After a day of rain and uncertainty, the fireworks went off before one of the smallest crowds in memory.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Fireworks Set For 9 p.m. in Flagler Beach, Not 9:30; Latest Video from the Pier’s Arsenal
The decision to move up the fireworks to 9 p.m. instead of 9:30 was dictated by a brief window of opportunity.
The Gods Must Be Crazy: Rain Slams But Doesn’t Stop Flagler Beach Parade
Clouds thicker than menace mobilized offshore, then struck, but the Flagler Beach Independence Day parade held on anyway.
Flagler Beach’s Independence Day Fireworks No Longer a Solo Act
Flagler Beach’s traditional Independence Day fireworks display will be held on July 3rd, and will be followed by another celebration in Palm Coast’s Town Center on July 4.
Transition in Style: It’s Janet Valentine’s School District Now as Delbrugge Exits
Janet Valentine this week began filling Bill Delbrugge’s shoes amid high expectations and some concerns.
Crime Reports, June 28-July 4, 2010
A stolen tag from Volusia County is recovered, a bank refuses to refund customer for fraudulent charges, and more.
School Board: Closing Carver Gym Not an Option; How Bunnell Killed Carver Housing
The school district is adding its voice to a chorus of protest and damning history against closing Carver Gym.
Tourism Panel Clears Half-Step Toward Palm Coast Arts Foundation Center, But Questions Persist
A $50,000 study is recommended for the smaller scale of a grand plan for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s arts, culture and conference center in Town Center.
They’re Watching You: Palm Coast Council Turned on by Spy Cameras at Public Parks
City employees can spy on park-goers from ordinary computers networked to the six cameras installed at the park.
Flagler Schools’ FCAT Reading Scores Disappoint, Math Scores a Plus
Every grade but the 6th and 9th posted declines in reading. The district did better in math, either improving or holding steady in all grades except the 5th.
A Confused but Adamant Bunnell Commission Wants Carver Gym to Stay Open
Bunnell city commissioners had neither the numbers nor the patience to discuss Carver Gym thoroughly Monday, delaying the issue to another meeting.
Pressing for Raises, Teachers’ Union Holding District Hostage Over Class-Size Compromise
The union would approve a district plan to comply with class-size requirements in exchange for $2.4 million in raises.
Miss Flagler County 2010
It’s Amanda Dack
Amada Dack has achieved more in her 21 years than many people do in an average lifetime.
Substation Problem Cuts Power for 4,000 FPL Customers in Palm Coast
Electric power was out for just under two hours for some 4,000 Florida Power & Light customers in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Roller Derby Scrimmage Against Ocala in a First–and Set Sights on Carver Gym
Palm Coast’s first roller derby team falls to Ocala–and talks about moving to embattled Carver Gym in Bunnell.
Watching Team USA Live With Eddie Johnson (US 1, Ghana 2)
We’re covering the US-Ghana World Cup match live with soccer great and Bunnell native Eddie Johnson, from Palm Coast’s Houligan’s.
FCAT Scores, A Month Late, to Be Released After Untold Damage to Schools
The Department of Education and testing company Pearson are still playing word games over the cause and extent of the delay, which ruined district and student planning for fall.
Flagler Beach Again on Collision Course With Boating and RV Parking Regulations
It’s one of three issues–dogs on the beach and surfing near the pier are the others–that get Flagler Beach residents really, really ticked at whatever the commission decides.
Poverty Signs: Steep Rise in Children Needing Free or Reduced Meals in Flagler Schools
The rising numbers of children on free and reduced meals is a reflection of rising poverty and a rising toll on local families with fewer means.
Crime Reports, June 21-27
An attempted break-in at the sheriff’s substation in western Bunnell, vandalism in Espanola park, new home tagged with gang graffiti, and more.
Ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre, Flagler Schools Exec Mike Judd, Among 72 FB Manager Applicants
The MBAs and MPAs are piling up alongside substitute teachers and other surprises in the applicants’ pool, open for five more weeks.
Citing Contractual Failures and Unwarranted Favors, Flagler Kills Hunter’s Ridge Expansion
The 3-2 vote was an unusual split over the difference between growth management and helping a developer be as economically viable as possible.
The Epic Is Here: Bigwigs Sneak Preview Town Center Theater Tonight Before Friday Opening
The 14-screen theater in Town Center is opening to great anticipation for action on screen and, economically, beyond its walls.
Flagler Has 30 Days Left to respond to 5 Proposed Manatee-Protection Speed Zones
Flagler’s committee is at the half-way point of responding the state’s proposed speed zones in the Intracoastal.
Local Ham Radio Association Simulating 24-Hour Emergency Crisis Center Saturday
Local ham radio “hams” will operate under emergency conditions for 24 hours at the Flagler Beach fire station June 27-27. The public is welcome to witness the operation or learn about becoming a ham.
