FCAT scores for Flagler County schools’ 4th through 11th grades show upper-grade reading scores faring poorly, and science scores faring worse as the district’s quality appears to approach the state average, rather than excel above it.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Day Ends With a New Fire Near CR305 As Dangers Mount and Devastation Sprawls
The Espanola fire has grown to 1,500 acres, with little stopping it from doubling in size soon. By Monday evening, a new, 70-acre fire had exploded past Lake Disston on CR305, further straining limited firefighters’ resources. A complete roundup of Flagler’s forest fires and a photo gallery.
Palm Coast Data Lays Off Dozens and Loses Large NRA Membership Services Account
The NRA account represented 5 million members and a lucrative source of income. The loss compounds other losses in magazine titles that are either closing or migrating to other fulfillment companies.
Florida Wants Privatized Camping and RV Sites at 56 State Parks, Including Washington Oaks
The privatization quietly developed plan would bid out the 56 parks to companies that would build and operate the camping and RV sites as a way to generate money and ostensibly help keep the parks running.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Ensures Safe Birth Of a Hurried Baby at a Palm Coast Home
“I went to go get the cell phone, and then she said she felt the head pop out,” the baby’s father said, quoting the baby’s mother. Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Erik Pedersen made sure the baby was breathing before paramedics transported the family to Ormond Memorial early Thursday morning.
Fires Update: 2 Big Blazes Are Doubling in Size–Intentionally–as Flagler Requests Help
Close to a dozen fires are burning or being monitored in Flagler County as the Division of Forestry prepares to “backburn” larger fires to tame them. Flagler is requesting more boots on the ground. Expect more smoke.
Palm Coast’s Redistricting McCarthyism: Rowdiness, But Same Disputed Outcome
The Palm Coast Redistricting Commission’s Louis McCarthy brooked no debate and little discussion in a testy meeting as the commission re-approved a recommendation that would eliminate a tea party favorite from this year’s municipal elections.
Synchro Belles Prepare to Defend State Title For 6th Year in a Row with Sunday Exhibit
The Flagler County Synchro Belles, established in 2000, have been reigning state champions since 2006. The 32 girls, ages 9-18, will put on a two-hour exhibition at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Sunday evening.
Flagler Fires Update: White Eagle Flares, Espanola Persists, A Dozen Others Puff On
County, city and state crews are weary, five serious fires and several lesser ones continue to burn in Flagler County, but so far no structures have been damaged nor any firefighters or civilians injured. A complete run-down of the fires.
The Live Crime Blotter, May 16-30, 2011
A burglary at the Imagine School work site, a woman flees and eludes a cop all the way to her home, a dog licks a cop and trouble follows, a long list of larcenies from unlocked cars, and more.
Palm Coast Looking to Other Cities for Guidance on Storefront Gambling Regulations
The Palm Coast City Council is all for stopping new storefront casino-type “internet cafes” for six months, but is less clear on whether, and how, to regulate them beyond that.
Firefighters and 3 Helicopters Contain Fire Near White Eagle Saloon; US 1 Open
Firefighters are battling a large fire at just east of US1, trying to keep it from jumping the highway, as another fire near Espanola had grown to 320 acres.
Palm Coast Fence-Sitting Over Black and White Divide Around Ralph Carter Park
The mostly white neighbors complain of mostly black users of the park want a fence installed, at considerable cost to taxpayers. The city council is weighing its choices and delaying a decision.
As Palm Coast Talks Development, Housing Prices Hit New Low, Falling 4.2% in 1Q
Housing prices fell to levels not seen since 2002 as double-dipping prices hit new recession lows. Meanwhile, the Palm Coast City Council discussed approval of a plan that would add 12,000 housing units to the local hosing stock.
Firefighters Battling Large, Twin Blazes Merging Into One Just West of Espanola
Flagler County firefighters and other dire departments were deployed against a 200-acre fire west of Espanola and north of the Mondex Monday evening, where two brush fires had joined into one large one.
Union Power in Prague: Flagler’s Firefighters World Champions for 2nd Time in 3 Years
Flagler paramedics’ Local 4337 team–Dennis Kline, Caryn Prather, Mike Pius, Jessie Hunter–competed against 27 teams from 17 countries, all of them from Europe.
A Pig’s Tale With Hitchhiking Advice from Thoreau as 327 Graduate Matanzas High
The fourth graduating class in six years at Matanzas included 43 seniors graduating magna cum laude and 23 graduating suma cum laude, with 28 percent of the class receiving high honors.
