A ceremony honoring fallen officers and marking National Police Memorial Week was held on the steps of the Flagler County courthouse Thursday morning.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Beating and Crash Lead to Meth Lab in Palm Coast’s P-Section, and Arrests of 3 Men
Kenneth Stancil, Joseph Canfield and Brian Hitas were arrested for allegedly operating a methamphetamine lab at 20 Philmont Lane in Palm Coast’s P-Section after a disturbance and a car crash were reported in the area.
Superintendent Oliva Scraps 28 End-Of-Course Exams in Lower Grades in 1st Step of Broad Testing Revamp
The Flagler district is immediately scrapping 28 end-of-course exams in kindergarten through 3rd grade for science, social studies and special areas, with more eliminations likely for higher grades next year as the district implements a new, more flexible state law.
Grand Jury Indicts Ex-Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks on 12 Felony Counts Over Secret Recordings
A grand jury that convened Tuesday indicted Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler County Supervisor of Elections on 12 felony counts of illegal interception and disclosure of oral communication, following a six-month investigation into allegations by county officials that she secretly and illegally recorded their conversations.
DeSantis Will Run for Rubio’s Senate Seat: Flagler’s Congressional Election Again Wide Open
DeSantis’s decision means that Flagler County, which is part of DeSantis’s congressional district, will see a competitive race for that seat for the second time in four years, though St. Johns and Volusia dominate the district’s conservative electorate.
Hurricane, Terrorism, Evacuations: In Flagler Emergencies, These Are The People Who Hold Your Fate In Their Hands
The Flagler County Executive Policy Group is the most powerful local government panel you’ve never heard of, and its members make all key decisions in natural or man-made emergencies. They practiced this morning.
Citing PTSD, Palm Coast Man Makes Up Story of Being Shot By Black Assailants on I-95
For the second time in eight days, a Palm Coast resident is charged with filing a false report involving made-up black assailants. In this case, the 22-year-old man described himself as a military veteran suffering from PTSD.
Palm Coast’s Tennis Phenom Reilly Opelka, 17, Goes Pro After Catching Agent’s Eye
Reilly Opelka, 17, caught the eye of an agent at Palm Coast’s Men’s Futures Tournament in January, and got an offer. He turned pro a week ago, skipping college for the tour.
A Puppy Dog Is Shot Dead After Crossing Into Neighbor’s Yard at Flagler County’s Edge
Kevin J. McClenithan, 46, a convicted felon, shot a Labrador puppy dead after it wandered onto his property and, he says, became aggressive toward him and the homeowner, though the dog had been fenced in.
Marketing 2 Go Celebrates 5 Years in New Digs at City Place in Palm Coast
Marketing 2 Go owner Cindy Dalecki took her new-media company from one employee to six and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting attended by some 200 people at City Place.
Not What Visiting Soccer Players Want to See: Man Threatens Teens With a Gun at Motel
Four teens visiting Palm Coast as part of the weekend’s State Cup soccer tournament were threatened with a gun when a Red Roof Inn guest, Samuel Foy, 35, screamed at the teens to be quiet.
My Muñequita: Flagler Youth Orchestra Caps 10th Year With Smooth FPC Band Gig in Auditorium Concert
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s 30th major concert in 10 years features a collaboration with the FPC band in a full symphonic rendition of Santana’s “Smooth,” among some 18 pieces to be performed Monday evening at the Flagler Auditorium.
Palm Coast Woman With History of Attacking Cops Arrested For Biting Flagler Beach Officer
Lisa D. Tyson of Palm Coast’s Utica Path allegedly bit a Flagler Beach police officer after running away from her to a stage at Finn’s bar, where she started dancing until the officer grabbed her wrist.
Xanax In Song: In “Committed,” Depression Turns Musical on City Rep’s Stage, Starring FPC
“Committed,” the new play at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre,has never been staged outside of New York, features music and lyrics by 2003 FPC graduate Andrew David Sotomayor and a cast repleted with FPC connections.
Teen Missing Since April 24 Is Found, But Stories Conflict Over What led Him to Leave
Rodney Fudge Jr., 15, says his father forced him to leave on April 24, while his step-mother claims that was not the case. Rodney had been staying at various friends’ houses.
Woman Critically Injured, 3 Others Hurt In T-Bone Collision on Sesame Boulevard
Yelizaveta Horton, a 60-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s W-Section, was air-lifted in critical condition after her car was t-boned by a van on Sesame Boulevard Friday morning. A woman and two young children in the van were taken to Florida Hospital Flagler with minor injuries.
Decomposed Man’s Body Discovered in Empty Lot on Boulder Rock; Suicide Suspected
The body was found at the north extremity of the Boulder Rock Drive loop in Palm Coast after a resident in a nearby house called 911 to report a foul odor and buzzards circling about the neighboring lot.
