Flagler Beach is facing a 20 percent drop in revenue to its general fund, and other revenue losses elsewhere. Setting goals in that environment can be an exercise in exasperation.
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County Property Values Fall Another 14%; Palm Coast: -12%; Tax Rates Heading Up
The declines, for the fourth year in a row, will define to what extent local governments must either raise taxes or cut services as they prepare next year’s budgets. Governments have little room to cut anymore, short of vitals services.
Select Flagler School Seniors Receive 239 Scholarships Worth $240,000 at Ceremony
The annual ceremony hosted by the Flagler County Education Foundation celebrated its 25th year Tuesday as 108 organizations’ scholarships were presented to 138 seniors. See the full list.
Bunnell Puts Its Stamp on Day of Prayer While Another Group Marks “Day of Inclusivity”
The Bunnell city administration coordinates an event with distinctly Christian overtones on its city hall’s steps Thursday afternoon while church-state separation group celebrates Inclusivity Day at heroes Park Thursday evening.
Splitting Florida Lawmakers, Arizona-Inspired Immigration-Law Rewrites Won’t Make It
The Florida House proposal would have turned cops into immigration officers and increased penalties on businesses. The Senate proposal would have been less harsh. The two sides couldn’t agree on a joint proposal.
Spectacular Survivor: Stalled Plane Crashes in Flagler Pines, 66-Year-Old Airman Unscathed
John Roderick, a 66-year-old retired Air Force pilot, was on his way back to St. Augustine when his D260 stalled over Western Flagler. He eased the plane into the pines.
FCAT Writing Results Are In: Big, and In Some Cases “Abnormal” Improvements
Almost every school’s 4th, 8th and 10th graders improved in Flagler County, some dramatically so. State improvements were also unusually steep. It’s not clear why, though the district is welcoming the results.
Kent State, Trump Foxed, Holocaust Tales, a Fawn Saved in Flagler Beach: The Live Wire
Remembering the 14 students shot by their own troops at Kent State in 1970, First Fridays in Flagler Beach, Rick Scott in Daytona, the super-rich’s tax hypocrisies, and the continuing stupidities of Donald trump, and more.
Brahms, Folk and Zeppelin as Youth Orchestra Bows in Season Finale at Flagler Auditorium
The concert, at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, features some 250 musicians and five orchestras, showcasing students’ various skills. The concert includes a symphonic collaboration with members of the FPC band.
Room for Debate
Bin Laden Death Photos and Videos: Should They be Released?
A dead and bloodied photo or video of Osama bin Laden may be “gruesome,” as the White House claims, but why should the public not have a full accounting of the raid and of bin Laden’s burial?
Middle School Day Will End at 1:40pm as District’s New Bell Schedules Toll Backlash
Elementary start and end times change only a little, but high school students will start at 8 a.m. and finish at 2 p.m., and middle school students will start at 7:40 a.m. The shorted school day is designed to save money.
Circulation Still Declining at News-Journal, Rising at Sentinel and St. Augustine Record
The News-Journals losses over the past 12 months were not as steep as in previous years: a 1.2 percent decline on weekdays, 2.5 percent decline on Sundays, though other regional newspapers are seeing increases in circulation.
College Drop-Outs: Florida Lawmakers Cutting Bright Futures Scholarships a Further 20%
Once a scholarship that covered almost 100 percent of a student’s tuition and fees and half the cost of books, students entering UF next year will see their Bright Futures scholarship covering less than 50 percent of those costs.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, April 20-26, 2011
The strange tale of a Volvo allegedly stolen from Tire Kingdom, Arson in the U Section, an assault in Bunnell, a triangular fight on Fairbank Lane, the .22-caliber shooting of a Chevy truck, and more.
Jewish Polling Site Goes Lutheran: Palm Coast’s Precinct 9 to Merge Into Precinct 22
Temple Beth Shalom in Palm Coast decided against being a polling place after the 2010 elections. Its 2,000 registered voters will have to vote at the Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church at 101 Pine Lakes Parkway, home of Precinct 22’s more than 2,000 voters.
THE END OF BIN LADEN,
The Endings Yet to Come
There is an inevitable, visceral, justifiable need to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden. Let’s just not repeat the mistakes of 2011 and let the visceral dictate the next chapter of wars still looking for an ending.
