Merely asking oil and gas companies what chemicals they’re injecting during fracking creates the appearance of government scrutiny, critics say, at the expense of the state’s groundwater at a time when lawmakers are looking to implement new water policies.
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19-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Raping Underage Girl Passed Out at a Party
William Demetrious Kitts, a resident of Pine Ash Lane in Palm Coast, is accused of raping a girl who’d become heavily intoxicated at a U-Section party on April 17, and had passed out in a bedroom.
Off-Duty Deputy Witnesses Armed Robbery at Palm Coast CVS, But Suspect Gets Away
An off-duty Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy was standing in line for the cashier behind a man at the Palm Coast CVS on Palm Coast Parkway Sunday afternoon when the man, claiming he had a gun, asked the clerk to put all the money in a bag.
As Pro-Choice Republicans See It: Abortion Decisions Don’t Belong on a Legislative Agenda
Doctors and patients, not politicians, should determine the course of medical treatment, even when the treatment is abortion, writes Nancy Smith, a card-carrying member of the Republican Majority for Choice.
House and Senate Far Apart on Budget as Health Care For Poor Becomes Bargaining Chip
The Florida House had made a significant concession to the Senate on hospital funding — but said it would only follow through if the upper chamber dropped insistence on using Medicaid expansion dollars to help lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance.
Double-Hit and Run Wreck Involves 5 Vehicles, 6 Injuries on I-95 in Palm Coast Overnight
The individual who triggered the 5-vehicle wreck ran off on foot, and the last driver to strike a car kept driving north as I-95 was shut down for over two hours early Saturday morning at the weigh scales in Palm Coast.
Three Encounters with Hillary
In three encounters with Hillary Clinton between 2004 and 2012, Bernard-Henri Lévy sees emotion and composure, the reflexes of an impeccable stateswoman and someone, he predicts, he will be addressing as Madam President next time they meet.
Florida Senate Votes 26-13 For Abortion Waiting period, Sending Bill to Gov. Scott
Lawmakers earlier this week approved adding exceptions for victims of rape, incest, domestic violence or human trafficking to the bill. However, those victims could only get waivers of the 24-hour waiting period if they can produce police reports, restraining orders, medical records or other documentation.
As Palm Coast Groans Over Its Anemic Golf Course, Flagler Beach Wants One Of Its Own
the Flagler Beach City Commission will look to buy the last 3 acres within the old Ocean Palm Golf Club at the south end of town and look to return the whole parcel to a golf operation through a lease with a private company, assuming one can shoulder the task.
Specious and Speculative: State Elections Office Tosses Out Kim Weeks Cases Against 3 Flagler Commissioners
Though she resigned, Kimberle Weeks continues to pursue elections, ethics and Florida bar cases against county commissioners and the county attorney, though the cases are starting to get tossed out for being legally speculative and specious.
A Palm Coast Woman Is Accused of Fabricating Theft By 2 Black Men at Walmart
Magdaline Scott, a 38-year-old resident of Berkshire Lane in Palm Coast, claimed ina videotaped statement she gave police that she’d been ripped off of her backpack at Walmart Wednesday evening, and accused two black men she’d made up. The bag had never been stolen.
The Inappropriate Commissioner Kim Carney
Flagler Beach Commission Chairman Marshall Shupe apologized to residents tonight on behalf of the commission for vile remarks Commissioner Kim Carney had made in the context of a rape case involving a friend of hers. FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam explains the background, which involves this site.
At Palm Coast’s Heroes Park, a Unique Monument May Rise in Memory of Victims of PTSD
The “Healing of the wounded spirit” monument may be a first in the nation, honoring suicide and traumatic brain injury victims who served in the military but whose deaths are not included in the official tally of war casualties.
Crime Down 20% in Two Years, Jail Population Isn’t: Sheriff Strains to Explain Paradox
Sheriff Jim Manfre touted Flagler County as one of the safest places in Florida and said the fact should be marketed to prospective businesses, but was less clear about the relationship between falling crime and a still-high jail population, or the county’s need for nearly tripling its jail beds.
In Tallahassee, Lawmakers’ Power-Tripped Rudeness Toward the Public Is a Daily Cringe
Committee chairmen having to assert their authority ad nauseum, forbidding members of the public from overstaying their welcome at the podium: it’s offensive to people who drive sometimes hundreds of miles to be heard for two or three minutes, writes Nancy Smith.
Florida House Passes 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period, Adding to Increasing Curbs
The 24-year-old sponsor of the measure claims it “empowers” women, while opponents charged that it does the opposite, banning abortions for 24 hours.
4-Vehicle Wreck Involving Chlorine and Acids Shuts Down U.S. 1 Northbound in Bunnell
A four-vehicle wreck involving a pick-up truck that was carrying pool chemicals shut down both northbound lanes of U.S. 1 in Bunnell at 8:30 this morning. There were no injuries, but chemicals spilled, requiring the scene to be turned into a hazardous material scene.
