The Baker Acting of a 7-year-old girl at Belle Terre Elementary last week, following a report of her allegedly lacerating the dean of students with thumb tacks, is one of three or four Baker Acts of students in the district every month, though they’re usually older. The district defends the Baker Acts as a necessary last resort that addresses underlying issues, and that must not be seen as retribution or punishment.
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On World Tennis Day, Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka, 16, Plays Madison Square Garden
Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka, a top American junior tennis player, made it to one of the world’s premier sports arenas as he opened for Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden Monday evening.
Moral Monday Comes to Florida as NAACP Leads Capitol Protest, and Right-Wingers Respond
“Moral Monday” included an array of left-leaning groups calling for lawmakers to expand Medicaid, stop the state’s voter purge and roll back the “stand your ground” self-defense law, while a right-wing group later held its own event to oppose expanding Medicaid and support overhauling the state’s pension system, cut taxes and expand school vouchers.
Flagler-Based Family Life Center Will Provide Rape-Exam Services, Ending Year of Failures Under Children’s Advocacy Center
The Children’s Advocacy Center failures came to light last spring when it failed to provide a certified nurse following a rape, forcing the victim to wait for hours. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will administer the contract, awarded to Palm Coast and Bunnell-based Family Life Center. which says it has Flagler-based nurses to provide exams when needed.
Enterprise Florida’s Version of Economic Development: Lavish Perks at Steakhouses, Hotels and Yankee Stadium
Enterprise Florida, The state’s economic development agency, is under fire again. This time, a recent report highlighted lavish spending by its staff, which prompted a watchdog group to ask the governor to launch an investigation.
From Child Protection to Early learning, Advocates Aim For More Serious Funding From 2014 Legislature
With Florida’s coffers filling again and state leaders focusing on child protection, advocates are hopeful the 2014 legislative session will bring both policy and funding gains for children’s services as high-profile issues include a massive crackdown on sexually violent predators and an overhaul of the child-welfare system.
Permanent Temp Workers in the U.S. Are at the Mercy of Some of the Weakest Labor-Protection Laws in the West
“Permatemping’ cases highlight a lack of U.S. protections for temp workers., who are exposed to more dangers in return for far less job protection or benefits. Other countries limit the length of temp jobs, guarantee equal pay and restrict dangerous work.
Denying Service to Gays and Lesbians: Right of Conscience Vigilantism Meets Stand Your Ground
Bills in four states that would let businesses deny service to gays and lesbians on religious-freedom grounds are based on the same faulty justification of Stand Your Ground laws on self-defense grounds. In both cases, the 1st and 2nd Amendments are perverted into defenses of vigilantism rather than protection of rights.
Lock and Load: NRA-Willing, Florida Legislature Takes On Slew of New Gun Legislation
Bills dealing with toaster pastries and insurance policies are just two of more than a dozen gun-related measures lined up for the 2014 legislative session that starts Tuesday. As in previous years, many of them will go nowhere, especially if Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s powerful Florida lobbyist, doesn’t like them.
Palm Coast’s Entrepreneur Night Taps Into a Diversity of Niches, Pollinating Local Business
In its two years on the Palm Coast business scene, Ky Ekinci’s monthly Entrepreneur Night has grown from a gathering of 20 people who knew each other to an event that consistently draws more than 100 people from all walks of business.
Lawmaker Files Bill Favoring Trauma Centers Run by HCA, Gov. Scott’s Former Company
The proposal, opposed by numerous Florida hospitals, would help the HCA health-care chain keep trauma centers open and could short-circuit a debate about how the Florida Department of Health determines where new trauma centers should be allowed to open.
A Man Is Found Incinerated in a Burning Car in Palm Coast’s Town Center Woods
Henry Cornish, 71, was found in a burning car at 11:30 this morning (Feb. 27) in the heart of Palm Coast’s Town Center, not far from the Epic movie theater, after suffering an apparent medical episode, according to FHP. Town Center access is closed going west at the intersection of Town Center Boulevard and Central Avenue, and going east at Central Avenue and Brookhaven Way.
