When it comes to Texas, let’s not be too eager to dismiss this secession talk, argues Steve Robinson. A sovereign nation of Texas would put it in the company of oil kingdoms like Saudi Arabia and eye-for-eye justice like Pakistan and North Korea.
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Independence Day Weekend Ruffles Tricolor Blasts From Palm Coast to Flagler Beach
Palm Coast celebrated July 4 with a complete reading of the Declaration of Independence at Heroes Park before Flagler Beach let loose with its parade, its booze, food and fights, though only one person ended up incarcerated against his will, and mostly for his benefit.
It Ain’t Texas: Florida Supreme Court Reverses Two Death Sentences, Citing Mental Issues
In two separate decisions that illustrate the fallibility of death sentences, the Florida Supreme Court this week overturned the death sentences of Michael Shellito, 37, and Ralston Davis, 28, ruling in both cases that the murderers’ mental state at the time of the killings should have played a larger role in theirs sentences.
Despite Adding 600,000 Jobs in 3 Months, U.S. Unemployment Remains at 7.6%
The U.S. economy added 195,000 jobs in June, and revised numbers increased April’s and May’s totals by 70,000 for a combined three-month job creation of nearly 600,000 jobs, but the unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent, only 0.6 percent lower than it was a year ago.
Florida Supreme Court Again Hammers Insurance Industry in Three Rulings
Florida Supreme Court justices ruled against insurance companies and in favor of policyholders and medical providers. The cases divided the court and, ultimately, all had financial implications for insurers and the other parties.
Another Floridian Goon With a Gun
The story of Jerome Hayes’s murder of Fred Turner on I-4 Saturday in a supposed case of “mistaken identity” evokes rage at the case of yet another Floridian hothead–following in the footsteps of George Zimmerman, Jacksonville’s Michael Dunn and Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller– whose temper would not have been an issue had it not been loaded in the chamber of a firearm.
It’s Back: Gang of Six Ex-Council Members Want Palm Coast to Build a New City Hall
Ex-Mayor Jim Canfield leads the group of ex-council members asking the Palm Coast City Council to appoint a commission to study the financing and building of a new city hall. Despite warnings of the consequences from one of its own, the council agreed to take up the matter next week.
Florida’s Political Scientist:
Five Questions for Susan McManus
Susan MacManus is probably Florida’s most-quoted political scientist. A distinguished professor at the University of South Florida’s Department of Government and International Affairs, she’s also a featured columnist on the Sayfie Review website and a political analyst for Tampa’s WFLA Channel 8.
Booked at Orlando Prison, Paul Miller Files Appeal of Conviction on Flagler Beach Murder
Paul Miller, sentenced in June to life in prison for the murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach last year, will be at Orlando’s Central Florida Reception System prison for a few weeks before being transferred to a permanent prison, though family proximity does not necessarily decide where the system will place him.
“Fiercely Independent” Flagler Beach Says No to County Fire Services and $100,000 Savings
Flagler County is ready to take over the Flagler Beach Fire Department, provide a higher level of service that would vastly improve the city’s fire insurance rating and lower property insurance rates, and net the city a $100,000 annual saving, not counting capital savings, but the city is not interested for now.