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Don’t Restrict Our Ability to Levy Taxes, Wishful Cities Tell Florida Lawmakers
The Florida League of Cities is urging Florida senators to avoid the temptation to restrict the ability of local officials to levy taxes, and asking for more flexibility on how they spend insurance premium tax revenue and adjust pension benefits.
Florida House Releases Redistricting Lines Tuesday, Mapping Out Flagler’s Political Future
The House of Representatives panel charged with redrawing the state’s political boundaries will unveil a slate of options for the state’s congressional and state House districts Tuesday, setting the stage for discussions that could affect the balance of power in Florida for a decade.
Miser City: Palm Coast’s Support for The Arts Is 27 Cents Per Year Per Resident
Palm Coast’s city council says the times require stinginess. Community arts and culture leaders say the city is short-sighted and doesn’t recognize the economic boost and improved city profile cultural events provide.
Audubon of Florida Applauds Gulf Coast Task Force’s Restoration Roadmap From BP Spill
Audubon of Florida Monday said it applauded the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force for crafting a road map for Gulf restoration in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Flagler County Jury Finds Quritus Lowe Guilty of Murdering Retired School Teacher
Myrtle McKinney, a 58-year-old retired schoolteacher, was found bludgeoned to death, gagged and blindfolded on Christmas Day 2007. Quritus Lowe II, one of four people charged in the murder, was convicted of first-degree murder in Flagler Monday, where the trial was moved because of publicity in Palatka. He may face the death penalty.
Domestic Fight Over a Truck in P Section Turns Into a 4-Hour Ordeal of Violence, and a Jailing
Richard Lorusso, 44, of Pine Crest Lane in Palm Coast, is accused of torturing his wife for four hours–beating her, cutting her, spitting on her and keeping her prisoner–before he fled the scene and turned himself in to authorities two hours later.
Doing It Right: How To Avoid Becoming Part of The 44,000 People Hospitals Kill Each Year
A bike accident sent Michael Millenson’s wife to three hospitals. It led him to offer a unique perspective on the health care system and how to reduce hospital errors that kill 44,000 to 98,000 people each year.
Strings, Arts Openings, Christmas Parade and More Uniform Follies: This Week in Flagler
A busy week of fun and follies all around. The fun: the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Christmas concert, Palm Coast’s Christmas parade and new arts show openings. The follies: Another uniform forum, and the Florida House releases its redistricting maps.
Durban Dithers: As Climate Changes With Costly and Ruinous Fallout, Obama Chills
The volume of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere in 2010 leapt a record 6 percent from the year before. Planetary pollution is now worse than what scientists predicted as the worst-case scenario four years ago. That means global warming will be correspondingly worse than previous worst-case scenarios, too.
Christmas Parachutes Into a Parade and Yules Up Sweaty Bed Races in Flagler Beach
The annual bed races, postponed in October, capped a day of festivities that had Santa jumping oput of a plane and landing on Flagler Beach’s sands and a parade that seemed to go on forever, like the photo gallery included here.
Head-On Crash Hurts 3 and Closes Belle Terre South of SR100; Driver Likely Drunk
Karen Dempsey of Palm Coast was injured in a head-on crash on Belle Terre Boulevard south of 100 Friday evening. Kenneth Fuller, the driver of the Corolla in the crash, likely drunk, ran from the scene and was caught by a deputy and a K-9. Richard Deacon, a passenger in the Corolla, was severely injured.
Charges Dropped: European Village Store Owner Was Falsely Accused of Gun Assault
Dan Ferrena, owner of Palm Coast Gold Buyers at European Village, was falsely accused of threatening a customer and his children with a gun. Ferrena now faces a long road to expunge his record.
0.2% Stupor: Protecting 350,000 Millionaires At the Expense of 160 Million Workers
There’s a very simple way to ensure that this country goes the way of old, bankrupt empires, and it doesn’t take flying planes into building or suckering the world’s mightiest military into pointless wars halfway around the globe. All it takes is voting Republican.
Toxic Algae: Environmentalists File Suit Over Florida’s Water Pollution Standards
Prompted by proposed state regulations it says are inadequate, a coalition of environmental groups on Thursday filed an administrative challenge to the new rules set up to determine acceptable pollution levels in Florida waters.
Unemployment Drops Sharply to 8.6%, Lowest Since March 2009, But Labor Pool Shrinks
The economy added 430,000 jobs in the last three months, including 120,000 in October, brightening what until now had been anemic prospects for a sustained recovery–and brightening Obama’s re-election prospects.
Palm Coast Lights Up Its First Communal Christmas Tree to Strings of Jazz and Joy
The redcedar, 18 feet high when planted in January, towered and twinkled the moment Santa lit it to cheers and applause Thursday evening in Town Center what Mayor Jon Netts termed a new holiday tradition for Palm Coast.
