Men’s labor force participation has been steadily declining since the 1970s, and workers are experiencing greater labor market precarity – that is, shorter job spells, greater job insecurity and more long-term unemployment. Only 41% of late baby boomer men – those who were between 14 and 21 years old in 1979 – worked steadily and continuously, which we defined as working almost every week of the year between ages 27 and 49.
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The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Separation Chat, Open Discussion, Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees, at Flagler Auditorium, a Gazan writes, the impossibilities of a peace settlement as Marwan Barghouti rots in an Israeli prison.
Republicans and Democrats Consider Each Other Immoral No Matter What
Both Republicans and Democrats regarded people with opposing political views as less moral than people in their own party, even when their political opposites acted fairly or kindly toward them, according to experiments. Even participants who self-identified as only moderately conservative or liberal made the same harsh moral judgments about those on the other side of the political divide.
Palm Coast Council Still Not Thrilled by Proposed Utility Rate Increases Near 18 Percent Over 3 Years
As in November, the city’s utility consultant was again tasked with drafting an amendment to a study recommending sharp water and sewer rate increases, on the heels of a 20 percent increase in the last four years. Council members want to know what the consequences would be if certain capital projects were delayed, since they drive a lot of the need for the rate increases through 2028.
Austin Ross, 27-Year-Old Recruit Hopeful with Flagler Sheriff’s Office, Dies Following Physical Agilities Test
Austin Ross, a 27-year-old Palm Coast resident hoping to become a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, fell to the ground during a physical agilities test Monday morning, the first step toward becoming a recruit, and later died of an apparently heart-related medical episode.
In Trial’s Opening, Prosecution Describes Andrew Sharp, 22, as Babysitter Turned Sexual Predator on His Own Young Cousins
Donald Andrew Sharp was 20 and 21 when he lived with his cousins in Palm Coast, as their babysitter. He is on trial on charges of raping his cousin when she was 8 and 9, and of forcing her brother to molest her, allegedly as a scapegoat for Sharp: if he were to be blamed, he would turn the accusation toward his young cousin. The two children testified today, after opening arguments by the prosecution. The defense reserved its opening argument for later in the week.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
The Community Traffic Safety Team meets, it’s Palm Coast City Council workshop day, the Palm Coast Open is ongoing, Cameron Driggers’s Youth Action Fund leads an anti-book-banning rally in Brevard County, only for a Sarah J. Maas book to be banned.
Why Florida Is Wrong to Have Downgraded Sociology in College
The American Sociological Association’s current president and a professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst explains why Florida’s decision to reduce the number of students enrolled in sociology courses is both disturbing and an opportunity to help the public better understand the academic discipline.
Flagler and St. Johns Award Paul Renner Emergency Preparedness Legislative Achievement Award
Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord and St. Johns County Emergency Management Deputy Director Kelly Wilson spent part of “Emergency Management Day at the Capitol” (February 7) presenting House Speaker Paul Renner with the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) Legislative Achievement Award.
Florida House Moves Toward Banning Local Governments from Regulating EV Charging Stations, and Banning ‘Cultivated Meat’
The Florida House on Monday continued moving forward with a wide-ranging bill that includes banning sales of lab-grown meat in the state and preventing local governments from regulating electric-vehicle charging stations. Florida has 3,230 public charging stations in 44 of the 67 counties, and a staff analysis of the bill said electric vehicles made up nearly 3 percent of cars sold in Florida from July 2020 to July 2021.
Sally Hunt’s ‘Causes’ to Fire Attorney, Withheld Despite Numerous Requests, Repeat Fabrications and Unfounded Claims
Sally Hunt, who now openly says she will not complete her term on the board, claims she did not think her “notes” on firing former School Board Attorney Kristy Gavin qualified as public records. The list of 10 grievances echoes the six fellow-Board member Christy Chong filed, repeating some of the same inaccuracies or fabrications and making several unsupported statements.
High-Profile Attorney Jose Baez Takes Over Defense of Migrant Virgilio Mendez Accused in Death of Sheriff’s Deputy After Arrest
Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, the 18-year-old migrant facing a manslaughter charge in the heart-attack death of a St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy following Mendez’s arrest on a minor charge, is now represented by Jose Baez, the Miami attorney and one of the most successful and high-profile trial lawyers in the country. Baez’s involvement and a petition that has gathered 600,000 signatures for Mendez’s release reflect the reach of the case far beyond St. Johns County, and shock over a charge that, according to the medical examiner’s conclusion, is disconnected from deputy Michael Kunovich’s heart attack.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 12, 2024
Trial week in felony court, with some right or nine potential trials, the Palm Coast Open, the Garden Club meets at the Palm Coast Social Club, the Bunnell City Commission meets, CNN’s Israel bias.
