FlaglerLive was the target of a malicious attack Thursday from an Islamist based in Southwest Turkey. The attack was overridden in late afternoon but exposed the sort of vulnerabilities that much larger news organizations have been discovering recently.
Economy
Flagler Posts Biggest Single-Month Unemployment Drop Since Recession, to 8.4%, as 474 Residents Gain Jobs
Flagler County still has the second-highest unemployment rate in the state, but September was a banner month for the county’s economic health in almost every regard.
Florida Hospital Flagler Names Chief Medical Officer and OR’s Nurse Manager
Florida Hospital Flagler announced this week the appointment of Dr. Ronald Thomas as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Lauretta Kiniery as the nurse manager for the hospital’s operating rooms, sterile processing department and endoscopy department.
Family-Owned Beutlich Pharmaceuticals Bringing 25 to 30 Jobs to Flagler by January
Beutlich Pharmaceuticals, a family-owned pharmaceutical company based in Waukegan, Ill., is moving to a 20,000 square-foot warehouse in Bunnell, where it expects to hire 25 to 30 people. The company will operate locally by January 2015.
Despite Big Economic Impact, Flagler Beach Mostly Snubs Groundbreaking to Double Gamble Rogers Park’s Camping Sites
There were more top state and county officials than Flagler Beach officials at today’s groudbreaking at Gamble Rogers State Park, an echo of the city’s failed attempt to change the name of the recreation area back to Flagler Beach last month.
Bloodbath at Deteriorating Tallahassee Democrat Is Newspapers’ Latest For-Profit Suicide
The story of the Tallahassee Democrat’s decomposition is a deeper cautionary tale on how monopoly media can turn a vibrant, growing community into a cloistered cultural backwater.
Waterside Pools Inc., (386) 447-3390
15 Hargrove Lane, #3K, Palm Coast
Waterside Pools Inc in Palm Coast provides pool construction, repairs, maintenance and cleanings, servicing Flagler Volusia St. Johns.
“Thank You for Using Your Legs to Show Us What’s In Your Hearts,” Palm Coast Mayor Tells Pink Army
This morning’s 5K Pink Army run for breast cancer awareness drew hundreds of runners, walkers and strollers of all ages and sizes who thronged Town Center just after dawn, for the cause.
From Polish and Italian to Arabic and Creole: The Changing Sound of the American Street
One-fifth of Americans now speak a language other than English at home. Fastest-growing are Arabic and Creole, though Spanish and Chinese are still the number 1 and 2 languages after English.
“Barefoot in the Park” Inaugurates Flagler Playhouse’s New Season, and Renovated Digs
Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” opens a new season for a Flagler Playhouse that benefited from a $150,000 state grant and used it to improve its stage’s wing space, provide better rest rooms and storage space.
Creekside Festival Celebrates 10th Year Saturday and Sunday at Princess Place Preserve
Drawing upwards of 15,000 guests each year, the Chamber of Commerce-managed two-day festival offers exhibits and activities to appeal to all tastes. This year’s event is set for Saturday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 12.
A1A Pride Votes 7-3 to Reject Salamander Plan for 198-Room Hotel at Hammock Beach
Today’s vote is only advisory ahead of action before the county’s planning board and the County Commission. But A1A’s membership represents a powerful constituency in the Hammock, as its previous displays of political muscle indicate.
Pro Sports Plus on Palm Coast Parkway Closing After 17 Years
After 30 years in the sporting goods industry, Bo Ankrom has decided to close the doors of his sporting goods store, Pro Sports Plus that has been in Palm Coast since 1997.
Florida Hospital Flagler To See Medicare Payments Reduced 0.37% Per Patient, one of 148 Penalized in State
The penalty is intended to jolt hospitals to pay attention to what happens to their patients after they leave and reduce the rate of readmission of Medicare patients.
Canceled Health Insurance: Round 2 Approaching, And It’ll Cost You More
Thousands of consumers who were granted a reprieve to keep insurance plans that don’t meet the federal health law’s standards are now learning those plans will be discontinued at year’s end, and they’ll have to choose a new policy, which may cost more.
County Road 305 Culvert Replacements Will Not Be Completed Until 2015
One culvert has been delayed by heavy rains and won’t be finished until October, two more won’t be done until January 2015, the county administration said.
Colossal Waste: U.S. Aid to Afghanistan Now Exceeds Marshall Plan, With Little Return
Adjusted for inflation, U.S. appropriations for the reconstruction of Afghanistan exceed the funds committed to the Marshall Plan, the U.S. aid program that delivered billions of dollars between 1948 and 1952 to help 16 European countries recover in the aftermath of World War II.
