The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton beating Bush 49-43 and Rubio 51-41 in 2016, with no clear front-runner among Republicans, in contrast with Democrats, among whom Clinton is by far the front-runner. No Democrat or Republican in at least a generation has had as commanding a lead as Clinton so early in the process.
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Musical CPR: Bee Gees Tribute Band Brings ’70s Revival Act to Flagler Auditorium
Two of the three founding brothers of one of the most popular band of the 70s have died, but the Canadian Bee Gees tribute group Stayin’ Alive brings its 1970s memory-lane show to the Flagler Auditorium for one show only tonight (Friday), at 7:30.
Charlie Crist Maintains Comfortable 46%-38% Lead Over Rick Scott in Latest Quinnipiac Poll
The poll indicates Crist has comfortable leads with closely watched groups such as independents and Hispanic voters. Also, it continues to show that voters have a generally negative view of Scott, with 54 percent of voters saying Scott does not deserve to be re-elected, while 38 percent saying he does.
Jacob Oliva, In Commanding Performance Through Superintendent Interview, Describes Gains and Promise of Innovations
Acting Flagler Superintendent Jacob Oliva was second and last in the school board’s interviews Thursday. Surprising board members by challenging existing norms such as zero-tolerance policies, Oliva projected a strong command of his administrative leadership while outlining a series of recent innovations and more to come.
In Day’s 1st Interview, Superintendent Candidate Pam Tapley of Osceola Projects Bubbly Personality, Passion and Generalities
First of two interviews for school superintendent Thursday, Pam Tapley proved immediately personable, well-spoken, occasionally funny and comfortable with herself and the board, but she was less in command of specifics when answering probing questions by the board.
Scott Proposes $74.2 Million Budget, Culminating Weeks of Tax-Cutting and Spending Pitches
The blueprint released Wednesday included at least two notable items: an increase in the exemption from the corporate income tax that would cost the state $21.6 million, and up to $70 million for land conservation efforts.
In an Unusually Brutal Arrest, a Palm Coast Woman Is Charged With Child Abuse Over Minor Pot Possession
Sophia Zhudro, 30, was parked on a quiet, residential street in Palm Coast’s B-Section when she was detained, then arrested and charged with child abuse because deputies found a small amount of marijuana in her car (near in in the child seat). Zhudro’s traumatized child was forced out of her arms by four deputies and turned over to DCF.
They Don’t Just Write Tickets: FHP Trooper Steven Howard Saves Woman’s Life on I-95
Florida Highway Patrol Homicide Investigator Cpl. Steven Howard, a 13-year veteran, was on patrol just north of Palm Coast Parkway when he lucked by a driver in severe distress, seizing or possibly having a stroke, and was able to immediately intervene and ensure the dispatch of a rescue unit. The woman survived.
Florida Is Excluded From Congressional Fix of Voting Rights Act Supreme Court Nullified
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, Congress is working to reinstate a similar provision that would require certain states to acquire federal “preclearance” for new voting laws. Unlike the provision enacted in 1965, though, Florida is no longer one of the state’s that would need oversight.
Death Penalty’s Latest Mutation:
Experimenting on Human Beings
The decision to seek the death penalty simply can’t be justified either by society’s or individuals’ desire for revenge, argues Steve Robinson. Were that the case, we could issue baseball bats to family members and let them beat the convict to death in the town square.
Scott Pitches Cut of Sales Tax on Rental Properties and $80 Million for Cancer Research
Scott will ask lawmakers to support a $100 million reduction in the commercial lease tax that now brings in about $1.4 billion a year, and $60 million to existing cancer centers as they seek National Cancer Institute designation.
FPL Posts Profits of $1.35 Billion in 2013, an 8.9% Increase Over 2012, as Rate Hikes Kick In
FPL serves virtually all residential and commercial customers in Flagler County. Late last year, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a 5 percent increase in FPL’s utility bills, and the company continues to charge customers for future nuclear power plant construction that may never take place.
