel Noble Saturday night at European Village, as Nolan was threatening to shoot into the crowd.
Shots Fired and 2 European Village Patrons Stabbed after Uzi-Wielding Man Enters Europa Lounge Restaurant
Daniel Noble, a 37-year-old Palm Coast resident, is at the Flagler County jail on an attempted first-degree charge and three aggravated battery charges after he walked into a restaurant at European Village with a rifle late Saturday night (March 15), where two patrons jumped on him, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
If It’s Economic Growth You Want, Raising the Minimum Wage Crushes Wall Street Bonuses Every Time
If the $26.7 billion Wall Streeters pulled in on their bonuses last year had instead gone to minimum wage workers, our economy would be expected to grow by about $32.3 billion — more than triple the $10.4 billion boost expected from the Wall Street bonuses.
Flagler Kills Together:
Bill O’Reilly’s Re-Assassination of JFK
Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Kennedy,” this year’s choice for the annual Flagler Reads Together event, is not the usual O’Reilly polemic and provides in parts a fair summary of Kennedy’s presidency and the assassination, but it also has many flaws, writes Pierre Tristam.
Eight Gay Couples Married Elsewhere File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Florida’s Rights Violations
The lawsuit lists numerous examples of alleged disparate treatment, such as the state retirement system providing benefits to the surviving spouses of dead public employees who were in heterosexual marriages. Such benefits are not available to surviving spouses in same-sex marriages.
Pit Bull Mix Bloodies 3- and 5-Year-Old Children and Their Mother In Two Vicious Attacks at Second Chance Rescue
The 5-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother were in a van at Second Chance Rescue, waiting for their mother, when the pit bull jumped through a window and attacked the children, and did it again after the children’s mother had dragged it away, jumping in through an open door. All three were severely injured.
Sheriff Jim Manfre: How To Restore Common Sense to Stand Your Ground
The public’s valid concern over the vigilante-style actions of certain people who have watched too many Western movies should be dealt with through legislative action, argues Sheriff Jim Manfre, starting with a definition of self-defense that doesn;t leave its determination in the perpetrator’s hands.