2-Year-Old Girl Brought to Hospital Bruised and Unresponsive; Palm Coast Man Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse
Stanley Wykretowicz, a 38-year-old resident of Palm Coast, claimed his 2-year-old daughter fell in the tub, but doctors discovered extensive internal and external injuries that required emergency surgery after the child was taken to a children’s hospital in Jacksonville. Wykretowicz is at the Flagler jail on $150,000 bond.
A Matanzas High Teacher Reveals Her Evaluation Scores, and the Absurdity of Florida’s “VAM” Scam
What do my almighty “VAM” scores reveal about me, my students, the quality of my instruction or what goes on in my classroom? Absolutely nothing, writes JoAnn Nahirny, who deconstructs Florida’s new teacher-evaluation scores, hers among them, and shows why they have little basis in reality, though they may well define a teacher’s fate.
For Special Education Students in Flagler, a Program That Unlocks Barriers Through Art
Now in its second year, Very Special Arts is an after-school program for students with learning disabilities that helps them find their talent and their place among peers. The program is under the leadership of Sue McVeigh, a former Flagler County schools employee of the year.
Senate President Says No to More Authority and Prescription Power For Nurse Practitioners
A House bill would give advanced-practice nurses more authority, including prescribing of controlled substances, and set up a pathway to independent practice, not supervised by physicians. But Senate President Don Gaetz opposes it.
Flagler Beach Woman and St. Johns Man Face Capital Charges of Raping 2 Girls Younger Than 12
Rhonda Lynn Wilkerson, 49, of Flagler Beach, faces one rape charge and William C. Dillow, 27, of St. Augustine, faces two rape charges, after girls in a Flagler County school revealed the alleged incidents to staff. The incidents took place in St. Johns County.
Bitter Criticism and Some Caution from Flagler School Officials on State’s Teacher Rankings
The Flagler and Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers union, is criticizing the state’s so-called “value-added model” that presumes to rate teachers’ effectiveness, calling the data “flawed.” Many teachers and a Flagler County School Board member are also critical of the data, but for varying reasons, while Flagler’s superintendent cautions against making too much of the numbers.
3 Minor Traffic Stops Lead to 3 Arrests on Crack Charges as Detectives Point to Cocaine Uptick
Three separate and unrelated traffic stops for minor infractions over the weekend led to three arrests on cocaine possession charge, an indication, according to the Sheriff’s Office, of a noticeable rise in the drug’s circulation, and in reaction to the crackdown on prescription drugs.
Forget Vegas: Florida Senate Wants
You to Gamble in State’s Backyards
The Florida Senate has released an ambitious gambling proposal that would authorize two Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida, create a gambling commission and allow voters to decide if they want to control future gambling expansions.
Baker Acts, Age and Social Responsibility: Sheriff Manfre’s Alert to Emerging Perils and Possible Solutions
In a broad-ranging discussion before the Palm Coast City Council, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre described a deteriorating mental health landscape affected by age and other stresses, but also pointed to mental health courts and other ways to address the growing problem without turning to cops and jails.
Red Hot Chilli Pipers Rock the Bagpipes in Celtic Style at Flagler Auditorium Tuesday
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers were launched to fame on Britain’s “When Will I Be Famous” talent show in 2007. They’ve since played most continents with their massive band, and come to the Flagler Auditorium for one night only Tuesday, Feb. 25,
Global Warning Olympics: Closing Ceremonies for Winter
Watching the Olympics requires too much of a suspension of disbelief to make the effort worth the time or the self-deception. There was an added and quite massive invention to these games: faking winter in a warming world, though in that regard we’re all self-deluded Russians.
Ex-Con Believed To Have Carjacked Orlando Couple Is Arrested in Flagler After Chase and Crash
Dyson Graham, who will be turning 25 on Friday, was released from state prison 11 months ago after serving three years on a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon. Sunday morning, Graham and a 16-year-old girl missing from Hillsborough County were arrested in Flagler County following a carjacking in Orange County and a car crash in Palm Coast.
When a Senator Turns Anti-Union Goon: A Labor Defeat Reverberates Across the South
In light of the failed vote to unionize a VW plant in Tennessee, why should we care about the travails of labor unions in our country? Because, with no one in Washington able to effectively represent workers nationwide, unions are the only ones left to fight for a living wage.
