Some 17,000 Flagler customers remained without power Monday morning, and schools were closed. Gov. Rick Scott was to make an appearance in Flagler Beach with various officials.
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Weeks Era Aftershocks: Ex-Employee Sues Elections Supervisor Lenhart Over Discrimination Claims
Darlene Walker, formerly ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks’s deputy, claims Kaiti Lenhart fired her in 2015 after she returned from a medical leave because of her age and her disability.
Carnage Embroidered in Pink Hope at Flag-Raising for Breast-Cancer Awareness
Flagler County Fire Rescue had coated an entire firetruck in pink to mark the month-long Pink Army campaign, aimed at raising money and awareness for breast-cancer prevention, detection and research.
If Trump Ever Had My Vote, He Just Lost It
If Trump secretly conducted business in communist Cuba while Fidel Castro was its president, the Republican presidential nominee should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not elected to the highest office in the land.
Taxes Will Stay Flat For Most Property Owners in Flagler and Its Cities in 2017
Taxes have increased in Flagler County and in all five cities, but will be largely offset by a tax decrease in school taxes, while values have increased only marginally.
Clinton Regains Lead in Florida as Debate Bounce Ripples and Trump Stumbles
Coming out of their first televised debate, Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead over Republican Donald Trump in the critical battleground state of Florida, a new poll shows.
Clown Hoax Warps As One Is Allegedly Spotted in Palm Coast’s W-Section
The clown in Palm Coast was allegedly spotted in a backyard on Woodlyn Lane, holding balloons, and deputies later had to provide escorts to two buses through the neighborhood.
Project Pandemic Prevention: Flagler’s Campaign Against Zika Bats Strategies Around
Today’s joint meeting of Flagler government representatives and health department officials summarized the latest in the Zika outbreak (with two cases locally) as two FPC students prepare to launch a zika-fighting project involving bat houses.
Court Sees No Crime in Sarasota High Student’s Tweeted Threats to “Shoot Up” His School
A 16-year-old high school student who repeatedly threatened on Twitter to shoot up his school in Sarasota did not commit a crime because his threats were not directed at anyone in particular, the second District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday.
Mid-Morning Fire Guts Half a House on South Central in Flagler Beach as 2 Residents Escape
Pat Bauvi, 57, and his son Zach were in separate parts of the house at 1915 South Central Avenue when the fire broke out. They were able to get out. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Flagler District Rebuts Old Kings VPK Case Alleging Sex Improprieties Between 4 Year Olds
The rebuttals and objections don’t actually deny that an incident took place, that it was of a sexual nature, or that a certain degree of supervision may not have been present at the time. Rather, the response is an exercise in exploiting—or creating–loopholes.
Flagler District’s SAT Results Fall Steeply as Number of Students Taking Test Doubles
Combined reading and math scores fell to 869 in 2016, down 25 points from last year, and down a staggering 143 points from Flagler’s average scores in 2005, the last time the reading and math totals were above 1,000.
Chase Through P, R and W Sections and Around School Buses Ends in Arrest of Teen
School buses were unloading students as a 16 year old at the wheel of a Toyota sped through three neighborhoods, caused one crash, nearly caused two others, and was finally arrested in the W Section.
Tampa Christian School Files Suit Over Ban on Loudspeaker Prayer at Football Game
The nonprofit that operates Cambridge Christian School in Tampa said the Florida High School Athletic Association violated its civil rights by banning the private school and its opponent from joining in prayer over the loudspeaker at the game.
Organized Thieves With Taste for Champagne Target 3 Publix Stores in Palm Coast
Three times in a single day last week, thieves working in concert struck at three different Palm Coast Publix stores to steal wines and champagnes. They’ve been getting away with plenty of both, in one case stealing nearly $3,000 worth of bottles.
Back-Up City: Palm Coast Will Buy Its Third Fire Truck in 2 Years, for Total of $774,034
The Palm Coast City Council is expected to approve the third truck, for $259,678, next week, maintaining a fleet of front-line and back-up trucks throughout the city. The council approved two of the three pumper trucks last spring, for $513,356.
Post-Debate, Clinton, Clinton and Trump Are Invading Florida in Hunt for 29 Electoral Votes
While Clinton works Southeast Florida, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will campaign Friday and Saturday across the top of the state, and Trump begins his visits Tuesday in solidly-Republican Melbourne.
10-Year-Old Boy Is First Cyclist Injured in Crash With Car Since Last School-Year’s Rash
Matthew Bell, 10, was struck by a Massey Services company vehicle speeding on Emerald Lake Drive in Palm Coast after Bell was unable to stop his bike from crossing from a sidewalk into the road.