The Two-State Solution Is Dead
The simple fact is the number of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) – now about 700,000, who live alongside three million Palestinians – means there is not much space left for a Palestinian state. The only way space could be made for another state would be if the government were to dismantle the settlements. That’s not going to happen.
Federal Judge Ends Challenges to Florida’s Election Law Targeting Black Voters
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a 17-page order after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year overturned a ruling in which he found the law improperly discriminated against Black voters. Walker appeared to criticize the appeals court for “reweighing” facts in the case.
Updated Palm Coast’s Technical Manual for Residential Construction Compliance Is Reissued
One notable amendment mandates that all flatwork, including sidewalks, air conditioning pads, patios, and other hardscaping elements, along with the PEP tank, must not obstruct drainage flow or the maximum slope of drainage conveyance. Consequently, these features may need to be relocated to the rear of the structure to maintain effective drainage functionality.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 11, 2024
The Palm Coast Open at the Tennis Center, Farmers’ Market at European Village, St. Augustine Music Festival: Bach to Blacknotes, Lindsay Zoladz on Tracy Chapman, H.L. Mencken’s Happy Days.
Trump’s Control of the GOP Is Bad for Democracy
As former President Donald Trump edges closer to clinching the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, research has shown that a second Trump presidency is likely to damage American democracy even more than his first term did. The reason has less to do with Trump and his ambitions than with how power dynamics have shifted within the Republican Party.
Do We Simply Not Care About Old People?
The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. But decisive actions that advocates had hoped for haven’t materialized. In the last week of 2023 and the first two weeks of 2024 alone, 4,810 people 65 and older lost their lives to covid — a group that would fill more than 10 large airliners — according to data provided by the CDC. But the alarm that would attend plane crashes is notably absent.
Palm Coast Fire Department Announces Wave of Promotions
Chief Kyle Berryhill unveiled the latest promotions within the department’s ranks, demonstrating dedication to enhancing the organization. Among these notable advancements is the elevation of Driver Engineer Kalin Graham to the role of Lieutenant, succeeding Lieutenant Rich Cline, who retired this past September.
Joe Saviak, Frequent Flier of Local Government Mentoring, Helps Palm Coast Council Launch Its Goal-Setting Season
Joe Saviak spearheaded a dynamic orientation meeting on Monday morning at the Palm Coast Community Center, guiding the Palm Coast City Council, administration, and department directors through a strategic action planning session. The City of Palm Coast has consistently undertaken an annual strategic action plan process over the past decade, a crucial initiative to address community needs and pave the way for a positive future.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 10, 2024
American Association of University Women feature speaker Lenny Foster, Brass, Organ and Percussion at Jacksonville Symphony, Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area, Rummage sale at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Palm Coast Open, Jeff Sharlet.
Race Is a Theme of the 2024 Election. But It’s An American Tradition.
The centrality of race to our politics is clear in the current presidential campaign. The U.S. is not now “post racial,” free from racial prejudices or discrimination, nor has it ever been. Nor is it easy to argue seriously that white people are more discriminated against than Black Americans.
Biden: ‘A Sympathetic, Well-Meaning, Elderly Man With a Poor Memory’
Biden in a press conference called Thursday night hit back at this characterization and others, including an assertion in the report he “did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.” The Hur report seeks to differentiate between the Biden investigation and another of former President Donald Trump’s handling of documents, which did lead to charges, saying there are “several material distinctions.”
Florida House Approves Nearly Doubling Governor’s Salary
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $141,400 annual salary doesn’t make it in the top ten highest paid governors in the country. That needs to be corrected, say state Republican lawmakers, which is why on Thursday they approved a proposal (HB 5007) that would raise the annual salary of the governor to “at least 100%” of what a member of the Florida Supreme Court makes, now $251,414.
UNF Breaks Ground on New Honors Residence Hall
The University of North Florida broke ground today on a new Honors Residence Hall and living-learning community that will house more than 500 students and open in fall 2025. The four-story, 164,579-square-foot residence hall is being built on Osprey Ridge Road along the east side of the campus adjacent to Osprey Fountains. UNF’s new strategic plan, approved last month by the Florida Board of Governors, includes plans to increase enrollment to 25,000 students over five years.