Palm Coast OK’s 3-Year Policing Deal With Sheriff, and Extra Protection For City Commander
The $2.6 million contract for 38 deputies leaves costs virtually unchanged over the past five years. The contract builds in special protections for Mark Carman, the Palm Coast Precinct commander, as a buffer against Sheriff Manfre’s mercurial ways with staffing and reorganizations.
In Bunnell, Crain-Brady’s Election Fiasco Becomes Fodder For Criticism of City Manager’s Leadership
Bunnell City Commissioner Jenny Crain-Brady Monday evening took responsibility for failing to qualify for the March election but was then joined by Mayor Catherine Robinson in an explicit and often unfair or unsupported attack on City Manager Larry Williams’ leadership and accountability.
Youth Leadership Flagler’s 2nd Class Looking For 10th-Grade Applicants
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce is looking for 10 future leaders of Flagler County to join the organization’s Youth Leadership Program next fall. The application deadline for current 10th graders is March 14, 2014.
Supreme Court Clears Medical Marijuana Pot Proposal; Floridians Vote On It November 4
In a significant victory for advocates of the initiative, a divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled 4-3 that the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana passes legal muster and can now appear on the November election ballot, giving Floridians a direct say. Polls have shown a 3-to-1 majority of Floridians favoring legalization.
Scott Proposes Increasing Education Funding By $542 Million, Mostly For Public Schools
The bulk of the new spending — $542 million — would go to public schools. While that is far lower than the approximately $1 billion increases Scott sought in each of the last two years, his office touted the fact that it would bring spending on education to the highest level in state history in terms of raw dollars, though unadjusted for inflation.
Yet Another Candidate For Superintendent Withdraws, Reducing Interviews to Two
Kevin Perry, an assistant superintendent in St. Lucie County schools, is the latest candidate to withdraw from contention, which means only acting superintendent Jacob Oliva and Osceola Assistant Superintendent Pamela Tapley will be interviewed on Thursday.
3 Men and 16 Year Old Of “Grove Street Gang” Charged in P-Section Armed Burglary
Three men, none older than 20, and a 16 year old were arrested Sunday and charged in the armed burglary of a house at 24 Pine Brook Lane just 800 feet from one of the suspect’s home. The site of the burglary is in the heart of Palm Coast’s P-Section.
Hendry County, With Highest Uninsured Rate in Florida, Sees Little Impact From Obamacare
Thirty-five percent of Hendry County’s 33,000 residents under 65 lack health insurance, but nearly a month after the health law’s expansion of coverage began, local health officials say little has changed for most uninsured residents.
Tea Party’s Allure Dims. Its Zealots Shout On.
Just 64 diehard Republicans opposed the recent budget bill, among them, sadly but unsurprisingly, our own Ron DeSantis, who thinks being a Congressman is a game of grandstanding and TV time rather than dealing with the more prosaic business of compromising in Washington and constituent services in his own district.
Virulent Flu Season Aside, Potent RSV Bug Is Taking a Toll on Florida Children
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is serious and highly contagious. There’s no vaccination around to keep your little one from catching it. And its seasonal duration is longer in Florida than in any other state, stretching from mid-August to March.
Rarely Punished, Guards May Be Responsible for Half of Sexual Assaults in Prisons and Jails
The federal report is based on data from all of the nation’s federal and state prisons as well as many county jails. It shows more than 8,000 reports of abuse each year between 2009 and 2011, up 11 percent from the previous report, and extremely rare prosecutions.
Medical Marijuana Initiative Gets Needed Signature to Make November Ballot, Pending Court Clearance
With 710,508 validated signatures statewide in Florida— 27, 359 more than the required 683,149 — and reaching signature requirements in the bare minimum of 14 congressional districts, People United for Medical Marijuana beat a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting petitions to the state.
Ex-Flagler Beach Cop Juratovac Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison in Attempted Murder of Flagler Firefighter
Nathaniel Juratovac, the 41-year-old ex-Flagler Beach cop who twice shot an unarmed Flagler County firefighter in what was then termed a road-rage incident by the side of U.S. 1 was sentenced this afternoon to 51 months in prison in a plea agreement. Had he been convicted at trial, he could have faced up to 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.