An $18,400 Raise for Supervisor of Elections And Other New Laws Go Into Effect This Week
County elections supervisors are up for pay raises, while penalties increase for trafficking in the modern version of food stamps and for stealing credit-card information at gas pumps, under new laws that go into effect Saturday.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Battering Mother Sends Deputy to Hospital With Eye Injury
Cid Elliot Ramirez, a 47-year-old Palm Coast man is being held without bond at the Flagler County jail on more than half a dozen charges, including battery on his 74-year-old mother and assault on a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, who sustained injuries to his eye and scratches to the face.
Bunnell Residents Wake Up to Dry Taps as Water Levels at New Plant Fall Overnight
Bunnell had to connect to Palm Coast water for a few hours as it hunted down the cause of an alarm that shut down its $4.8 million water plan at 5:30 this morning. Bunnell residents went without water for less than an hour.
Early Voting Facts and Myths
Research shows early voting increases turnout by 2 percent to 4 percent. In some cases, it particularly boosts voting among minorities, a constituency that tends to vote Democrat.
Panic: On the Prospect of a Trump Presidency
“I spent the past year making fun of Trump and taking it for granted that Hillary Clinton would demolish him. I didn’t take into account her fabulous skills for self-destruction or the country’s ripeness for mass delusion.”
A 3-Year-Old Boy Attending Roma Court Academy Wanders Into Traffic as Staff Is Oblivious
Staff at Roma Court Academy had no idea the boy had wandered off the property until a Chinese delivery driver and another driver saw him in traffic on Palm Coast Parkway.
In a Telling Surprise, Cops and 5 Public-Sector Unions Endorse Staly for Sheriff Over Jones
It is actually an endorsement from all six county public sector unions, so Staly is now backed by cops, teachers, school service employees, county and Palm Coast firefighters, and Palm Coast’s blue-collar workers, representing in all a block of 2,000 employees and many more family members, friends and neighbors.
Vote-By-Mail Requests Already Set Records In Flagler; Big Lead For Republicans
With some voting already under way, upwards of 12,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been requested from the Flagler elections supervisor, and more than 2 million have been requested statewide.
Bright Futures Scholarships Could Expand to Summer to Speed Up Graduation Rates
Only 44 percent of students graduated in four years at 11 state universities. Summer scholarships would encourage more students to attend summer classes, increasing the chances they can graduate more quickly.
3 Hurt, 1 Critical in Two-Vehicle Collision on Belle Terre Near Wadsworth Elementary
The wreck involved a black Ford pick-up truck owned by Del Castillo Home and Lawn Service, the Palm Coast-based lawn and pest-control company, and a white BMW 335i driven by a Palm Coast resident.
Ex-Palm Coast Staples Employee Arrested For Armed Robbery and Assault at the Store
27-year-old Brandon Hubbert had worked at the Palm Coast Staples a few years ago and allegedly used that experience to hide in the store until after closing time last September then assault a supervisor and rob him of about $1,500.
Lory Yazurlo, Owner of Defunct Pig Sanctuary, Is Killed In Van Fire on John Anderson Highway
Lory Yazurlo, the 53-year-old owner of what was once a sprawling, 20-acre pig sanctuary in western Flagler, was killed early this morning as her van caught fire on John Anderson Highway, not far from her mother’s house. A paraplegic, Yazurlo was in the van, unable to get out.
Mindful of Orlando Massacre, FDLE Seeks to Extend Federal Terrorism Crimes to State Laws
Intent on preventing another mass nightclub shooting or a repeat of incidents this past weekend in New York and New Jersey, Florida’s top cop wants to bulk up the state’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Divided Over Car Sale at FPC that “Violated” Pact and Precedent, School Board Mulls Next Step
Two school board members charge that an agreement signed with the district on the use of FPC was violated when a car “show” turned into a major car sale, but the board is unclear over what to do next.
Pam Bondi Is Shocked, Shocked Over Claim That Trump Donation Influenced Her Decisions
In a contentious session with reporters, Bondi said she had no regret about Trump’s $25,000 donation and refuted claims that it had influenced her decisions to dismiss allegations that Floridians had been bilked by Trump University.
Mercy Lives: 24-Year-Old Horse Pulled Out of Septic Tank in 2 1/2-Hour Rescue in Mondex
A dozen agencies and veterinarians were mobilized to rescue Mercy, a 24-year-old horse that fell in a septic tank Tuesday morning, managing the rescue after two and a half hours of efforts.
