The Dallas String Quartet has continued to invigorate the so-called “classical crossover” genre with seven albums that find them infusing elements from Bach, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius and other classical composers into their arrangements of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and “Thunderstruck,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and many more. They’re in concert at the Flagler Auditorium,/Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center Friday.
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Brendan Depa Appeal Again Delayed as Court Warns No Further Extensions Will Be Granted
The Fifth District Court of Appeal is tiring of lawyers requesting extensions to file the appeal of a Flagler County judge’s decision last August to sentence former Matanzas High School student Brendan Depa to five years in prison for his brutal attack on a teacher aide in 2023. The appeal court has granted three extensions so far, the third one granted on April 4 with a caution against further requests for delays.
Flagler Cop’s Son in Hit-and-Run Death on U.S. 1 Rejects 4-Year Prison Deal and Risks Worse
Jayden Jackson, the 22-year-old son of a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, had played down his responsibility when he struck and killed Shaunta D. Cain, 51, with his car as he drove north on U.S. 1 in November 2022. Today, Jackson rejected a plea deal of four years in prison followed by probation. His attorney, Josh Davis, told Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols that Jackson will submit to an open plea when he is sentenced next week, risking significantly more than four years in prison.
Eager for Experience, Palm Coast Council’s Top Two Choices for Appointment Are Dave Sullivan and Dave Ferguson
In Dave Sullivan and Dave Ferguson the Palm Coast City Council’s choices clearly point to its eagerness for a tested, knowledgeable colleague who won’t need much of a learning curve as the council readies to appoint a new city manager and start budgeting for the coming year. Ferguson and Sullivan also have close ties with the local business community. Neither is a firebrand. Neither is foreign to humor and a degree of self-deprecation that has been lacking on a council more high-strung than an unsecured trigger.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Docket sounding in felony court, 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, updating the 2025 Kennedy Center schedule, JFK on arts and politics.
From Greenland to Fort Bragg, Place Names as Political Tools
Place names are more than just labels on a map. They influence how people learn about the world around them and perceive their place in it. Names can send messages and suggest what is and isn’t valued in society. And the way that they are changed over time can signal cultural shifts.
Micro-Surfacing Begins April 14 on A Dozen Palm Coast Streets
The City of Palm Coast is notifying residents about an upcoming High-Performance Micro-Surfacing project on several local residential roadways. Work will begin April 14 and is expected to last approximately three weeks.
Florida Senate Will Vote on Prohibiting Fluoride in Local Water Services
Over objections by the Florida Dental Association and League of Women Voters of Florida, a Senate panel voted Tuesday to bar public water systems from “the use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes.”
County Buys Into $110 Million Speculative Sports Complex Palm Coast Voters Rejected in November
The Flagler County Commission signaled it was happily turning to an untested and financially risky public-private partnership with a company that would build a $110 million sports complex (in Palm Coast) in exchange for $6 million a year “lease payments” from the county. It is the same complex and concept that was behind Palm Coast voters’ rejection of a referendum last November.
Three County Commissioners Now Opposed to Sales Tax for Beach Management, Putting County Plan in Doubt
Just as Palm Coast and Bunnell had been increasingly coaxed to support the county, a majority of county commissioners–Leann Pennington, Kim Carney and Pam Richardson–spoke in opposition to a sales tax increase to support a comprehensive beach-management plan. Without that increase, the plan Petito devised to rebuild and manage all 18 miles of the county’s beaches would collapse, and with it any hope of continuing the beach renourishment the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started in Flagler Beach.
65-Year-Old Man Killed in Head-On Crash on Belle Terre Boulevard
A 65-year-old Palm Coast man was killed in a head-on crash caused by a 19-year-old driver crossing the yellow line early Monday morning on Belle Terre Boulevard at Kankakee Trail.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Clay Jones on Trump golfing through the crash, the Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop, Zachary Tuohey is back in court, the Flagler County School Board meets, drinking La Fin du Monde.
Israelis Are Calling for Genocide of Palestinians with Impunity
Thirty years ago in Israel, advocating for genocide could land you in prison. Not anymore. Israeli clerics and officials are openly calling for the systematic massacre of Palestinians–genocide–in Gaza. The Israeli legal system is ignoring the rhetoric.