Do You TALKiT? Palm Coast Venture Looks to Revolutionize Social Media With Voice App
TALKiT, a new app created by Palm Coast’s Curtis Ceballos and that will launch on Memorial Day, aims to give voice to texting and to revolutionize the social media landscape with an innovation that has no rivals as yet. The venture is catching the attention of Flagler County’s economic development department.
Board Picks 3 For Superintendent Interviews, But 2 Will Have To Travel on Their Own Dime
The Flagler school board elected to interview Jacob Oliva–its current acting superintendent–James Parla of New Jersey and Pamela Tapley of Osceola County, but the board was bitterly divided over whether to pay for candidates’ accommodation and travel. A 3-2 split decided against paying.
Crist Lead Over Scott Almost Erased in Latest Poll; Support for Gay Marriage and Pot Grows
The latest Public Policy Poll has Crist leading Scott by an insignificant 43 to 41 percent, well inside the 4 percent margin of error, as Scott’s attacks on Crist pay off. Also, 65 percent favor medical marijuana, and 47 percent said same-sex marriage should be allowed, with 44 percent opposed.
Fulfilling Pledge, Rep. Travis Hutson Files Animal Cruelty Bill Inspired By FPC Student
Animal abuse may cost abusers far more in penalties and punishment if a bi-partisan bill inspired by Flagler Palm Coast High School student Morgan Purtlebaugh and filed by Rep. Travis Hutson last week becomes law.
Florida Is 7th Worst State For Lax Highway Safety Laws, Including Teen Protection
Florida is “missing rear primary enforcement seat belt law, all-rider motorcycle helmet law, booster seat law, 4 of the 7 teen driving provisions, an ignition interlock law, and an all-driver text messaging restriction,” according to a new report.
A Palm Coast-Based Referee, 66, Is Accused of Inappropriately Touching a Star 14-Year-Old Girl During a Game, and a Team Is Rattled
Marion Al Jennings, a Palm Coast retiree who officiates with A-1 Officials Association, faces a battery charge for allegedly grabbing a 14-year-old girl’s buttocks and rubbing her breast as he officiated her game earlier this month at Calvary Christian Academy. A-1 referees also officiate at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High School.
Crain-Brady’s Disqualification In Bunnell Is Final, But Errors Were Far From Hers Alone
Bunnell City Commissioner Jenny Crain-Brady disqualified herseolf from the March 4 election when she failed to meet a fee deadline last week, but the error unraveled a series of errors and misjudgments that run through Bunnell’s election process, and go as far as documentation released by the Supervisor of Elections.
Scott’s River of Green Swells as He Asks for $130 Million for Everglades and South Florida
The proposal comes a day after Scott announced he would recommend $55 million to restore and maintain the state’s natural springs, boosting money for the water bodies in Central and North Florida by $45 million from the current year.
California Sharply Improves Regulatory Oversight of Assisted-Living Facilities
The wide-ranging array of proposed regulations would mandate annual inspections of the facilities and increase the size of financial penalties that the state can levy for failures in care. The proposals would also step up mandatory training for assisted living employees, require facilities to employ registered nurses in some instances and demand that California post inspection results online for the public to review.
Eulogy For a Tornado: Palm Coast Memorializes December Twister in Numbers and Kudos
With a dramatic video narrated by Mayor Jon Netts and a line-up of presenters, the Palm Coast City Council heard and watched a recap of the December tornado that ripped through the city’s B, C and F Sections, with nearly final costs to property owners and to the city’s bottom line.
State Plans to Rebrand Common Core to “Florida Standards,” But With Minor Changes
Stewart said the changes — which include 60 new standards, 37 clarifications and two deletions — and the inclusion of standards beyond the reach of Common Core, which only covers English and math courses, justifies the new name.
Superintendent Search Group Ends With Short-List of 5 to School Board, Including Oliva
After a day-long process Tuesday that included working through lunch and not adjourning until 4 p.m., the search committee for Flagler County’s next school superintendent agreed to recommend five names to the school board: Mary Murray, Jacob Oliva, James Parla, Christopher Quinn and Pamela Tapley.