Indian Trails Middle’s Giles Platt Is Flagler’s Spelling Bee Champ After Conquering ‘Apparatus,’ ‘Vicarious,’ and of Course ‘Acclaim’
It took Indian Trails Middle School eighth grader Giles Platt eight rounds, but he hoisted the 2023-24 Flagler County Spelling Bee Champion’s trophy Thursday evening after spelling apparatus and vicarious correctly. He knew he had it right even before the judges confirmed it, beaming a grin as he repeated the word, then jumping with joy as the audience applauded. Joyce Holmes, an eighth grader at Imagine School at Town Center, is the runner-up.
Flagler Beach Is Fiercely Opposed to Consolidating Library With County, But Cooperative Intrigues Even Jane Mealy
Flagler Beach on Thursday formally rejected an inquiry by Flagler County government about the possibility of merging the Flagler Beach Public Library with the county’s system. But that does not necessarily close the book on a collaborative partnership. City Commissioner Jane Mealy, the fiercest defender of the Flagler Beach library’s independence, is intrigued by the possibility of a cooperative that would preserve that independence but expand Flagler Beach residents’ access to county library resources, likely at no additional cost.
In Flagler Beach, A Lack of Consensus Even About the Discussion on Changing Mayor’s Role and Commission’s Make-Up
The Flagler Beach City Commission is heading to a Feb. 15 workshop to discuss possibly placing on a referendum questions about changing the mayor’s role to a voting one, changing commissioners’ terms, and changing the role of the chair. But the commission is more divided than not both about the questions themselves and the purpose of the workshop. That does not bode well for its outcome–at least the outcome Commission Chair Eric Cooley wants, which is to put the questions to a referendum.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 9, 2024
Rummage Sale at St. Thomas Episcopal, LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, revisiting the Pillars of Creation, Knausgaard and “this ability, to give life to the lifeless.”
Lab-Grown Meat Companies Push Back Against Florida Lawmakers’ Attempt to Ban Their Product
Two California companies can now offer lab-grown meat in restaurants and eventually supermarkets following approval of their products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last June. But those same products would be banned in Florida if lawmakers approve a proposal moving through the Legislature. The bill by Tampa Bay-area Republican Jay Collins (SB 1084) would make it unlawful for anyone to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute “cultivated” meat in Florida. A violator could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.
‘Look for a Reversal in a Fairly Short Period of Time’: Trump Will Stay on Ballot
To get the rare perspective of a former federal judge on the oral arguments at the Supreme Court, The Conversation U.S. spoke with John E. Jones III. He is the president of Dickinson College and a retired federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in 2002. The case is about former President Donald Trump’s claim that he should be allowed on the presidential ballot in Colorado – and other states – because the language of the 14th Amendment does not apply to him.
He’d Burglarized Tourists’ Car at a Local Park and Bought Apple Watches with Their Cards. He Was Sentenced to Life in Prison.
Last November, Caisy Frank, a 40-year-old resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., was tried and found guilty of armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm, additional grand theft counts, and fraud, among 10 charges. On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Frank to life in prison. The severity of the sentence is a reflection of Frank’s status as a prison-release reoffender.
School Board’s Sally Hunt Is Getting Tired of All Those Celebratory Spotlights and Awareness Proclamations
Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt does not seem to be enjoying her job. At least not the fun parts, the parts that give district teachers, employees and students a chance to showcase their accomplishments, the parts that give the community a voice through proclamations. They just drag on too long, and maybe they shouldn’t be part of the “business” portion of the meetings, Hunt told her colleagues at a workshop earlier this week, as she spoke from an undisclosed location, phoning it in.
City Invites Residents to Grand Opening of Palm Coast’s Southern Recreation Center
The City of Palm Coast is thrilled to announce the grand opening of the long-awaited Southern Recreation Center and the new Lehigh Trailhead, adjacent to the current Palm Coast Tennis Center, on February 23rd from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, FL 32164. These projects are pivotal steps in aligning with the priorities outlined by the community during the recent countywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Heidi Petito Gets a Combined C+ from Commissioners’ Evaluation of Her 2nd Full Year as County Administrator
It was not the strongest evaluation year for Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito, who scored a C-plus from the five combined reviews by her county commissioner bosses, despite perfect scores from two of the five. But the commissioners’ written comments to Petito generally painted a more complimentary picture than their numbers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 8, 2024
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series–on tape worms, the Palm Coast Democratic Club, a lady’s hat catching fire at a theater has precedence over news of Jules Verne’s death.
School Board’s Christy Chong’s ‘Cause’ Letter to Fire Attorney Is a Tissue of Fabrications, Petty Grievances and Cluelessness
The six “causes” Flagler County School Board member Christy Chong listed as reasons to fire attorney Kristy Gavin come nowhere near “just cause” as defined in Gavin’s contract. Rather, they’re petty, inaccurate, gossipy and falsified grievances that have more to do with Chong being out of her depth, her embarrassment, her hatred for the press and her contempt for transparency and the public than anything to do with the quality of Gavin’s work in nearly two decades of representing the board.
