Team Feed Flagler, the annual community Thanksgiving meal and food drive led and chiefly sponsored by Flagler County government, has scheduled several drop-off locations for donated food over the next three months. Chart included.
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After 31 Days, Dream Defenders
End Their Protest at the Florida Capitol
Dream Defender leaders said they’ll carry their campaign against the “stand your ground” self-defense law and what they consider other forms of racial bias to the polls, trying to defeat the elected officials who opposed their demands, including Gov. Rick Scott, who is up for re-election next year.
Marco Rubio’s Redemption Tour, Egypt’s Day of Shame, North Carolina’s Tarred Legacy
Marco Rubio is trying to get back into his tea party graces for all the wrong reasons, Robert Fisk nails the Egyptian army’s mass murders, North Carolina retreats to the dark ages, synthetic pot’s owners are imprisoned, students discover a new ADHD high.
Early Morning Fire Demolishes Flagler Beach’s Iconic Seaside Shoppe; Bayer Office Saved
Flagler Beach’s iconic Seaside Shoppe, for two decades a mainstay of the city’s commercial life, was demolished by an early morning fire the owner detected at 4 a.m. when she smelled smoke.
Palm Coast’s Landon Digs In Heels Against Elections Supervisor “Demands” For Early Voting Arrangement
The Palm Coast City Council is backing City Manager Jim Landon’s decision to charge the elections supervisor for early voting use of the Community Center on Palm Coast Parkway, while the supervisor shows equal intransigeance as she refuses to accept a smaller room Landon is ready to make available for the 13 days of early voting at the center.
Breast Cancer Therapy Technique at Florida Hospital Flagler Now Reduces Radiation Exposure
The Prone Breast Board radiation therapy technique, allowing patients to rest on their stomach rather than their back, significantly decreases radiation exposure to the lungs and heart.
Not Enough Votes for a Special Session on Stand Your Grounds, But Protest Continues
Republicans have returned enough “no” votes in a poll of legislators to quash the idea of a special session to address the state’s stand your ground law, yet the Dream Defenders, a group of protesters whose around-the-clock sit-in at the Capitol stretched to a 30th day on Wednesday, are not quitting.
Battle of the Trees: Palm Coast Slams Lawsuit’s “Inaccuracies” By Citing Inaccuracies of Its Own
In an unusually long and defensive press release, Palm Coast counters an attempted injunction by Dennis McDonald–to stop the cutting of trees around Palm Harbor–by calling his claims “inaccurate” and “misleading,” even as the city itself makes flatly inaccurate claims about the age of trees it is about to remove, among other issues.
Severe Weather Alert for Palm Coast and Rest of Flagler Until 7 PM
The National Weather Service issued a significant weather advisory for the county and , along with southeastern Putnam and northeastern Marion, in effect until 7 p.m. as Flagler emergency dispatchers have summoned all district volunteer firefighters to their stations to assist with numerous issues such as downed power lines and trees.
Fish and Wildlife Asking Public to Report Sightings of 3 Rare Snake Species
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists are asking the public to report sightings of three rare snake species–Florida pine snake, southern hognose snake and short-tailed snake–to help with research.
Art For Shock’s Sake: The Business and Aesthetic of Rejection
Peter Cerreta, the Palm Coast artist who had a work of his own rejected at the “Monsters of Bigotry” show at Hollingsworth Gallery, adds his perspective to the debate about art that belongs (or doesn’t) in galleries and museums, concluding that “not every piece that shocks for shock’s sake” does.
Sorry, Teachers: Don’t Yet Bank on Debit Cards for Classroom Supplies Gov. Scott Promised
Gov. Rick Scott touted the $250, tax-free debit cards as he talked about education issues across the state, but as of Tuesday, more than 130,000 teachers out of Florida’s 170,000 are not in line to get one of the Chase debit cards this year.
Nickel and Diming County Foregoes Program That Would Have Reduced Jail Population
The Flagler County judge and sheriff had supported a proposed pre-trial release program that would have kept low-grade, non-violent offenders out of jail, saving them money in the short term and the county money in the long term, but the county commission eliminated the proposal as part of a $400,000 cut from next year’s budget proposal.