Property Tax Overhaul Passes House: Breaks For New Home Buyers, Business, Snowbirds
First-time home buyers would get a 50 percent property tax break on the value of their home. Voters would decide whether to cap property tax assessment increases for commercial properties at 5 percent.
Stetson Awarding Degrees to 570 Students at Saturday’s Commencement
Student speakers are Caitlin Peterson of Ocala, Jason Reese of Telford, Tenn., and Maxwell Grossman of Wellington, the latter, a conductor and pianist, representing the School of Music.
On Unexpectedly Historic Night, Jacksonville Symphony Celebrates America in Palm Coast
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra lit up the night at Palm Coast’s Town Center Sunday with a tribute to Irving Berlin, John Williams, Aaron Copland and Scott Joplin, among other American greats, in the fifth annual picnic and pops concert produced by the Palm Coast Arts Foundation.
Corporate Tax Cut Out, Privatizing Prisons and 3% Public Pension Contributions In
As the Legislature’s 2011 session veers uncertainly toward its final days, lawmakers struck deals Saturday on privatizing prisons and compromising over public employees’ pension contributions, but no deal yet on health care and education cuts.
Donald Trump Can’t Take a Joke and Other Tales from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
“Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke.” And more from the White House Correspondents’ Association’s dinner, videos of Obama’s and Seth Meyers’s routines included.
Flagler Firefighters Battle 9 Small Brush Fires Scattered Across the County
The fires range from an acre to 20 acres, and were all triggered by lightning strikes during the storm on Thursday. None of the fires has threatened residential properties. There’s been no injuries.
“The Me Nobody Knows” at Flagler Playhouse: Vivid, Raw and Joyful Ghetto Truths
“The Me Nobody Knows,” at the Flagler Playhouse for the next three weekends (April 29-May 15), is an original and affecting 1970 musical drawn from the true stories of adolescents in New York City’s slums.
Auction On: Carver Foundation Leads Gym’s Rebirth As Revels Steers Ideas and Dollars
Carver Gym is back, brighter and shinier. But its future depends on sustained public support. An auction, immediately and electronically accessible to the public, is one of the ways the newly formed George Washington Carver Foundation hopes to tap into that support.
Cop Shot, 1 Suspect Wounded, 1 Killed in Drug Task Force Sting Across Flagler County Line
The three-county drug task force, including deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, came under fire Thursday afternoon during a sting operation in the Lake Como Area of Pomona Park. Video included.
Birthers, Royals and Crocks
Between Barack Obama’s birth certificate and William Windsor’s wedding to his girlfriend Kate, lust for make-believe idiocies at the expense of reality explains why problem-solving isn’t much of a priority these days.
Proposal to Split Florida Supreme Court Faces Long Odds in the Senate
The proposed constitutional amendment would create a criminal and civil supreme court, change the way justices are picked and the way the judicial system is funded, but the idea may be dying.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter
A car stolen from the Florida Hospital Flagler parking lot during a workout at the YMCA, a bloody encounter in the library parking lot, a shoplifting spree at Kohl’s.
Jacksonville Symphony Pops “Americana Under the Stars” at Palm Coast Concert
Featuring a slew of favorites from Gershwin to Berlin (Irving, that is) to Strauss, the Jacksonville Symphony’s annual pilgrimage to Flagler is the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s signature event and fund-raiser.
Road Rage Incident on Palm Coast Parkway Lands an Oklahoman at the Flagler County Jail
Edward Smith, who had two 16-year-old girls in his car, allegedly waved a 9mm Hi-Point rifle at occupants of another car during a verbal smackdown on Palm Coast Parkway Wednesday afternoon.
Jonathan May Remembered, Sounds of Music and Texting Mommies: Culture Worth the Miles
The Metropolitan Area Youth Symphony celebrates Jonathan May Day, “The Sound of Music” at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, a new musical for texting moms at the Plaza Theater, the Orlando Philharmonic’s La Boheme, the senior pageant comes to Orlando, and more.
Florida Legislature Redrawing Abortion Rules, Targeting Women, Physicians and US Law
The House approved a slew of bills that would force women to submit to ultrasounds before an abortion, broaden parental notification when minors are seeking an abortion, and require physicians to own abortion clinics, among other bills.
School Buses Blowing Through a Stop Sign at FPC: Scrutiny Follows Parent’s Alert
An 11th grader on a motorcycle had a close encounter with a bus that pulled out of an FPC driveway where, a video shows, buses frequently don’t respect a stop sign. The transportation department is responding with monitoring and warnings drivers.
Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate; Trump Takes Credit
President Obama this morning released his long-form birth certificate, hoping to end conspiracy theories about his place of birth. The release is unlikely to put an end to birthers midwifing new theories.
School Districts Will Have to Vastly Expand Virtual Education; Charters to Click In
At least one virtual class would be mandatory for graduation, kindergarten students could take online courses, and charter schools could offer full or part-time classes in what’s almost certain to become law.
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Formality Singers Soar
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Formality Singers, led by Amy Fulmer, received Straight Superiors ratings in state assessments this week. Watch the videos.
Gun-Toting Bills, Supplanting Doctors and Local Governments, Poised to Become Law
One bill would penalize local governments with stricter gun restrictions than the state. Another would muzzle doctors’ abilities to ask their patients about gun ownership.
Violent Crime Falls Steeply in Flagler; Florida’s Crime Rate at 40-Year Low, Following US Trend
The overall 2010 crime rate is down 4.2 percent in Flagler County and 6.7 percent in Florida as the slower economy and a static population add to a national trend of declining crime. Several reasons are contributing to the decline.
Palm Coast’s Latest Invitation to Landowners: Come Build a Business Park With Us
Palm Coast’s business park partnership program would entail spending significant taxpayer resources to develop construction-ready sites in partnership with private property owners, as bait for future commercial activity.
State of the Ax: from Flagler to Tallahassee To D.C., Arts Funding Is Under Siege
The NEA’s federal arts dollars are on the defensive. Florida cut back its arts funding to almost nothing. Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach are just as stingy. The county and school district alone still support art and culture.
Dull and Duller GOP Candidates, Pink Toenails, Bright Futures Dim, The Beatles at Shea: The Live Wire
Why homebuilders have the blues, why real estate agents also do, a Palm Coast molestation case reopens, The Legislature’s latest cleavers, vegetarian oral sex, Sheriff Fleming’s videos, and more.
New Home Sales Rebound From Record Low, But Sales Still 22% Lower Than Last Year
March new home sales post an 11 percent increase over February, but February had posted a record low, and March’s 300,000 sales volume is still 22 percent below sales in March 2010.
Growth-Management 2.0: Local Government Whims Sprawl Over State Oversight
Republicans have complained for years that growth management rules slow growth in the state. A glut of empty homes suggests otherwise. Local governments will be empowered to take advantage of far more lax growth rules.
Bail Bondsmen Would Cash In at Taxpayers’ Expense As Pre-Trial Release Is Scaled Back
A bill written to boost bail bondsmen’s business would force inmates to post bond to get out of jail rather than rely on county-run pre-trial release programs. Taxpayers are likely to pay the price as fewer inmates can afford bond and jail populations soar.
Wounded Warrior Project Music Jam Saturday at Whiskey Still Campground
Beginning at 1 p.m., the Flagler County Professional Firefighters Association is hosting an all-day, all-night Flagler County music jam and benefit, featuring three bands at the Whiskey Still Campground.
Superintendent in Flight: Janet Valentine Gets Bird’s Eye View of Her Domain
School Superintendent Janet Valentine took a one-hour flight around the county with Jack Howell, director of Flagler’s Teens-in-Flight program. Howell wanted to thank Valentine for her support.
33-Year-Old Man, Lying on Pavement, Killed on Old Kings Road This Morning
Manual Estrada, a 33-year-old Palm Coast resident, was killed early this morning when a car ran over him on Old Kings Road in front of the Fairfield Inn and Suites.
Criminal Backgrounds of Health Providers: Florida’s Licensing System Is All Cavities
Dentists, doctors and pharmacists can still practice in Florida even after committing crimes, while the Department of Health passes over criminal backgrounds in a lax and self-reported licensing procedure.
Armed Robbery at Flagler Beach’s CVS on SR100; Oxycontin-Filching Suspects Caught
At least two suspects entered the CVS just after 5 p.m., one of them brandishing a gun. They were caught at Old Dixie Highway and I-95. No one was injured. Oxycontin appears again to be the motive.
Preliminary Report Suggests Walker May Have Lost Consciousness Before Air Show Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report of the March 26 crash at Wings Over Flagler reveals that to Bill Walker was unresponsive when a fellow-pilot radioed him immediately before the crash.