Local Authorities Converge on Areas of Concern as Travel-Related Zika Cases Are Declared in Palm Coast
Mosquito Control officials have been focusing on mosquito hot spots in Palm Coast’s P Section and visited other properties of concern as county officials prepare a county-wide meeting next week to address the local response.
Florida Universities Seeking $14.5 Million Extra To Meet Spiking Demand for Mental Health
Universities saw a 48 percent increase in demands for counseling and other mental health services, and an increase in emergency or crisis visits, involving issues like severe depression, acute anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
Mother Arrested at Bus Stop in Violent Confrontation With Deputies as Children Watch
Deputies resorted to force, taking down Tyisha Davis, 36, as she allegedly refused to let a school bus continue its route after she was told her son had been in a fight.
Sally’s Safe Haven at Year 2: Where Children Traumatized by a Violent Parent Can Still Visit
Sally’s Safe Haven in Bunnell, which has served almost 100 families so far, allows supervised visits for parents otherwise restricted from seeing their child. The haven is underwritten by a federal grant and run by the county and the the Children’s Home Society.
Everyone Else Ready for Trial, Man Accused of Child Rape Asks, and Gets, Delay and New Lawyer
John J. Schenone, 33, of Palm Coast, accused of raping the 11-year-old daughter of his then-girlfriend, claimed his court-appointed lawyer had a conflict of interest with another molester she is defending, and was granted a new lawyer and court date.
Another Unrealistic Trump Policy Proposal: Billions of Dollars for Homeschool Vouchers
Trump recently proposed billions in spending to allow the nation’s poorest students to leave public schools and enroll elsewhere, including by using homeschooling. Except the plan won’t work for the poorest students.
Peter Cerreta, Mischievous Artist Whose Gifts Never Cease to Unwrap: At Salvo
At 84, Peter Ceretta continues to create works of art that are fresh, whimsical, poignant, mischievous, daring, slightly cubist in execution, youthful in their exploration of color and form, ageless in their immediacy.
Flagler Youth Center Director Cheryl Massaro Appointed to Federal Juvenile Justice Board That Advises Congress and the President
Cheryl Massaro, for 11 years the director of the Flagler Youth Center, has served on the local and state juvenile justice advisory boards, and will now be responsible for representing Florida and other states for two years on the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice.
Florida’s GOP Sen. Keith Perry Defends Himself After Hitting Another Man Over Campaign Sign
Perry, a contractor first elected to the House in 2010, is going up against former state Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, for the open Senate District 8 seat. Smith is also a former Florida Democratic Party chairman and a former state attorney in the Gainesville area.
Flagler’s Unemployment Back Down to 5.4% After Brief Rise, Florida’s at 4.7% for 4th Month
When Florida’s under-employed and discouraged workers are included, the state’s unemployment rate zooms up to 10.6 percent, higher than the national rate of 9.6 percent.
Giving Charm a Chance, City Rep’s 6th Season Opens With “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the musical opening at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Friday, was written not by Schulz but by Clark Gesner, who of course based his “average day in the life of Charlie Brown” on the beloved comic strip characters.
10-Year-Old Girl Made Up Story of Man Suspiciously Photographing Children at F-Section Bus Stop
The 10-year-old girl’s report that a man was following her in an SUV and taking pictures and video of her at her bus stop touched off alerts, fears and an investigation, which concluded with the girl’s story being held to be false.
Flagler Residents Get 2-Week Amnesty From 40% Collection Fee on Traffic and Court Fines
Residents can save–for example– $82.40 on a $206 speeding ticket that’s gone to collection with the two-week amnesty, starting Sept. 19 and running through Sept. 30. There are no plans to renew the amnesty in the future.
Gov. Scott’s Office of Open Government Barricades Itself
Florida once had one of the toughest sunshine laws in the country, and people were proud of that. But it’s no longer the case. Transparency has given way to talk–and barricades.
Eliminating Florida’s No-Fault Auto Insurance System Could Save $81 a Year Per Car
The findings in a $125,000 study come as critics contend the 2012 reform attempt has failed to meet expectations and that bodily-injury coverage, which most motorists in Florida already have, should be a replacement for no-fault coverage.
In Latest Delay, Flagler’s Civil Citation Proposal for Pot Users Will Wait Until Late November
Though recommended for approval in Flagler County by a key law enforcement, judicial and government panel, the de-criminalization proposal and judicial panel, the proposal will wait until after the election because of expected changes at the county commission and on the Palm Coast City Council.