• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Commentary

Coronavirus Prevention Is Not Overreaction: Flagler Schools Should Extend Spring Break

March 12, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 47 Comments

wols fantome bleu

With the coronavirus and its many knowns and unknowns, what may look like an overreaction today is the most effective form of prevention, and should not be given the chance to look like playing catch-up weeks from now. 

Misplaced Inquisitions: Mayor Holland, Coastal Cloud and the Palm Coast Observer

March 4, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 32 Comments

Mayor Milissa Holland anchored a 90-minute segment at Monday's Palm Coast City Council meeting, devoted entirely to refuting allegations about the city's relationship with Coastal Cloud, and the mayor's role. The mayor is a company employee. (© FlaglerLive)

Mayor Milissa Holland and Coastal Cloud Co-owner Tim Hale repeatedly–and unfairly–invoked Palm Coast Observer Editor Brian McMillan’s name in poor light during a 90-minute city council segment devoted entirely to refuting critical allegations about the city’s contract with the company.

Stop Cloaking Bigotry in Veils of ‘Religious Freedom’

March 2, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

A Supreme Court case could open the door to even more legal discrimination in the name of religious freedom. The intolerant should rethink their claim to piety and morals, which contradict their ends.

Without Apologies: Why EPAC Exists, and Why We Are Concerned About the Choice for Superintendent

February 26, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

A.R. Penck's 'Large World Picture' (1965).

Kristi Furnari, secretary of the Exceptional Student Education Parent Advisory Council, explains the organization’s deep and at times controversial involvement in the Flagler school district’s search for the next superintendent.

Lessons from the Border

February 21, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Central American migrants in southern Mexico. (Peter Haden)

Even if people know a little about the border with Mexico, many Americans simply have no idea about the U.S. policies that have created the displacement crisis, including American support for a criminal Honduran president.

‘Shocked and Gravely Concerned,’ Domestic Violence Leaders Support Investigations and Seek to Reassure Donors

February 17, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Trish Giaccone, nearest on right at the table, heads Flagler County's Family Life Center. She addressing the Publci Safety Coordinating Council, of which she is a member, in a meeting last year. (© FlaglerLive)

Trish Giaccone, who heads Flagler County’s shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence, issued a pair of letters supporting the ongoing investigations in the state domestic violence agency’s spending and pledging transparency.

That Old “Socialism” Slur

February 16, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

Bernie Sanders socialism by DonkeyHotey.

For decades, Republicans have painted anyone left of Barry Goldwater as a “socialist.” Why? Because for a generation raised on the Cold War, “socialist” just seemed like a damaging label.

Flagler Politicians, Take Note: Brevard Taxpayers Just Paid $490,000 to Settle Illegal Christian Prayers at Meetings

February 13, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 36 Comments

Perhaps they should be praying not to get sued.

Just as Flagler County commissioners started proffering prayers at public meetings, as the school board almost did, the Brevard County Commission paid out $490,000 in a settlement for doing so illegally for years.

There’s No ‘Great American Comeback,’ and Certainly Not for Blue-Collar Workers

February 7, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 43 Comments

Dayton, Ohio. (David Wilson)

Low overall unemployment means little when half of Americans now work low-wage jobs. Manufacturing remains in decline, farm bankruptcies are spiraling, and union membership just hit an all-time low.

The School Board’s Proposed Decorum Rules Are a Pretext to Silence Critical Information

February 6, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 20 Comments

The Flagler County School Board has taken to plastering its rules outside meeting rooms. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County School Board is considering speech restrictions at its meetings that include comment cards before a person can speak and prohibiting references to staff, students or anyone in the district.

The Senate’s Make-Believe Trial of Donald Trump

February 2, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

The building in back could use some repairs. (US Capitol)

In his 40 years as a lawyer, the author has never seen a trial flout the basic requirements for fairness so brazenly. In a real trial, any juror who admitted conspiring with the defendant would be unceremoniously ejected from the jury, for starters.

School Board: Don’t Boot Out 4 Advisory Panel Citizens in Superintendent Search Because of Conklin’s Application

February 2, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The Flagler County School Board preparing for a meeting last year. (© FlaglerLive)

Stephen Furnari is one of the Conklin appointees to the Citizens Advisory Committee, and a representative of the ESE community. But he and three other Conklin appointees are being excluded from the committee now that Conklin is applying for superintendent.

The Florida Lottery Exploits a Racist Stereotype

February 1, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 55 Comments

A still from the Florida Lottery's latest TV ad.

The Florida Lottery just issued a 30-second television spot that exploits a bigoted stereotype–the African-American with oversized lips–themed around making the black patient’s teeth “100 times whiter.”