Widespread Declines in 3rd Grade FCAT, With 2 Exceptions–Rymfire and Imagine
The declines in passing rates in the regular schools were slight but consistent, and more dramatic at two charter schools. Also, 107 of the 990 students tested failed, jeopardizing promotion to 4th grade pending summer school results.
Palm Coast Water Tower Free of Contaminants After Break-In, Tests Reveal; Questions Remain
The 500,00-gallon water tank along I-95 was broken into on May 17 by unknown vandals. It was isolated from the rest of the system. It’ll remain isolated pending a week’s worth of maintenance.
Spotlight on Flagler Youth, the Annual Talent Show, Raises $1,000 for Carver Gym
Krystene Maceda’s solo performance of Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor for piano won her the Entertainer of the Year award in the senior division, while Kayla Byrne won the honor in the junior division. Complete list of performers and winners.
Palm Coast Redistricting Plan Disqualifies Dennis Cross From City Council Election
Meeting quietly for the first time on Thursday, Palm Coast’s redistricting commission voted 5-0 to adopt a plan that redraws the city’s voting-district boundaries. The city council must ratify the plan in public hearings.
Lessons Against Drowning: Tom Gillin’s Water Tutorials Before Schools Let Out for Summer
Tom Gillen, Flagler Beach’s parks and recreation director and its life-guard-in-chief, has taken his junior-lifeguard lecture on the road to local schools to prepare children for summer break’s biggest attraction.
Flagler Beach Eyes Reserves and
More Taxes to Make Up Latest Revenue Loss
Flagler Beach has raised taxes for three successive years to make up for falling revenue from collapsing property values. It has a relatively large $3 million reserve, which it will likely use in combination with another tax hike to balance next year’s budget.
Jack Hardin, Only Basketball Coach to Take Bulldogs to Final Four (Twice), Dies
Jack Hardin, who taught social science at Bunnell and FPC from the 1960s to the 1980s, had also been a Bunnell city commissioner and ran for school board against Herschel King in 1982.
Long Records for Suspects Arrested in String of B-Section Burglaries in Palm Coast
The four suspects–two of them 19, two of them 20–all have prior records in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Bond was set between $200,000 and $400,000, depending on the suspect.
Darius Giddens, Bunnell Son With Troubled Past, Dies After a Fight in Daytona
Darius Giddens, 21, was involved in a fight at Daytona Beach’s Coliseum Wednesday night, where he suffered a head injury. He died at 2 p.m. on Monday.
Facing $6 Million Hit, County Begins Long Budget Season as Tax Hike Appears Inevitable
County commissioners are unlikely to elicit sympathy from taxpayers—or from employees facing a 3 percent pay cut from new retirement-contribution requirements, and a third year without raises.
In a Shift, and Despite Glut, State Approves 5,000-Home Palm Coast Development
Old Brick Township to Palm Coast’s northwest is just one of several planned developments and existing lots that would add 40,000 new homes and 9 million square feet of commercial and industrial zones, more than doubling Flagler’s and Palm Coast’s populations.
$150,000 for New Fields at Indian Trails Complex as Tourism and Sports Merge
Palm Coast is looking to expand the Indian Trails Sports Complex to attract more lacrosse and soccer tournaments to the area, and with them more visitors.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, May 8-15, 2011
A series of bicycle robberies, champagne and tequila shoplifting at Sharps Discount Liquors, a theft at the Italian-American club, two elderly brothers fighting over their 93-year-old mother, who ends up in the hospital, and more larcenies.
Suspect in Thursday’s Leidel Drive Shooting Arrested by Marshal Service in Volusia
William Copeland, 20, was wanted in the shooting of Accursio Venezia at his two-level home in northwest Palm Coast around midnight last Thursday. He is recovering.
In Frying Heat and Sacks of Spuds, Bunnell Sculpts Itself Another Potato Festival
Mardy Gilyard was having a field day at Carver Gym, the french fires were the very best this side of Belgium, and potatoes of all sorts and in all shapes were the star of the day at Bunnell’s third annual Potato Festival.
Reform Minister: David Ottati’s Healthy Risks at Florida Hospital Flagler
David Ottati, Florida Hospital Flagler’s CEO, is investing, building, innovating, and taking risks despite–and because of–a sputtering economy and health care’s jaggedly changing landscape. So far, it’s paying off.
Man Shot In His Palm Coast Home, Allegedly By Daughter’s Boyfriend; Search On
The victim, Accursio Venezia, was shot in the chest in his home at 49 Leidel Drive in northwest Palm Coast, apparently through a back glass door, allegedly by his daughter’s boyfriend–and father to the man’s toddler grand-daughter.