Clarence Thomas as a White Playwright: “Race” Inflames City Rep’s Stage, With Sequins
David Mamet’s “Race” turns the table on an old American convention: the white rapist of a black woman. This time getting away is not an option in a thrill-ride of a play that turns the tables on stereotypes and prejudices. No one is immune. It is the Palm Coast City Repertory Theatre’s big event of the year, under the direction of John Sbordone.
Cops Net 61 Pot Plants in Mondex Grow House; Sheriff Doubts Owner’s “Personal Use” Claim
Dwayne Reed, a 49-year-old resident of 5637 Nutwood Avenue in Bunnell was fingered to police by an anonymous source as having marijuana plants, but claimed he used them because of illness, not for distribution. He faces a third-degree felony, pending the State Attorney’s review of the case. Reed meanwhile remains free.
Ribs Over Flagler: Palm Coast and WNZF End Event Partnership as County Offers New Home
Palm Coast and WNZF have ended the partnership that produced the annual Rock ‘n Ribfest every spring and the Seafood Festival every fall in Town Center. The Ribfest will be reborn as part of a fly-in at the county airport called Rockin’ the Runways in late April. In an unrelated move, the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce is ending its annual Taste of Flagler and replacing it with Restaurant Week.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning For Flagler Through 3 PM, Watch Through 5 PM
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northeast Flagler County and southeast St. Johns County, in effect through 3 p.m. Friday. Palm Coast and Flagler Beach are included in the warning.
Divisions Over Roving Vendors Again Place Flagler Beach’s Business Friendliness on Trial
How the Flagler Beach City Commission finally got to a restrictive ordinance on mobile vendors divided the commission and the town’s business community and again put a spotlight, fairly or not, on the commission’s attitude toward small business. The controversy illustrates an underlying strain between city and business that has not been resolved, and that goes beyond the roving vendor issue.
“Massive Expansion” of School Vouchers Would Fund Private Education at Public Expense
Under the proposal, retailers could divert sales-tax payments to the system; middle-class families would qualify for partial scholarships; and each scholarship would cover more of the cost of attending a private school.
Charles Ownbey, 72, Is Killed In Motorcycle Wreck on I-95, South of Palm Coast Parkway
A motorcyclist riding a Harley-style bike south on I-95 was killed early this afternoon when one of the motorcycle’s tires reportedly blew, sending the bike across the paved shoulder and into the wood-line.
Grim Reaping: Gov. Rick Scott Now Florida’s Record Holder For Most 1st Term Executions
Juan Carlos Chavez’s execution last week was the 13th on Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s watch — a record among first-term Florida governors since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and a record Scottt is smashing with yet more death warrants he is signing in his fourth year.
12-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Girl Faces 2 Felony Charges in Knife Incident at Bus Stop
The 12-year-old Palm Coast girl faces charges of aggravated assault and the reckless display of a weapon, both felonies, for allegedly pulling a 12-inch knife on a 10-year-old boy and threatening to slash him. Both the boy and the girl accuse the other of teasing repeatedly in the past.
Florida Lawmakers Edging Toward Offering In-State Tuition for Some Undocumented Immigrants
A measure allowing some undocumented students to receive in-state tuition was easily approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee, but the bill still faces a steep climb in the Senate.
Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High Learn Of Suicide of Senior Alexandria Rodriguez
On Tuesday, the grandfather of Alexandria Rodriguez, an 18-year-old senior who’d attended Matanzas High School last year and Flagler Palm Coast High School until Thanksgiving, came to FPC to retrieve her two younger sisters and inform the administration that Alex, as she was known, had committed suicide that morning.
Ahead of Bunnell’s March 4 Election, Three Commission Candidates Battle With
More Blanks Than Bullets
Few of the candidates’ answers at the only candidate forum before the election grappled with actual issues, ideas or solutions, hewing instead to generally positive statements about wanting to do their best or speaking in generalities that would not distinguish them either from each other or from any well-meaning resident of the city they seek to represent.
State Board of Education Approves Common Core Changes But Opposition Persists
The approval followed a raucous public hearing that seemed to indicate that passionate opposition to the benchmarks remains despite a concerted effort by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Education to tamp down conservative anger over the standards.
