Property owners of large and vacant lands objected to paying a stormwater drainage fee in exchange for no discernible benefit. The two-year old attempt to rewrite the ordinance continues.
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Bill Proctor and Doug Courtney Struggle To Out-No Each Other In Florida House Race
In the race for the Florida Legislature seat closest to Flagler residents, Republican incumbent Bill Proctor of St. Augustine is facing perennial candidate and Democrat Doug Courtney of Palm Coast.
The Live Wire, Oct. 6: Ormond’s Bikini Grab, Sink and Scott Neck, Grayson’s Times
Ormond Beach annexes the Cheaters’ strip club property, suspended for being black in middle school, oil drilling ban may make it to the 2012 ballot, and more.
Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano Will Take Over Kim Hammond’s Criminal Docket Come Jan. 1
Depending on who wins, Dennis Craig or Joe Horrox will be assigned to the civil and family division now assigned to Zambrano.The rotations in the 7th Judicial Circuit are made to familiarize judges with various aspects of the law.
Why You Won’t Have to Leave Your Foreclosed House (If You have a Good Lawyer)
Some banks are still insisting that their errors are minor and foreclosures will continue, but what they say publicly and do privately are two different things.
Sued by Its Architect Over Unpaid Bills, Flagler School Board Says Resolution is Near
Close to $300,000 was in contention by Paul Stressing Associates, but the school district has agreed to pay most of that, leaving the two sides haggling over about $75,000.
“They Don’t Give a Damn”: Flagler Beach Wants Pier Restaurant Owners Who Do
A consultant’s report was as if tailor-made for Raymond Barshay, owner of River Grille on the Tomoka in Ormond Beach, to take over and remake the dilapidated Flagler Beach Pier Restaurant.
The Live Wire, October 5: Why I’m Voting Republican
Dull day in the Flagler Beach murder trial of Gregory Wood, double-deaths at SeaWorld, the Holy Land pretends to be generous, Roth’s Nemesis, Alien again and more.
Hope, Art, and Winnie the Pooh: Culture Worth the Miles
“The Art of Hope” at Crealde’s Jenkins Gallery, the Winter Park Autumn Festival, Winnie the Pooh at the Orlando Repertory Theater, Phantasmagoria’s haunting puppetry, and more. Josh Garrick’s latest picks.
Bunnell Nights: “Smidge” Spearmon’s Two Crank 911 Calls and Two Stints in Jail
Spearmon, a 21-year-old Bunnell resident with no arrest history, called 911, pretended to be shot, and asked the dispatcher out on a date before hanging up. He was later arrested.
Flagler Harvests Poverty Warriors To Stalk Rising Hunger and Its Stigmas
Jacksonville’s Second Harvest and a local coalition of social and business agencies want to reach thousands of Flagler residents who need help but aren’t seeking it for various reasons.
Defeated Without a Vote, Economic Tax Talk Shifts Back Uncertainly to the County
A sales tax increase to fund economic development may still be discussed, but its chances of being enacted any time soon are slim to none. Governments want to talk.
The Live Wire, Oct. 4: Sink, Scott and Shuttle Layoffs, Plus the Long Liberal List
Enterprise Flagler begs off, the book on Sink and Scott, space shuttle layoffs begin, your elections for sale, the end of foreclosure (for now), media mistrust, famous liberals, and more.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Sept. 26-29, 2010
A rash of stolen laptops all over the place, a rash of smashed up car windows and stolen purses left in those cars, an assault and battery, a suspiciously acting private investigator, and, unfortunately, more.
Palm Coast Hispanic Festival Ramps It Up From Puerto Rican Power to Colombian Folklore
The fourth annual Hispanic festival, held at Town Center over three days, aimed to exceed last year’s attendance of 10,000 despite an eventful weekend in Flagler County.
Idioting Up Over Islam, Rev. Franklin Graham Reveals America’s More Present Dangers
This time, Rev. Franklin Graham is unable to get away with his usual offenses and fallacies on Islam during a town hall with Christiane Amanpour.
Flagler Beach’s Great Bed Race: The Nuttiness, The Bed-Hopping, The Photo Gallery
Flagler Beach’s second annual Great Bed Race featured 14 contesting beds with five contestants each, and plenty of bed hopping. The full photo gallery.