U.S. Rep. Wilson Seeks to Visit Miami Immigrant Detention Center Amid Reports of Mistreatment
Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson wants to examine conditions at a Miami immigrant detention center, saying she’s concerned about reports of people sleeping on concrete floors. Wilson, who represents part of Miami-Dade County, sent a letter Monday to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem requesting her help in arranging a congressional visit this month to the Krome North Service Processing Center.
Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Appears Dead as Palm Coast Mayor Norris Pulls His Support, Joining Council Skeptics
The proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast appears to be dead. In an email to City Manager Lauren Johnston on Friday, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris pulled his support without equivocation, joining three council members who are extremely skeptical of the proposal. Belvedere couldn’t afford to lose Norris’s support. Until then, the mayor had been the company’s champion in the city.
Three of Five Finalists for Palm Coast City Manager Drop Out as Council’s Instability Takes a Toll
The shortlist of Palm Coast city manager candidates who were to interview with the City Council at the end of April is down to two, from five. The last two were among the somewhat less favored of the five when the council ranked them on March 11. Today, Sonia Alves-Viveiros, the Edison, N.J. city manager, withdrew, citing the lack of stability on the City Council as a reason.
Proposed Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Draws More Fire as Public Urges County to Reject Palm Coast Location
Already bruised by mounting opposition since it was announced almost two weeks ago, Palm Coast and Flagler County governments’ proposal to buy 78 acres for a 12.6-million gallon fuel farm off U.S. 1 took more fire today, this time at the County Commission, even though the county last week pulled the proposal from today’s agenda. Numerous residents, all opposed to the fuel farm at the U.S. 1 location, addressed the commission, but commissioners themselves raised sharp questions about the plan, adding to its uncertain future.
Federal Judge Halts Florida’s New Law Targeting Migrants, Citing Overreach
Miami-based Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 14-page decision granting a request for a temporary restraining order against the law, which the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved in February. The law created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 7, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council and the County Commission hold a joint workshop on the $110 million sports complex they want to bring about, 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale at the Fairgrounds, Andras Schiff boycotts the United States.
NIH Funding Cuts Will Hit Red States and the Poor Hardest
NIH cuts will be detrimental to the entire country. But they will disproportionately hurt states that traditionally have received very low levels of NIH funding, the majority of which are red states. This is because such states lack resources to develop advanced research infrastructure necessary to compete nationally for NIH funding.
2nd Round of Palm Coast Cultural Arts Grant Funding Open Through April 30
The City of Palm Coast and the Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3), the official local arts agency for Flagler County, are excited to announce that a second round of grant funding is now available through the Cultural Arts Grant program. The application portal is open now through April 30, 2025.
Florida’s No-Show Republicans Are Hiding From Voters’ Anger
Something is changing. People are angry, auto-calling their representatives, making signs, demonstrating and showing up at town halls. But Republican representatives don’t show up, not any more. They don’t like getting booed. They don’t like facing outraged citizens. A few tried holding town halls. Did not go well. But hey, at least they actually held town halls. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of Florida Republicans.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 6, 2025
‘Sense and Sensibility’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, “Something Rotten,” at the Daytona Playhouse, Daytona State College Spring Orchestra Concert, Robert Reich on the new tax on Americans, Don DeLillo on American irrelevance.
Florida Could Target 341,000 Haitian and Venezuelan Migrants for Expulsion
Florida leads the nation in the number of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Of those, 59% are Venezuelan and 35% are Haitian. Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem issued a termination notice that canceled TPS for Venezuelan recipients as of April 7. Then a judge intervened. But the judge’s order doesn’t stop the expulsion of Haitians.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Alice Munro’s “Carried Away,” the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Annual Turtle Fest in Flagler Beach, the Flagler Beach All Stars hold their monthly beach clean-up, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone.
Cory Booker’s Challenge
The Democrats have been under intense pressure to find an effective way to challenge US President Donald Trump without control of either chamber of Congress or a de facto opposition leader. They may have just found one in New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
In Flagler, Voters Cast Half a Million Ballots in 8 years; 5 Were Non-Citizens. Where’s the ‘Fraud’?