Ronald Reagan Republicans Launch Campaigns In Every Local Flagler Race, Signaling Insurgency Against GOP Incumbents
Six candidates introduced themselves Monday evening, including two for school board, two for the Palm Coast City Council, and two for the Flagler County Commission. Six of the seven are running against incumbent Republicans, suggesting that the Triple-R’s are looking to be the insurgent candidates of this election cycle—against their own party.
Obamacare Enrollment Surging in Florida Despite Resistance from State Officials
By the end of January, nearly 300,000 Floridians had enrolled in a new health plan through Obamacare — a surge that left most other states in the dust, despite state officials’ opposition to the Affordable Care Act and the relative scarcity of helpers available.
Latest NRA Push: Let County Tax Collectors Issue Concealed-Weapons Permits
The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider a proposal that would allow county tax collectors to accept applications for concealed-weapon or firearms licenses. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services currently accepts the applications at regional locations, but supporters of the bill say it would address increasing demands. The proposal comes as lawmakers move forward with bills backed by the National Rifle Association. But it also comes as a verdict this weekend in a highly publicized Jacksonville shooting places renewed focus on Florida’s gun laws.
Suspect, 18, Accused of Battering a 71-Year-Old Employee at CVS Over a Phone Charger
Dakota S. Walls, 18, of Palm Coast, is accused of slugging a 71-year-old employee of CVS pharmacy after allegedly trying to steal a phone charger then claiming that the employee had taken his $20. Karen Breen, a Palm Coast resident, is accused of a similar charge after allegedly purposefully colliding with her elderly parents during an argument, and in front of a cop.
Fire Police’s Bob Hudak Among Top Winners in Palm Coast Fire Department’s Annual Awards
Hudak was named the 2014 Fire Police Officer of the Year Saturday evening, bringing some attention to one of the more thankless and least-rewarded aspects of emergency operations. Firefighter-Paramedic David Faust was named Career Firefighter of the Year, and Lt. Paul Matarazzo was honored as Volunteer Firefighter of the Year, among other awards.
The Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochs’ Cash into Politics and Made Millions
Sean Noble was a former congressional aide just starting as a political consultant when he was recruited to help run the Kochtopus — Charles and David Koch’s multi-layered political network.
Neither Marx Nor Hannity: Pope Francis’s Cool Embrace of Simplicity
Even for a pope as refreshingly humble and open-minded as Francis, it’s too much to expect that he will remake the worldwide Catholic Church into one big hippie commune, argues Cary McMullen. Those on the political left may eventually be just as disappointed in him as those on the political right.
Patrick Amaral, 32, Kills Himself By Laying in Path of 2 Palm Coast Drivers on I-95
Patrick Amaral, a 29-year-old Palm Coast resident and father of a toddler, was killed in an apparent suicide Friday evening as he laid himself in the center lane of I-95 and was struck by two cars.
A Heartfelt Thank You To Brian McMillan and Flagler County
Palm Coast Observer Editor Brian McMillan surprised FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam with a moving, supportive column this week, illustrating the contrast between the two competitors, and the true meaning of community.
Ailing Palm Harbor Shopping Center Poised To Revitalize Itself as Bigger Island Walk
The remaking of Palm Harbor shopping center as Island Walk, with more and bigger stores in the old but semi-vacant heart of Palm Coast, has broad support despite a few unanswered questions, among them the likelihood that the shopping center will have enough tenants to fill the new space.
For Darlene Love, It’s Christmastime All Year Round as She Brings 6 Decades of Stardom to the Flagler Auditorium
At 72, the great jazz, pop, rock star and sometimes actress, who brings her show to the Flagler Auditorium, reminisces in a FlaglerLive interview about her journey from back-up singer for the greats such as Elvis and Tom Jones to stardom on her own.
Another Tax Cut for Business: Putnam Proposes Reducing Electricity Sales Levy By Half
By phasing in the reduction from 7 percent to 3.5 percent, the impact to state revenue should be a reduction of about $85 million the first year, and an additional $70 million in each of the two following years. Residential customers would see no tax cut.