Kim Hammond started his career as a judge in Flagler County four decades, six presidents and 11,0000 days ago. His retirement ceremony Friday was a tribute to an institution.
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“An Agreement is an Agreement”: Maps Contradict Palm Coast’s Annexation Claim
Large maps and a 2007 circuit court settlement show clearly where Palm Coast’s annexation authority ends. That authority doesn’t extend over the site of a proposed National Guard reserve center on county land.
Private Sector Leads Surge as Economy Adds 151,000 Jobs; Unemployment Stuck at 9.6%
The unexpectedly large job increase was also accompanied by revised and much smaller job losses in August and September, suggesting a stronger turn-around for the economy as a whole.
Swelled by Supermajority, Florida GOP Signals First Assault Victim: Medicaid
A quick special session in Tallahassee would provide $9.7 million for Gainesville’s Shands teaching hospital and lay down markers on overhauling medicaid, the health care program for the poor. One idea: forcing all beneficiaries to enroll in managed care.
Time to Get Involved: Feed Flagler Challenges County’s Thanksgiving Compassion and Beyond
Led by Commissioner Milissa Holland and the county administration, Feed Flagler aims to provide meals for 2,000 people at Thanksgiving, raise thousands of dollars and stock up food pantries and family pantries for many weeks’ worth.
Dog-and-Pony Powerpoints: Landon’s Stage-Managed Shows for a New Palm Coast City Hall
City Manager Jim Landon says the $10 million city hall project is different than the plan 82 percent of voters rejected in 2005. He’s right: residents won’t be allowed to vote this time, even though economic conditions are far worse.
Tommy Tant Classic Surfing the Weekend As Palm Coast Crashes In With Its Own Festival
Now in its 11th year, the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic will be a three-day event, including a food festival by the sea, a concert and two days of amateur and professional surfing competition.
Lazier Voters: Flagler’s 52% Turnout Was Worst In At Least 16 Years of Mid-Terms
Just 52 percent of Flagler County’s registered voters went to the polls, the lowest voter turnout in at least 16 years of mid-term elections, and likely the lowest turnout since at least the 1974 election, when voter apathy was acute.
Don’t Celebrate Yet, Republicans:
Between Din and Tea Stains, a Reality Check
Short-attention span politics are here to stay, which is why Tuesday’s results are merely the latest re-casting of the same tiresome play that’s not about to end its run on our second-world stage. Not with allegedly educated voters like us buying tickets.
Fischer, Proctor, Mica, Craig, DuPont and Thrasher Win; School Tax Approved; Democrats & Amendments 4 and 8 Sink
In Flagler County, all precincts are in, including absentee ballots and early voting. John Fischer, has won the school board seat being vacated by Evie Shellenberger, defeating Raven Sword with a 58-42 margin. The continuation of the 25-mill school tax is approved, with 61 percent approval, which should boost the school board’s confidence. Amendment 4, […]
Two Bus Stop Robbery Suspects, Riding With Schoolgirls, Arrested Following a Wreck
Sebastian Dominguez, 18 and Brandon Smith, 19, were riding in a truck with a 14 year old girl from Indian Trails Middle School and a 15-year-old girl from Matanzas High School when they allegedly decided to hold up a Matanzas High School student.
Skyping in From Cairo, Delbrugge Joins School Board’s Farewell to Shellenberger
Evie Shellenberger ended her eight years as a school board member Monday evening with a parable and sponsorships of Afghan girls’ education in her fellow board members’ names.
Delinquent on Taxes and Other Dues, Hunter’s Ridge Development Wants More Favors
Three years in arrears on taxes and delinquent on $4.5 million it owes the county for a golf course it never built, Hunter’s Ridge now wants to almost double its density to 2,657 homes. Commissioners are puzzled.
Conklin Triggers Mockingbird Appeals Committee, Likely Enabling Play’s Revival
Unearthing a district policy on “the appropriateness of books or materials,” School Board member Colleen Conklin appealed the decision to cancel the play. A committee will be appointed to handle the appeal.
Before School Censors: When Mockingbird‘s Harper Lee Spoke Proudly of Flagler County
In 2002, Harper Lee addressed Flagler County proudly when her book was the centerpiece of county-wide events. The school district’s censoring of the play this month contrasts sharply with that progressive history.
In Florida, Endangered Democrats Will Approach Extinction Status on Election Day
The map is set to go redder in Florida Tuesday evening as one-term Democrats like Kosmas and Grayson lose and the Legislature edges further right. Sink-Scott is the only drama.