An executive order requires that all votes be counted by the end of Election Day. It also requires proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The order relies on a lie: that fraud is corrupting American elections. Let’s not look far and take Flagler County’s recent elections to test the claim.
Judge Orders Return of Maryland Man Wrongly Deported to El Salvador Prison
A federal judge in Maryland Friday ordered the Trump administration to return a national from El Salvador by April 7 who was erroneously deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, despite an order blocking such removal. Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on social media, without evidence, that Abrego Garcia was a convicted member of the MS-13 gang and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt this week echoed Vance.
Team Wins $4,000 in MedNexus Challenge on ‘Becoming a Mental Health Influencer’
Bright minds, bold ideas, and a passion for mental health advocacy took center stage at the 2025 MedNexus Innovation Challenge, held April 3 at the Palm Coast Community Center. This year’s theme, “Becoming a Mental Health Influencer,” invited students to explore how social media can be used for positive change in adolescent mental health.
Palm Coast Approves Final Step for 489 New Houses, 147 of Them Near Proposed Fuel Depot
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved final plats for three residential subdivisions at three of the four cardinal points of the city (north, west, south) totaling 489 single-family houses. Of these house, 147 are to be built on land adjacent to an industrial tract slated for a massive fuel depot.
Matanzas High School Student Lands a Punch on Deputy Breaking Up a Fight
N.L., a 16-year-old Matanzas High School student, faces a felony charge of battery against a law enforcement officer after landing what appears to be an inadvertent punch on a school resource deputy attempting to break up a fight between N.L. and another student.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 4, 2025
Pastor Charles Silano talks about the Trump-ordered cuts that have drastically reduced the budget of the Grace Community Food Pantry, on Free For All, First Friday in Flagler Beach, campaign diary.
County Pulls Massive US1 Fuel Depot from Consideration for Now as ‘Pause’ Gives Palm Coast Time to Study Options
The Flagler County Commission was set next Monday to approve a $10 million state grant to buy a 78-acre parcel off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast for a planned fuel depot and rail head. The county administration pulled the item from the agenda after the Palm Coast City Council opted to look for a different location in response to mounting public opposition to the plan. The pause is also a reflection of deepening skepticism among elected officials about a plan that was barely vetted before it was sprung on them just weeks ago.
How Tariffs Wreck Trust in the United States
What’s really at stake in the sweeping tariffs just imposed on American allies and other countries is trust – America’s long-standing reputation as a stable and predictable destination for global investment. And once that trust is lost, it’s incredibly hard to win back.
Florida House Approves Draconian Restrictions on Citizen-Led Constitutional Amendments
The Republican controlled Florida House of Representatives has passed a measure that will make it prohibitively harder for a citizen-led constitutional amendment to get on the ballot. The vote was 76-31. Its passage comes just five months after two constitutional amendments that would have respectively enshrined abortion rights and legalized recreational cannabis for adults narrowly fell short of passage.
17 Named Storms Predicted for Hurricane Season
Colorado State University researchers Thursday forecast 17 named storms during this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, with nine reaching hurricane status and four becoming major storms. That would make the 2025 season close to the 2024 season, which included three hurricanes making landfall in Florida.
‘Ritz Carlton Residences’ Will Add 128 Condo Units in Two Towers At Hammock Dunes (not Palm Coast)
Two condominium towers of 64 condos each will rise at Hammock Dunes, to be called the Ritz-Carlton residences, the belated culmination of a project initially approved by the Flagler County Commission in 2006 and still awaiting its final plat. The development will add to half a dozen existing and similar condominium towers at Hammock Dunes. But contrary to a report in the News-Journal, Palm Coast is not involved.
15 Years in Prison for CJ Nelson Jr. in Shooting Death of 18-Month-Old Niece Ja’Liyah Allen
C.J. Nelson, the 24-year-old Palm Coast resident whose reckless gunplay caused the shooting death of his 18-month-old niece at a Ranwood Lane house in September 2023, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Family members and friends of Ja’Liyah Allen, the victim, and of Nelson–all members of the same family–filled several pews in the gallery.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 3, 2025
CJ Nelson Jr. Sentencing, Richard Powers on Detroit, consumer confidence falls to its lowest level since 2022, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park.