All Maya All the Time: How the Government Building in Bunnell Became Archeology Central
The four-day Maya at the Playa Conference at the county and school building gathered the leading experts in Maya archeology and history from nine countries and 29 states, drawing some 160 participants.
Remember: 3 pm Today, The Great Bed Race in Flagler Beach
The bed race will be preceded by a parade of the beds, all part of Flagler Beach’s fall celebration. The event raises money for Flagler County’s neediest children.
Live Wire Weekend: Jimmy Flynt’s Ex-Cop Friends, Flagler Beach’s Bad Cop, Sink Sinks
Why Bunnell is stuck in the 1950s, an ex-cop in Flagler Beach is on probation, Scott overtakes Sink, undocumented immigrants leave, Heidegger returns, and more.
Palm Coast Data’s Invitation-Only Picnic: Hot Dogs, Flattery and Suspended Disbelief
Half Palm Coast and the county’s elected officials and top administrators were invited to Palm Coast Data’s picnic. The public wasn’t. That’s not the main problem.
Sitter Who Ran “Chrissy’s Cottage” in Palm Coast’s P Section Is Charged With Child Abuse
The 1-year-old child left in Cinelli-McFall’s care spent a month in a Jacksonville hospital following injuries he sustained on July 16.
“Economic Development” Tax Dies: Enterprise Flagler Wants It Removed from the Ballot
Enterprise Flagler will ask the county commission to ensure that the voting on the troubled tax not be counted. Plan B: a sales tax proposal.
Caryn Miller Appointed Flagler Beach’s Acting Manager As Commission Flirts With Stalemate
Caryn Miller’s appointment was a compromise to enable the commission to have an acting manager without being locked into making a more consequential decision involving Bruce Campbell.
Bernie Murphy’s 1,500 Days: With Few Regrets, Flagler Beach ‘Interim’ Manager Exits
Bernie Murphy was hired as interim city manager of Flagler Beach. That was more than 1,500 days ago. Tonight’s meeting could be his last, though one never knows with that commission.
The Live Wire, Sept. 30: Glenn Beck’s AA Obsession, Obama’s Shadiness, Rubio’s Roving
Obama loves his privileged secrets, Glenn Beck loves himself, goodbye to Tony Curtis, hello to Karl Rove (behind Rubio), Congress tells the Moon to go to hell, and more.
Blogger and South Florida Health Care Firm Battle Over Workers Compensation Drug Costs
Automated HealthCare Solutions, a growing and politically powerful private firm in Miramar, is suing a solo blogger who accused the company of being part of a workers’ compensation system that benefits from “rampant greed.”
French Maids Worth the Miles, Not To Mention Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival
French maids like you’ve never seen them before, Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival returns, Kevin McKenzie at the Orlando Ballet, words to works at the Orlando Museum of Art, and more.
Census: Flagler’s Population Stalls at 91,600; 28% of Housing Units Vacant; Poverty Rising
The 2009 population figures mean that Flagler will almost certainly not cross into six-figure territory when decennial census figures are announced. Figures on housing, income, poverty and insurance were also released.
From Beirut to Bulldog Drive: Palm Coast’s Uncivil War Over Gus Ajram’s Property Rights
From escaping Lebanon’s civil war to building automotive businesses in New York and Edgewater, Gus Ajram never expected his biggest battle to be over his property rights in Palm Coast.
Flagler Beach Reloads As 3 Candidates Are Re-Interviewed for City Manager
The commission interviewed two out-of-towners and one hometown candidate, who turned the afternoon into the Bruce Campbell hour.
Palm Coast Consistently Beating Florida As Taxable Sales Indicators Continue to Improve
Tourism and retail sales, and fewer people traveling elsewhere to buy goods, are keeping Palm Coast’s taxable sales among the most-improved in the state, compared with 2009.
Palm Coast Redraws Its Stormwater Tax, Benefiting Some Big Landowners
Vacant properties of 25 acres or more will pay less than considerably less than the $8 a month stormwater tax assessed on the typical residential property in Palm Coast.
The Live Wire, Sept. 28: War Crimes, Pill Mills, Confederates and God
US soldiers as murderers, Florida pill mills poisoning the South, Bertrand Russell on God, tales from Fatland, folding up the Confederacy, and more.