Unemployment Falls to 5.9% as Economy Adds 248,000 Jobs, Brightening Outlook
After nine months in the 6 percent range, the national unemployment rate in September fell to 5.9 percent, reaching a level last seen in July 2008, when it was rising fast.
Everybody Needs a Little Raciness: City Rep Theatre Launches 4th Season With Joyful, Raunchy “Avenue Q”
Nominated for six Tony awards and winner of three, “Avenue Q,” for the first time in Palm Coast, is a hilarious send-up of Seasame Street by way of hard-edged themes–racism, porn, suckiness–featuring puppets and songs. It’s all laughs.
Lockheed’s F-35 Stealth Fighter: A $1.5 Trillion Waste of Tax Dollars
With a projected eye-popping price tag of up to $344.8 million each, the F-35 is almost 8 years behind schedule, billions over budget and not yet combat-ready. And it’s bleeding the Treasury.
FPL’s $13-a-Month Surcharge on Customers Who Refuse Smart Meters Draws Challenges
The dispute involves only a fraction of FPL’s customers, but it is part of a broader controversy in which critics say they worry the new meter technology could pose threats to their privacy or health.
More Land For Pops as City Embraces Partnership With Palm Coast Arts Foundation
The city has agreed to lease the foundation–which is set to raise its first physical structure–even more land than it had before in Town Center and increasing the arts group’s space by about a third, and doubling the length of the $1-year-lease to 10 years.
Nursing Home Surveillance: Should You Be Able to Spy On Your Grandma’s Caretakers?
Illinois may be about to join at least four other states that have laws or regulations allowing residents to maintain cameras in nursing home patients’ rooms. Florida is not among them.
Palm Coast Sets Special Meeting Tuesday to Consider Tax Breaks for Palm Harbor Shopping Center’s Redevelopment
The unusual special meeting is set to two proposed measures: a tax-break package valued at $52,000 for the Palm Harbor shopping center redevelopment, and a $900,000 purchase of 21 vehicles for the city’s fleet.
Flagler Beach Retreats From Clumsy Attempt To Regulate Farmers’ Market, But It Isn’t Over
Flagler Beach Farmers’ Market owner Zoee Forehand was stunned by an imprecise city proposal to impose new regulations on the market. Thursday, the city commission agreed to step back and let the owners, their attorney and the city attorney draft a proposal together.
In a First for Flagler Schools, Student-Staffed VyStar Bank Branch Opens at Matanzas, Heralding Era of Business Partnerships
The opening of a nearly full-service VyStar Credit Union branch at Matanzas is part of a class, and part of the school’s–and the district’s–flagship programs, intended to bridge school and careers with hands-on opportunities.
Florida Sheds 4,000 Jobs and Unemployment Rate Ticks Up to 6.3%, Also Rising in Flagler
In Flagler County, the unemployment rate went up to 9.5 percent, the number of people with jobs fell by 207, and the labor force, an indicator of local economic vitality, fell by 186 after rising in previous months.
Insurers’ Latest Ploy: Shifting Costs to the Sick By Making Them Pay More For Drugs
The Affordable Care Act is designed to forbid it, but health insurers are finding a new way to extract money from policy holders with pre-existing conditions–by steering them to more expensive drugs.
1st Quarter Revenue at Palm Coast Data Falls 13%, But CEO Paints Brighter Picture Ahead
Revenues from the company’s Media Services businesses, which include Palm Coast Data’s Subscription Fulfillment Services, fell from $20.3 million for the first quarter of 2014 to $17.5 million in the 1st quarter of fiscal year 2015. CEO Rory Burke said the company is “not teetering on the brink of disaster.”
Can This Guy Help Save Florida Oranges? State Unveils $1 Million Captain Citrus
The muscled-up Captain Citrus, intended to help boost Florida citrus sales while fighting evil, has undergone a $1 million head-to-toe makeover with the help of comic-book giant Marvel Entertainment. He was unveiled Tuesday by the Department of Citrus at a comic-book store in Tampa.
Gamble Rogers Rec Area Will Keep Its Name as Flagler Beach Concedes: “Not Worth the Fight”
The Flagler Beach City Commission and the County Commission both retreated from a push to remove Gamble Rogers’s name from the Flagler Beach recreation area following a series of setbacks and a public backlash against the idea.
Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Enrollment Approaches 400 as 10th Anniversary Season Begins
The Flagler Youth Orchestra drew a record number of students as it began its 10th season today with bi-weekly classes at Indian Trails Middle School, a testament to the school district’s sustained support of its broadest, most successful afterschool arts program.
Flagler Celebrating 2nd Annual Arts in Education Week From Stage to Frames to Slams
More than a dozen arts and culture events put the focus this week on arts in education in Flagler and Palm Coast, including theater, art shows, a poetry slam and a costume gala.
