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.
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Domestic Violence: Challenges Go Beyond A Brute’s Fists or White, Middle-Class Women
Because the movement to help battered women largely has been driven by white, middle-class women, the attention has generally been on generic domestic violence, with absent attention to the nuances of race and class.
Department of Corrections Fires 32 More, Including 3 Guards Involved In Gassing Death of Inmate
All of the workers fired were on administrative leave pending a review launched earlier this summer. The housecleaning is part of the secretary’s attempt to salvage the reputation of the beleaguered agency in the wake of reports of widespread abuse and corruption, whistleblower complaints and federal investigations surrounding prisoner deaths.
Gruesome Buddies: ISIS Beheadings
And the American Death Penalty
ISIS beheadings have provoked instinctive revulsion, justly so. Too bad the same reaction doesn’t follow Florida’s and other American state’s equally barbaric continuation of the death penalty, a habit other civilized nations have abandoned.
Tenacity Charlie: County Commissioner Ericksen, 71, Completes 24,902-Mile Bike Trek, Equivalent to Circling the Equator
Charlie Ericksen’s odometer turned the last mile early this morning after six years or 2,263 days, biking an average of 77 miles a week around Flagler and Palm Coast, despite three tips to the hospital along the way and many more repairs for his bike.
17-Year-Old Runaway Palm Coast Girl Found Unresponsive at Bunnell’s Budget Motel
A 17-year-old Palm Coast girl reported missing Saturday was found unconscious in a motel room Monday morning, where she’d checked in with a 27-year-old the night before, in a case Bunnell police terms “suspicious.” The girl was still in a coma Wednesday at a hospital in Jacksonville.
Settle Wants Carney Out as Commission Chair in Flagler Beach, Underscoring Dysfunction
In an unprecedented move in the city’s history, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Steve Settled will seek to have Kim Carney removed from the commission chairmanship next week, and replaced with Marshall Shupe.
Two Flagler Estate Residents Face 39 Counts Of Animal Cruelty Each After Foul Discovery
A circuit judge ordered the St. Johns sheriff’s office to take possession of 17 cows, nine pigs, 11 goats and two horses found in neglectful conditions. The animals are to be auctioned.
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.
Shaun Whitt of Palm Coast Is Sentenced to Life in Prison For Serial Rapes of 11-Year-Old Girl
Shaun Whitt, formerly of Palm Coast’s F-Section, would assault the girl in her bedroom for more than two years after she turned 11, after her mother would go to work. He denied the allegations.
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.
Commission Chairman Questions Election’s Integrity in Broad Criticism of Supervisor Kim Weeks’ Methods
George Hanns unleashed an unusually blunt and broad critique of Weeks at the end of a county commission meeting and went as far as questioning whether it was time to involve the state Division of Elections “about some of the things that are transpiring.”
Palm Coast Boy, 9, Faces Battery and Molestation Charges After “Playing Around” With 11-Year-Old Girl
The 9-year-old boy is accused of grabbing the girl’s breasts from behind, asking her to “give me a hug or I’ll rape you,” and hitting her with a flip-flop when she got away from him.
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.
Thrasher Almost Walks Out As He Is Heckled and Grilled By FSU Students and Staff
During on-campus forums that are part of the presidential selection process, students and faculty often expressed a lack of trust in Thrasher, long considered the front runner for the FSU presidency.
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.
Weekend Violence: An Arrest Over Child Abuse, Another From a Baseball-Bat Assault
Jolynn Martin, 29, of Bunnell, was arrested following a violent argument with two adults, one of whom was holding a 2-year-old girl, who allegedly got punched. Martin Wright, 54, of Bunnell, was arrested for allegedly taking a baseball bat to another man’s head in an argument.
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.
Assault Weapons Don’t Kill People.
Handguns Kill People.
It turns out that big, scary military rifles don’t kill the vast majority of the 11,000 Americans murdered with guns each year. Little handguns do. Yet Democrats and anti-gun advocates keep focusing on renewing the defunct assault-weapons ban.
For or Against Medical Marijuana, Seven Ex-Supreme Court Justices Explain Why They Oppose Amendment 2
Amendment 2, promoted as a compassionate effort to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, should be rejected – regardless of one’s position on the issue of medical marijuana, seven ex-Florida Supreme Court justices argue.
Ken Yarborough, 53, of Palm Coast, Is Killed In Single-Car Wreck at I-95 Exit Overnight
Kenneth E. Yarborough, 53, of Palm Coast, was driving a 2005 Nissan Altima with passenger Omayra Rodriguez Jarrett, 31, who was seriously injured as the car struck trees and ended in a retention pond.
Florida Prisons: 11 Guards Arrested Following Abuse of Inmates
On Wednesday, five prison guards were arrested for allegedly stomping on a handcuffed and shackled inmate at the Northwest Florida Reception Center last month. A sixth — a captain — was also charged with taking part in the attack and lying about it.
Elections Supervisor Weeks Scuttles Latest Attempt to Resolve Elections Conflicts in Heated Meeting
A Canvassing Board meeting Friday devolved into a partisan and often heated debate, but no resolution, as many conflicts that have framed Kimberle Weeks’s supervision of the last election remain unresolved ahead of November’s election.
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.
Amendment 1: GOP Raising Objections to Sensitive Lands Conservation Funding Measure
The proposed “Water and Land Conservation” amendment would earmark 33 percent of the state’s documentary-stamp tax revenues — fees paid when real estate is sold — for 20 years. The money would go to buy conservation lands, protect areas vital to the water supply and restore natural systems that have been degraded, such as the Everglades.
