The Flagler Beach City Commission takes on higher and new impact fees, the Brennan Hill trial on a murder charge is in its third day, Brancusi’s Bird in Space, Bobbie Ann Mason’s In Country.
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The Unpredictability of Earthquakes
Almost like aftershocks, questions about earthquake prediction tend to follow disasters like the one that occurred Sept. 8, 2023, in Morocco. Could advance notice have prevented some of the devastation? Unfortunately, useful predictions are still in the realm of science fiction.
Almost a Good Day for Brenan Hill in Murder Trial: Jury Does Not Hear Him Speak. Then the Hammer Falls.
In the third day of trial for Brenan Hill, 34, who faces a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, the prosecution built its case through forensic evidence and almost a dozen witnesses today, including testimony from a firearm expert who appeared to all but demolish the defense’s claim that Hill could fire the gun accidentally, as he claims.
Only Half of Palm Coast’s Land Mass Has Reliable Cell Coverage, with Limited Relief Ahead
For all of the city’s efforts since 2017 to improve cell coverage in Palm Coast, reliability is still a serious problem. Only 14 to 15 percent of the city’s land mass is getting fully reliable coverage. Less than 35 percent of the city is getting fair to mediocre coverage. A deficit of needed towers still looms.
Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri Makes Startling Move to Annex Malacompra Park: ‘Our Citizens Are Entitled to Their Own Beach’
In a startling proposal that may revive city-Hammock conflicts dormant since the mid 2000s, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri on Tuesday said the city should consider annexing the county’s Malacompra Park so Palm Coast can have its own beach. The idea did not get a warm reception from fellow council members or others.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Brenan Hill’s trial on a second degree murder charge enters its third day, cities and the county’s representatives meet in a joint committee, a yoga class mistaken for a mass murder, Alvin Kernan on death, atheists and foxholes.
An Even Application of Justice Would Be Appreciated
We need, for example, to believe that someone who is rioting in the streets of Philadelphia, smashing store windows and stealing flat-screen TVs under the guise of social justice, is going to be charged with a crime. We are not asking that they receive 17-year prison sentences. We are not asking that they be kept in solitary confinement. We are not calling them traitors to the state. We just want them to, at the very least, have a criminal record that can later be expunged if they stop acting like vandals.
Volunteers Collect Nearly a Ton of Trash in 16th Annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup
Since 2008, volunteers participating in the event have collected over 27,000 pounds of trash. This year, over 190 volunteers participated in the event and recovered over 1,800 pounds of trash.
No Evidence of Wrongdoing, But GOP Launches Impeach Biden Spectacle Anyway
GOP-led congressional inquiries of presidential son Hunter Biden’s records to date have not shown any foreign payment to his father, Joe Biden, or any other evidence of wrongdoing. But yielding to pressure from hard-line members of the GOP House caucus, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy today directed the top Republicans in Congress to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Jury Hears Brenan Hill in a Confederacy of Lies About Shooting that Led to Girlfriend’s Death
Brenan Hill lied at least six times times about what led to him shooting Savannah La-Rynn Gonzalez in the head on March 26, 2021, including a lie to his mother. The 22-year-old Palm Coast woman never recovered. She died last Nov. 9. The jury heard most of those lies today in Hill’s second day of trial on a second-degree murder charge that could send him to prison for life if he’s convicted.
Flagler Beach Will Consider New Impact Fees for Fire, Police, Parks, and Library, and Higher Fees for Water and Sewer
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday will vote on what could be the single-largest tax increase on development in the city’s history. The city is considering adopting higher impact fees on water and sewer connection, and imposing new impact fees for police, fire, parks and recreation services, which it has not had until now.
Pedestrian Reported to Have Jumped in Front of Car Is Killed on Belle Terre Parkway
A 39-year-old Palm Coast man on foot was killed Monday evening in a collision with a sedan on Belle Terre Parkway, just north of Palm Coast Parkway.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
The Palm Coast City Council discusses cell phone coverage in the city and its electric vehicle and EV charging station infrastructure, a Bach partita, Bobby Ann Mason’s In Country and Florida.