Red-Light Running Causes 2-Vehicle Wreck on Palm Coast Parkway and Boulder Rock, Hurting 2
Emily Palisoc, a 16-year-old Palm Coast resident and former Miss Junior Flagler County, and Rute Costa, 30, collied at the intersection and were both sent to Florida Hospital Flagler. Red-light cameras will reveal which of the two ran a red light.
After Two Stays, Supreme Court Clears Marshall Lee Gore For Year’s Fourth Execution
Rejecting arguments that he should avoid lethal injection because he is insane, the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday approved the execution of Marshall lee Gore, convicted of killing two women in 1988 in Miami-Dade and Columbia counties.
“Podunk,” “Bad Faith” and Bigotry as Bunnell Votes 3-1 to Advertise for a New City Manager
Three Bunnell city commissioners would not give Manager Armando Martinez more than $80,000 a year. He would not accept less than $97,500. The difference was only one of the cleavers that produced another ugly, late-night wrangle on the commission, featuring offensive language and a commissioner walking out.
Stop and Frisk Unconstitutional, Children on Steroids, Jeb Bush Goes Splat and Texting Deaths
A judge gives stop-and-frisk its overdue what-for, parents push steroids on their athlete children, a Tennessee judge’s Messiah complex, Werner Herzog’s haunting film on texting and driving, Larry David stands up again.
Sharps Liquor Again Target of Armed Robbery Followed By Shot Fired at Subway in Flagler Plaza
Sharps Liquor at Flagler Plaza was the target of an armed robbery late Monday night, the fourth time the store has been targeted by armed robbers in less than two years. The robbery may have failed. Moments later, a man fired a gun at the Subway sandwich shop adjacent to Sharps. No one was hurt. The suspect fled.
Stand Your Ground Special Session: Florida Democrats Invoke Unique Tactic in Hunt for Votes
Vastly outnumbered Democrats have a week to convince enough Republicans lawmakers to support a special session of the Legislature on the Stand Your Ground law. The Secretary of State’s office has to find 96 lawmakers to trigger such a session.
Elections Supervisor Wants to Expand Early Voting to Palm Coast Community Center. City’s Response: Pay Up
Even though Palm Coast City Council candidates will be on the ballot, the city is charging the Supervisor of Elections for use of the Community Center on Palm Coast Parkway as a second early voting location in the city, raising questions about cooperation from a city that has seen its voter turnouts fall drastically over the years.
Eric Holder Takes on the “War on Drugs,” Mandatory Sentences and Epidemic Imprisonment Rates
Attorney general Eric Holder on Monday delivered a seminal speech outlining a plan to revamp federal drug policy and incarceration rates of non-violent and elderly offenders, and urging Congress to review mandatory sentencing in light of a “war on drugs” that has not worked. The full speech.
A Sex Case for Romeo and Juliet’s Law, Revenge Vandalism and Caught in the Act: Weekend Round-Up
Todd Marine of Flagler Beach is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, but the charge must be weighed against Florida’s Romeo and Juliet law. Bradley Sanguinetti is arrested in the alleged act of breaking into a car, and Tamara Natto is arrested for defacing her ex’s home with insulting suggestions.
Flagler Humane Society Truck Collides With Lexus at SR100 and CR302; Trauma Alert for 2
Anthony McKay, 32, was at the wheel of the Humane Society truck and Allyson Bennett, 32, and 4-year-old Aayden Samples were in the Lexus. Both adults were taken to Halifax. The boy appeared uninjured, and there were no animals aboard the truck.
Hillary’s Movie: Spoiler Alert
The Republican temper tantrum over the nascent NBC Hillary Clinton movie tells us only one thing: The GOP is scared to death of a Hillary presidential run. How else can you explain the weeping and whining over a film that hasn’t even been scripted, and may yet be produced by Fox Television Studios?
In God’s Name: Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, a Modern-Day Comstock, Is Elected State Sheriffs Association President
Grady Judd is known for his colorful language and controversial quotes, sometimes evoking Anthony Comstock, the head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in the late 1800s, as he crusades against sex and porn and brandishes god’s name at every opportunity.
Oxycontin’s Biggest Pusher, Pardon Obsession, Boobies and Free Speech, Gen-X in Crisis
Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma hides its list of abusive physicians, benefits of daydreaming, when Sartre and Camus were friends, an appeals court in defense of boobies, Schiff does Bach’s Italian Concerto, Florida’s tax evaders.