Beyond the Wounds: Purple Heart Monument Dedication at Heroes Park Tuesday Morning
Tuesday morning’s Heroes Park dedication of a monument dedicated to Purple Heart recipients was to feature veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and both Gulf wars.
Daytona Postmark Vanishing, Postal Service Says Palm Coast Deliveries Won’t Slow
To save $5.7 million and cut 109 jobs, the USPS is planning to close the Daytona Beach mail processing facility, where most of Palm Coast and Flagler’s mail goes, and merge it with Lake Mary, doubling the distance the mail will travel.
Three Palm Coast Boys, 16 and 17, Arrested Over a 10-Car Thieving Spree Sunday
The boys allegedly stole GPS devices, music CDs, phone chargers and a camera–about $2,000 worth–before being picked up in the Pet Smart parking lot early Sunday morning.
Defending “Eroticism,” Cheaters’ Suit Against Ormond Disputes City’s Capricious Annexation
Beyond matters of sex and sensibility, a federal lawsuit by Cheaters against Ormond Beach raises serious issues of a city’s arbitrary and capricious powers of annexation over businesses it doesn’t like.
The Live Wire, Sept. 27: Liquoring Up on Genesis, Mark Rothko and Jimmy Carter
It’s Banned Books Week; before ABC liquor, there was green; the Jimmy Carter diaries; let’s not forget Mark Rothko’s birthday, nor a limerick from Dallas the day.
Backgrounder: Why the U.S. Postal Service Is In Trouble
All the facts, figures and projections about the US Postal Services financial troubles and means of escaping them as the USPS prepares to consolidate its Daytona Beach processing facility with Lake Mary’s.
County’s $3.5 Million Gamble on Pellicer Flats Raids Credibility of Land Program
Tobin, an expert on the Ginn Co.’s shredding history in the county, outlines three reasons why the county commission’s $3.5 million Pellicer Flats land buy was risky, reckless gamble.
From “Wall Street” to Sequel, a Sentimental Oliver Stone Manages a Ménage à Trois
Oliver Stone’s new “Wall Street” is worth the ride, but it’s less caffeinated than the original, and Stone gives in to sentimentalism and nostalgia where polemic serves him better.
Fine Arts Auction at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on Oct. 16
Admission is $20 a person, auction prices begin at $65. The auction is a fund-raiser for the private Catholic K-8 school on Belle Terre Blvd.
How A Panther Broadened City Beauty Board’s Mission to Include Riches & Perils of Public Art
Paul Baliker’s “Panther” sculpture, looking for a home at Linear Park, forged a discussion that’s leading Palm Coast into a world of public art possibilities led by local artists’ visions.
Past Tea Party Bluster, Commissioners Eulogize Budget Season and Put Wailers On Notice
The tea party’s local version of budget oversight proved more noise than substance as county commissioners concluded a nearly half-year-long budget season with cautious positioning ahead of next year’s.
The Live Wire Weekend: Kent Sharples’ Latest Folly, Scott Sinking and Panthers Rising
Kent Sharples raids Daytona College fund to pay rock stars, Alex Sink is beating Scott, Obama is not as anti-business as he appears, Dali on “What’s My Line,” and much more.
Vote Early, Vote Often: Make Your Voice Heard for Art Programs and FPC’s Junia Louis-Pierre
Junia Louis-Pierre’s graffiti drawing of foreclosure and eviction is in the running for a $5,000 award for FPC’s art department and a $1,000 scholarship for Junia. But you must vote.
The Live Wire, September 23: Taj Mahals, Obama Shake-Ups and Gay Santas
Marco Rubio as Taj Mahal pasha, Mainland Coach Maronto resigns, police brutality on the elderly in Orlando, Harvey Firestein as gay Santa, septic tank emanations, Philip Roth on suicide, and more.
Existing Home Sales Edge Up 5.2% in South, But Still at 15-Year Low
Existing home sales rebounded as expected from a severe plunge in July, but not by much, and the large housing supply will keep prices falling.
Inaccurately and Incoherently, Fischer Opposes School Tax Measure; Sword Favors It
The two school board candidates differ sharply in their awareness and understanding of a proposed school tax referendum on the November 2 ballot, with Fischer calling himself “confused” about it.