A meeting on what to do with the old Flagler County Courthouse turned into a bitter clash between Commissioner Milissa Holland and County Administrator Craig Coffey.
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3rd Grade FCAT Scores Well Above State Average; 11% Fail; Charter School Lags
The district’s overall score dropped 3 points in reading and improved one point in math. Heritage Academy is a drag.
Table: Complete 2010 FCAT Scores By School, Flagler 3rd Graders
School-by-school achievements in math and reading by proficiency level, including 2009 comparisons.
Who has Dibs on This Old Thing?
(Hint: Sheriff Not Too Interested)
Three years on, the Flagler County Commission is still trying to decide what to do with the old courthouse, with Bunnell and the Sheriff at the top of the list of possibilities.
Florida Legislature’s Spending Misleadingly Labeled as Pork
Most of the spending called “pork” (or “turkeys” by Florida TaxWatch is of immediate and necessary benefit to senior health, care for the poor and transportation.
Youth Orchestra’s 200 Take a Bow in Year’s Final Concert
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s musicians, under the new direction of Caren Umbarger, dedicate the final concert to Superintendent Bill Delbrugge.
Loner Palm Coast Drips Desal to Fraction of Original Plan; Water Costs Would Rise Sharply
The city is reducing its desal ambitions to a sixth the original size, but 1,000 gallons would cost five to six times more than current water.
What You Should Know Before You Buy Your Usher, Rihanna and Bieber Tickets in Daytona
Manuel Bornia, head of Daytona’s International Festival, has a growing trail of exaggerations, self-promotion, and outright inventions to his credit–on other people’s dime.
Bloody Head and Assault Charge Following Bowling Alley Fight
A verbal scuffle degenerated into a physical and bloody assault early the morning of May 26 at the bowling alley bar in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Council Strains to Live Within Its Means at Goal-Setting
The flush years over, the council is looking to set measurable goals that don’t cost too much money but still provide services residents are looking for.
Night-Stick, Taser and Punches in Foot-Chase Through P Section
Following a traffic stop, a sheriff’s deputy chased after Anthony Capitola on foot through the P section before subduing him with Taser shots.
Bunnell Approves Bypass Study as Part of Broader City Planning
Looking to capitalize on developers’ dollars funding the study, the Bunnell City Commission approved a broader look at the city’s road needs in the future.
FPC Commencement Stirs Tassels and Circumstance at Daytona’s Ocean Center
Anthony DeAugustino, Taylor Tofal and Brandon Dean headline Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Class of 2010’s commencement.
Revenue Crunch Not Yet Sobering
Palm Coast City Council’s Ambitions
Palm Coast’s flush years are over, yet City Manager Jim Landon and the council are still high on a new city hall and a water desalination plant.
Provincialism and Its Confessors
If Flagler news falls in the forest and there’s no one there to pulp it into newsprint, has it really happened? Further tales and tails from the provinces of journalism.
From Times Square to Jacksonville:
When Terrorism Is a Double-Standard
When the target of terrorism is recognizably American, it’s a national crisis. When the target of terrorism is a mosque in Jacksonville, nobody cares. Why is that?
Why Tea Parties Are More Bunkers than Bunker Hill
The tea party’s booting out of Utah Sen. Robert Bennett from his state’s GOP primary, despite Bennett’s extreme conservative credentials, is emblematic of a movement in the grip of its own delusions.
Monique Forte, Rising Star at Stetson’s
Business School, Dies at 43
Monique Forte had just been awarded Stetson’s 2010 McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching, and skydived with her graduating students. She was 43.
How Flagler County Is Preparing for the BP Oil Slick–If It Hits (And What You Need to Know)
Flagler County’s emergency response to the oil slick hitting Flagler Beaches is similar to hurricane preparation. It’s happening now.
Secret Video Surveillance Around Palm Coast’s Ralph Carter Park
The Sheriff’s Office confirms that secret video surveillance took place around Ralph Carter Park. Fixed surveillance video cameras are on their way.
2 SUVs Wreck on Matanzas Woods & Bird of Paradise
Jennifer Parks of Palm Coast was T-boned on Matanzas Woods at noon Friday by Colin Taschler, who failed to negotiate a curve. Both were taken to Halifax Hospital.
Flagler Unemployment Lowest in a Year, Remains State’s Highest; Florida’s Dips for First Time Since 2006
Led by federal census jobs and tourism jobs, Florida’s employment rolls showed their best gains in four years. Flagler’s decline is due in part to population loss. The complete April unemployment report.
Bunnell Residents Demolish Bypass Proposal; Planning Board Recommends Broad Study
After a lengthy, at times contentious public meeting on the bypass, the Bunnell planing board recommended in favor of a study as long it takes in “the big picture.”
91% of Flagler High School Seniors Clear FCAT Graduation Hurdle; Most Others Fail Re-Takes
Flagler’s seniors down to their last chance to pass the FCAT before graduation did not do as well as last year’s seniors, although the numbers can be deceiving.
