R.J. Larizza is running against Stasia Warren in the the Aug. 14 election for State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Larizza Answers 15 questions in the Live Interview.
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When Good Lawyers Defend Bad Men
Melissa Moore Stens, a candidate for Flagler County judge, has been unfairly criticized for defending Paul Miller, the Flagler Beach man who shot and killed his neighbor over barking dogs. But Paul Miller should be on trial, not his lawyers–or the Sixth Amendment.
Early Voting Is On for the Primary. Go Vote.
Early voting for the Aug. 14 primary is on at the Flagler County Public Library on belle Terre and at the elections office at the Government Services Building, through Aug. 11. A full schedule, sample ballot and more.
SWAT Called Out to Buffalo Grove Drive Domestic Situation
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team was called out to 53 Buffalo Grove Drive Sunday morning, where a domestic disturbance unfolded after 7:30. James White, 52, was arrested and jailed.
5-Vehicle Wreck Involving 14 People Shuts Rain-Soaked I-95 Late Saturday Night
A chain wreck on I-95 two miles south of Palm Coast Parkway Saturday night shut down the highway for 90 minutes as rescue personnel tended to 14 people involved, including six juveniles.
Two Flagler School Board Races Will be Decided Aug. 14: The Live Interviews
Three-term incumbents Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin are being challenged by Bill Corkran and Debbie Laury in two contests for the Flagler County School Board that will be decided Aug. 14. All registered voters may vote regardless of party affiliation or address.
Seven Candidates Vying for that Flagler County Judge Seat: The Live Interviews
FlaglerLive interviewed the seven candidates for Flagler County judge: Don Appignani, Craig Atack, Josh Davis, Marc Dwyer, Sharon Feliciano, Melissa Moore-Stens and W. Scott Westbrook. The full interviews are presented.
Undiscovered Country: A Census of the Seas
Over a ten-year period, a group of international scientists studied the oceans and their inhabitants in an effort to, in part, answer the question Frank Gromling poses: how many animal and plant species live in the sea?
Small Business Saturday: Community Building One Mom and Pop Store at a Time
Small Business Saturday is about changing mindsets, supporting community businesses and keeping dollars local, writes Carol Fisher, owner of the Beachhouse Beanery in Flagler Beach.
Andy Dance: Why You Should Support Flagler Schools’ Renewal of the Half-Penny Sales Tax
Andy Dance, the school board member, explains why your vote approving the renewal of the half-penny sales tax in the Aug. 14 referendum is critical for Flagler County schools. All registered voters may cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation.
Ed Hess, Beverly Beach Commissioner and Walter Brennan Alter Ego, Died in A1A Wreck
Ed Hess was a Beverly Beach commissioner for at least 16 years, and had performed on stages and elsewhere for half a century, especially his Walter Brennan imitations.
Economy Adds a Healthier 163,000 Jobs, But Unemployment Rises Back to 8.3%
Last Updated: 9:08 a.m. The U.S. economy added 163,000 jobs in July, better than expected, but the unemployment rate rose back to at 8.3 percent, because job creation hasn’t been robust enough to do more than merely keep up with the natural growth of the work force. Some 12.8 million people remain unemployed, roughly the […]
Flagler Tea Party Straw Poll Winners: Stevens, Westbrook, Warren, Meeker, But Not Schools
The Flagler County Tea Party’s straw poll included 14 races on the Aug. 14 ballot, plus the school board’s half-penny sales tax referendum, which drew 67 percent against, a worrisome sign for the school board.
Second Grave Crash in 14 Hours, on A1A in Beverly Beach, Injures 2 Critically
A head-on wreck between two vehicles sent two people to Halifax hospital with critical, traumatic injuries and closed State Road A1A in Beverley Beach after 12:30 p.m.
Florida Consumer Confidence Up in July
Consumer confidence was up slightly in July 2012 over June, and dramatically higher than it was a year ago, a new report from the University of Florida finds.
Pedro Riera, 48, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck on White View Parkway in Palm Coast
Pedro Riera, 48, a resident of Wittlesey Lane in Palm Coast, was killed Wednesday night as he rode his Harley Davidson into a car crossing White View Parkway, at Rolling Sands Drive, driven by Shelby Cuccurullo.