Charles Canady and Ricky Polston, Florida Supreme Court’s Scalia-Thomas Duo
The Florida Supreme Court in recent months has split by a 5-2 margin on a series of cases, with Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justice Ricky Polston siding together and offering conservative — and sometimes-stinging — dissents.
Distracted Driver Kills Josefina Reid, 54, As She Jogs; 6th Road Fatality in 20 Days
Driver Antonio Castanheira, 35, was looking back at two children in the backseat of the car he was driving when he struck Josefina Reid as she jogged in broad daylight on Sesame Boulevard in the Seminole Woods section of Palm Coast Wednesday afternoon.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter
It’s not even spring: juvenile fights at Epic Theater and Ralph Carter Park, a Volkswagen stolen from the Target parking lot crashes soon afterward, plus the usual larcenies, burglaries and drunk drivers.
From South Pacific to Tuna, Texas: Culture Worth the Miles
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific at the Bob Carr, Michael Kevin Baldwin and Mark Lainer take on the 24 characters of Tuna, Texas, a trio of affordable art events, and more.
In Boon to Palm Coast, Appeals Court Rules Traffic Spy-Cams Legal Even Without State Law
South Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals, in a divided ruling, declares red-light cameras legal under cities’ home rule powers. A dissent calls the majority ruling at odds with state law. The decision may influence a proposal to revisit traffic cameras at the Legislature in the coming session.
As Flagler Jobs Council Narrows CEO Shortlist, Few Stand-Outs and Some Concerns
Not a single candidate got unanimity from all nine council members. Only one candidate got eight votes but the circumstances of his departure from his last job are very cloudy.
Prayer Becomes Official Policy at Bunnell Meetings; “You Can Wait Outside” If Offended
Bunnell voted to open its government meetings with one or more prayers, an idea proposed by Commissioner Elbert Tucker. The city attorney offered cautionary guidance rather than objections.
God Nuts vs. Obama, Gluttons and the Real Shakespeare: The Live Wire
When Obama doesn’t mention god, why Carlsberg is the greatest beer in the world, Newt as the latest flavor of the month, teachers cheating to the test, Updike’s “November,” and more.
Palm Coast Opts to Keep Red-Light Cameras On Despite Legal Cautions and Dearth of Evidence
Despite little money generated from red-light cameras, potential legal challenges and no hard evidence that the cameras improve safety, the Palm Coast City Council decided to stick with its 10 spy-and-snap cameras for now.
School Bus Ruled Out in Alex Taylor’s Fatal Hit-and-Run; Finding Culprit Unlikely
A surveillance video on the grounds of the Flagler County Courthouse helped authorities rule out Flagler school buses and detect a large rig that passed by the scene two minutes before the buses did.
Florida Universities Respond to Rick Scott’s Inquisition With a Massive Document Dump
Public university leaders, through thousands of pages of answers that include backup academic studies and appendixes, have replied to Gov. Rick Scott’s request to outline what the schools are doing to ensure graduates meet the need of Florida employers.
In Praise of Tom Wicker, Antidote to the Age of Reagan
Tom Wicker, the Times columnist for 25 years, wrote as if he’d seen the country’s best days. He probably had even then, having witnessed the eight years of Reagan taking out a second, third and fourth mortgage on the nation’s prosperity while making Americans feel like a million bucks.
The Rich Are Different From You and Me
Donald Kaul responds to questions raised by his recent “class-war-is-over-the-rich-guys-won” column, demystifying wealth, taxes and other dogmas.
Theresa Woodfin, 28, Is Killed in 3-Vehicle Crash on SR100 as Logging Truck Rams Her
Theresa Woodfin, 28, was killed in a fiery three-vehicle crash that shut down SR100 10 miles west of Bunnell Friday afternoon. A fully-loaded logging truck involved in the crash was on its flank, its cargo spread across the highway.
Workers’ Black Fridays: Florida Second in Mass Layoffs in October; Chill Winds Ahead
While mass media’s attention has deflected attention to the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping craze known as black Friday, indicators point to conflicting and worrisome trends ahead for Florida’s and America’s pocketbooks.
Handel and Tchaikovsky Duels: Nutcrackers and Messiahs Worth the Miles
All sorts of performances of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the Orlando Philharmonic’s holiday special on Nov. 27, a free Handel’s Messiah at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Nov. 27, and more.
Appeals Court Lets Lawsuit Over School Funding Proceed, Florida Supreme Court Next
An 8-7 ruling by the First District Court of Appeals overturned the state’s effort to stop the lawsuit and may lead to a momentous decision by the Florida Supreme Court interpreting the state’s responsibility to adequately pay for education under the Florida Constitution.