Palm Coast’s Arbor Day Celebration Marks 20 Years on May 3
Palm Coast’s favorite eco-friendly event is back! Get ready to dig in, branch out, and celebrate two decades of environmental stewardship at the 20th Annual Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Park in Town Center (975 Central Avenue, Palm Coast.)
A Presidential Order Manipulates U.S. History Through the Smithsonian
Of course, history is contested. There will always be a variety of views about what should be included and excluded from America’s story. But most recent debates center on how much attention should be given to the history of the nation’s accomplishments over its darker chapters. The Smithsonian, as a national institution that receives most of its funds from the federal government, has sometimes found itself in the crosshairs.
Florida House Committee Approves Sales Tax Cut to 5.25% But Eliminates Tax ‘Holidays’
For the first time in 16 years, the state wouldn’t offer sales-tax “holidays” under a House proposal that calls for an overall cut in sales taxes. The House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a $5.43 billion package dominated by House Speaker Daniel Perez’ proposal to lower the state’s sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.
Trump Targets China, U.S. Allies and Others with Sweeping and Steep New Tariffs
The president unveiled a baseline 10% levy on all international imports, plus what he described as additional “kind” and “discounted” tariff rates that will increase but not match the rates other countries apply to American imports. The levies, effective at midnight, will hit U.S. industries from agriculture to manufacturing to fashion. U.S. tariffs will reach 34% on imports from China, 46% on products from Vietnam and 20% on European Union imports, including beer and wine.
Palm Coast Council Seeks Analysis to Move Proposed Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 as Opposition Builds Fast
The proposed 12.6 million-gallon gas and diesel depot on U.S. 1 has quickly gone from an economic development triumph, as Palm Coast and county officials described it last week, to a political liability fueled by public opposition spreading at the speed of a wildfire. On Tuesday, the Palm Coast City Council agreed to seek an analysis to determine whether there’s an alternative location better suited to the depot, a planned $75 million facility to be built by a start-up, Belvedere Terminals, with no track record in the industry.
Interviews of 10 Candidates for Appointment to Palm Coast Council Give a Choice Between Experience and Ideals
A defining line sharpened as the interviews progressed. It was drawn between candidates who spoke the pragmatism of public-service experience on one side, and candidates who spoke of ideals and private-sector careers they hope to translate into public service. This council has limited time to make a limited appointment with specific aims ahead, in a term limited to less than two years, and for a position whose learning curve typically takes two years fully to scale.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Barring marine LePen from running in the 2027 presidential election endangers French democracy, the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board, the Flagler Beach Parks Ad Hoc Committee meets, Voltaire on French fanaticism.
Presidential Term Limits Are There for a Reason
No one is supposed to serve more than two full terms as president, according to the 22nd Amendment. The only way someone can serve more than two terms is if they served less than two years in a previous term in which they weren’t elected president. It is worth understanding why the two-term tradition was considered so important that it was turned into constitutional law the first time it was violated.
It’s Randy Fine After All as Election Day Surge Helps Trump Pick Defeat Josh Weil and Democratic Hopes
Powered by an Election Day surge that helped erase early-voting advantages the Josh Weil campaign had built up, Randy Fine, the Melbourne Republican, Florida Senate member and Donald Trump pick, won the special election for the 6th Congressional District this evening–not handily at all, but he won it all the same, to his patron’s (and his own) relief.
Flagler Beach Quietly Signs On to Agreement with ICE, Deputizing Local Cops for Immigration Enforcement
Without discussion or mention of the agreement, the Flagler Beach City Commission last Thursday signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to deputize some of its police officers to enforce federal immigration laws.
Flagler Beach Ends Debate on Annexation with Final Approval of Measure Scrapping 5% Rule
The Flagler Beach City Commission approved on a 4-1 vote and on final reading the repeal of a decades-old rule that required the city to hold a referendum any time it would annex more than 5 percent of its geographic area in a given year. The repeal was precipitated last year by the city’s interest in annexing Veranda Bay, the huge development along John Anderson Highway that would more than double the city’s population when built out.