Bunnell Manager’s “God’s City Day” Proposal Yields to Tamer Prayer Proclamation
City Manager Armando Martinez wanted to declare every first Thursday of May “God’s City Day” in Bunnell. A proclamation on next Monday’s city commission agenda ties Bunnell to the National Day of Prayer every first Thursday in May.
Palm Coast Imposes 6-Month Moratorium on Gambling Halls Proliferating as “Internet Cafes”
Palm Coast has six months to figure out how and whether to regulate the gambling joints, seven of which are open in the city, with four more allowed in soon. The city has no data that the joints are causing crime.
John Russell Tucker, 76, Killed, Another Man Injured in 2 Separate Harley Wrecks in Palm Coast
John Russell Tucker, 76, of Jacksonville, was riding his new three-wheel Harley-Davidson motorcycle north on I-95 when he lost control and struck a guardrail. Keith C. Evans, 51, of Palm Coast, was injured on US1 in an accident with a pregnant driver.
Long Before the Potato Festival, Long Before Bunnell, Flagler Bred the Mighty Potato
Ahead of this weekend’s Potato Festival in Bunnell, Sisco Deen, the archive curator for the Flagler County Historical Society, traces the history of the potato’s evolution in Flagler County going back to the 19th century.
Flagler Whacks Proposed Speed Zones on Intracoastal as Manatee Advocates Protest
Tuesday’s public hearing was the latest step in months of wrangles between Flagler County and the Fish and Wildlife Commission over manatee-protecting speed zones on about a third of Flagler’s 18 miles of Intracoastal.
Palm Coast Water Tower Isolated From System After Break-In; Security Questions Pending
The break-in at the 500,000-gallon water tower was discovered Tuesday morning. City officials say they have no reason to think the water was compromised, but are conducting batteries of tests. Police is investigating.
Flagler School Board Defends Its Own Budget Cutting, Batting Down Most Alternatives
The county’s teacher and service employee unions and the tea party all questioned the way the district went about preparing next year’s budget, but without changing the district’s direction.
Florida Hospital Flagler Expanding Again With Clinic and Offices Near Walmart by June 2012
Saying the hospital was looking for a presence on Palm Coast Parkway, FHF CEO David Ottati said the 34,000-square-foot building will add up to 25 jobs and an urgent-care clinic, among other services.
Mechanical Trouble Briefly Grounds County’s Fire Flight Copter As 12 Brush Fires Burn
Flagler County’s Fire Flight helicopter has been vital in spotting fires early to prevent them from growing. Fire fighters depend on it particularly when they’re stretched thin, as they are this week.
Endeavour Arcs Beyond Flagler Beach and Into History As Throngs Squint Goodbye
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off for the last time Monday morning as the ritual throngs of launch enthusiasts lined Flagler Beach’s boardwalk, pier and beaches.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, April 27-May 8, 2011
A car stolen almost by invitation, an underage drinking party on Royal Palm Lane, Oxycodone for the taking, vandalism at Linear Park and Buddy Taylor Middle School, domestic battery in the shadow of an AK-47, and more.
An Eye for a Lens: Art League’s Photography Show Brings Out Simpler Pleasures
The Flagler County Art League’s 2nd Annual Photography Show pays homage to Photoshop, landscapes and animal pictures, with 75 works from 33 artists from Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
3-Hour Stand Off Ends in the Woodlands As Man Gives Himself Up to SWAT Team
A tense, 3-hour stand-off ended just after 5 p.m. today in Palm Coast’s Woodlands, after a man threatened to harm himself or others. The SWAT team and mobile command center were called in.
Solidarity Against Cancer As Survivors Relay For Life in Overnight Trek at Town Center
Some 57 teams of walkers turned out for Relay for Life at Palm Coast’s Town Center, the annual, overnight walk against cancer and the culmination of a fund-raising effort expected to net more than $100,000. See the photo gallery.
Brush Fire in Residential Area of Bunnell’s Mondex Flirts With Clothing Ministry
The fire in a residential area, believed to have been triggered by a lightning strike, was near a house and God’s Clothing Ministry, which hands out free clothes and shoes twice a week. No evacuations were necessary.
In Day of No-Shows, Latest Economic Summit Slouches Toward Enterprise Flagler
The end isn’t near: Friday’s economic-development summit between local governments and business launched more committee meetings and assigned Enterprise Flagler the responsibility of devising who might lead the effort in the future.