The mostly white neighbors complain of mostly black users of the park want a fence installed, at considerable cost to taxpayers. The city council is weighing its choices and delaying a decision.
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An Empty $105 Million High School, Suicide Kits, Mahler, John Wayne and Scott-Heron: The Live Wire
Budget-cut follies as a $105 million high school sits empty, Niall Ferguson as an emblem of brain-dead conservatives, when Mahler took Manhattan, a Times Square flash mob, Sarah Palin’s weird hikes, creepy corporate mascots, and more.
As Palm Coast Talks Development, Housing Prices Hit New Low, Falling 4.2% in 1Q
Housing prices fell to levels not seen since 2002 as double-dipping prices hit new recession lows. Meanwhile, the Palm Coast City Council discussed approval of a plan that would add 12,000 housing units to the local hosing stock.
Firefighters Battling Large, Twin Blazes Merging Into One Just West of Espanola
Flagler County firefighters and other dire departments were deployed against a 200-acre fire west of Espanola and north of the Mondex Monday evening, where two brush fires had joined into one large one.
Calling PBS a “Special Interest,” Rick Scott Vetoes $4.8 Million in Public Broadcasting Aid
The veto means that each one of Florida’s 13 public radio stations, including WMFE in Orlando and WJCT in Jacksonville, both of which can be heard in Flagler County, is losing $61,715. Every TV station is losing $307,447.
Eying Jobs and Tourism Dollars, Orlando Ready to Build $274 Million Arts Center
Arts columnist Josh Garrick appraises the value of Orlando’s Philips Center for the Performing Arts–stalled for four years, now scheduled to open in 37 months with two stages, and a third at a later date.
Union Power in Prague: Flagler’s Firefighters World Champions for 2nd Time in 3 Years
Flagler paramedics’ Local 4337 team–Dennis Kline, Caryn Prather, Mike Pius, Jessie Hunter–competed against 27 teams from 17 countries, all of them from Europe.
Good Riddance: How the Shuttle and the Space Station Crippled America’s Space Program
Between the space shuttle and the International Space Station, America’s space program’s addiction to manned flights has been held hostage to an unimaginative low-orbit. It’s long-past time to scrap both and push the limits of unmanned exploration.
A Pig’s Tale With Hitchhiking Advice from Thoreau as 327 Graduate Matanzas High
The fourth graduating class in six years at Matanzas included 43 seniors graduating magna cum laude and 23 graduating suma cum laude, with 28 percent of the class receiving high honors.
Caution Urged as Lightning Triggers Fire in Palm Coast’s Central Park and 7 Other Places
The fire in Central Park was small and quickly out out, but other fires are burning across Flagler County. Fire chiefs are reminding residents of the burn ban in effect. That means no Memorial Day weekend bonfires.
From a Slamming Door to a Machete, a Baseball Bat and 2 Arrests at Palm Coast’s Madison Green Apartments
When Racina Massey complained to James Davis about his slamming his front door, Davis allegedly brandished a machete and threatened her life. Then Massey’s husband got involved. So did a blue metal baseball bat.
Widespread Declines in 3rd Grade FCAT, With 2 Exceptions–Rymfire and Imagine
The declines in passing rates in the regular schools were slight but consistent, and more dramatic at two charter schools. Also, 107 of the 990 students tested failed, jeopardizing promotion to 4th grade pending summer school results.
Palm Coast Water Tower Free of Contaminants After Break-In, Tests Reveal; Questions Remain
The 500,00-gallon water tank along I-95 was broken into on May 17 by unknown vandals. It was isolated from the rest of the system. It’ll remain isolated pending a week’s worth of maintenance.
Spotlight on Flagler Youth, the Annual Talent Show, Raises $1,000 for Carver Gym
Krystene Maceda’s solo performance of Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor for piano won her the Entertainer of the Year award in the senior division, while Kayla Byrne won the honor in the junior division. Complete list of performers and winners.
Palm Coast Redistricting Plan Disqualifies Dennis Cross From City Council Election
Meeting quietly for the first time on Thursday, Palm Coast’s redistricting commission voted 5-0 to adopt a plan that redraws the city’s voting-district boundaries. The city council must ratify the plan in public hearings.
Killing Bounce: Obama Back in Favor in Florida; Sen. Nelson Heading for Re-Election
Obama’s approval is at 51 percent, against 44 percent disapproval, a reversal from April 7, when he was disapproved by 52 percent of the electorate and approved by just 44 percent.