Sgt. Frank Celico’s Name Added to Memorial In 9/11 Commemoration at Heroes Park
During the early morning ceremony at Heroes Park, Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts spoke of the Callery pear tree that survived the attacks of 9/11 at Ground Zero and has come to symbolize resilience and rebirth at the site.
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.
Obama’s Poisonous ISIS Moment and
The Snare of Remote-Controlled War
It’s not enough to be fighting a losing war in Afghanistan and another against “terror” in Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan and wherever else Obama wants to play centurion to the world. Expanding the war to Syria is a grave error whose unintended consequences will add to 13 years’ worth of American setbacks in the Middle East.
Fish and Wildlife Proposing to Allow Silencers on Hunting Rifles and Pistols
While critics said muzzling rifle shots could increase the risk of people being struck by wayward bullets or cause people to wander unaware into hunting areas, backers of the proposal said such concerns are unfounded.
Flagler Deputy Sees Man Choking a Woman After Pulling Him Over For Erratic Driving
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Paul Bovino noticed William Murphy fighting with a woman as they drove north on U.S. 1 Tuesday evening, and pulled him over, only to then see Murphy allegedly escalate the confrontation.
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.
John Thrasher Among Final Four in Run For Florida State Presidency, and Only Floridian
While Thrasher vowed during his interview Tuesday to make the school “proud” if he gets hired, a number of students and faculty members implored the committee to focus on candidates with strong academic backgrounds.
Palm Coast Ends Federal Lobbying Efforts But Renews State Contract, Declining Coalition
Palm Coast, the county and Flagler Beach spend $125,000 on lobbying firms between them. Palm Coast, accounting for $45,000 of that, doesn’t want to join a lobbying coalition, saying the city’s needs are too particular, and the return on investment already proven.
Returning After 7-Week Absence, Council Member Bill Lewis Vows to Keep On
Back from illness for the first time since July 15, Palm Coast City Council member Bill Lewis faces a tough re-election fight against challenger Steven Nobile, who bested him by eight points in the primary. The two men face-off in a runoff on Nov. 4.
Far From Over, Florida’s Redistricting Wrangles Now Focus on State Senate Boundaries
The case on redistricting State Senate boundaries is continuing, and could eventually lead to new districts for the 40-member upper chamber, which, like the state House, is currently dominated by Republicans.
86-Year-Old Palm Coast Woman Injured in I-95 Roll-Over as Other Driver Travels On, With 2 Children on Board
Walter Wine, a 39-year-old resident of Zellwood, allegedly rear-ended Palm Coast’s Mildred Rivas, sending her car rolling against the guardrail as he drove on with a 3-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl on board and later sought to hide the pick-up in a dirt driveway.
Lillian Gobitas Klose, Who Defied Mandatory Pledge of Allegiance, Is Dead at 90
Lillian Gobitas Klose was 12 when she was expelled from school for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Eight years later, in the midst of World War II, the U.S. Supreme Court vindicated her decision.
Bowing to Criticism, Florida Health Regulators Agree to Delay Legal Pot Distribution Rule
Health regulators will almost certainly delay a rule that will eventually create the framework for the state’s new medical marijuana industry after an outcry from a legislative panel saying the proposed regulation went too far.
Students and Faculty Don’t Want Him, But Sen. John Thrasher Makes FSU Presidency’s Short List
The committee voted 18-8 against a motion to exclude Thrasher from the interview phase. He is one of 11 candidates on the shortlist, from 38. Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston and Tallahassee Democrat Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda didn’t make it.
Flagler Beach’s Dishonorable Ploy: Don’t Remove Gamble Rogers’ Name From Rec Area
Flagler Beach is terribly misguided and short-sighted in its attempt to remove Gamble Rogers from the state recreation area’s name, a reflection of the tourism industry’s faddish obsession with “branding” at the expense of fostering more substantive cultural attractions.
Vaccine-Deniers Aside, Flagler Schools Seek Parental Consent for Broad Flu-Shot Campaign
Vaccine consent forms went out this week to all parents with children in Flagler schools, where the district is partnering with Healthy Schools, the for-profit company, to administer flu shots to students on Sept. 18.
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.
Reagan Assemblies’ “Watchdogs” Can’t Take Defeat: As One Suit Is Tossed, a Pledge to File Another
Just after a judge threw out a lawsuit this afternoon, the attorney for an obscure “Watchdogs” group said he’d file a new lawsuit alleging illegal conversations outside of meetings by county commissioners.
Flagler Fire Rescue Rolls Out Two, $219,000 Ambulances, Workhorses of Local Emergencies
The county has seven ambulances on duty 24 hours a day (11 units in all) that each log 5,000 miles and 1,000 calls a month, by far the majority of the 14,000 annual emergency calls in Flagler.
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.
Watch Out, I’m an Arab! How I Changed My Name and Pledged a Take-Over of Flagler County.
Two local ex-candidates–Dennis McDonald and Mark Richter–have been insinuating to government officials that FlaglerLive Editor’s Arab background and name change are a security risk, and his failure to recite the pledge proof of his sinister sympathies.
Unbowed, Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks Signals More Brawling Ahead
In the latest bout involving the elections supervisor, Kimberle Weeks on Tuesday took on Al Hadeed, the county attorney, dismissing his mediation efforts with Palm Coast and at one point seeking to silence him.