Some Florida Justices Skeptical About State’s Attempt to Keep Abortion Rights Amendment Off the Ballot
Some justices questioned how far the court can go to prevent initiatives from being placed on the ballot as they heard arguments about whether a proposal to ensure abortion rights in the state should be placed on th November ballot. “People in Florida aren’t stupid. I mean, they can figure this out,” Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said.
Nonwhite People Are Drastically Underrepresented in Local Government
Across cities in the U.S., one commonality stands out: Nearly universally, the percentage of elected officials who are white is higher than the white share of the population. This overrepresentation persists from the early 1990s to more recent years among mayors.
U.S. News Ranks Daytona State’s Online Bachelor’s Programs Among the Best in U.S. for 12th Straight Year
For the 12th straight year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Daytona State College’s Online Bachelor’s Programs among the best in the nation. And DSC is again the top-ranked non-university college in the United States, advancing in the overall rankings among all colleges and universities nationwide.
Palm Coast Firefighters Honored for Heroic Acts, Bringing Back to Life Three Palm Coast Residents
Lieutenant Richard Cline (retired), Lieutenant Joseph Paci, Driver Engineer Brandon Davis, Driver Engineer Dylan Mulligan, Driver Engineer Julie Rivera (retired), Firefighter Kyle Gardner, and Firefighter Tyler Major were awarded unit commendations in recognition of their decisive actions that effectively led to the successful resuscitation and life-saving rescue of Palm Coast residents Mike Rowlings, Mark Leinemann, and Vito Mattioli.
Palm Coast Clears Way for $31 Million Connector to Loop Road Through Vacant West of the City, With a Warning to FPL
The Palm Coast City Council on approved four related measures that will advance the opening to development of 12,000 acres on the west side of U.S. 1, from the Matanzas Woods Parkway area, including a $25 million state grant contributing to the cost of a $31 million connector road, dubbed a “flyover,” that will cross above the Florida East Coast railroad corridor. But FPL drew withering criticism from council members over the manner in which the company is charging the city for an “estimate” about moving its infrastructure as part of the Matanzas Woods project.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Christopher Lemke, who pulled a gun on neighbors setting off fireworks, is sentenced, the Flagler County Republican Club meets, choosing Eubie Blake over Charles Dickens.
Trump Does Not Have the ‘Divine Right of Kings To Evade Criminal Accountability’
Trump can be criminally prosecuted for the actions he took to overturn the 2020 election. Whether the case makes it to trial or results in a conviction, what happens to all the other pending cases involving Trump, and whether the former president is returned to the White House, are unanswered questions so far. The Supreme Court will surely be asked to provide some of those answers.
Brenan Hill Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, as Her Cousin Tells Him: ‘I Loathe You’
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this afternoon sentenced Brenan Hill to life in prison for the murder of Savannah Gonzalez in the Publix parking lot off Belle Terre Parkway the morning of March 26, 2021. Gonzalez was 22 when Hill shot her that morning. She lived, incapacitated, hospitalized and unaware, until Nov. 9, 2022, when she died. Hill’s initial explanations for the shooting were a confederacy of lies.
Carlos Rivera-Hernandez, 32, Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison Over Child Sexual Abuse Materials
Ten years ago Carlos Rafael Rivera-Hernandez of Palm Coast served prison and was declared a sex offender on a conviction on statutory rape of a child. On Monday, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years on probation, and was declared a sexual predator, over possession of child sexual abuse material.
County Gives Its Constitutional Officers Extra Month to Prepare Budget in a Year of ‘Uncertainties’
The Flagler County Commission on Monday voted to give its constitutional officers an extra month–until June 1–to turn in their proposed budgets for the fiscal year beginning Oct.1, ahead of what County Administrator Heidi Petito described as a year of “uncertainty.” The commission also appeared to agree, without a formal vote, to reduce the tax rate next year, though that may end up being more of a symbolic than an substantial reduction.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Brenan Hill’s sentencing is scheduled for today, the Flagler County School Board holds a workshop, dubbed a “retreat,” before meeting for another workshop at 3 p.m., the Palm Coast City Council meets in the evening.
Biden Against the Poison of the Latest Lost Cause
Biden’s Mother Emanuel speech should rank with some of the most important speeches in our history. Biden acknowledged that he is not only running against the GOP front-runner Donald Trump but also against a “second lost cause” myth.