Public Denounces Flagler Beach Paid-Parking Option, Splitting Commission on What’s Next
A proposal to impose paid parking on vast new swaths of Flagler Beach is likely dead shortly after its arrival at the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday. What happens next is unclear.
Neighborhood Feuds Again Simmer Around Ralph Carter Park, But Solutions Questioned
While Ralph Carter Park in Palm Coast’s R-Section thrives, neighbors around Richardson Drive are feuding with younger people, who feel harassed for just hanging out. The city council is looking into a block party–and possibly more fence-building around the park.
662 Spaces Would Convert to Paid Parking in Flagler Beach in Panel’s Vast, Costly Proposal
Flagler Beach’s Ad Hoc Parking Committee, at work two years, will submit its recommendations Thursday to a special meeting of the city commission, with a focus on two options that call for paid parking either in city lots or throughout premium areas of the city, including A1A.
“It’s Called Punishment”: Judge Denies Clemency for Man Who Killed Benjamin Rossie in 2008 Crash
Peter Hamill, who killed Benjamin “Bo” Rossie in a car crash in the Hammock, told a judge that completing his probation was “more than I’m comfortable with,” a startling request Judge Walsh did not buy this morning.
Matanzas Woods Parkway Overpass Closes June 5 as Three Road Projects Start Rumble
Some 50 people turned up to hear an overview of the Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange and Old Kings Road extension projects, which will take a year to complete starting in June.
Palm Coast Mayor Rips Waste of County’s EMS Service and Says Do It All Or Pay the City
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts doesn’t question the quality of emergency services but considers them wastefully duplicative, and wants to see the city’s and county’s approach change.
Three Weeks After Winning House Seat From Flagler, Paul Renner Begins Re-Election Bid
The GOP’s Paul Renner, whose house seat represents Flagler County, won election to his first public office exactly three weeks ago, outspending his combined opponents 33-to-1. On Tuesday, he filed for re-election.
19-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Raping Underage Girl Passed Out at a Party
William Demetrious Kitts, a resident of Pine Ash Lane in Palm Coast, is accused of raping a girl who’d become heavily intoxicated at a U-Section party on April 17, and had passed out in a bedroom.
Your Guide to Summer Camps and Activities In Flagler Schools and Palm Coast
Flagler County Schools and Palm Coast Parks and Recreation offer summer camps and activities in June and July, including breakfast and lunch at school camps. Here’s a complete guide.
Off-Duty Deputy Witnesses Armed Robbery at Palm Coast CVS, But Suspect Gets Away
An off-duty Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy was standing in line for the cashier behind a man at the Palm Coast CVS on Palm Coast Parkway Sunday afternoon when the man, claiming he had a gun, asked the clerk to put all the money in a bag.
Double-Hit and Run Wreck Involves 5 Vehicles, 6 Injuries on I-95 in Palm Coast Overnight
The individual who triggered the 5-vehicle wreck ran off on foot, and the last driver to strike a car kept driving north as I-95 was shut down for over two hours early Saturday morning at the weigh scales in Palm Coast.
As Palm Coast Groans Over Its Anemic Golf Course, Flagler Beach Wants One Of Its Own
the Flagler Beach City Commission will look to buy the last 3 acres within the old Ocean Palm Golf Club at the south end of town and look to return the whole parcel to a golf operation through a lease with a private company, assuming one can shoulder the task.
Specious and Speculative: State Elections Office Tosses Out Kim Weeks Cases Against 3 Flagler Commissioners
Though she resigned, Kimberle Weeks continues to pursue elections, ethics and Florida bar cases against county commissioners and the county attorney, though the cases are starting to get tossed out for being legally speculative and specious.
A Palm Coast Woman Is Accused of Fabricating Theft By 2 Black Men at Walmart
Magdaline Scott, a 38-year-old resident of Berkshire Lane in Palm Coast, claimed ina videotaped statement she gave police that she’d been ripped off of her backpack at Walmart Wednesday evening, and accused two black men she’d made up. The bag had never been stolen.
At Palm Coast’s Heroes Park, a Unique Monument May Rise in Memory of Victims of PTSD
The “Healing of the wounded spirit” monument may be a first in the nation, honoring suicide and traumatic brain injury victims who served in the military but whose deaths are not included in the official tally of war casualties.
Crime Down 20% in Two Years, Jail Population Isn’t: Sheriff Strains to Explain Paradox
Sheriff Jim Manfre touted Flagler County as one of the safest places in Florida and said the fact should be marketed to prospective businesses, but was less clear about the relationship between falling crime and a still-high jail population, or the county’s need for nearly tripling its jail beds.
4-Vehicle Wreck Involving Chlorine and Acids Shuts Down U.S. 1 Northbound in Bunnell
A four-vehicle wreck involving a pick-up truck that was carrying pool chemicals shut down both northbound lanes of U.S. 1 in Bunnell at 8:30 this morning. There were no injuries, but chemicals spilled, requiring the scene to be turned into a hazardous material scene.
