Georgia Turner, Flagler’s new tourism chief, had her debut before the Tourist Development Council Wednesday as the council approved grants totaling $170,000, including underwriting for two popular and growing local conferences that attract numerous out-of-towners.
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Don’t Let It Happen
The the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act give the federal government unprecedented powers to censor or block access to websites judged to be carrying pirated music or videos, a power usually associated with authoritarian regimes.
Flagler School Board Adopts Uniforms on 3-2 Vote But Only Vaguely Defines What It Means
The Flagler County School Board’s 3-2 decision to institute uniforms in all schools Tuesday evening was only vaguely defined beyond what may be only a somewhat more stringent dress code than the one in effect now.
Bill To Ban Internet Cafes Advances in Florida Legislature as Opponents Call It a Job Killer
A House panel Today approved a proposal to shutter the 1,000-some Internet cafés that have opened in shopping centers across the state in recent years, including nearly a dozen in Palm Coast.
Downplaying Expectations, County Ratifies Offer to Jobs Council CEO, for $110,700
Don’t start looking for bottom-line job creation from the county’s new economic development department, commissioners are saying, even as the county’s tax-funded efforts will be judged overwhelmingly by net new jobs that can be attributed to their existence.
New Garbage Contract: Hazardous Waste Option and Lower Monthly Cost, to Around $19
Only very faint public objections were raised Tuesday to Palm Coast’s new 5-year contract with Waste Pro for garbage, which would add curbside hazardous waste pick-up and lower the overall cost, assuming fuel prices don’t rise.
The Live Poll: 53% Against Uniforms
Should the Flagler school board adopt a uniform policy? Out of more than 700 responses, the verdict is 53 percent against as the school board prepares to vote on the issue Tuesday evening.
As School Board Votes on Uniform Policy, a Reality Check From the Trenches
Drawing on arresting experiences, Jo Ann Nahirny, a veteran teacher at Matanzas High School, disputes assumptions on school uniforms in a letter to Flagler County School Board members.
Miranda Vows: Commissioner Milissa Holland and Undersheriff O’Brien Will Marry April 21
WNZF’s David Ayers exerted the confession about the upcoming wedding from David O’Brien, the undersheriff, who had done his best to keep the news of his wedding to Milissa Holland an open secret.
Flouting the First:
Florida’s Slouch Back To Religious Favoritism
Florida’s proposed “Religious Freedom” amendment and a bill that would enable prayer at public school events project the false impression that religious expression in the public sphere is under siege, when the reverse is closer to the mark–as a bias particularly favoring Christianity.
A La Carte College Tuition: Florida’s Science-Tech Majors Could End Up Paying More
Florida’s quest for more science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees might eventually lead to a quest for higher tuition for students entering those programs, based on comments by higher education leaders.
Hollingsworth Gallery Lets Its Members Rip in New Show; Art League Does The Open
Hollingsworth Gallery in Palm Coast opens its annual members show Saturday evening with new works that range from the overtly provocative to the contemplative. The Flagler County Art League opens with a humbler mix.
The Flagler Youth Orchestra in Concert Tonight at Palm Coast Methodist Church’s Festival
The annual youth festival features the 25-piece Harmony Chamber Orchestra, the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s top ensemble, in a free concert under the direction of Caren Umbarger, at 7 p.m. You can Tivo Tebow’s first three throws.
Why Tim Tebow Is Not God’s Jerry Rice
A pastor’s suggestion that God is favoring Tim Tebow is wrong, argues Aaron Rushing, because it turns the former Gator and Denver Broncos quarterback into a good luck charm. God is using Tebow in other ways, writes Rusher.
Palm Coast Observer Taking On News-Tribune As It Aims for Twice A Week By April
The Palm Coast Observer’s move would be a frontal assault on the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s diminishing hold on the Flagler market, where the paper has also been contending with competition from three new radio stations and online media.
Palm Coast Half-Marathon and 5K Run: Schedule and Road Closures
The second annual Palm Coast half-marathon and 5K run is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 15, starting at 8 a.m. at European Village. A summary schedule and road closures.
Scott Orders Review of Special Taxing Districts Like Grand Haven, Dunes and Every CRA
The review affects such “community redevelopment agencies” such as Palm Coast’s Town Center. Special taxing districts generate $15 billion in revenue annually. Oversight can be more lax than for more general government revenues.
Bunnell’s Barbara Korn and FPC’s Sarah Poppe Win School District’s Top Honors for 2012
The 2012 Teachers and Employees of the Year at the Flagler Auditorium Thursday evening featured every school’s nominees and a cheer-leading crowd with shrieking lung capacities.