Lessons Against Drowning: Tom Gillin’s Water Tutorials Before Schools Let Out for Summer
Tom Gillen, Flagler Beach’s parks and recreation director and its life-guard-in-chief, has taken his junior-lifeguard lecture on the road to local schools to prepare children for summer break’s biggest attraction.
Poll Dumps Rick Scott Approval to 29%, Worst of Any Governor Quinnipiac Tracks
Gov. Rick Scott’s disapproval rating continues to rise, to 57 percent at last count, up almost 10 points in six weeks. Even Republicans have curbed their enthusiasm.
Flagler Beach Eyes Reserves and
More Taxes to Make Up Latest Revenue Loss
Flagler Beach has raised taxes for three successive years to make up for falling revenue from collapsing property values. It has a relatively large $3 million reserve, which it will likely use in combination with another tax hike to balance next year’s budget.
Gut Choke: State Eliminates 780 Jobs at Department of Children and Families
DCF Secretary David Wilkins claims front-line workers won’t be affected, but the cut represents a serious set-back in an agency responsible for children’s welfare and oversight.
Palestinian Prof. Jamil Khader Earns Hand Award at Stetson, Second in 5 Years
American Studies and History professor Paul Croce and Associate Professor of Geography J. Anthony Abbott also won Hand awards; Harry Price, an associate professor of chemistry, got the John Hague Teaching Award.
William Parsons Succeeds David Walsh as Chief Judge for 7th Judicial District
The two-year term, the second for Parsons, entails administrative supervision of all courts in the 7th Judicial District, which includes Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
Jack Hardin, Only Basketball Coach to Take Bulldogs to Final Four (Twice), Dies
Jack Hardin, who taught social science at Bunnell and FPC from the 1960s to the 1980s, had also been a Bunnell city commissioner and ran for school board against Herschel King in 1982.
Long Records for Suspects Arrested in String of B-Section Burglaries in Palm Coast
The four suspects–two of them 19, two of them 20–all have prior records in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Bond was set between $200,000 and $400,000, depending on the suspect.
Darius Giddens, Bunnell Son With Troubled Past, Dies After a Fight in Daytona
Darius Giddens, 21, was involved in a fight at Daytona Beach’s Coliseum Wednesday night, where he suffered a head injury. He died at 2 p.m. on Monday.
Facing $6 Million Hit, County Begins Long Budget Season as Tax Hike Appears Inevitable
County commissioners are unlikely to elicit sympathy from taxpayers—or from employees facing a 3 percent pay cut from new retirement-contribution requirements, and a third year without raises.
Carver Gym Auction Update, Banks’ Foreclosed Hostages, Sadness at Fox: The Live Wire
Not much time left for the Carver Gym auction, unconstitutional prison-jamming, Florida’s war on watchdogs, questioning cheerleading as a sport, Nate Silver’s advice to the next generation of journalists, and more.
In a Shift, and Despite Glut, State Approves 5,000-Home Palm Coast Development
Old Brick Township to Palm Coast’s northwest is just one of several planned developments and existing lots that would add 40,000 new homes and 9 million square feet of commercial and industrial zones, more than doubling Flagler’s and Palm Coast’s populations.
$150,000 for New Fields at Indian Trails Complex as Tourism and Sports Merge
Palm Coast is looking to expand the Indian Trails Sports Complex to attract more lacrosse and soccer tournaments to the area, and with them more visitors.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, May 8-15, 2011
A series of bicycle robberies, champagne and tequila shoplifting at Sharps Discount Liquors, a theft at the Italian-American club, two elderly brothers fighting over their 93-year-old mother, who ends up in the hospital, and more larcenies.
How School-Voucher Lobbyist John Kirtley Buys Florida Lawmakers’ Votes
John Kirtley successfully lobbied in 2001 to get the corporate tax credit scholarship program approved, and has since, with generous contributions, shifted numerous lawmakers to his crusade.
Rapture On: God Is Great, Beer Is Good, People Are Crazy
Judgment Day came and went and we’re still here. Most of us, anyway. A few thoughts about the book of Revelation and the greatest country song since “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”
Suspect in Thursday’s Leidel Drive Shooting Arrested by Marshal Service in Volusia
William Copeland, 20, was wanted in the shooting of Accursio Venezia at his two-level home in northwest Palm Coast around midnight last Thursday. He is recovering.
In Frying Heat and Sacks of Spuds, Bunnell Sculpts Itself Another Potato Festival
Mardy Gilyard was having a field day at Carver Gym, the french fires were the very best this side of Belgium, and potatoes of all sorts and in all shapes were the star of the day at Bunnell’s third annual Potato Festival.