Derelict Matanzas Golf Course Overrun By More Questions Than Answers, Angering Residents
The Matanzas gold course has been in disuse for almost a decade, it is overgrown and badly kept. The city is stepping up code enforcement, but also pledging to convene a discussion between property owners and gonvernent agencies, including the mysterious owners of the golf course.
Despite Pleading With State For Earlier Start Date, School Board Now Opts Against It
After lobbying the state to let it start school on Aug. 10 instead of Aug. 24, the Flagler school board on Tuesday stuck with the Aug. 24 date even though a new law would have allowed the district to move up the calendar.
The Inspired Mic: Two Years of Coaxing Out Flagler’s Talent, Six Minutes at a Time
The three-hour monthly open-mic event at Leroy’s 19th Hole in Palm Coast features vets, comics, poets, undefinable performers and occasional magic, all under the emceeing choreography of author Michael Ray King.
Gov. Scott Ends Worker Drug-Testing Crusade, Restricting Tests to Limited Job Classes
Monday’s agreement, which still requires court approval, identified more than 100 job classes that Scott can test for drug or alcohol use. Workers in most of the positions deal with vulnerable children or adults, handle heavy equipment or are already required to undergo medical tests for other reasons.
Three Hurt in 3 Bizarre Shootings in 32 Hours in Palm Coast and Bunnell This Weekend
Three unrelated shootings, once of them authorities described as an attempted murder, left three people injured and involved three police agencies, including in one case the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, though no arrests have been made.
Google Glass In The ER: Health Care Moves A Step Closer To Cheaper Telemedicine
For a fraction of the cost of current telemedicine technology, Google Glass may give patients and doctors quicker, more accurate referrals to specialists, improving efficiency and care.
Rev. Beth Gardner, Leading Voice For Flagler’s Homeless, Is Leaving Bunnell’s Methodist Church After 15 Years
Rev. Gardner, who will lead a parish in Lakeland starting in July, transformed the church into the county’s most progressive advocate for the homeless, housing a cold-weather shelter and keeping awareness about homelessness on the forefront of county and city agendas.
Enough Abuse: Close Seaworld
Nothing justifies Seaworld’s confinement of killer whales and Seaworld’s abusive treatment of the animals by way of exploitative shows and inhumane conditions. To treat orcas that way for human entertainment should elicit repugnance, not the buying of $75 tickets.
Gov. Bizarre: Scott Suing Federal Government Over One Pot of Money Even As He Rejects Another
The lawsuit plays into a heated battle over a Senate plan to use $2.8 billion in Medicaid expansion funding to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance. But the House and Scott — who once favored straight-up Medicaid expansion — oppose that idea.
Flagler Clerk’s 1-Day Amnesty on Overdue Fines Nets $25,000 and Restores 20 Licenses
The amnesty, dubbed Operation Green Light, affected 7,000 cases in Flagler, totaling $1.9 million in overdue fines. The experiment was tried in most of the state’s counties for the first time this year.
Jim Davis, Ex-Cop With Ormond and Flagler Beach, Pleads to Lesser Charge in Child Molestation Case
Davis pleaded guilty to a count of battery against a child and was sentenced to a year’s probation. His record reveals a long history of domestic violence and conduct against policy while he was with the Ormond Beach Police Department.
Online Voter Registration May Get Lawmakers’ Approval, But Scott Administration Is Opposed
Secretary State Ken Detzner, who told the committee he knows what a “train wreck is and they’re not pretty,” expressed unease about having a deadline to implement the program before a plan is in place.
Rain Forces Palm Coast Arts Foundation to Move Jax Symphony Pops Concert to Destination Daytona at I-95 and US1
The concert venue for the April 19 Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Picnic and Pops event is the Coca-Cola Pavilion at Rossemeyer’s Destination Daytona, Exit 273 off I-95 at U.S. 1, a few miles south of Palm Coast.
Flagler-Palm Coast Added 12,300 Jobs in Last 5 Years, Powering Unemployment Down to 6.5%
Unemployment figures released Friday show the solid, continued improvement of Flagler-Palm Coast’s economy, especially when compared to where the county was five years ago.
School Officials Tamp Down Credibility of Threatening Message on Matanzas High School Wall
The message–“I am going To shoot up the School Tomorrow Happy Friday” is believed to be a hoax spreading on social media, and made to appear as if it had been scrawled on a bathroom wall at Matanzas High School.
James McDevitt Pleads Guilty as Charged of Rape, May Face Up to Life in Prison for Flagler Beach Attack
By pleading guilty, James McDevitt hopes to avoid life in prison had the case gone to trial. He’ll be sentenced in late May. The June 2013 incident took place in an isolated lot in Flagler Beach, but was witnessed by a neighbor.
