Flagler County’s unemployment rate in December fell to a 12-month low of 3.8 percent, matching the rate in December 2020. Flagler has now made up the jobs lost during the pandemic, and exceeded the pre-pandemic level, even though for all of 2021, unemployment in the county averaged 4.9 percent.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Opelka Falls to Canadian Star Shapovalov in Australian Open 3rd Round
The No. 23 seed Opelka and the Canadian Shapovalov, seeded 14th, both looking to make the Round of 16 there for the first time in their careers, split the first two sets before the younger Shapovalov pulled away. He broke Opelka’s serve once each in the last two sets to snatch a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
20 Arrested in Sheriff’s Operations Targeting Local Drug Traffickers
Suspects in the operation range in ages from 23 to 69 years of age. One of those facing charges, Michael McIntyre, is already facing time in prison on a first-degree murder conviction for selling a fatal dose of illegal drugs. He is charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine as a result of this operation.
Palm Coast Clears Way for 2nd Self-Storage Facility in 24 Hours on Old Kings Road, Near Toscana
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday approved a 155,000 square-foot self-storage facility on Old Kings Road, a short distance north of a facility the Palm Coast City Council approved on Tuesday. The two would be the 10th and 11th self-storage facilities in the city.
Flagler County Has Been Promising a South Side Library Since 2014. Commission Will Promise Again Next Week.
The Flagler County Commission next week will examine plans for a $14 million, 32,000 square-foot library that’ll also include a conference center and a portion of the building for the county’s Health and Human Services division. But as has been the case since 2014, and absent a surprise, the money for the project may be lacking yet again.
Justice Blinded and a Heroin-Stuffed Doll Spark Thrills in City Repertory Theatre’s ‘Wait Until Dark’
True to part of its mission, City Repertory Theatre once again is offering a play that is typically off the radar of the local theater scene: a genuine, suspense-filled thriller. Susy has just been blinded in a car crash. While Susy’s husband Sam is away, three sadistic thugs track a heroin-stuffed doll they’re looking for to Susy’s apartment. A harrowing cat-and-mouse game ensues and soon involves Gloria, a young girl who lives in a nearby apartment.
Calm and Confident Opelka Wins to Reach 3rd Round of Australian Open
The former Indian Trails Middle School student put forth an outstanding performance Monday night in the second round of the Australian Open, dispatching Germany’s Dominik Koepfer to reach the third round for the first time.
Land of the Free: Sing the National Anthem or Else, Florida Legislators Tell Sports Teams
Florida’s measure would prohibit government agencies from entering agreements with professional teams without written verification that the anthem would be played. Failure to play the anthem could lead to teams or venues being required to repay government money they received.
Sheriff’s Deputies Investigating an Apparent Self-Inflicted Death at Herschel King Park
A resident of the River Club at Grand Haven called authorities at around 6:20 p.m. on Sunday and asked them to send emergency units to Herschel King Park. When authorities arrived, the man had stabbed himself. He died a few hours later at the hospital.
Flagler School District Library Plan: Parents May Ban Books for Their Own Kids, But Not Others
Book bans may be a thing of the past in Flagler County schools as the district today presented a library opt-out provision for prohibitive parents, while leaving access free to all books for all other students. The approach, as draconianly restrictive for those who want to exercise it and as liberal as a university library’s open-stack policy for the freer-minded could, in effect, make even book challenges moot.