Crime Reports, May 17-23
A good samaritan holds a teen vandal at gunpoint until deputies arrive, domestic disturbance turns up backyard pot plant, a caller demands phone sex, and more.
Lay-Offs at Palm Coast Data; Parent Co. Posts Loss and Signs $20 Million Line of Credit
Palm Coast Data’s parent company, Amrep Corp., posted a $2.76 million loss for the first nine fiscal months of 2010.
Dogs Scarred from Possible Dog-Fighting Rescued from Seminole Woods House
The puppies were found dehydrated and bearing bite marks and other scarring that led investigators to charge a Seminole Woods resident with nine counts of animal cruelty.
Weigh Station Loads Up Realtors’ Forum with Mayors
Questions were gentle, answers more so, revealing little new in a public forum with Flagler’s mayors on Wednesday morning.
Tea Party Throng Fills FPC’s Dawg House Cafe
The third meeting of the local tea party movement to be held at FPC drew 228 people, but discussions were standard and relatively tame.
Flagler Schools Bracing for Dismal
Fiscal (and Oil Spill) Impact
Budget shortfalls, new financial burdens and disappearing sources of money are all converging on the Flagler school district at the same time, setting up a potential funding crisis in the next two years.
4-Year, $168,600 Contract for Superintendent Janet Valentine
Janet Valentine will replace Bill Delbrugge on July 1, when Delbrugge heads to a new job and life in Cairo, Egypt.
Bohemian Rhapsody: Flagler Firefighters Go Czech to Defend World Title
They were world champions last year. This week, two teams of Flagler medic-firefighters return to Prague to defend their title.
Ménage-à-Stab in Bunnell
A morning argument at a S. Anderson St. home in Bunnell evolved into a stabbing that sent Kevin Harris to jail and Rickey Glover to the hospital.
Florida Medicaid Audit Reveals Shockingly Poor Oversight
Lax state oversight of Medicaid is fueling runaway costs in the health program covering 2.7 million poor and elderly Floridians.
Obama, Biden, Kagan: Where Their Pocket Money Comes From
Where does Obama’s, Biden’s and Elena Kagan’s money come from? Look for yourself: complete financial disclosure forms.
White Elephants Grinding Down Flagler Airport
Commissioners on Monday learned of yet another county airport building for which taxpayers are left holding the bag.
Goomba’s Ex-Hit Man Joe Milano’s Trials Delayed Until June
The trials of Joseph Milano, former Goomba’s Pizzeria owner and former mafia hit man, were delayed until at least mid-June by both the prosecution’s and the defense’s maneuvers in separate cases.
Anniversary Storm Clatters Through Flagler
Monday’s storms broke a long dry spell, caused little damage and only briefly flooded streets and swales thirsty for a good soak.
Live Coverage of Goomba’s Pizza Mobster Joe Milano’s Court Date
Joseph Milano/Joey Calco, former owner of Palm Coast’s Goomba’s Piza, is in court today, on trial for aggravated assault and other charges, but the state is seeking a delay. Live coverage.
Florida’s Abortion Follies:
When Lawmakers Are Sexual Predators
Florida’s latest anti-abortion legislation shows that sexual predators aren’t just the monsters who assault and rape. They can also be men who control women and girls by subordinating them their moral assumptions, which usually have immoral results.
A Musical Journey in the Key of Kindness
Caren Umbarger, who replaces Jonathan May as the new artistic director of the Flagler Youth Orchestra, relates her musical origins and philosophy.
Caren Umbarger Named Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Artistic Director
Caren Umbarger studied with Jonathan May and brings more than a quarter century of eclectic experience in teaching and performing music.
Flagler Beach Manager Search:
Carpetbaggers Need Not Apply
Art Woosley, a Flagler Beach activist, argues that the next city manager should be a local resident with heart and interests in line with the city’s.
Smetana’s Fatherland: “The Moldau”
For your Sunday fix: “The Moldau” evokes the power of nature and nationalism as if flows through Smetana’s Czech fatherland.
Photo Gallery: Bunnell’s 2nd Annual Potato Festival
The day was full of sunshine and spuds and blessedly free of puns. A rich gallery of the day’s faces, dunks and winners.
All Potatoes All the Time in Bunnell’s Festival
A mashed-potato eating contest and cookoff highlighted Bunnell’s second annual Potato Festival on Saturday.
Flagler Firefighter and Pro Volleyball Player Fighting for His Life
Professional volleyball player and Flagler County Firefighter-EMT Ranse Jones is fighting for his life in a Panama City hospital for nearly a week after being stricken by a brain aneurysm during a volleyball tournament at age 34.
Contrary to Fears, Bunnell Bypass Would Not Significantly Affect Traffic, Studies Show
Bunnell’s downtown won’t be lacking in traffic in the future. The real battle is over a mega-developer’s road-improvement funds.
Flagler Beach Dumps Desalination Group
The Flagler Beach City Commission cited costs and its own ready water supply as reasons to drop out of the Coquina desalination consortium.
Flagler Beach City Manager Search Launches Over Fault Lines
A fractured city commission decided against head-hunters or consultants in the search for a new city manager. Commissioners will do all the work.