Citizens United, the Court Ruling That Sold Our Democracy

January 27, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

citizens united campaign finance

With Citizens United, the Supreme Court essentially married the terrible idea that “money is speech” to the terrible idea that “corporations are people.” There’s a way out.

No, Joe Mullins, Flagler Is Not a ‘Trump County.’ It Is an American County.

January 27, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 114 Comments

Joe Mullins

Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins followed his call on liberals to love Flagler County or leave with suggestions of putting them on trains and buses, which brings to mind a different period of history, Christopher Goodfellow points out in an open letter to the commissioner.

Hack This: Palm Coast Is Onto Something With Tech Beach Competition

January 24, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 5 Comments

palm coast tech beach hackathon pierre tristam

Palm Coast’s Tech Beach Hackathon last weekend points the way to a more useful form form of economic and innovative development, especially when contrasted with the enormous waste of dollars and resources over the past years at the county’s economic development department.

Palm Coast’s War on Dollar Stores and Their Customers Contradicts City’s Inclusive Plan

January 20, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 48 Comments

The new Dollar General on Matanzas Woods Parkway in Palm Coast. (GoToby.com)

The Palm Coast City Council imposed a 120-day moratorium on new dollar-type discount stores, citing vague fears of “long-term effects” on the community, a decision that runs counter to free-market ideals.

Flawed Marijuana-Impaired DUI Testing Means Wrongful Prosecutions and Lax Enforcement

January 19, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

DUI checkpoints can rely on relatively effective breath tests to check for alcohol-impaired drivers, but law enforcement has no equivalent to reliably test for marijuana impairment.

DUI-testing for marijuana impairment is inaccurate, easily disputed and defeated. The result is uneven prosecution. Innocent drivers are being wrongly convicted. Impaired drivers are remaining undetected, posing a potential safety risk to everyone on the road.

For Seven Days, Flagler Sees Florida’s Broken Death Penalty Machinery in Action

January 16, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 20 Comments

death penalty broken trial tristam

Though David Snelgrove was finally sentenced to life in prison rather than death this week, his trial shows how the 20-year ordeal in court could have been avoided with the same result two decades ago, had capital punishment not been on the table.

American Impotence: Trump’s Assassination of Suleimani Masks Broad Retreat

January 8, 2020 | Pierre Tristam | 37 Comments

donald trump

All is not well: Donald Trump’s assassination of Iran’s Suleimani masks how far American power has been forced into retreat across the Middle East, and will only accelerate strategic losses that endanger American lives and interests.

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz Supports A) Bigger Government; B) Taking Away Women’s Rights; C) More Intrusive Government; D) All of the Above.

January 7, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz is Flagler County's representative in Congress. (© FlaglerLive)

Michael Waltz, Flagler County’s voice in the House of Representatives, recently signed on to a Friend of the Court brief saying the time is right to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the seminal 1973 Supreme Court case that established a constitutional right to an abortion.

In Flagler, Life-Saving Policing You Can Be Proud Of

December 28, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

A suicide-by-cop situation in the parking lot of the Flagler County courthouse in march 2017, one of several standoffs with armed or seemingly armed individuals that sheriff's deputies resolved peacefully.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is entering its eighth year without a single officer-initiated shooting of a civilian, a heroic achievement that contrasts tragically with jurisdictions across the country where 900 to 1,000 civilians lose their lives annually.

A Year-End Thank You To Our Readers and Supporters From the FlaglerLive Board of Directors

December 23, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

As you and your family make decisions as to which organizations will receive your charitable donations, please keep in mind that there are those who would like nothing more than to have aggressive news outlets like FlaglerLive disappear entirely.

Flagler School Board Lets a Pastor Insult a Transgender Student at a Meeting, In His Presence

December 19, 2019 | Pierre Tristam | 67 Comments

Rev. Charlene Cothran of Palm Coast’s Zion Baptist Church, and a Realtor in town, appeared before the school board Tuesday

Rev. Charlene Cothran of Palm Coast called a transgender student “mentally ill” and his father “confused” and “intimidated” in both their presence during a Flagler County School Board meeting this week, with pushback only from Colleen Conklin.

Trump’s Judaism Order Has Nothing To Do With Fighting Anti-Semitism

December 18, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

trump anti-semitism order

The meat of this action is aimed at Israeli boycott movements on college campuses across the U.S. It threatens to withhold federal funding from schools where students organize events linked to the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights.

Save the Minor Leagues

December 17, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

daytona tortugas minor league

These teams have provided a way for folks in rural and underserved areas to see baseball and future major leaguers for a fraction of the price of traveling to an MLB city. And they’re a way to boost the communities they play in.

Amicus Curiae: The 16-Year-Old FPC Girl Was Racist. She Was Stupid. She Was Not Criminal.

