During the 2021 session, the Senate sharply restricted public access to try to prevent spread of Covid-19. For example, people who wanted to speak before Senate committees had to go to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, a few blocks west of the Capitol at Florida State University, and appear through a livestream feed.
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The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Flagler County students return to school for the spring semester amid a surge of omicron and a dearth of safety directives, the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, Linda Greenhouse on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s big mistake.
Not All Polarization Is Bad, But the US Could Be in Trouble
For the first time, the United States has been classified as a “backsliding democracy” in a global assessment of democratic societies by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an intergovernmental research group. One key reason the report cites is the continuing popularity among Republicans of false allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Ex-Lake Helen Police Chief Michael Walker Takes Over a Bunnell Police Department in Turmoil After Rapid Search
Michael Anthony Walker, 57, Lake Helen’s police chief for 11 years, today was named Bunnell police chief, replacing Tom Foster in a department buffeted by low morale and the loss of its top three highest-ranked officers in a matter of weeks. Brannon Snead, the interim chief since Foster’s departure in early December, was not among the five applicants for the top job.
Town of Beverly Beach Makes Unprecedented $10,000 Donation to Flagler County Health Department
Beverly Beach, which brands itself a “small town with a good heart,” donated $10,000, or 5 percent of its American Rescue Plan allocation, to the Flagler Health Department, with Bob Snyder at the commission meeting to accept the donation Monday evening. The money will be spent on diabetes and other public health initiatives.
Military Career Over, Ex-Palm Coast Airman Isaac Becker Is Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison Over Rape of Minor
If he’d gone to trial and been convicted, Isaac Becker faced up to 90 years in prison for raping a girl he had a familial relationship with, starting when she was 13 and ending when she was 15. This afternoon, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Becker, 22, to eight years in prison, followed by 10 years’ probation and a lifetime designation as a sexual predator.
Private Universities Switch to Remote Learning as Covid Surges, But Florida’s Public Universities Will Not
Several private colleges and universities such as Harvard, Howard, Stanford, Syracuse and Northwestern plan to resume classes in a virtual setting for at least part of the spring semester. So far, none of Florida’s public universities are making that transition, despite concerns from faculty union leaders that officials aren’t making the right decisions to protect campus communities throughout Florida.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Happy birthday Jules Kwiatkowski. The Flagler County School Board discusses its own protocols, Bunnell Manager Alvin Jackson talks about changes at the city, the Palm Coast City Council meets this evening.
Sore Loser Effect: Rejecting Election Results Drives Terrorism and Hobbles Democracy
Acceptance of electoral defeat, something political scientists call “loser’s consent,” is essential for stability and order in democracies. It’s fragile. When it is broken–when losing politicians in democracies refuse to accept election results–citizens begin to see terrorism as more acceptable and domestic terrorism increases.
Sheriff Confirms Zaire Roberts, 23, Was Killed in Regent Lane Shootout, and Another Man Wounded
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office today confirmed what it had not for several days after the Dec. 29 shooting that left a man dead and another wounded at 8 Regent Lane in Palm Coast: that the man who was killed was 23-year-old Zaire Roberts, who had been released from prison just weeks earlier.