Whistleblowing Coach Worship: How Neil Reed Ended Bobby Knight’s Bullying
Steve Robinson, the CNN/SI managing editor who coaxed Neil Reed into blowing the whistle on coach Bobby Knight’s violence, reflects on Reed’s death and the refusal of people–from Knight’s apologists to Joe Paterno’s–to take action when they see power being abused.
Lane Burnsed Is Laid to Rest to the Words of Job and a Community’s Grief
Lane Burnsed, 19, was laid to rest Wednesday as hundreds of friends and family members paid their respects to his father, Capt. Jamey Burnsed, and his wife Iola, whose roots in the community run broad and deep.
Back to School Jam Returns Saturday at FPC: Uniforms, Discounts, But No Free Backpacks
This year’s back to school jam for all flagler county students will feature discounted uniforms, $5 backpacks and many other supplies, at Flagler Palm Coast High School Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Obama Crosses 50% Favorability Over Romney in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania
No one has won the White House in the past half century without winning at least two of the three states. The latest results are the strongest yet for Obama, and a worrisome sign for Mitt Romney down the stretch.
Dogged By FCAT Failures, Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson Resigns After 13 Months
Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state’s testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools.
Fearing Rejection at the Ballot Box, County Opts to Renew Sales Tax Unilaterally
The Flagler County Commission decided not to put out a half-cent sales tax renewal to voters this year, choosing instead to renew the tax by a vote of the commission by November. The decision ensures that the tax will stay on the books, generating $4 million for the county and the cities.
Flagler County’s Holmberg Problem: Beach Erosion Guru Dredges Up Skepticism
Dick Holmberg of Holmberg Technologies spoke of his beach erosion option to three local government panels meeting jointly today, but left most skeptical about the reliability and extent of the information he is willing to provide before landing a $50,000 contract for a project analysis.
Flagler Sheriff Wants Your Gun in Exchange for a $50 Gift Card; Opponents Frown
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will hold the county’s first gun buy back on Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Town Center. Each firearm is worth a $50 gift card, up to a maximum of three. The buy-back is made possible through a county commission grant.
Why I’d Eat at Chick-fil-A
I’d eat again at Chick-fil-A, just to send a message to the sanctimonious, self-congratulatory organizers of a boycott campaign that is targeting the business, writes columnist Bill Cotterell.
7 Republican Mirrors Racing for Congressional District Seat that Includes Flagler
The contest to become the Republican nominee for the new and open congressional District 6 seat is cluttered with seven Republicans who largely agree on staple issues from taxes, to guns to Obamacare.
Bill Corkran, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Bill Corkran is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Sue Dickinson, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Sue Dickinson is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Colleen Conklin, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Colleen Conklin is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Deborah Laury, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Deborah Laury is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Early Voting Starts in 5 Counties, But Flagler And 61 Others Must Wait Until Saturday
Legislators changed the election law in 2011 and reduced the number of early voting days from 15 to 10. At least two legal challenges have been filed to the early voting dates, though neither is likely to be decided before the primary election, Aug. 14.
A Vigil of 300 Flickers with Solidarity and Sorrow For Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed
Some 300 people turned out Sunday evening on the sands of Flagler Beach, including the parents of Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed, the teens killed in a wreck on I-95 Thursday. The crowd was mostly young, emotional and subdued.
ALEC’s Influence in Florida Is Broad
And Deep, With Business and Lawmakers
ALEC–the extreme right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council influencing many legislatures around the county–has an inordinate amount of influence on the Florida Legislature, according to a report by a coalition of liberal groups.
Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth On the Hovers of Ospreys
Watching wild birds, ospreys especially, is one of Frank Gromling’s favorite things to do, linking back to a romance with the thrill of flying flying that takes its inspiration from John Magee’s “high untrespassed sanctity of space.”
Tired of Waiting, Florida Audubon Sues Management District Over Everglades Pollution
Florida Audubon Society on Friday filed legal petitions to force the South Florida Water Management District to enforce more-stringent laws put in place five years ago to reduce phosphorus levels in the Everglades.
Florida Book Award Winner Caren Umbarger at Flagler Beach’s Beanery Saturday
Caren Umbarger, who won the bronze medal for fiction for “Coming To” in the 2011 Florida Book Award, will be talking about the book and reading from it at the Beachhouse Beanery Saturday, July 28, at 1 p.m.
