William Carson Merrill shot his wife Stefanie with an AK-47 at their Covington Lane home on Feb. 21. Paul Miller shot his neighbor Dana Mulhall as the pair argued about Miller’s barking dogs on South Flagler Avenue on March 14.
Cops/Courts
Cyclist Michael The Nguyen in Critical Condition After A1A Crash in Ponte Verda Beach
Michael The Nguyen, 56, was on a bicycle, riding south on State Road A1A in Ponte Verda Beach, when Mark E. Bailey struck him with his Ford F-150 at Dolphin Boulevard. Nguyen was airlifted to Shands Jacksonvile in critical condition.
Conservatives Press Attack as Florida’s Liberal Justices Are Cleared of Campaign Wrongdoing
An investigation into the filing of qualifying papers for Florida Supreme Court Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince has been closed, but the controversy about the trio’s place on this fall’s ballot is likely to continue.
FHP’s Crackdown and the Prohibitionist Politics of Drunk Driving: A Dissent
Taking aim at today’s deployment of 40 FHP troopers on I-95, Darrell Smith calls the targeting of people who drink–as opposed to drunk drivers–a brown-shirted example of a police state mentality too readily embraced by the public.
Palm Coast Woman Hospitalized Following 2-SUV Wreck on US1, By Hess Station
Mary Rosalind Barber, a 52-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was driving north on U.S. 1 near the Hess station Thursday afternoon when a Georgia driver with four passengers cut into her right of way, slamming Barber’s SUV to its side.
FHP Deploying 40 Troopers and 2 Planes on I-95 in Flagler and 3 Other Counties Friday
The Florida Highway Patrol’s Operation Checkered Flag will take place Friday, July 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., targeting aggressive, drunk and speeding drivers. FHP is asking civilian drivers to report such drivers throughout the day, which coincides with races at the Daytona Speedway.
Flagler Beach Volunteer Fireman’s Association Awards Scholarship
The Flagler Beach Volunteer Fireman’s Association announced Firefighter / Paramedic Michael “Dusty” Snyder has been selected as the recipient of the Association’s annual Emergency Services Scholarship. Snyder will be using the scholarship to take advanced course work in Firefighter Survival Techniques.
In Flagler Beach, a Clash of Authority Entangles The Manager, Fire Chief and Commissioners
The controversy over all-expenses-paid trip Fire Chief Martin Roberts and others took to investigate fire trucks is bringing to light a more serious conflict over City Manager Bruce Campbell’s authority, and the city commission’s habit of meddling directly with city department heads, over Campbell’s.
Flagler Beach Fire Department Embroiled in Controversy Over Unauthorized Trips
Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell knew nothing about an all-expenses-paid trip his fire chief and two other fire department employees took to South Dakota in early June to look at a pumper truck, though the city commission has not approved the purchase of a replacement.
In a Snub to Cities, a Split County Commission Agrees to 15-Year Sales Tax for Jail Expansion
A 3-2 split of Flagler County commissioners agreed to place a continuation of a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot, but substantially increase the county’s share of the revenue at the expense of cities–a move Palm Coast and Flagler Beach oppose, and may jeopardize the levy’s success when voters have their say on Nov. 6.