Feed Flagler: Community-Wide Celebration Wraps-Up With 3,000 Meals Served
We’re reporting live this afternoon from various Feed Flagler locations as the community-wide Thanksgiving celebration takes place from 3 to 6 p.m.
Feed Flagler Raises $25,000 as Don Fleming Reminds Suzanne Johnston Who’s Sheriff
The $25,000 raised largely on the strength of the sheriff and the tax collector’s efforts is $10,000 more than last year, and means that $14,000 of it will be split between two Flagler County food pantries. The rest pays for today’s 4,000 free Thanksgiving meals across the county.
Sunshine Lessons Clouded By Possibly Dimmer Visibility as Jobs Council Meets for 1st Time
Flagler’s nine-member Economic Development Council conducted the equivalent of a meet-and-greet for itself on Tuesday and promptly reversed a promise that all meetings would be televised live, opting instead for audio broadcasts.
Flagler School District Reaffirms Wireless Ban On Buses Even As It Encourages iPad Fever
A proposal to let students use their smart phones to listen to music or text failed on a 2-2 vote, but the school board left silent the matter of tablets, such as iPads, which can also be used to read a book, do homework or write an essay on the bus–but are now banned as well.
Routine County Appointments Get Testy As Commissioner McLaughlin Challenges Holland
Barbara Revels’s appointment as chairman of the Flagler County Commission was overshadowed by Alan Peterson’s and Nate McLaughlin’s unsuccessful attempts to replace Milissa Holland on two boards. McLaughlin did not take the rejection happily.
Driven By Lower Fuel Costs, FPL Projects Lowering Power Bills By $2 a Month in 2012
FPL, the state’s largest utility, said 2012 fuel costs are now projected to be $460 million less than it had anticipated earlier as natural gas costs keep dropping. That won’t affect surcharges for future nuclear power plant construction.
How Progress Energy Wants to Pass On A $2.5 Billion Nuclear Blunder to Customers
One of the most expensive nuclear accidents in United States history happened right here in Florida a little over two years ago, and now Progress Energy wants customers to pay for its mistake at the Crystal River nuclear plant.
Palm Coast Observer Bucks Bleaker Newspaper Trends As Weekly Nears 2-Year Mark
The Palm Coast Observer’s latest audit shows a weekly print run of 25,000 and a household reach in Palm Coast exceeding 60 percent, compared with the News-Journal’s daily reach of 20 percent.
Our School District’s Uniform Follies
The Flagler County School Board’s push for uniforms is out of touch with the county’s struggling families and plundered budgets and revealing of a board too prone to selling out to charter-school gimmickry.
Flagler’s Firefighters and Paramedics Sweep Another Competition, This Time in Nebraska
Flagler County’s firefighters-paramedics took first, third and fourth-place honors in an annual competition in advanced life support in Omaha, Neb., and second place in the basic life support category.
John Feind Is Leaving After 8 Years; Joy McGrew and Sandra Mason In the Race
When it convenes in February, the Flagler Beach City Commission will look vastly different than it did just a year ago, with three of its commission seats and the mayor’s seat having turned over, but the four candidates running for a commission seat and the mayor’s seat are not quite newcomers.
Florida’s Prescription Express: Doctors Shoving Drugs at Poor Patients, for Millions
Florida regulators are finally getting around to stopping doctors from over-prescribing drugs, some of them risky, to Medicaid patients, and at times to the wrong patients, after enabling the practice despite signs of misconduct.
Feed Flagler Heats: Sheriff and Tax Collector Top $6,000, Chicks With Cans Up Tonnage
Suzanne Johnston and Don Fleming are racing to top each other in fund-raising, and all else is set to go go next Wednesday’s Feed Flagler serving of 4,000 meals at 11 locations across the county.
Florida’s Unemployment Falls to 10.3%, Lowest in 28 Months; Flagler’s at 14%
While the jobless figures are improving and trends are better than they’ve been, Florida is also paring people off its jobless rolls through artificial means that create a slightly deceptive result.
FPC’s Frankie Garcia Picked to Join U.S. Army’s All-American Marching Band
Frankie Garcia’s honor is reserved for just 125 high school senior band musicians once a year, chosen from 1,234 nominations across the nation. He’ll perform at the the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl’s half-time show before a national television audience.
Carnage Continues: 3rd Fatality in 2 Days as a Woman Is Killed in Head-On Crash on SR100
A woman was killed and two men injured this morning when the woman lost control of her pick-up and slammed it head-on into another pick-up on State Road 100, just past the overpass over U.S. 1 and approaching Bimini.