The $2,500 fine was the result of the lacrosse coach mingling school athletic funds with funds for a separate lacrosse club team not officially associated with FPC. The case led to a district-wide policy revamp on teams and fund-raising.
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Per-Student Funding Dropping $572, or 8%; Flagler District Poised for Severe Cuts
As state lawmakers cut school budgets by $1.3 billion, the Flagler school district already has plans to cut its budget by 3.5 percent through teacher layoffs and other means. It’ll make up the difference by using more than a third of its $9 million reserves.
2011 Session Under GOP Supermajority: Stingier, Looser, More Preferential Florida
The 2011 Session revamped Medicaid, teacher pay and pill-mill regulations, cut the budget and brooked favors with insurers, but culminated in corrosive revolts among Republicans as anti-union and anti-immigration bills failed.
Carver Gym’s Journey from Legacy to Ashes And Back–and How To Sustain It
Barbara Revels, the Flagler County commissioner, was chiefly instrumental in reviving Carver Gym’s fortunes, and setting it on course toward a sustainable future as a youth and community center. She sums up what’s been achieved and where to go from here.
Class-Size Limits Lifted on Numerous Courses As Lawmakers Redefine Meaning of “Core”
Foreign language classes, Advanced Placement courses, and certain social studies courses would be exempt from constitutionally required class-size limits, while caps in other classes could be exceeded by three to five students.
Doubts, Debates, Debacles and New Details: The Bin Laden Follies Weekend Round-Up
In the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, there’s no dearth of debates over torture’s merits, whether he’s really dead, what Pakistan knew and when it knew it, and the Obama administration’s ever-changing stories. A guide.
“For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Suicide”: Blunt Poetry Theater at AACC Saturday
Ntozake Shange’s play for seven women characters, staged at the African American Cultural Center, was a Broadway hit in 1976 and remains a classic of an entirely original style of American stage poetry and oral folk traditions.
Economy Adds 244,000 Jobs, an Unexpected Surge, But Unemployment Back Up to 9%
The 244,000 net new jobs defied economists’ expectations of a much weaker April, but the unemployment rate, obtained from a separate survey, rose for the first time in five months.
Prom Night Recklessness: FPC Rattles Students With Tombstones and Scary Statistics
Carrying pickets and tombstones to symbolize the dangers of recklessness on prom night, students and FPC Activities Director Cheryl Perry sent a cautionary message to fellow students who’ll be partying on prom night Friday.
At Flagler Beach Commission’s Goal-Setting, Grim Numbers, Limited Possibilities
Flagler Beach is facing a 20 percent drop in revenue to its general fund, and other revenue losses elsewhere. Setting goals in that environment can be an exercise in exasperation.
Select Flagler School Seniors Receive 239 Scholarships Worth $240,000 at Ceremony
The annual ceremony hosted by the Flagler County Education Foundation celebrated its 25th year Tuesday as 108 organizations’ scholarships were presented to 138 seniors. See the full list.
Bunnell Puts Its Stamp on Day of Prayer While Another Group Marks “Day of Inclusivity”
The Bunnell city administration coordinates an event with distinctly Christian overtones on its city hall’s steps Thursday afternoon while church-state separation group celebrates Inclusivity Day at heroes Park Thursday evening.
Splitting Florida Lawmakers, Arizona-Inspired Immigration-Law Rewrites Won’t Make It
The Florida House proposal would have turned cops into immigration officers and increased penalties on businesses. The Senate proposal would have been less harsh. The two sides couldn’t agree on a joint proposal.
Spectacular Survivor: Stalled Plane Crashes in Flagler Pines, 66-Year-Old Airman Unscathed
John Roderick, a 66-year-old retired Air Force pilot, was on his way back to St. Augustine when his D260 stalled over Western Flagler. He eased the plane into the pines.
FCAT Writing Results Are In: Big, and In Some Cases “Abnormal” Improvements
Almost every school’s 4th, 8th and 10th graders improved in Flagler County, some dramatically so. State improvements were also unusually steep. It’s not clear why, though the district is welcoming the results.
Brahms, Folk and Zeppelin as Youth Orchestra Bows in Season Finale at Flagler Auditorium
The concert, at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, features some 250 musicians and five orchestras, showcasing students’ various skills. The concert includes a symphonic collaboration with members of the FPC band.
Middle School Day Will End at 1:40pm as District’s New Bell Schedules Toll Backlash
Elementary start and end times change only a little, but high school students will start at 8 a.m. and finish at 2 p.m., and middle school students will start at 7:40 a.m. The shorted school day is designed to save money.