Nature Scapes Is Now Home to a Bird Sanctuary in the Late Marylou Baiata’s Memory
Local bird expert Trudy Tappan helped started the Baiata Bird Sanctuary after the death of long-time owner Marylou Baiata in July. Her son has since taken over Nature Scapes, which now also includes on its grounds the new Hollingsworth Gallery and other features.
Fuego Del Mar Restaurant Owner Again Draws Commissioner McGrew’s Wrath in Battle Over Entertainment Permits
For the second time in 15 months, McGrew publicly let loose a torrent of venom against Nick Kimball, questioning his word, his neighborliness, his business habits, even his “good faith” in a 90-minute hearing where one of Kimball’s permit requests was approved, another denied.
3rd Palm Coast International Festival Set for Oct. 4 at Town Center
Celebrate Palm Coast’s diverse cultural heritage – through food, wine, beer, entertainment and art – at the third annual Palm Coast International Festival, scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Central Park in Town Center.
Family Insurance Premiums Rise Modestly For 3rd Year, But Still Approach $17,000
While both critics and supporters of the Affordable Care Act are likely to find fodder for their positions, the report portrays 2014 as a relatively stable year for employer coverage, with little change in the type of plans offered or their costs.
Moving Minds, a Virtual Web Consultancy, Projects 50-Job Expansion in Flagler
Moving Minds, originally D.C.-based, is looking to have a physical office in Flagler and hire 50 people over the next three to five years. The announcement by the county’s economic development council today was one of three potential job producers in the pipeline.
Flagler’s Constitutional Officers, With Combined Salaries of $1 Million, Get 0.4% Bump
When the $140,406 in salaries to city elected officials is added to the figure, the combined total, for elected officials in Flagler County, stands at $1.13 million for the coming year, not including benefits.
Palm Coast and County Close to a Deal 4 Years in the Making, Resolving Conflict Over Airport
The Palm Coast City Council is still not entirely happy with the agreement because of uncertainty over a potential city park, and the county commission hasn’t even seen or discussed the agreement.
Tepid Jobs Report Leaves Unemployment at 6.1% With Lowest Job Creation Since January
The economy created just 142,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department reported this morning, the lowest total since January, when 129,000 jobs were created. The unemployment rate dropped by just a decimal point, to 6.1 percent.
Legislative Panel Joins Critics of Strict Proposals to Limit Legal Pot Access in Florida
A 19-page letter from the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee to the Department of Health’s general counsel questions nearly every aspect of the proposed rule, beginning with who would be allowed to apply for one of five licenses to grow, manufacture and distribute a type of cannabis approved during this year’s legislative session.
Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach: The Lure of the Modest
Gamble Rogers State Park is a 145 acre expanse on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal in Flagler Beach, named for the Florida folk singer who drowned there in 1991 while trying to save another swimmer in distress.
Florida’s Obamacare Enrollment Projected To Rise to 1.1 Million by Next Year
The number of Floridians enrolled in individual health plans under the Affordable Care Act in June was 866,485, with a 23 percent increase projected by 2015.
Labor Day Realities: When Employers Have a Hiring Bias Against the Unemployed
About 3.2 million people have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, and employers are punishing such job-seekers who have big gaps in their resumes, raising calls for anti-discrimination laws.
Tag Fees Drop Monday and Gov. Scott
Pledges More Tax Cuts on Campaign Trail
Over the next two weeks Gov. Rick Scott will campaign across the state on a pledge to cut $1 billion in taxes over the next two years.
Supreme Court Rebuffs Consumer Advocate Challenge of FPL’s $350 Million Rate Hike
The state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility issues, fought the rate increases that stemmed from a deal reached by FPL and some major power users. The Florida Public Service Commission approved a $350 million base-rate increase, along with plans for additional increases tied to three new power plants.
The End of Flagler Beach’s Blue Restaurant: A Loss Beyond Mahi Mahi Almondine
In her first interview since the announcement of the closure of Blue at the Topaz, Kelli O’Reilly describes the financial and other difficulties of keeping the business going, and many others reacted to the loss and its meaning.
Do the Math: You Couldn’t Live On Minimum Wage
Imagine living on $290 a week before taxes. It’s not a wage you can live on, Mark O’Brien, a minimum wage earner for a time recently, argues, challenging opponents of raising the minimum wage to try it for themselves.
Palm Coast Pitches New Management at Loss-Plagued Palm Harbor Golf Club, But Revenue Riddle Remains
City council members did not get clear answers from the administration about the financial and quality difference that a change in management would bring to Palm Harbor Golf Club, while users of the club have mounted a small movement to keep the current management.