Derelict Matanzas Golf Course Overrun By More Questions Than Answers, Angering Residents
The Matanzas gold course has been in disuse for almost a decade, it is overgrown and badly kept. The city is stepping up code enforcement, but also pledging to convene a discussion between property owners and gonvernent agencies, including the mysterious owners of the golf course.
Despite Pleading With State For Earlier Start Date, School Board Now Opts Against It
After lobbying the state to let it start school on Aug. 10 instead of Aug. 24, the Flagler school board on Tuesday stuck with the Aug. 24 date even though a new law would have allowed the district to move up the calendar.
The Inspired Mic: Two Years of Coaxing Out Flagler’s Talent, Six Minutes at a Time
The three-hour monthly open-mic event at Leroy’s 19th Hole in Palm Coast features vets, comics, poets, undefinable performers and occasional magic, all under the emceeing choreography of author Michael Ray King.
Three Hurt in 3 Bizarre Shootings in 32 Hours in Palm Coast and Bunnell This Weekend
Three unrelated shootings, once of them authorities described as an attempted murder, left three people injured and involved three police agencies, including in one case the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, though no arrests have been made.
Rev. Beth Gardner, Leading Voice For Flagler’s Homeless, Is Leaving Bunnell’s Methodist Church After 15 Years
Rev. Gardner, who will lead a parish in Lakeland starting in July, transformed the church into the county’s most progressive advocate for the homeless, housing a cold-weather shelter and keeping awareness about homelessness on the forefront of county and city agendas.
Flagler Clerk’s 1-Day Amnesty on Overdue Fines Nets $25,000 and Restores 20 Licenses
The amnesty, dubbed Operation Green Light, affected 7,000 cases in Flagler, totaling $1.9 million in overdue fines. The experiment was tried in most of the state’s counties for the first time this year.
Jim Davis, Ex-Cop With Ormond and Flagler Beach, Pleads to Lesser Charge in Child Molestation Case
Davis pleaded guilty to a count of battery against a child and was sentenced to a year’s probation. His record reveals a long history of domestic violence and conduct against policy while he was with the Ormond Beach Police Department.
Rain Forces Palm Coast Arts Foundation to Move Jax Symphony Pops Concert to Destination Daytona at I-95 and US1
The concert venue for the April 19 Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Picnic and Pops event is the Coca-Cola Pavilion at Rossemeyer’s Destination Daytona, Exit 273 off I-95 at U.S. 1, a few miles south of Palm Coast.
Flagler-Palm Coast Added 12,300 Jobs in Last 5 Years, Powering Unemployment Down to 6.5%
Unemployment figures released Friday show the solid, continued improvement of Flagler-Palm Coast’s economy, especially when compared to where the county was five years ago.
School Officials Tamp Down Credibility of Threatening Message on Matanzas High School Wall
The message–“I am going To shoot up the School Tomorrow Happy Friday” is believed to be a hoax spreading on social media, and made to appear as if it had been scrawled on a bathroom wall at Matanzas High School.
James McDevitt Pleads Guilty as Charged of Rape, May Face Up to Life in Prison for Flagler Beach Attack
By pleading guilty, James McDevitt hopes to avoid life in prison had the case gone to trial. He’ll be sentenced in late May. The June 2013 incident took place in an isolated lot in Flagler Beach, but was witnessed by a neighbor.
Proposal Allowing Concealed Guns in Schools, Largely Opposed By Flagler Board, Dies
Bills that would lead to guns at schools have traditionally faced an uphill challenge in the Senate, which is more moderate on such issues than the House.
Supreme Court Turns Down Red-Light Camera Appeal, Leaving In Place Restrictions On Who May Issue Tickets
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal on a red-light camera case with a direct bearing on Palm Coast’s traffic-enforcement program. Five justices concurred in turning down the appeal, without explanation, as is customary when the court turns down a case.
Candor, Humor and a Few Sharp Jabs from Jim Landon in a State of the City Overview
Addressing Walmart’s renewed interest in its potential second store in Palm Coast, golf courses, construction and economic activity, Palm Coast City Manager spoke for almost two hours Monday morning to some 90 residents about the state of the city and its near future.
27-Year-Old Woman Accused of Robbing and Assaulting 67-Year-Old For Prescription Pills
Tara Lynn Davis, a 27-year-old resident of Espanola Road in Bunnell, was booked at the Flagler County jail on three felony charges: robbery, battery on a person 65 or older, and grand theft.
Bunnell Joins County in Big-Debt Refinancing Trend, Saving Large Amounts
By cutting its financing costs by almost half, Bunnell will save $600,000 on two loans dating back to the 1990s. County government similarly saved millions by refinancing loans for the courthouse and the Government Services Building.