Circulation Still Declining at News-Journal, Rising at Sentinel and St. Augustine Record
The News-Journals losses over the past 12 months were not as steep as in previous years: a 1.2 percent decline on weekdays, 2.5 percent decline on Sundays, though other regional newspapers are seeing increases in circulation.
College Drop-Outs: Florida Lawmakers Cutting Bright Futures Scholarships a Further 20%
Once a scholarship that covered almost 100 percent of a student’s tuition and fees and half the cost of books, students entering UF next year will see their Bright Futures scholarship covering less than 50 percent of those costs.
THE END OF BIN LADEN,
The Endings Yet to Come
There is an inevitable, visceral, justifiable need to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden. Let’s just not repeat the mistakes of 2011 and let the visceral dictate the next chapter of wars still looking for an ending.
Property Tax Overhaul Passes House: Breaks For New Home Buyers, Business, Snowbirds
First-time home buyers would get a 50 percent property tax break on the value of their home. Voters would decide whether to cap property tax assessment increases for commercial properties at 5 percent.
On Unexpectedly Historic Night, Jacksonville Symphony Celebrates America in Palm Coast
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra lit up the night at Palm Coast’s Town Center Sunday with a tribute to Irving Berlin, John Williams, Aaron Copland and Scott Joplin, among other American greats, in the fifth annual picnic and pops concert produced by the Palm Coast Arts Foundation.
Corporate Tax Cut Out, Privatizing Prisons and 3% Public Pension Contributions In
As the Legislature’s 2011 session veers uncertainly toward its final days, lawmakers struck deals Saturday on privatizing prisons and compromising over public employees’ pension contributions, but no deal yet on health care and education cuts.
Flagler Firefighters Battle 9 Small Brush Fires Scattered Across the County
The fires range from an acre to 20 acres, and were all triggered by lightning strikes during the storm on Thursday. None of the fires has threatened residential properties. There’s been no injuries.
“The Me Nobody Knows” at Flagler Playhouse: Vivid, Raw and Joyful Ghetto Truths
“The Me Nobody Knows,” at the Flagler Playhouse for the next three weekends (April 29-May 15), is an original and affecting 1970 musical drawn from the true stories of adolescents in New York City’s slums.
Auction On: Carver Foundation Leads Gym’s Rebirth As Revels Steers Ideas and Dollars
Carver Gym is back, brighter and shinier. But its future depends on sustained public support. An auction, immediately and electronically accessible to the public, is one of the ways the newly formed George Washington Carver Foundation hopes to tap into that support.
Cop Shot, 1 Suspect Wounded, 1 Killed in Drug Task Force Sting Across Flagler County Line
The three-county drug task force, including deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, came under fire Thursday afternoon during a sting operation in the Lake Como Area of Pomona Park. Video included.
Birthers, Royals and Crocks
Between Barack Obama’s birth certificate and William Windsor’s wedding to his girlfriend Kate, lust for make-believe idiocies at the expense of reality explains why problem-solving isn’t much of a priority these days.
Jacksonville Symphony Pops “Americana Under the Stars” at Palm Coast Concert
Featuring a slew of favorites from Gershwin to Berlin (Irving, that is) to Strauss, the Jacksonville Symphony’s annual pilgrimage to Flagler is the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s signature event and fund-raiser.
Road Rage Incident on Palm Coast Parkway Lands an Oklahoman at the Flagler County Jail
Edward Smith, who had two 16-year-old girls in his car, allegedly waved a 9mm Hi-Point rifle at occupants of another car during a verbal smackdown on Palm Coast Parkway Wednesday afternoon.
Florida Legislature Redrawing Abortion Rules, Targeting Women, Physicians and US Law
The House approved a slew of bills that would force women to submit to ultrasounds before an abortion, broaden parental notification when minors are seeking an abortion, and require physicians to own abortion clinics, among other bills.
School Buses Blowing Through a Stop Sign at FPC: Scrutiny Follows Parent’s Alert
An 11th grader on a motorcycle had a close encounter with a bus that pulled out of an FPC driveway where, a video shows, buses frequently don’t respect a stop sign. The transportation department is responding with monitoring and warnings drivers.
School Districts Will Have to Vastly Expand Virtual Education; Charters to Click In
At least one virtual class would be mandatory for graduation, kindergarten students could take online courses, and charter schools could offer full or part-time classes in what’s almost certain to become law.