Cultural Development Richer Than Economic: How to Grow Palm Coast Into a City With Soul
There’s more to a city than commerce, argues Hollingsworth Gallery’s JJ Graham in a column. Without cultural development and the youthful force that makes it possible, Palm Coast would be a city without soul.
Daviana’s Excellent Adventure: Halloween Bash Fills Carts and Kitty for the Hungry
Little Miss Flagler Daviana Campbell raised $900 and filled four shopping carts full of canned goods for a local food pantry through a Halloween dance that drew some 300 participants.
Dracula Brings Fangs, Foes and a Costume Contest to the Flagler Auditorium
If Stephenie Meyer could turn teen sighs and stares into a 2,000-page epic, why not make a ballet of Bram Stoker’s Dracula? Gainsville’s Dance Alive National Ballet brings that production to the Flagler Auditorium for a Halloween special.
Lowe’s Ups Drywall Settlement to $100,000 Per Victim, Closing Gap With Lawyer Payouts
The home-improvement Lowe’s chain had previously offered no more than $4,500 in cash and gift cards to victims whose health or homes were hurt by defective drywalls bought from Lowe’s stores, and much more to lawyers. The new agreement evens out the potential payments.
Marineland’s John Hankinson Appointed Director of Obama’s Gulf Recovery Task Force
John Hankinson, chairman of Florida Audubon, has an environmental consulting office in Marineland and was the Southern Region’s EPA administrator during the Clinton administration.
Feared Weapon Never Made It Onto Indian Trails Campus; School Has Normal Friday
A report of a student planning to bring a weapon to Indian Trails Middle School surfaced Thursday evening. The school administration and law enforcement intervened, the family of the student cooperated, and the weapon never appeared.
Campaign Notes: Dwyer Backs Craig, Sword and Fischer Vie for Teachers’ Attention
Craig and Horrox in the circuit court race and Sword and Fischer in the school board race make their final pitches with radio appearances and a television ad from Sword, while others continue to press for the ballot measure on continuing the .25-mill school tax.
7-Year-Old Nate Truelove, Old Kings Wreck Victim, Is Going Home
Nate’s rehabilitation at Brooks Rehab in Jacksonville did not produce the desired results. He is still mostly unresponsive, though awake. His family hopes that back home in DeLand, he will begin to progress better.
Florida State Intervenes As More Soldiers Die from Risky Behavior than Combat
In 2009, more soldiers died from suicide and high-risk behavior than in combat. The Pentagon is drafting Florida State to fight the epidemic.
Bowing to Pressure, Transportation Department Scraps Plans for a Weigh Station on U.S. 1
Every local government had opposed a proposed $11 million weigh station that would have taken up the median of U.S. 1 at Royal Palms Parkway, at the intersection of Palm Coast and Bunnell. Opposition worked.
Night Waves Smash 50-ft Fishing Vessel To Shore Just North of Flagler Beach
The two fishermen on board the 50-year-old “Satisfaction,” registered to a company in Port Orange, swam safely to shore around 1:30 a.m., and their catch was salvaged.
Holland Walks Out on Palm Coast Council As It “Rewrites History” Over Annexation
Commissioner Milissa Holland had enough once Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon took credit for bringing in the National Guard to a Flagler County airport site, which is at the heart of an annexation controversy.
FPC’s Top Student Makes the Case
For the .25-Mill School Tax Referendum
Kyle Russell, the top-ranked senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, argues that students need every competitive advantage they can get if they’re to have a chance against others in the state and the nation.
Jail Riot, Diving Accident, Hostages and Wrecks Jam Flagler’s Paramedic Competition
Organized by the Flagler County Fire Department, the nearly 24-hour paramedic competition put 10 teams through 10 scenarios across the county in grueling, unpredictable drills.
How Republicans Became America’s Arabs
That’s the strength behind the Republican No, as it is behind the Arab No, the Islamist No in particular: it appeals to some mythical, mass-marketable golden age. No proof necessary.
Leveraging Little Miss Flagler Into a Halloween Campaign to Feed the Hungry, and More
Daviana Campbell, the 11-year-old winner of Little Miss Flagler 2010, is throwing a 5th and 6th grade Halloween dance Oct. 29 to raise money and food for the hungry. That’s just for starters.