14-Year-old Shot on Belle Terre Near Point Pleasant; “No Random Shooting,” Sheriff Says
The 14-year-old was riding in a car with his cousin early Saturday morning when another car pulled up and someone fired five to seven shots, injuring the 14-year-old in the hand.
No Surprise: Waste Pro Will Be Palm Coast’s Trash Hauler for Another 5 Years & $38 Million
Residents may see a negligible difference in their roughly $20-a-month trash bill, if that, as the city council, convinced by Waste Pro’s low bid, complies with what the city administration had wanted all along.
Live Wire: Florida Budget Shortfall Remains at $2 Billion; US Marines Urinate on Taliban Corpses
The latest numbers from the State Revenue Estimating Conference leave Florida’s 2012 revenue stuck with a $2 billion deficit the Legislature must plug. The Pentagon is scrambling to contain damage from a video showing four US Marines apparently urinating on three dead Taliban fighters, a violation of the Geneva Convention.
As Inmate Population Continues to Fall, Florida Will Close 7 Prisons and 4 Work Camps
Declining prison admissions created a surplus of prison beds, allowing the state prison system to cut its budget deficit by closing our older facilities, says Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker.
Stetson’s School of Business Graduate Programs Named “Top Online” By U.S. News & World Report
Stetson University School of Business Administration online master’s degree programs have been named among the nation’s “Top Online Graduate Business Programs” in U.S. News & World Report’s Top Online Education Programs 2012 rankings.
Crediting FPC, 2 Manfres Develop Energy-Saving Product With Broad Applications
FPC graduate Alec Manfre is the COO of Bractlet, a start-up company that received $40,000 from the Chilean government to develop an energy-saving device he and colleagues invented at Georgia Tech. Manfre’s sister Catherine, also an FPC graduate, heads the company’s marketing.
In Bunnell, Scrapping for Police Chief’s Pay And a Taxpayer-Funded Christmas Party
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez’s request for a $60,000 salary for the next police chief was batted down (to $50,000) while a proposal to pay for next year’s staff Christmas party with city scrap metal proceeds drew resistance.
Road Fatalities Rise Again in Flagler in 2011, to 24, As Pedestrian Kill Rate Exceeds Orlando’s
The more than 4 deaths per 100,000 population in Flagler means that the Palm Coast-Flagler County area was more dangerous for pedestrians than Orlando-Kissimmee, the most dangerous metropolitan region in the country.
Less Brawn and Less Substance as Gov. Scott Declares Florida On Its Way Back
There were no surprises and few specifics in Scott’s roughly half hour State of the State speech, with the governor sticking to his year-long theme of getting the state back to work. The opposition is skeptical.
School Uniforms at Osceola Public Schools? You Be the Judge: An Image Gallery
The Osceola policy is actually a dress code, and a rather lenient one at that: the photos lay bare the Osceola school district’s uniform policy as the Flagler school board prepares to decide whether to implement such a policy locally on Jan. 17.
“It’s Messed Up”: Occupy Tallahassee Group Denied Access To Florida Senate Gallery
Citing noise and chanting earlier in the day, the Florida Senate Sergeant at Arms on Tuesday denied Senate viewing gallery access to a group loosely defined as Occupy Tallahassee even though the group members intended only to watch and listen.
Flagler Delegation Discovers Varieties of School Uniform Experiences in Osceola Visit
As the Flagler County School Board prepares for a vote on school uniforms next week, a dozen Flagler school officials visiting Osceola schools Tuesday found out that even there, uniforms are are merely dressed up dress code rather than the strict regulations usually associated with uniforms.
For 1,200 News-Journal Pensioners, a Bittersweet Victory in Appeals Court’s Overrule
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an Orlando district judge misread Florida law when he brushed aside a $26.5 million claim from the federal PBGC to cover present and future retirement payments for Daytona Beach News-Journal employees.
Superintendent Valentine Seeking to Close Failing Heritage Charter School By June
After two successive F’s from the state, Valentine informed Heritage Academy Principal Nicole Richards by letter that she’ll recommend the school board close the school, which has about 180 students, by year’s end. Heritage is likely to appeal.
FPC and Matanzas, Penalized By Lower At-Risk Graduation Numbers, Maintain B Rating
FPC and Matanzas had the numbers for an A, but were docked a letter grade because they graduated fewer at-risk students than the state requires.
Celico Way Is Dedicated On Late Deputy’s Birthday
King’s Way at Old King’s Road North was rededicated this morning as King’s Way Celico Way in honor of Frankie Celico, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy felled by heart trouble on Sept. 9.