December 11, 2019 | Pierre Tristam | 18 Comments

Assistant State Prosecutor Jason Lewis, left, shows FPC School Resource Deputy Jason Williams the computer the 16-year-old girl (now 17) used to write her side of the chat at the heart of the case, with another student, last December. Circuit Judge Chris France heard the case in a non-jury trial last week. A decision is expected in the next few days. (© FlaglerLive)

In the case of an FPC girl who wrote bigoted threats about her teacher last December, the prosecution is making outlandish claims that it was act of terrorism, stretching the meaning of a 2018 law passed after the Parkland massacre. The law does not apply, as even the prosecution acknowledged the case’s weaknesses.

Lunatic Conspiracy Theories Are Corroding Today’s GOP

December 9, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Devin Nunes, the California House Republican, interpreted by DonkeyHotey. Caricature

How do the horrific events of Charlottesville, the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a similar hate crime in California directly relate to the eye-rolling pronouncements by Devin Nunes, Rudy Giuliani, and other Republicans in defense of President Donald Trump?

Is Marijuana a Gateway Drug?

December 4, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

marijuana gateway jill richardson

Like nearly all Americans of a certain age, we were told in school that tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are gateway drugs — and that is why marijuana should remain illegal. The myth bears closer examination.

Belle Terre Elementary PTO President Jennifer Paterno Addresses Ongoing Investigations

December 4, 2019 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Looking past the Terence Culver era at Belle Terre Elementary. (© FlaglerLive)

Belle Terre Elementary School President Jennifer Paterno discusses her role in bringing to light issues that led to an internal school district and criminal investigation of alleged financial improprieties in the organization previously.

Who is Worse, Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell?

December 3, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

mitch mcconnell donald trump

Even if Trump is gone, if the Senate remains in Republican hands and McConnell is reelected, America loses because McConnell will still have a chokehold on the democracy, argues Robert Reich.

What Would It Cost to Buy the 2020 Election?

November 26, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org bloomberg

At $100 a vote, a victory in November 2020 would run Michael Bloomberg $6.3 billion. He is currently sitting on a personal fortune worth $52 billion. He could easily afford it.

Why I Filed the Complaint Against Belle Terre Principal Terence Culver

November 26, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Terence Culver remains the principal at Belle Terre Elementary until early next year. (© FlaglerLive)

Stephen Furnari, author of the complaint against Belle Terre Principal Terence Culver, cites misappropriation of funds, sexual harassment and hostile workplace, discrimination and nepotism and retaliatory practices, among other issues.

Daytona Tortugas Respond to Major League Baseball’s Plan to Eliminate The Team

November 24, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

daytona tortugas

The owners and staff of the Daytona Tortugas minor league team in Daytona Beach respond to Major League Baseball’s plan to eliminate 42 minor league teams, including the Tortugas.

Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare For All: Unfair and Irresponsible

November 23, 2019 | Pierre Tristam | 45 Comments

elizabeth warren medicare for all

Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for all proposal is right in principle but is not realistic, fair or honest and it ensures that Warren’s candidacy will not succeed at a time when a door knob should have the capabilities of defeating Donald Trump.

Whose News Literacy? What’s ‘Fake News’? Resources for Teachers and Students Raise Questions.

November 19, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

The Center for News Literacy’s depiction of the world of journalism—who’s missing?

Inappropriately named “fake news” is real, pernicious and dangerous, but the tools developed to detect it and teach students savvy media literacy can be problematic, with an over-reliance on the status quo.

Happy Birthday to Sen. Inhofe, Undisputed Champion Climate Denier in U.S. Politics

November 18, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Sen. Jim Inhofe, right, celebrating a different birthday in 2008--the Army's 233rd. (US Army)

Jim Inhofe, the Senate’s unwavering climate denier, turns 85 on Sunday. Peter Dysktra requested a Q&A with him when he turns 100 to see how the “hoax” has turned out.

Should Commissioner Joe Mullins Be Chained and Muzzled?

November 14, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 69 Comments

Clounty Commissioner Joe Mullins

In what he said was sarcasm, Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins wrote a woman that “We did decide to chain and muzzle all radical liberals in the county” at Tuesday’s town hall on dog-chaining, which he hosted. It’s an inadmissible offense on many levels.

Sunshine State News and Nancy Smith Say Goodbye After 10 Years

November 13, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

nancy smith sunshine state news

Nancy Smith has been the editor of Sunshine State News, the conservative online news site, for all its 10 years. Smith describes those years and why the time has come to say goodbye.

How Republicans, Not Russians, Threaten Fair Elections

November 6, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 39 Comments

Republicans are less likely to win elections when voter turnout is high. So GOP lawmakers have been doing all they can to restrict or roll back voting rights.