Stetson Breaks Fund-Raising Record with $65 Million Haul
Stetson University set another fundraising record for a second year in a row, raising $65 million last year for student scholarships, renovations and other areas across the institution. The outpouring of gifts and pledges from donors during the 2023 fiscal year, ending June 30, came a year after Stetson raised $52.2 million, then the largest amount on record.
Managers’ Attempts to Empower Their Employees Often Fail
When companies design and implement empowering leadership initiatives, they often overlook key factors that are necessary for empowerment to work. Their efforts to empower employees often result in little impact or are entirely ineffective. In fact, they can even lead employees to engage in unethical behavior.
Florida Wants ‘Marsy’s Law,’ Designed for Crime Victims, to Prevent Death Penalty Appeals
Nearly five years after voters passed a constitutional amendment about victims’ rights, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Monday urged the Florida Supreme Court to use the measure to make it harder for Death Row inmates to get stays of execution.
Jury Selection in Brenan Hill’s Trial on Murder Charge Keys In on Guns, Violence and Intent
Brennan Hill, 32 at the time, shot Savannah Gonzalez in March 2021 near the Microtel in Palm Coast. Hill’s attorney, made his intentions clear in his remarkably brief interactions with potential jurors at the end of a day of jury selection Monday: the shooting was accidental. It had nothing to do with domestic violence. It was a homicide, but not a murder.
Obviously, the prosecution disagrees, though it did not tip its hand today as Bettman did.
Flagler County Joins St. Johns in Banning ‘Floating Structures’ Used as Unregulated Party Stores on Waterways
A month after St. Johns County did so, the Flagler County Commission last week banned all floating structures used on county rivers, lakes or inlets “like a neighborhood convenience store on the water,” as a county memo describes them, and that the county considers unregulated nuisances that at times damage the surrounding ecology.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 11, 2023
September 11 commemoration at heroes Park in Palm Coast, the Bunnell City Commission approves its budget and tax rates for next year, Don DeLillo’s Falling Man and Samuel Hynes.
Rebuilding Ground Zero: How Lower Manhattan Was Reshaped
The destruction of the massive complex created a rare opportunity for New York City to rethink its long-term economic needs in the downtown area, while sending a message to the world that regardless of whatever al-Qaida terrorists aimed to do, New York City would come back stronger than ever. It was an unparalleled opportunity in the city’s history that otherwise would not have happened.
Paul Renner Signals Focus on Health Care with Creation of New House Committee
Signaling that health care could be a key issue during the 2024 legislative session, House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, announced Friday that he has created the House Select Committee on Health Innovation. The committee, which will be chaired by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, will “review issues relating to access and affordability in health care,” Renner said in a memo to House members.
Law Enforcement, Court and Incident Round-Up: Sept. 1-8
Running a stop sign leads to an arrest on two felonies, a bored inmate triggers a fire sprinkler, four are arrested for illegally picking palmetto berries, a child drowns in Seminole Woods, Brendan Depa’s pre-trial is postponed.
Dead White Males Return: Behind Florida GOP’s Push for Christian-Leaning Classic Learning Test Instead of SAT
The new Classic Learning Test has been pushed by conservative politicians and religious activists as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, and will now be accepted as a measure of admission in Florida colleges and universities. Of the 12 private institutions in Florida that now accept the CLT, 11 are religiously affiliated.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 10, 2023
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market, Hamdi Ulukaya, the Turkish or rather Kurdish immigrant sheep herder who became Chobani billionaire, Colin Thubron on the Hills of Adonis and Jabal Sannin.
Do Unbiased Jurors Exist for Trump’s Trials?
Finding unbiased jurors in the pre-digital age, even in high-profile cases, was challenging but nothing like today. Once chosen, jurors needed to maintain that unbiased status and were told not to discuss the case with anyone and to avoid radio, television and newspapers. If the case involved the death penalty, jurors might be sequestered. Today, that same approach won’t work.