Violent Crime Falls Steeply in Flagler; Florida’s Crime Rate at 40-Year Low, Following US Trend
The overall 2010 crime rate is down 4.2 percent in Flagler County and 6.7 percent in Florida as the slower economy and a static population add to a national trend of declining crime. Several reasons are contributing to the decline.
Palm Coast’s Latest Invitation to Landowners: Come Build a Business Park With Us
Palm Coast’s business park partnership program would entail spending significant taxpayer resources to develop construction-ready sites in partnership with private property owners, as bait for future commercial activity.
State of the Ax: from Flagler to Tallahassee To D.C., Arts Funding Is Under Siege
The NEA’s federal arts dollars are on the defensive. Florida cut back its arts funding to almost nothing. Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach are just as stingy. The county and school district alone still support art and culture.
New Home Sales Rebound From Record Low, But Sales Still 22% Lower Than Last Year
March new home sales post an 11 percent increase over February, but February had posted a record low, and March’s 300,000 sales volume is still 22 percent below sales in March 2010.
Growth-Management 2.0: Local Government Whims Sprawl Over State Oversight
Republicans have complained for years that growth management rules slow growth in the state. A glut of empty homes suggests otherwise. Local governments will be empowered to take advantage of far more lax growth rules.
Bail Bondsmen Would Cash In at Taxpayers’ Expense As Pre-Trial Release Is Scaled Back
A bill written to boost bail bondsmen’s business would force inmates to post bond to get out of jail rather than rely on county-run pre-trial release programs. Taxpayers are likely to pay the price as fewer inmates can afford bond and jail populations soar.
Superintendent in Flight: Janet Valentine Gets Bird’s Eye View of Her Domain
School Superintendent Janet Valentine took a one-hour flight around the county with Jack Howell, director of Flagler’s Teens-in-Flight program. Howell wanted to thank Valentine for her support.
Criminal Backgrounds of Health Providers: Florida’s Licensing System Is All Cavities
Dentists, doctors and pharmacists can still practice in Florida even after committing crimes, while the Department of Health passes over criminal backgrounds in a lax and self-reported licensing procedure.
Armed Robbery at Flagler Beach’s CVS on SR100; Oxycontin-Filching Suspects Caught
At least two suspects entered the CVS just after 5 p.m., one of them brandishing a gun. They were caught at Old Dixie Highway and I-95. No one was injured. Oxycontin appears again to be the motive.
Preliminary Report Suggests Walker May Have Lost Consciousness Before Air Show Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report of the March 26 crash at Wings Over Flagler reveals that to Bill Walker was unresponsive when a fellow-pilot radioed him immediately before the crash.
News-Journal Inexplicably Spikes Follow-Up Story on Drowning of 3-Year-Old Girl
The story, spiked Wednesday evening after being approved for the next day’s paper, cited police saying that the girl’s 5-year-old brother had told his mother he’d drowned his sister–information that other media reported Wednesday evening.
TDC Approves $30,000 for Dual July 4th Fireworks Under Unifying Americana Theme
With Palm Coast fireworks on July 3rd and Flagler Beach fireworks on the 4th, the tourist council is hoping Flagler County will be a destination for racing fans worn out by July 1 and 2 races in Daytona Beach.
Wadsworth’s Eco Swag Fair Thursday: Saving the Planet 900 Students at a Time
Wadsworth Elementary school is inviting the community to its students’ first environmental community outreach Thursday, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with music, food, games and presentations mixing awareness and kindness.
Bunnell Police Miscues Helping To Lessen Case Against Ex-Cops John and Lisa Murray
Lisa Murray faces one less count of official misconduct, but while a grand theft charge against John Murray was dropped, a charge of official misconduct was added. The cases, for now, are proceeding to trial.
Property Tax Reform: 50% Exemptions, Breaks for Investors, Losses for Local Governments
Supporters of the overhaul say it’ll fill up empty homes. Critics say it’ll also slash local government revenue and further shift the tax burden to current residents, exacerbating inequities.
Putt-Putt Golf at Belle Terre Elementary: 9-Hole Course Meets School Board Bogeys
Playground equipment at Belle Terre Elementary has been deteriorating, and causing a few injuries. But replacing some of it with putt-putt golf raised financial and “buy-in” issues from school board members.
More Losers Than Winners as HMOs Skim Off Florida’s $20 Billion Medicaid Overhaul
Managed-car plans will take over almost all of Florida’s 2.8 million Medicaid patients. The overhaul does nothing to change the status of 3.8 million uninsured Floridians.