Families Mourning Loss of Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, Killed in Wreck
Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, killed on I-95 in a three-vehicle accident Thursday, had attended Flagler Palm Coast High School. Three other people were critically injured.
Flagler Beach Fire Chief Gets His Job Back As Serious Allegations About City Manager Emerge
Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell retreated from plans to fire Flagler Beach Fire Chief Martin Roberts, giving him instead a three-day suspension, following a three-hour hearing that revealed a devastating series of issues surrounding the controversy and Campbell’s management of it.
When Bankruptcy and a Second Mortgage Combine Into an Opportunity for Florida Homeowners
“Bankruptcy” and “exciting news” don’t usually go together well in the same conversation. But a recent ruling by a federal court is giving Florida homeowners a window of opportunity to strip off a second mortgage, argues consumer attorney Lewis Roberts.
“All Done With Pure Heart”: A Defense of Flagler Beach Chief Martin Roberts
Patricia Sigman, a long-time, Orlando-based labor and employment attorney, ended Flagler Beach Fire Chief Martin Roberts’s three-hour disciplinary hearing with a searing indictment of the the city administration and an earnest defense of Martin, who nhad kept silent throughout the month-long controversy. Here’s Sigman’s complete closing.
Countering 2 Precedents, Florida Court Rules Pregnancy Discrimination Is Not Illegal
Appeals courts in 1991 and 2008 had clearly stated that either the state law’s intent forbids discrimination or federal law, which explicitly forbids it, preempts state law. Yet the appeals court in Miami ruled against a woman fired from her real estate job after she got pregnant.
Elian Gonzalez Affair Returns to Haunt Don Appignani, Flagler County Judge Candidate
The Florida Bar publicly reprimanded Don Appignani in 2002 over a conflict of interest charge when he was a labor attorney for INS employees, following his role representing INS employees involved in the Elian Gonzalez affair. Appignani disputes most of the findings to this day.
A Stabbing at European Village, a Spate of Domestic Violence and Arrests in Palm Coast
An unusually pronounced series of unrelated domestic and neighborhood issues, including a drug-related stabbing at European Village, resulted in the arrest of 5 people in Palm Coast between Friday and Tuesday.
Freddie Giddens, Ormond Beach Pharmacy Robber, Sentenced to a Minimum of 25 Years
Freddie Giddens, Kenneth Jenkins, and Thavelin Watson took part in a Sept. 6 armed robbery in Ormond Beach, and were caught after a police chase through Palm Coast that ended in the Z Section.
Prison Privatization Still Unconstitutional As Court Rejects Attorney General’s Appeal
In a victory for police unions, an appeals court ruled against Attorney General Pam Bondi in a long-running battle about the Legislature’s attempt last year to privatize prisons across southern Florida.
Palm Coast Takes a Deeper Drag
At Synthetic Marijuana Regulation
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and council member Frank Meeker want Palm Coast and other local governments to jointly tackle the legality of synthetic marijuana even as states are gradually adopting bans on fake-pot sales across the country.
Synthetic Marijuana, or Fake Pot: What Is It, How Dangerous and Prevalent Is It?
Synthetic marijuana, or fake pot, is sold as a legal spice or incense herb such as K2, but is a little-understood chemical compound with potentially more severe side-effects. A briefing on the origin and meaning of synthetic marijuana.
Florida Tourism Lull Predicted, Slowing Local Growth, as Euro Zone Economies Suffer
Economic woes in Europe will trickle across the Atlantic over the next few years as potential international guests stay home or see their native currency buy less once they arrive, a panel of economists estimates.
When Even Sheriff Fleming Is a Bystander to Rumors’ Wreckage
A verbal altercation involving Sheriff Don Fleming’s step-daughter and another woman at European Village began a series of events that caused the firing of the woman and her boyfriend, both waiters at Mazzaluna. Charges that Fleming had retaliated are unsubstantiated.
Voter ID Laws: Your Election-Year Guide to Disenfranchisement and Fraud
Voter IDs laws in Florida and 29 other states are a political flashpoint in another close election year, pitting claims of fraud against claims of disenfranchisement. A step back to look at the facts behind the laws and issues at the heart of the debate.