Flagler County is in danger of losing several programs that train and help the disabled find self-sustaining jobs as the Florida Senate ends funding for those programs. The cuts would affect 248 adult in the county, including 36 students in the transition program for 18 to 22 year olds.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
A Year On, Tibet’s Jigme Norbu’s Death In Flagler Is Remembered With Incense and Hope
Jigme Norbu, the nephew of the Dalai Lama, was killed in Flagler County on the first day of a 300-mile walk for peace. Two dozen people gathered at the crash site in the Hammock this afternoon to commemorate the one-year mark of Norbu’s death.
Sahmi Green Charged With Animal Cruelty in Wake of Fatal Stabbing of Female Pit Bull
The arrest warrant states that Sahmi Green walked a friend’s female pit bull behind a house and stabbed it seven times. He initially claimed the dog had been in a fight.
Flagler Tea Party Frets As Numbers Dwindle And Excitement Appears Elusive
Flagler tea party meetings once reliably drew 200 to 300 people. Thursday’s drew 86, and provoked soul-searching from members wondering how to revive the excitement in an election year they considers crucial.
European Village Beating of 60-Year-Old: Ken Peters Now Faces Attempted Murder Charge
Conviction for attempted murder can mean a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Kenneth Peters had gone to the victim’s house to obtain Oxycodone, the pain-relieving narcotic, when the encounter deteriorated. Both men involved have previous records.
Women’s Wrestling as Inspiration: “Miracle Worker” at FPC’s Black Box Theatre Tonight
The story of Hellen Keller and Annie Sullivan, with FPC junior Agata Sokolska and senior Leana Gardella in the title roles, is director Kelly Nelson’s valentine to inspiration. The play will be staged Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
In Field Trip Across Western Flagler, Jobs Council Learns of Unheralded Ag Power
Flagler County’s jobs council went on a field trip today—the latest in a series designed to educate its members about the county’s economy—through western Flagler, for a first-hand look at the second-largest economic engine locally: agriculture.
Sheriff’s Office Plays Up Minor Pot-Growing Bust at a Home in Palm Coast’s P Section
The house at 20 Princeton Lane in Palm Coast had 24 young marijuana plants. Florida is still among the states with the harshest anti-pot laws in the county, though some 20 states have either decriminalized pot possession or legalized its medical uses.
Conflicted Incubator: A Divided Palm Coast Council May Relax Home-Based Bakeries
The issue, prompted by a couple looking to start a home bakery, illustrates two contradicting strains in Palm Coast’s idea of itself–the quiet residential town as opposed to the depressed and unemployed city looking for rejuvenation summed up in its economic-development slogan, “Prosperity 2021.”
Flagler 911: Alcohol and Gummy Bears at Indian Trails Middle, a Dog Stabbing, a Deer Shooting
A police chase on Belle Terre is suspended for safety’s sake–but the suspect is arrested anyway after he crashes his car, a female pit bull is fatally stabbed, a deer crashes into the Sub Base shop window, a middle school student brings tequila in a Tupperware to school.
Amelia Earhart, Gandhi, Einstein and Betsy Ross All Rise Again in Wadsworth’s History Day
Wadsworth Elementary’s “Who’s Who in History” day Tuesday drew on school staffers and community “celebrities” to perform dozens of historical figures, alive and dead, in a culmination of school-wide biography projects focused on the figures.
Pursuit of 33-Year-Old Woman on I-95 Ends In 9-Car Smash-Up on Palm Coast Parkway
A vehicle pursuit that started just south of St. Augustine ended as the woman driving a Dodge Charger smashed into cars that had all but stopped at the Cypress Point light on Palm Coast Parkway. Despite severe damage, there were few serious injuries.
Sheriff Fleming Suggests Pill-Mill Crackdown Is Shooting Up Heroin Trade as 3 Are Arrested
Heroin problems in Palm Coast: Three heroin arrests in 36 hours have Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming warning that the crackdown on pill mills may be provoking a rise in heroin use and trafficking.
School Prayer Bill Clears House Hurdle as Florida Legislature Appears Poised to Bow
Local school boards would be responsible for enabling prayer measures. Should it become law, the bill would make Florida an outlier state with regard to school-prayer permissiveness and almost certainly trigger court action.
Flagler County Jail Bookings, Feb. 10-17
Flagler County jail daily bookings for the week of Feb. 10-17, 2012, with cameos by Nabokov, Tom Wolfe and the photography of Ian Carroll.
Flagler 911: Turning a Palm Coast House Into a Shooting Range; Hydrocodone Bust
Palm Coast and Flagler County blotter report: a man on Slowdrift Lane threatens to shoot a dog and fires his rifle at a wall much used to the treatment. He ends up in jail. A traffic stop turns into a Hydrocodone bust. And more.
The Late Bernie Axelrod Leaves Flagler Education Foundation $200,000 Endowment
Bernie Axelrod never finished high school, but rose through the ranks of union print shops in new York City, founded a travel agency, and was a pioneer in donating technology to schools. He joined the Flagler Education Foundation in the 1990s.
