A fire that started at about 3:15 this afternoon in a vacant, two-level house at 3518 North A1A, in Painter’s Hill, was fueled by 40 mph winds off the ocean and had quickly engulfed the structure in flames by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.
Cops/Courts
Florida Supreme Court Stays Execution, Raising Questions About Cruelty of Lethal Injection Cocktail
A 5-2 Florida Supreme Court vote put the execution of convicted murderer Askari Abdullah Muhammad on hold Monday to consider claims that the three-drug cocktail used to put inmates to death could cause unnecessary suffering.
Stolen School Bus Was Leased to Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Academy
Palm Harbor Academy, the charter school in Palm Coast, had been unaware that a school bus it was renting from 95 South Tours and Transportation of Jacksonville had been stolen from the Alachua school district.
Shooting and Car Chase Involving ATF Agents and Palm Coast Suspects Ends in Wreck and Injuries on US1 at Hess Station
The Hess Station on U.S. 1 just south of Palm Coast this morning was the scene of a chase involving federal ATF agents that culminated in a wreck involving several vehicles and a shooting. Several gunshots were fired. The chase had begun in Volusia County.
3 Hurt in 2-Vehicle Crash on Belle Terre as Right-of-Way Violation Forces Car Into Ditch
A two-vehicle crash on Belle Terre Parkway and Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Palm Coast around 6:45 p.m. sent three people to the hospital with minor injuries and snared traffic as paramedics worked the scene.
4th Suspect Surrenders in Trevor Blumenfeld’s Shooting in What Police Term a Pot Deal Gone Bad
Mathew Smith, 18, of Palm Coast is charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 4 shooting of Trevor Blumenfeld on Llovera Place in what police say was an attempt by four suspects to rob Blumenfeld of marijuana. The three other suspects are Matthew D. Morris, 20, and and Cameron M. Parker, 15, who were also arrested, and Raymond M. Spencer, 16, believed to have fled Florida.
As High Court Takes On Medical Marijuana Proposal in Florida, Politics Muddy Merits
The Florida Supreme Court will try to sort through the conflicting arguments between Attorney General Pam Bondi, who opposes legalization, and proponents of the measure. The court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5, a key step in deciding whether voters will get to have their say next fall.
In Flagler Beach, Muted Interest in Last Two Candidates Looking to Head Fire Department
Thursday evening’s town hall-style meeting with Bobby Pace and Brandon Seymour, the two candidates looking to be Flagler Beach’s Fire Captain (that is, chief), drew hardly an audience, possibly because City Manager Bruce Campbell’s choice, to be announced before Thanksgiving, has not been a secret.
William Styffe, 33, Suspected Bank Robber, Is Dead 7 Weeks After Suicide Attempt in Jail
William Carl Styffe, who was accused of trying to rob Hancock Bank in Palm Coast and robbing a Sun Trust Bank in Ormond Beach on Aug. 30, then a Compass Bank in St. Johns County a few days later, died over the weekend subsequent to injuries he sustained during a suicide attempt at the Volusia County Branch Jail on Sept. 18.
Speed Limit Could Go Up to 75 On I-95 By July, and to 70 on U.S. 1
Florida lawmakers’ proposal to raise speed limits would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe minimum and maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have least four lanes. In Flagler County, that includes I-95 and U.S. 1. On U.S. 1.