Nikki Haley’s Fascist-Flirting Flip-Flops
Haley won pundit praise for her recent GOP debate performance – at times she sounded saner and smarter than some of her rivals (an admittedly low bar). But then she hit the wall. She described Inmate #P01135809 as “the most disliked politician in America,” someone who would not be electable in 2024 – but she signaled, by raising her hand, that she’d still support Trump as the party’s nominee, even if he were criminally convicted prior to the election.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Lt. Richard Cline Retires After 25 Years of Service
The Palm Coast Fire Department bids a fond farewell to Richard “Rich” Cline as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement after a proud career spanning 25 years, dedicated to serving the City of Palm Coast.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Gamble Jam at Gamble Recreation Area in Flagler Beach, keeping an eye on the tropics, Philip Roth and Michiko Kakutani on on Saul Bellow, reading the Bellarosa Connection.
Even A Great Superintendent Can’t Fix a Clueless School Board
If you think the appointment of LaShakia Moore as superintendent will make a difference, think again. Moore’s biggest job will be to run interference to save what’s left of this district from the Huns, because the problem was never with the administration or the ranks. It’s with the majority of a board that doesn’t know its role, doesn’t know its limits, and doesn’t know education from flip-flops.
Beyond Corals, Marine Heatwaves Cause Chaos on the Seafloor
Over 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases has gone into our oceans. So it’s no surprise marine heatwaves are getting much more intense and more frequent. This year has been off the charts. From April this year, the world’s average ocean temperature has been the highest ever recorded.
Should You be Worried About Monster Hurricane Lee? Models and Emergency Chief Say No, But Erosion a Concern
For the last several days, Hurricane Lee, the most powerful storm of the season yet and a potential record-breaker, has been as if making a beeline for Florida, from the middle Atlantic. But models and Flagler County’s emergency management director say the hurricane in five days will make an abrupt turn north well before it comes near the Florida Peninsula. Still, the dangerous storm is expected to cause more erosion on an already weakened Flagler County shore, with hurricane season just beginning to peak.
Palm Coast Fire Department Wins $23,000 EMS Grant
The Palm Coast Fire Department proudly announces its success in securing the 2022-2023 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Matching Grant, administered by the Florida Department of Health, with a grant value of $23,183.00. This grant, part of the EMS Trust Fund, underscores the department’s ongoing commitment to elevating emergency medical services in the community.
A Uncomfortable Supreme Court Hears Abortion-Ban Case, with Privacy Protections on the Ropes
Five of the seven justices are appointees of the anti-abortion Gov. Ron DeSantis. A sixth, Charles Canady, is married to the legislator who co-sponsored the six-week ban on abortion. He did not recuse himself. If the court upholds a 15-week abortion ban, it would also mean that a six-week ban–more recently passed by the Legislature–would take effect 30 days after the ruling.
40-Year-Old Cyclist Killed in Collision with Pick-Up on U.S. 1, North of Old Dixie Highway Roundabout
A 40-year-old Ormond Beach woman was killed and her 45-year-old husband was seriously injured when both were struck by a pick-up truck as they rode their bicycles south on U.S. 1, just north of the Old Dixie Highway roundabout, in midafternoon Thursday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 8, 2023
The Blue 24 Forum, LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, Jane Addams’s birthday, Christopher Hitchens v. Dinesh D’Souza.
‘Fairness and Diversity’ Training for Judges? Florida Supreme Court Rules It Unnecessary.
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday kept in place a decision to delete part of a rule that allowed judges to take courses in “fairness and diversity” to meet continuing-education requirements. In a 5-1 order, the court said it had considered comments and determined that “no further amendments to the rule are warranted at this time.”
America’s Long Road to Meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
A strong economy isn’t possible without a society peaceful enough to support investment and well-functioning markets, or without water and air clean enough to support life and productivity. This understanding – that economic, social and environmental well-being are intertwined – is the premise of sustainable development.
Ex-Matanzas Student Facing Adult Gun and Molestation Charges Here Is Attending High School in Wisconsin
Marshall Thomas, the former Matanzas High School student who was charged as an adult with gun theft and, separately, charged as an adult with the sexual assault of a Matanzas student at school in May 2022, was enrolled in a charter school in northern Wisconsin after posting $60,000 bond in Flagler County. Both cases are pending, with Thomas’s next scheduled pre-trial in Circuit Court in Bunnell on Oct. 11. A parent in Wisconsin is concerned about Thomas’s presence among students there.