Water Less With Seasonal Focus on Conservation To Sustain Water Supply

November 1, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

water conditions drought ann shoretell

The St. Johns River Water Management District has launched a new year-long “Water Less” campaign to help raise awareness about water conservation and to communicate easy ways to integrate outdoor water conservation into our daily lives without sacrificing curb appeal.

Don’t Leave Gender Equality or Definition to the Supreme Court

October 31, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 19 Comments

The Supreme Court’s ruling will have a drastic material impact on the millions of transgender people living in the United States. Allowing this discrimination to continue will threaten many more with unemployment and economic hardship.

Sexual Misconduct and the Plague of Himpathy

October 28, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

The alleged perpetrator gets to share his story, to humanize himself, to present himself as relatable, reflective, and truthful to a nation of viewers. The women who accused him don’t.

Flagler County’s Economic Development Farce Is Wasting Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Beat Its Own Drum

October 28, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The eight years of Flagler County's economic development council have produced almost more meetings of the council than jobs that could be attributed to its involvement. (© FlaglerLive)

Since Flagler County government created the $450,000-a-year economic development department, the county has added 10,000 jobs, but only a few dozen as a result of the department’s involvement.

Florida’s Parental Consent Abortion Bill Is Intended to Shame and Scare Pregnant Girls

October 27, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

parental consent rights

“We’re stridently noisily pro-choice creatures,” conservative writer Nancy Smith says. “You know why? Because we remember what it was like to grow up in towns and cities without Roe V. Wade. We were there, eyes wide open.”

China Plays the NBA

October 23, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

The obvious prioritization of commercial ties with a government that’s attacking demonstrators in Hong Kong and putting millions of ethnic Uyghurs in concentration camps is a damning statement about what the league — and the economic system it operates in — truly values.

Where Is Line Worker Barbie?

October 21, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Mattel rolled out an extensive line of “Career Dolls,” including Barbie pilots, firefighters, and robotic engineers, to inspire its young patrons. But there’s one career you won’t find in this line: the typical working woman on the Mattel payroll.

What Life On the Margin Feels Like

October 14, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

An image from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Homecoming Committee.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, is in an uproar over a video to promote the school’s homecoming that features no students of color. Here’s how young people of color feel at being treated like “others.”

Gender Traitors: Fired While Gay

October 13, 2019 | Pierre Tristam | 5 Comments

Donald Zarda was fired from his skydiving instructor job for being gay. He died in a BASE jumping accident in 2014, but his case continues, and is one of three gender-discrimination cases before the U.S. Supreme Court this term. (Facebook)

The Supreme Court will decide three cases that ask a question you should be offended to hear still asked today: may an employer fire a worker for being gay? The answer in most states, including Florida, is yes.

Bernie’s Heart. And Ours.

October 7, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

Bernie Sanders. (Iowa Public Radio)

Bernie has a huge and eternally healthy heart, filled with the lifeblood of empathy and dedication. In essence, that’s what the 2020 Sanders campaign is all about. Not him. Us.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 42
  • Page 43
  • Page 44
  • Page 45
  • Page 46
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 70
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • HayRide on Israel Has Been Silencing and Assassinating Palestinians Journalists Since 1967
  • Atwp on Trump’s Invasion of DC Costs Over $1 Million a Day. Here’s What That Could Pay for Instead.
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 25, 2025
  • Ellen Tozzi on In a Surprise, Committee Plans Full Rewrite of Palm Coast Charter, Not Just Amendments. Council May Differ.
  • Ray W, on Free State of Florida Proclaims Right-Wing Indoctrination in Schools
  • Cracker me this Son.... on In a Surprise, Committee Plans Full Rewrite of Palm Coast Charter, Not Just Amendments. Council May Differ.
  • Ray W, on 3rd Lawsuit Challenges Florida’s Authority to Run ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Hold People Without Charges
  • Dr. Michael Ruel on Flagler County Issues Statement Explaining Letter About New Tax to Be Levied on Barrier Island Property Owners
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 25, 2025
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
  • S meter on Trump’s Invasion of DC Costs Over $1 Million a Day. Here’s What That Could Pay for Instead.
  • Larry on 23-Year-Old Man Facing 15 Charges, Including Carjacking, Following 140 MPH Chase and Crash at SR100
  • Jake from state farm on Free State of Florida Proclaims Right-Wing Indoctrination in Schools
  • Samuel L. Bronkowitz on Zohran Mamdani Exposes Nullity of Democrats and Republicans
  • Ed P on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
  • Republican no longer on In a Surprise, Committee Plans Full Rewrite of Palm Coast Charter, Not Just Amendments. Council May Differ.

Log in