Florida’s Dennis Baxley, a Republican member of the Florida House representing the Ocala region, made the startling comparison of lesbian moms to abusers and dysfunctional parents during a House subcommittee meeting on middle school reforms this week.
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24-Ton Recycling Waste Pro Truck, Full to Capacity, Overturns in Palm Coast’s R-Section
A 24-ton Waste Pro recycling truck that was near the end of its run for the day overturned and crashed on its side on Palm Coast’s Reybury Lane at 3:15 this afternoon, slightly injury its driver, Bob Ackerman.
Ex-House Speaker Tom Feeney’s and Flagler Beach’s Firms Among 4 Vying for Bunnell Attorney Job
A law firm that includes Tom Feeney, the ex-Florida House speaker and congressman who landed on a watchdog’s list as one of the 20 most corrupt congressmen four years running, is among the candidates for Bunnell City Atttorney, as is the firm that has been representing Flagler Beach since 2008.
XBox Murders Ringleader Victorino Closer to Execution as He Loses Supreme Court Appeal
Troy Victorino lost his latest appear in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court Thursday. He was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and numerous other charges, including the abuse of a dead human body, and sentenced to death for the killings at a Deltona home in 2004.
Focus on Flagler Sets Golf Fund-Raiser at Pine Lakes, for New Youth-Resilience Program
Focus on Flagler won a $25,000 Juvenile Justice grant to run the Creating Lasting Family Connections program locally, helping youths and their parents become more resilient in the face of social and personal difficulties. The golf tournament fund-raiser will help establish the program.
Flagler’s Public Safety Council Endorses Court-Ordering Ex-Felons to Evangelical Recovery House
The council—a collection of local police, court and other government agencies—provided the endorsement sight unseen and legalities untested, and based exclusively on a brief presentation by Charles Silano, the local pastor. Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry will be run out of a former church on Booe Street in Bunnell.
Flagler’s Teachers Still Waiting on Their $1,900 Raise as District and Union Negotiate Contract
Flagler’s teachers are in the same situation as teachers in 53 other counties where negotiations with unions have delayed the raises. A sticking point in Flagler: the district wants the authority to renegotiate annual “step” raises, while the union wants those step increases to continue to be awarded automatically, as they have been to date.
Senate Proposal Would Bar “Aggressors” From Using Stand Your Ground; Approval Unlikely
Prompted by a national outcry over George Zimmerman’s acquittal this summer in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida Senate committee gave approval to minor changes in the state’s “stand your ground” law. But whether a Legislature dominated by gun-loving lawmakers will ultimately sign off on a bipartisan compromise remains a long shot.
Town Hall Road Show: Residents Grill 4 Local Governments’ Heads in Freewheeling Forum
A 90-minute town hall forum brought some 50 people to the Palm Coast Community Center to grill and hear Flagler County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre, School Board Chairman Andy Dance, and Palm Coast City Council member Jason DeLorenzo address a long list of public concerns in a rare and informal cross-agency discussion.
FPC Student Detained for Bringing Alcohol on a School Bus; 2 Arrested Over Stolen Gun
The 15-year-old student allegedly confessed to drinking alcohol at a bus stop, and bringing the drink on board the bus, which he then spilled when confronted. Kenneth James Kirsch Jr., 20, and Michael Shawn McRoberts Jr., 17, of Palm Coast, were arrested after a police raid on a Zoeller Court over a gun stolen in late September in the F Section.