When Obama Bombs
Barack Obama’s speech on the Middle East on Thursday was no landmark. It was a retreading of old cliches, a window into an administration at a loss for principled coherence, and an offense to Palestinian and Arab self-determination.
GOP Alarm Bells Over Democrat Alvin Brown’s Historic Victory in Conservative Jacksonville
With a presidential election in little more than a year, the first Democratic win in Jacksonville in 20 years quickly stirred questions about whether the reliably red county might be taking on a more purple hue.
Flagler Unemployment at 13.8%, Lowest Since 2008; Florida’s Improves to 10.8%
Flagler County’s labor force has shrunk by 2.5 over the past 12 months, a significant drop, while the number of employed residents has fallen by 1.5 percent, suggesting that job creation isn’t yet as evident as out-migration.
Star Wars Returns, Symphonic Fireworks, Psychedelic Art: Culture Worth the Miles
Theatrical madness of Orlando’s uncensored Fringe Festival, return of Disney’s Star Tours at Hollywood Studios, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s Annual Statewide Conference, the Maitland Symphony’s soundtracks, and more.
Reform Minister: David Ottati’s Healthy Risks at Florida Hospital Flagler
David Ottati, Florida Hospital Flagler’s CEO, is investing, building, innovating, and taking risks despite–and because of–a sputtering economy and health care’s jaggedly changing landscape. So far, it’s paying off.
Man Shot In His Palm Coast Home, Allegedly By Daughter’s Boyfriend; Search On
The victim, Accursio Venezia, was shot in the chest in his home at 49 Leidel Drive in northwest Palm Coast, apparently through a back glass door, allegedly by his daughter’s boyfriend–and father to the man’s toddler grand-daughter.
Bunnell Manager’s “God’s City Day” Proposal Yields to Tamer Prayer Proclamation
City Manager Armando Martinez wanted to declare every first Thursday of May “God’s City Day” in Bunnell. A proclamation on next Monday’s city commission agenda ties Bunnell to the National Day of Prayer every first Thursday in May.
Palm Coast Imposes 6-Month Moratorium on Gambling Halls Proliferating as “Internet Cafes”
Palm Coast has six months to figure out how and whether to regulate the gambling joints, seven of which are open in the city, with four more allowed in soon. The city has no data that the joints are causing crime.
Flagler Ranks Low in Latest Florida Forever Priorities, But Money Is Elusive Anyway
Only one project–the 4,200-acre Flagler County Blueway–made the list of the state Florida Forever priorities for preservation this year, and at a low ranking–with little to no money in the state fund anyway.
John Russell Tucker, 76, Killed, Another Man Injured in 2 Separate Harley Wrecks in Palm Coast
John Russell Tucker, 76, of Jacksonville, was riding his new three-wheel Harley-Davidson motorcycle north on I-95 when he lost control and struck a guardrail. Keith C. Evans, 51, of Palm Coast, was injured on US1 in an accident with a pregnant driver.
Ethics Commission Round-Up: Rick Scott Cleared, Nate McLaughlin Pending
Gov. Rick Scott’s investments show no conflicts of interest under circumstances and facts presented to the Florida Ethics Commission. Flagler County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin’s case is still pending. A full round-up of the ethics commission’s May findings across the state.
Long Before the Potato Festival, Long Before Bunnell, Flagler Bred the Mighty Potato
Ahead of this weekend’s Potato Festival in Bunnell, Sisco Deen, the archive curator for the Flagler County Historical Society, traces the history of the potato’s evolution in Flagler County going back to the 19th century.
Flagler Whacks Proposed Speed Zones on Intracoastal as Manatee Advocates Protest
Tuesday’s public hearing was the latest step in months of wrangles between Flagler County and the Fish and Wildlife Commission over manatee-protecting speed zones on about a third of Flagler’s 18 miles of Intracoastal.
Palm Coast Water Tower Isolated From System After Break-In; Security Questions Pending
The break-in at the 500,000-gallon water tower was discovered Tuesday morning. City officials say they have no reason to think the water was compromised, but are conducting batteries of tests. Police is investigating.
Texbooks in All Florida School Districts Required to Go Digital By 2015-16
The new law requires Florida public schools to adopt digital-only textbooks by the 2015-16 school year, and spend at least 50 percent of their textbook budget on digital materials by that time.
Flagler School Board Defends Its Own Budget Cutting, Batting Down Most Alternatives
The county’s teacher and service employee unions and the tea party all questioned the way the district went about preparing next year’s budget, but without changing the district’s direction.