Bunnell Elementary Principal Evensen Resigns, Saying She ‘Certainly’ Does Not Deserve What’s Happening to Her
Donelle Evensen this morning announced her resignation as Bunnell Elementary principal five weeks after being named to the position, and not quite three weeks after being placed on leave following her approval of an assembly where faculty segregated Black students. At no point in either letters does Evensen take responsibility or offer any regret for the tenor of the assembly or the misjudgments that led to it.
Flagler County Bans Beach Bonfires in Turtle-Nesting Season, Joining Prohibitions Long in Place in 3 Towns
Thirteen years ago, after much controversy, the Flagler Beach City Commission banned bonfires on the beach during turtle season. Beverly Beach and Marineland have similar bans. But it was only on Monday that the ban extended to the rest of the county’s beaches–18 miles of shoreline in all–as the County Commission voted 5-0 to approve an ordinance.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 7, 2023
Brendan Depa has a pre-trial hearing before Judge Perkins, drug court meets, a few thoughts on Plato’s “Gorgias” and Samuel Hynes’s experience with death, Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Debate on God.
The Long History of Politicians Silencing Elected Black Officials
Some Republican lawmakers in Georgia are targeting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Black Democrat representing a majority Black district, for removal from office. These efforts come in the midst of Willis’ investigation and prosecution of former President Donald Trump and 18 others for their alleged conspiracy to overturn results of the state’s 2020 presidential election.
Jay Scherr is New President, Amelia Fulmer 1st Vice President of Flagler Tiger Bay Club
Jay Scherr will serve as President of the organization, with Amelia Fulmer serving as First Vice President, Dr. Joe Saviak and Marc Dwyer as Second Vice Presidents. Gary Walsh will continue as the organization’s Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee with Cheri Orr as Recording Secretary and Flagler Tiger Bay Club Program Manager. Jim Uveges will continue in his position as Treasurer.
Lane Closures Planned for Belle Terre Parkway Near Buddy Taylor, and Along East Hampton Boulevard
Road crews will be closing lanes to facilitate work on two projects in Palm Coast in coming days, along Belle Terre Parkway near Buddy Taylor Middle School, and along east Hampton Boulevard.
State Attorney Monique Worrell Fights Her Suspension by DeSantis at Supreme Court
Suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell on Wednesday asked the Florida Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision last month to oust her, saying he had no legal basis for the move. Worrell’s suspension came a little more than a year after DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in a highly controversial move. Worrell and Warren are Democrats, while the governor is a Republican.
Flagler School Board’s Sally Hunt Hijacks New Superintendent’s Triumph with a Hit List of Resentments
The highlight at Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Flagler County School Board should have been the triumphal appointment of LaShakia Moore as superintendent, a rare unifying moment for an often divided school board. It was briefly all that, until School Board member Sally Hunt hijacked the occasion with what amounted to a hit list for coming meetings: School Board attorney Kristy Gavin. School Board Chair Cheryl Massaro. The school board’s own conduct. “Bullies.” “The media.”
$12.3 Million Pedestrian Bridge Over State Road 100 Gets Its Grand Opening on Sept. 19
The tin-tented, recently rust-painted and frequently derided pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 will get its public grand opening celebration the afternoon of September 19. A coat of darkening chemicals was applied to the tipi-like stainless steel tent over the bridge to diminish its reflection’s almost blinding effect at sunup and sundown, depending on which direction one was traveling.
With K-12 Health Standards Mum on Abortion, Younger Floridians Seek More Influence Ahead of Court Case
The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Sept. 8 on the abortion issues and could reverse the course the court set more than 30 years ago. Some young Floridians are turning to the future of reproductive freedom in Florida, as through Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group that launched a pro-abortion initiative to add a constitutional referendum on reproductive freedom to the November 2024 ballot.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Separation Chat, Open Discussion, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library, the Flagler County Republican Club meets, mapping where journalists disappear.
Does Year-Round School Work? It’s Hazy.
“Year-round” school usually doesn’t mean students going to school throughout the year – or for more days than other students. Often it just means switching up the calendar so that there’s not such a long summer break. Two experts discuss benefits and drawbacks.