Christgate: With an Eye to Political Gambitry, Kimberle Weeks Demands an Apology
County Commissioner Alan Peterson was speaking by phone to a supervisor of elections office staffer about his reelection petitions when he allegedly used god’s name in vain after he was told that 10 percent of the petitions were invalid, according to Kimberle Weeks, prompting the demand for an apology.
New Power Lines Drawn as Flagler Beach Commission Bids Baker and Feind Farewell
With Joy McGrew seated as a commissioner and Linda Provencher as mayor, Jane Mealy was elected chairman for the second time in her tenure on the commission, beating back a challenge from Steve Settle, who was picked as vice-chairman.
Look Out, Pixar: Painter and Future Animator Kelly Kryspin, 18, Opens at Ocean Publishing
“Ocean Pop,” opening Friday at 6 p.m., featuring two dozen nature and pop culture paintings by Kelly Kryspin, is the young artist’s first solo show, and another one in a series of art shows at Ocean Publishing in Flagler Beach.
Wrongful Death Case Against Jamesine Fischer: Insurer Settles for $1.25 Million
Jamesine Fischer, the 55-year-old wife of Flagler County School Board member John Fischer, was served with a wrongful death lawsuit on Jan. 27 after striking Francoise Pecqueur with her PT Cruiser in November, and not immediately reporting the accident. Pecqueur died two days later.
Flagler Schools Will Start Earlier, On Aug. 16, End June 8, As District Sets 2012-13 Calendar
Thanksgiving will still be a full week off, but Christmas break will entail two broken weeks at either ends, so students can come back on Jan. 2 and have more time to prepare for the new FCAT: end-of-course exams. Printable calendar included.
Indian Trails Video Wins $70,000 in National Contest–But Needs Your Vote To Win More
Indian Trails Middle School was one of 25 schools selected out of 1,500 in the first round of a national technology contest, and made the cut to the final 12. Now it has a chance at $100,000 in prizes, but you must vote to help make it happen.
In Quiet Coda to Controversy, School Board Unanimously Approves Uniform Policy Details
The new uniform policy makes broad allowances for color, types of clothing and shoes, but makes the wearing of IDs compulsory in all middle and high schools. The policy goes in effect next fall.
Big Opportunities, and Potential Losses, for Flagler Power in State and Federal Redistricting
Between redistricting and term limits, Flagler County for the first time in years could have its biggest chances at direct representation in Tallahassee and Washington–depending on who runs. Some big names are counting themselves out.
Palm Coast Council Rejects Latest Cypress Knoll Development Proposal
The proposal, rejected 4-2 by the Planning Board, is part of a settlement of a long-running dispute between developer ICI and Palm Coast, would have allowed up to 60 homes west of East Hampton and south of Eric Drive.
Flagler County Jail Daily Bookings: Feb. 3-10
Flagler County jail daily bookings for the week of Feb. 3-10, 2012. With links to inmate search functions, visitation rules and correspondence requirements.
Warning of Brain Drain, Flagler Government Signals a Return of Employee Raises in 2012
County employees, including firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, haven’t had a raise in three years, and have seen their take-home pay severely erode through inflation, health care and retirement costs. County officials are now worried about losing employees to better-paid jobs.
Flagler 911: Child Abuse, Aggravated Assault, and a Target Shoplifting Spree
A man is jailed for allegedly beating up his wife and bruising his 10-year-old daughter, a pair of alleged shoplifters from Port Orange are caught in the act at the Palm Coast Target, and innumerable lesser incidents.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Leader Umbarger Wins Florida Book Award for 1st Novel
Caren Umbarger, the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s artistic director, won a bronze medal for “Coming To,” her first novel, about a woman struggling for liberation from an imperious husband in Depression-era Iowa.
Extensive Water Damage After Accidental Sprinkler Drench Evacuates Holiday Inn
Palm Coast’s Holiday Inn Express, a three-story, 81-room hotel, was evacuated this afternoon when sprinklers went off on the second floor. Guests were invited to register at the nearby Hampton Inn.
In Bunnell Police Chief Battle, a Popular Choice Against City Manager’s Unpopular Criteria
Lt. Randy Burke wants to be Bunnell police chief and has been at the department for almost 20 years. Some 200 people signed a petition favoring his appointment. But Burk has no BA–a new job requirement that outgoing chief Arthur Jones never had to meet, and that Burke says was put there to keep him out.
Details Emerge in Strathmore Deli Collapse as Landlord and Lender Sue
The reality of the closure of the popular Palm Coast deli is more complicated than its owners let on as a lender just sued the owners over a loan default and the landlord sued them in December over $20,000 in back rent.
Sheriff on the Look-Out for Assailant in Brutal European Village Attack on 60-Year-Old Man
A 60-year-old man has been in the hospital for the past two days, recovering from a brutal attack at European Village Tuesday afternoon that left him needing 50 staples and more stitches to his head and face.