With Verve and Survivors, Bunnell Pinks Up In 4-Mile Breast Cancer Awareness Walk
Bunnell’s first annual “Going the Extra Mile” walk for breast cancer awareness Saturday morning drew some 160 people and raised $2,500.
Singing Its Signal Achievements, Flagler Education Foundation Celebrates 20 Years
The gala dinner at the Hammock Dunes Club drew a sold-out audience of 175, and was highlighted by testimonials about the foundation’s works and rousing performances by Amy Fulmer’s Formality Ensemble.
Builders on Amendment 4: Bad for Jobs, Economic Growth and Democracy
Charles Rinek, president of the Flagler Home Builders Association, outlines the many reasons why Amendment 4 — the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment — will undermine the state’s economy and democratic process.
Palm Coast Is Fighting Firefighters’ Union on Forming a Single Bargaining Unit
The hearing Friday will decide whether lieutenants and rank and file firefighters can form a single bargaining unit, which the city–which objects to unionization–is opposing.
September Unemployment Almost Unchanged: 16.3% in Flagler, 11.9% in Florida
With 1.1 million people out of work, unemployment in Florida inched up by a decimal point, and down by a decimal point in Flagler. Some 11,100 jobs were lost in the state in September.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” Launches Flagler Playhouse’s 32nd Season
The play and the movie of the “rock opera” were charged up with controversy in 1971 and 1973. These days, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is a nostalgic bath of 70s music and only quaint hints of subversion.
Health Care Deformed: Florida’s Incoming House Speaker Defies Federal Law
With no apparent authority from the Legislature or the courts, incoming Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon is aiming to scuttle state agencies’ enactment of federal health care reform laws and regulations.
In School Board Race, a Clash of Clarity And Fact Between Fischer and Sword
John Fischer makes wild, often incoherent claims and exaggerations, betting, correctly, that his audiences won’t verify what he says. Sword is about clarity and rational analysis.
And Then There Were One and a Half: Flagler Beach Manager Pick Slims to Default
Edward Sealover has taken a job in Georgia, Gary Word is negotiating terms with Green Cove Springs, leaving Bruce Campbell the choice by default. The question is: will the Flagler Beach City Commission take it?
Flagler Sheriff’s Jail Guards Apologize To Lisa Tanner Over 2005 Brutality Case
Lisa Tanner, the daughter of then-State Attorney John Tanner, was arrested on bogus charges in March 2005, and was then violently restrained and abused by guards at the Flagler County jail.
A Bench, a Homeless Man, A Cop’s Brutal Judgment: Poverty as a Presumption of Guilt
The man was sleeping on a bench in Sarastoa. The cop noticed a duffel bag and decided to invoke the city’s anti-camping ordinance. The result: felony charges for the man, and neither justice nor common sense served.
In Palm Coast, Another Dud Turnout At School Tax Town Hall
School officials had thought (and feared) that the tea party throngs would turn up at Monday’s town hall on the proposed $0.25 mill school tax referendum. They didn’t. What those tea leaves say is not clear.
County Raises Bed Tax to 4%, a Victory for Milissa Holland’s Tourism Marketing Thrust
The higher tax, Milissa Holland argued, will broaden Flagler County’s marketing power, drawing more visitors and creating more jobs for local, small businesses.
Calvary Christian’s Bus Ministry: Treasuring the Homeless, One Sunday at a Time
Every Sunday, Calvary’s school buses pick up some 120 homeless men, women and children to clean, feed and clothe them while ministering to them without illusions.
In Race to Replace Judge Hammond in Flagler, Craig and Horrox Scrape for Distinctions
In the race for the 7th judicial district’s court seat Judge Hammond is vacating, Dennis Craig and Joe Horrox are two competent, unexciting choices, though Craig’s experience is more varied.
It’s Drescher’s Tower Now: Year-Long Quest Ends With Town’s Name in Its Place
The job was finished Sunday, but it took Stan Drescher, a newcomer to Flagler Beach, almost a year and perseverance through slamming doors to have the town’s water tower named after it.
Cubism Squared at “Picasso’s Legacy,” Flagler County Art League’s Latest Show
The second show at the Art League’s new home at City Walk/City Market Place features several attempts at translating Picasso’s cubist (and not so cubist) legacy, with varying degrees of success.
Scott DuPont and Don Holmes:
Dogma vs. Nuance in 7th Judicial Circuit Race
Don Holmes and Scott DuPont’s experience in law is the least of their differences in the Group 10 race for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit Court seat (Putnam County), in which Flagler voters do have a vote.