Six Gay Couples and Equality Florida File Lawsuit in State Court Seeking Freedom to Marry
The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides.
Hit-and-Run Leads to DUI and Child Abuse Charges for Repeat Offender Bruce Ganem
Bruce Ganem, a 49-year-old resident of Bracken Lane in Palm Coast who’d been booked at the Flagler County jail six times on charges ranging from drunk driving to indecent exposure, was arrested a seventh time Sunday after an alleged hit-and-run and leading cops on a weaving chase up Belle Terre Parkway, with three young children in his car’s backseat.
From Buddy Holly to Dr. Seuss, the Jacksonville Symphony Goes Winter Dance Sneetching
It’s the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra as you’ve never heard it before in two end-of-month concerts, with a tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper on Jan. 24-25, and Dr. Seuss’s “The Sneetches” on Jan. 26.
Obamacare’s Popularity Overwhelms Florida Blue as System Crashes, Costing Enrollees
Many who signed up and paid Florida Blue for their new plan between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 say the insurer has lost them in its computer system. Now, when they go to the doctor or try to get a prescription filled, they have to pay the bill themselves or cancel.
Cindy Moore and Jill Espinosa Earn School District’s Top Honors for 2013
Cindy Moore, a testing coordinator and secretary at Flagler Palm Coast High School, was named the 2014 Employee of the Year, and Jill Espinosa, a kindergarten teacher at Belle Terre Elementary, was the Teacher of the Year.
Martin Luther King’s Nightmare: The Inequality Behind Forbes’ Richest 400
The net worth of just 400 billionaires is on par with the collective wealth of our more than 14 million African- American households. Both groups possess some $2 trillion, about three percent of our national net worth, an economic injustice Martin Luther King would have decried, argues Bob Lord.
Superintendent Application Window Closes With Just 20 Applicants, Several of Whom Are Already Disqualified
It is an unusually low number for superintendent postings across the state, but not a surprising one considering the circumstances in Flagler, where Jacob Oliva is a heavy favorite, his front-runner status broadly publicized. All the applications are included.
In Latest Re-Election Ploy, Scott Proposes 10-Day Sales Tax Holiday, Triple the Usual Length
Scott announced Friday he wants lawmakers to approve a 10-day sales tax holiday in August. The extended tax-free period is the latest of the budget proposals Scott has rolled out in advance of the 2014 legislative session.
Public’s Help Sought in Locating Caressa Lynnette Mercer, 25, Disabled Woman Missing Since Saturday Morning
Margaret Mercer reported to deputies that her daughter, Caressa Lynnette Mercer, left the home sometime after 3 a.m. Saturday morning. According to the mother, Caressa has the mental capacity of a 5 or 6-year-old child and has run away several times in the past.
Michelle Hunter Roberts, 59, of Palm Coast, Is Killed in Midnight Wreck on Belle Terre Pkwy
Michelle Hunter Roberts, 59, was killed moments before midnight in the night of Friday to Saturday in a two-vehicle wreck at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Pine Grove Parkway.
Jenny Crain-Brady, Not Paying a Fee, Fails to Qualify for Bunnell Commission Election; 4 Others Do
In an unexpected and significant reversal of fortune for an incumbent candidate for the Bunnell City Commission election set for March 4, Jenny Crain-Brady has not qualified for the seat she had gathered petitions to run for. Brady failed to pay the $96 state assessment fee required of all candidates, whether they have the necessary number of petitions or not.
Deputies Looking For Suspect in Car Break-In at Anytime Fitness
Flagler County Detectives are looking for the public’s help in identifying a woman who broke into a parked car outside of Anytime Fitness located at 260 Cypress Edge Drive in Palm Coast just before noon on Thursday.
Flagler a No-Show in Rep. Ron DeSantis’s Talk at Chamber’s “Think Flagler First” Event
Speaking before almost 100 people at a Chamber of Commerce lunch at Pine Lakes Country Club today, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose district includes all of Flagler, talked mostly critically about a series of national issues, but never touched on matters relating to Flagler County until a county commissioner elicited one general response about unemployment.