You May Soon Shoot Black Bears: FWC Will Set One Week in October For Hunting
Hunting up to 200 black bears in Flagler and other parts of Florida would be allowed as part of a management plan as the state’s bear population of 2,500 is in increasing contact with its human population of nearly 20 million.
Supreme Court Turns Down Red-Light Camera Appeal, Leaving In Place Restrictions On Who May Issue Tickets
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal on a red-light camera case with a direct bearing on Palm Coast’s traffic-enforcement program. Five justices concurred in turning down the appeal, without explanation, as is customary when the court turns down a case.
Candor, Humor and a Few Sharp Jabs from Jim Landon in a State of the City Overview
Addressing Walmart’s renewed interest in its potential second store in Palm Coast, golf courses, construction and economic activity, Palm Coast City Manager spoke for almost two hours Monday morning to some 90 residents about the state of the city and its near future.
27-Year-Old Woman Accused of Robbing and Assaulting 67-Year-Old For Prescription Pills
Tara Lynn Davis, a 27-year-old resident of Espanola Road in Bunnell, was booked at the Flagler County jail on three felony charges: robbery, battery on a person 65 or older, and grand theft.
Rep. Ron DeSantis Makes It Semi-Official: He’s Considering a Run for Rubio’s Senate Seat
DeSantis’s quick rise after his election to the House in 2012, his frequent presence on conservative talk shows and relentless criticism of the Obama administration has made him a favorite of tea party conservatives and some further to the right.
For Palm Coast’s Money-Losing Golf Course, Grass Is Always Greener On Other Side of Promises
An update on the city’s golf course did not go well this morning at city council. Instead of projecting when the golf course and tennis center would stop losing money, City Manager Jim Landon directed the company managing the operations to simply stop making projections to the city council.
Last Patrol: Undersheriff Rick Staly Looks Back On 40 Years as a “Cop’s Cop,” and Forward
Undersheriff Rick Staly, who retires this week, took his last road patrol last Friday, an unusually quiet evening he spent driving and reflecting on his career and how law enforcement has changed since his first days as a cop in 1974.
Florida Lawmakers Float Measure to Regulate Drones Amid Buzz of Privacy Concerns
The proposals prohibit the use of aerial drones to capture images that could infringe on the privacy of property owners or occupants but also give police some authority to use drones.
Rubio Joins Growing List of Presidential Hopefuls, Setting Up Showdown With Bush
A primary showdown between Rubio and Bush could cause friction in Tallahassee, where the GOP dominates state government, and a scramble is expected for Rubio’s senate seat.
Sheriff’s Deputy Under Investigation After He’s Found at “Young Adults” Drinking Party
The deputy, Jonathan Kuleski, 22, was in the company of about 15 people in a wooded area behind houses along Wood Aspen Drive and Wood Acre Lane in Palm Coast.
Police Badge More Than “Just a Trinket Or Souvenir”: Sheriff and Bunnell Deny Ex-Cop
When David Barbee, who’d worked with the Flagler sheriff’s office and the Bunnell Police Department for a badge and retirement ID–though he did not retire from either agency–he was denied from both agencies. He is protesting the decision to the Bunnell commission tonight.
Geography as Destiny: Hospitals Leave Downtowns For More Prosperous Digs
By moving to wealthier areas, hospitals can reduce the percent of uninsured and lower-paying Medicaid patients, but relocations often spark anger from those left behind, who worry about loss of jobs and of access to care, particularly for the poor.
April 13, 1975
April 13, 1975, marks the first day of the Lebanese Civil War. On the 40th anniversary, FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam remembers that day as he lived it in Lebanon, and reflects on what the date has meant for two generations of Lebanese.
A Bigger Public-Health Problem Than Hunger: The Global Obesity Threat
The total economic impact of obesity is about $2 trillion a year, or 2.8% of world GDP – roughly equivalent to the economic damage caused by smoking or armed violence, war, and terrorism, according to new research by the McKinsey Global Institute.
Upon Further Review: Inside the Police Failure to Stop Darren Sharper’s Rape Spree
Nine women reported being raped or drugged by Sharper to four different agencies before NFL safety Darren Sharper’s capture. His Sharper’s rampage of druggings and rapes could have been prevented, according to a two-month investigation by ProPublica and The New Orleans Advocate.
Art League’s “Priceless” Fund-Raiser Nets $11,500, Opening New Era–and Possibilities
Best-selling author and art-crime sleuth Robert Wittman’s appearance at the Flagler Auditorium turned into the art league’s largest and most successful fund-raiser in the non-profit organization’s 36-year history.
As Rideshare Apps Like Uber Build Up Fares, Florida Senate Taps Insurance Requirements
As taxi and limo services call for stricter regulations on growing “transportation network companies,” the Senate has expanded an insurance measure to include a requirement for around-the-clock coverage on the vehicles of app-connected rideshare drivers.