The Painting You Will Not See in Hollingsworth Gallery’s ‘Monster of Bigotry’ Show, and Why
Constance Payne’s “Will You Take Me Seriously Now” was top be part of the new “Monster of Bigotry” show at Palm Coast’s Hollingsworth Gallery, but only if Payne agreed to have it draped, because of its explicit content. She refused, calling it censorship. Gallery owner JJ Graham defends the decision on several grounds.
Carl Laundrie Recovering Well After Harrowing 24 Hours as Doctors Investigate
Carl Laundrie, the long-time public information officer for Flagler County government, was awake and conversant, and eating normal food, after nearly drowning when his SUV swerved into a pond near the county’s Emergency Operations Center in Bunnell Friday afternoon.
Teens Smash 17 Mailboxes on Palm Coast’s Wellshire Lane in Early Morning Spree
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Oleksandr Podolskyy, 18, of Point Pleasant Drive in Palm Coast, in connection with the morning spree that left 17 mailboxes down on Wellshire Drive. Residents said one or two other younger boys were also arrested.
Lawmakers Will have $435 Million More to Work With in 2014 as Recovery Continues
The added revenue swells to $2 billion the net increase from this year’s budget in the general revenue, but lawmakers aren’t scheduled to take up the budget again until next spring’s legislative session, and other revenue forecasts are expected in the interim, meaning it will likely take awhile before the full budget picture is known.
Flagler Beach Murderer Paul Miller Is Moved to Dade Prison, 350 Miles from Home
Paul Miller, the 66-year-old Flagler Beach resident sentenced to life in prison in June for the murder of Dana Mulhall, may serve out his life sentence in South Florida if his ongoing appeal is unsuccessful.
Court Injunction Sought to Stop Palm Coast’s Tree Removal Around Palm Harbor Center
Calling Palm Coast’s tree removal illegal, resident Dennis McDonald filed an injunction in circuit court Thursday seeking to halt removals planned for road-widening and as part of a redevelopment of the Palm Harbor shopping center that may significantly alter the character of the area.
Predatory Human Traffickers Luring Teens and the Homeless as Cops Warn of Backyard Crisis
A nationwide crackdown last week by the FBI on child sex trafficking yielded 159 arrests and freed 105 children — nearly all girls between 13 and 17 — but experts say it’s the tip of the iceberg as 450,000 children run away from home each year and that one-third will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.
Silver Alert for Lionel Maloney, 79, of Palm Coast, Cancelled as He’s Found in North Carolina
The missing man is Lionel Victor Graham Maloney, 79, of 50 Brice Lane. He was last seen around 9:30 a.m. Maloney is 5′ 8”, weighs 165 lbs and has white hair and a white mustache. He was last seen wearing light blue jeans and a light blue shirt. Maloney is diabetic and suffers from severe dementia.
One Suspect Arrested, Police Looking for Another in Armed Home Invasion in St. Augustine
Benjamin Leon White, 20, 300 Whispering Circle in St. Augustine, was booked into the St. Johns County Jail where he remains in lieu of $250,000 bond Wednesday in connection with a home invasion/robbery that occurred early Monday morning. A second suspect is still being sought.
Cool to Sudden Roma Court Proposal, Flagler Sheriff Restates Preferences for Proximity
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre was surprised by an unexpected proposal from the owner of Roma Court, the chronically vacant strip mall on Palm Coast Parkway, to lease the building to the county for sheriff’s operations, and cited several factors that fall outside his preferred options.
“I Did It”: Iron Man Bank Robbery Suspect Lakhram Mahadeo of Palm Coast, Is Arrested
Lakhram Mahadeo, a 2005 FPC graduate, was arrested Wednesday at his Palm Coast home and charged in connection of the June 20 bank robbery, in which the robber wore an Iron Man mask and stole $2,300. He’s being held on $100,000 bond.
Why Palm Coast Is Alarmed: Vivint Home-Security Solicitors Dogged By History of Deception
It’s not just Palm Coast: Vivint faces recurring findings of deceptive practices and misrepresentation in several states, according to Better Business Bureau records. The company has agreed to settlement orders issued either by a court or by the state attorney generals of at least six states to end aggressive and misleading sales tactics similar to those reported in Palm Coast.