Enthusiasm Curbed as GOP Primary Turnout In Flagler and Florida Plummets From 2008
Just 10,825 Flagler Republicans turned out to vote in Tuesday’s primary, for a 43 percent turnout, compared to a 53 percent turnout in 2008. The drop across the state was steeper, adding to Republican anxieties about having the numbers to take back the White House in November.
Sparing RVs, Palm Coast Takes On Truckers Making Rest Stops of Box Store Parking Lots
Truckers like using box stores’ parking lots as rest stops. Store managers haven’t objected and nearby restaurants love it. But Palm Coast is cracking down on the practice at council member Bill Lewis’s urging, though another council member says it’s not been an issue.
Provencher and McGrew Win in Flagler Beach, Romney Trounces Gingrich in Flagler
Linda Provencher has beaten J. NeJame for Flagler Beach mayor, while Joy McGrew has beaten Sandra Mason for a city commission seat. Mitt Romney beating Newt Gingrich handily in Flagler and Florida.
Mediocre Results for Flagler Schools, Worse for Its Charters, in Controversial State Rankings
School-by-school rankings follow last week’s district rankings. Belle Terre Elementary and Indian Trails Middle ranked best, but still barely in the top quartile, while Flagler’s three charter schools scraped the bottom, in contrast with several top-performing charters elsewhere in the state.
Tranquility Settles on Palm Coast Standards for Children’s Memorial Garden
Last July’s controversy over what families could and could not say to memorialize children they’ve lost yielded to a calmer compromise as Palm Coast will oversee the Children’s Memorial Garden’s messages near Waterfront Park.
Who’s on Faust? “Damn Yankees” Damn Election Night at the Flagler Auditorium
“Damn Yankees” revives Eisenhower-era innocence by way of every misguided American’s fantasy: beating the New York Yankees. There may be no better way to counter the deviltry of Election Night.
Good News for Flagler Property Owners: Most Home Values Will Barely Fall; Some Will Rise
Flagler County Property Appraiser’s preliminary estimate sees a property value drop in “the low single-digits” at most, with taxable values rising in Grand Haven and Flagler Beach, among other spots, as the five-year collapse in values appears to draw to an end.
Perth Amboy’s Van Eckert Accepts Flagler’s Offer To Be Economic Development CEO
Helga Van Eckert has accepted Flagler County’s government’s offer to become its latest economic development CEO. She will start in late February with a salary of close to $110,000 a year. The future of Greg Rawls, the previous CEO still serving through the transition, is unclear.
25 Homes in P-Section Under Boil-Water Advisory After Water Main Break
Some 25 homes in Palm Coast’s P-Section lost their water connection for a few hours and remain under a boil-water advisory for the next 48 hours when workers serving a line today tapped into a water-main and split it
Canvassing Board Certifies 1,095 Absentee Ballots, County Commission Picks Alternate
The three-member Flagler County Canvassing Board met at noon Friday to certify the first batch of primary election ballots ahead of Tuesday’s vote. On Thursday, the county commission picked Milissa Holland as an alternate canvassing board member.
Debt, Divorce, Downsizing and Death: The Thriving State of Estate Sales in Palm Coast
Estate Sales have been the lifeblood of Diana Minotti’s business in Palm Coast in the last four years, underscoring the extent–and occasional upside–of a recession as people retrench and sell off luxuries from fine art to historic furniture.
Live-Blogging the GOP Jacksonville Debate, Reluctantly
Rather than on the GOP debate, everything suggests the television should be tuned to something more grabbing, whether its Nadal-Federer at the Australian Open or Your Home With Jill on QVC. But civic penance may have its virtues. So let’s give this a shot.
Flip-Flops OK, Tuck-In Not Required: District’s Uniform Policy Will Be Relatively Permissive
The Flagler school board met this morning to iron out the wording of its new “uniform dress code” policy, which merely tightens existing standards rather than imposes a rigid uniform standard.
When Even Hoboken Is Funny: Catholicism Optional in Flagler Playhouse’s “Nunsense”
What to do with four dead nuns in a freezer and no money for their burial? Why, throw a talent show and let the nun puns rip: the Flagler Playhouse’s production of “Nunsense,” running through Feb. 5, is worth an evening’s conversion. A review.
Flagler Beach Rotary Hosting Wing-Themed 5K Race on Feb. 11
The Flagler Beach Rotary’s 5K Race at the Flagler County Airport will include helicopters, flyovers, resident planes on display as well as a peek at innovative projects currently underway at the airport.
Flagler 911: Graffiti Slurs in the R Section, Men Attacking Cops and Bar Brawls
A violent few days as angry men are arrested for aggravated battery, including violence on (and biting) cops, a noise complaint leads to two arrests over an underage drinking party on Brooklyn Lane, and a rash of car windows are smashed around town, their contents stolen.