What Rick Scott Can Learn from Anthropology
Rick Scott should lay off behavior modification and let people study everything from art to zoology, argues Cary McMullen. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what we want to be when we grow up.
Senate Sweep: More Slots, Lower Gambling Taxes, Only Minor Internet Cafe Regulations
A Senate committee Monday considers a sweeping proposal that would allow three mega-casinos in Florida, offer more slots at pari-mutuel facilities and rein in Internet cafes a little.
Col. Jack Howell, Teens-In-Flight Leader, Is Seriously Bloodied in Motorcycle Accident
Update 2, 5:17 p.m. Jack Howell is recovering at home, and AmVets raised over $1,600 for Teens-in-Flight at today’s fund-raiser. Update, 2:45 p.m.: Jack Howell checked out of Florida Hospital Flagler just before 3 p.m., with a broken finger, a lot of bumps, bruises and lacerations and a sprained ankle, but no more serious injuries. […]
The Florida Family Association’s Un-Christian Jihad on TLC’s “All-American Muslim”
In their war on TLC’s “All-American Muslim,” a few aberrant fools at the Florida Family Association are yearning for “No Muslims Allowed” signs everywhere and smearing this state’s reputation while drafting Lowe’s to their bigoted crusade.
Helga van Eckert Is Job Council’s Top Choice As a Council Member Sits Out the Decision
Flagler County’s newly formed jobs council voted to offer Helga van Eckert the top executive job at the county government’s economic development agency. Van Eckert beats out Chris Clifton, who came in second, and Bruce Register, who came in third.
Florida’s Poor and Elderly Again Brace For Cuts As Legislature Prepares for Tuesday Kickoff
Gov. Rick Scott is proposing further deep cuts in Medicaid payments to hospitals, while lawmakers have filed bills that would help shield emergency-room doctors and workers from costly malpractice lawsuits.
Unemployment Falls to 8.5%, Lowest Level in Almost 3 Years, as 200,000 Jobs Are Created
The decline in unemployment, a boon to Obama’s reelection hopes, was the result of actual job creation, rather than a reduction in labor force participation.
Jobs Council Interviews 3 Vastly Different Candidates for Top Economic Development Job
None of the three candidates for the $100,000 job lacked in confidence, experience or enthusiasm, and each projecting enough qualities but sharply different temperaments to make a choice between them difficult. That choice may be made Friday.
Piety Rising: How Iowa Might Give Rick Santorum a Second Chance in Florida
That’s assuming Mitt Romney doesn’t clean up in New Hampshire and does respectably in South Carolina, two states ahead of Florida’s presidential primary on Jan. 31.
Ex-Cops Begin Lineup To Challenge Sheriff Don Fleming, Who’s Declaring for a 3rd Term
Ray Stevens, an Ossining, N.Y. cop, and John Pollinger, a Jersey cop (like Fleming) before their retirements to Palm Coast, are the early filers in what promises to be a crowded field for the $120,000-a-year job.
Superstar Violinist Joshua Bell Does Bruch With Jacksonville Symphony Jan. 7
A limited number of tickets are still available for the Jan. 7 concert with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, where Joshua Bell will perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor.
429 Manatee Deaths in 2011 Second-Highest On Record, But None Recorded in Flagler
A cold-related die-off of manatees in early 2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers of deaths for manatees, following a record 766 deaths in 2010 and 429 in 2009.
Judge Sharon Atack Won’t Run Again This Year, Opening 2nd Flagler Judgeship in 2 Years
On the bench since 1995, Flagler County Judge Sharon Atack, 65, cited personal reasons for her retirement. November’s election to the seat will likely draw a large field of contenders and, Atack said, “at least one” woman.
Troy Victorino, Ringleader of Xbox Mass Murders of 2004 in Deltona, Loses Appeal
Troy Victorino, who with three accomplices murdered and mutilated six people in Deltona in August 2004–in part over a disputed Xbox game–lost an appeal today in which he’d claimed he’d received ineffective counsel and had his rights violated during his trial. He will remain on death row.
My 10 Predictions for 2012
Obama is reelected, the world doesn’t end except for Tim Tebow, Jim Landon and Sharon Atack look for other jobs and the News-Journal goes into the cemetery business: predictions worthy of James Ussher.
Medical Marijuana in Florida: Legislators File Long-Shot Proposal to Amend the Constitution
Although a 57 percent majority of Florida voters are ready to inhale (the proposal, anyway), the staunchly conservative Legislature is unlikely to let the proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana go forward.