Cabinet Passes, for Now, on Pardoning Marissa Alexander, Pending Stand Your Ground Appeal
Alexander, a 32-year-old mother of three, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after firing a shot into a wall during a dispute with her abusive husband, a case that stands in sharp contrast with George Zimmerman’s not-guilty verdict after he shot and killed an unarmed teen.
Man Drags Another With His Car in an Apparent Drug Deal Gone Bad. Both Are Arrested.
Corey Miller and John Stubbs, both of Bunnell, were arrested on Railroad Street Tuesday after Miller dragged Stubbs with his car following what appeared to be a deal for cocaine that cops may have interrupted. Both men have previous records, including four years in prison for Stubbs on a cocaine trafficking conviction.
Red Flare, Parachute and Feared Plane Crash Keep Police Busy Overnight in Mondex, But Nothing is Found
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies and Volusia County’s emergency helicopters patrolled western Flagler County, especially the Mondex area, after reported sightings of a parachute and a red flare after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Nothing was located.
Jeff Bezos’s Post-It Note To Self: Rekindle American Journalism
Unlike the sort of vulgar ad men who’ve taken over most newspapers since the 1990s, slicking up newsprint with more hair gel than ink, Bezos knows the value of a sentence. He’s shown healthy contempt for the forces of the market, which are equal parts poison and speed to innovation.
16-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Accused of Raping 5 Year Old Is in Juvenile Justice Custody
A 16-year-old Palm Coast boy is facing a felony charge of sexual battery, or rape, of a 5-year-old boy in an incident reported to have taken place in May in the older boy’s bedroom, in the boys’ home.
FPL and Duke Energy Customers Still Saddled With Costs of Failed or Future Nuke Plants
The Florida Public Service Commission on Monday approved an agreement with Juno Beach-based FPL that will charge residential customers 48 cents per 1,000 kilowatt hours of power for nuclear construction at least 10 years away. The PSC backed an increase of 89 cents for the same amount of power that will be added to monthly bills of Duke Energy customers starting in January 2014, for nuclear plants that’ll never be built.
Palm Coast Residents Complain About Vivint Home-Security Solicitors, But Company Disputes Claims
Residents say that solicitors for Vivint, the home security company, have told them they’ve been sent by Flagler County government or Palm Coast government to alert people that telephone lines in their area are being upgraded, and that the new telephone lines would no longer be compatible with the residents’ emergency systems. None of that is true, the city warns.
Two Ex-Firefighters Sue Flagler Beach, Charging Their Firing Was Retaliatory
Shane Wood and Jacob Bissonnette say their firing by City Manager Bruce Campbell last February, over an allegation they stored home-made alcohol at the fire station, was retaliation for their role in an investigation that led to a charge of obstruction of justice against Bobby Pace, another firefighter who was briefly acting chief.
Testily and Disparaging Local “Papers,” County Administrator and Commission Defend Hospital Buy
Facing a small but persistent barrage of critics over the $1.23 million acquisition of the old hospital in Bunnell, County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin Monday rebuffed the critics by attacking their sources or their information, though their own claims were at times gravely shaky, or outright wrong.
Two of Flagler District’s Newer School Buses, Valued at $200,000, Stolen From FPC Depot
The two 84-seat Bluebird buses were stolen the night of July. 27, but the theft was uncovered only today–Aug. 5. School officials say none of the bus routes will be affected when school resumes on Aug. 19. The district’s insurance will reimburse the loss. The Flagler County Sheriff is investigating the theft.
Joker’s Jail: Drunk Driver Thinks Impersonating His Dad Was Funny. Cops Don’t.
In a pair of weekend wrecks and arrests, David Shipman, 52, of 81 Weymouth Lane, is facing charges of drunk driving, giving a false identification while detained, causing property damage and serious bodily injuries to another, while Marty Hogan, 24, of Deltona, is charged with a hit and run, with property damage, reckless driving with bodily injury, and probation violation.
From 50 Miles a Year to 5,600 Yards: Palm Coast’s Repaving Program Scales Back, Briefly
Only four streets in the R Section will be repaved this year, beginning later this month, sharply contrasting with the 50-mile-a-year program that stretched over 10 years, but City Manager Jim Landon cautioned the city council that a more aggressive resurfacing program of perhaps 15 miles will have to be funded come next year, as streets again show deterioration.