African-American Mentors Honor
Bill Delbrugge, “Beacon of Support”
In his last days as superintendent, Delbrugge is celebrated by men of one of the most effective programs for young, at-risk black students.
How Race and Deception Are Cleaving the Fate of Bunnell’s Carver Gym
The County Commission seems insensitively disconnected from the consequences of closing the black community’s only gym and community center in Bunnell.
Courtney Cobb, Missing Since June 10, “Has Been Found and Is Cooperating.”
Safe and unharmed, according to Courtney’s mother, it isn’t clear where specifically Courtney is, as an investigation carries on.
No Conflicts Resolved as Elections Supervisor Weeks Blame-Blasts County Commission
The 150-minute meeting designed to work out issues ahead of fall’s big elections devolved into accusations and recriminations by Weeks against all.
Meet the 2010 Miss Flagler County Contestants
Your starting point to brief profiles of Miss Flagler County contestants in all age categories.
Community Rallies to Find Courtney Cobb, FPC Student Missing Since June 10
A 10th grader at FPC and a Palm Coast resident since she was 3, Courtney Cobb is believed to have run away with a boyfriend.
What’s Eating Kimberle Weeks?
The Flagler County Supervisor of Elections and the County Commission have been at each other for over a year. They’re meeting Monday. Buckle up.
Milano, Ex-Hitman, Ex-Goomba’s Owner and Ex-Calco, Guilty on Gun-Possession Charge
A jury will decide whether the ex-mafia hitman was guilty of possession a gun, which is illegal for felons.
Crime Reports, June 14-20
An inmate with likely mental health issues, bad blood between a baseball team and an umpire, gunplay and an Xbox, and more.
34 Apply So Far for Flagler Beach Manager, 13 of Them Unemployed
A list and brief description of the of the 34 people — 27 men, seven women — who have applied so far for the county manager’s position in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach Hired Police Officer
Despite Violent Record
Flagler Beach’s Lt. Robert Milstead, arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Monday, has had issues in previous law enforcement agencies.
2 Bunnell Cops Arrested; Commissioner Flynt Embroiled in Favoritism Allegations
Bunnell Commissioner Jimmy Flynt’s Saxon’s Wrecking service is at the center of pattern of police favoritism and misconduct.
Fire Guts 4-Unit Condo Block in Flagler Beach
A fire broke out in the attic of a four-unit, two-story block of condominiums at Ocean Park Villas North in Flagler Beach just before 2 p.m. today. The fire rapidly spread across the block in northerly and westerly directions, demolishing the block by 3 p.m. as Flagler Beach firefighters, assisted by several units from other […]
Taylor’s Journal: Day Three
The Envelope, Please
In her final post from the international competition in Wisconsin, Taylor Tofal recounts an awards ceremony featuring many wins for FPC and Matanzas.
Illegal for 4 Years, Palm Coast’s Red-Light Cameras to Comply With State Law; Cash Dips
State law removes the red-light cameras’ cash-cow incentive and forces cities to abide by uniform state standards.
Allegations of Racist Slurs and Excessive Force Land Flagler Beach Police Officer in Jail
Robert Milstead is accused of using excessive force on an elderly man and pepper-spraying him and another individual when both were handcuffed.
Car Flips on I-95, Causing 3rd Fatality in 3 Days on Flagler Roads
The wreck just before the Matanzas overpass caused the third fatality in three days on Flagler County roads.
Flagler Libraries Avoid Service Cuts; Expansion of Community Space and Café Planned
Retirements and cost-savings enable Flagler’s library system to save more than $100,000, keep the same hours in 2010-11 and 18 people employed, and plan for a modest expansion.
Citing School Board Flux, Conklin Opts Out of Taking on Thrasher Or Others Until 2012
Her eyes set on higher office in 2012, School Board member Colleen Conklin said she came close to running against John Thrasher but will let a Duval Democrat take him on.
2 Women, Both 19, Killed in Single-Truck Flip on US 1’s “Triple-A Curve,” 1 Man Injured
The young people, from Ormond Beach, were returning from the beach and carried evidence of a party. None wore seat-belts.
How the Oil Slick Is Fouling Florida’s Government Budgets–And What To Do About It
The oil spill is Florida’s 9/11. People won’t die. A way of life will. The Florida Legislature should be in crisis mode, not in recess, anticipating what to do next.
Taylor’s Journal, Day Two:
Skits, Robots and Heels
A day’s frenetic wall-to-wall activity, and one team learns that it didn’t make it to the final round. Taylor Tofal is almost live in Lacrosse, Wis.
Taylor’s Journal:
FPC’s Problem Solvers in Their Own
World Cup in Wisconsin
FPC’s history-making Community Problem Solvers teams are in their own world finals competition in Wisconsin, June 9-13. Taylor Tofal’s journal gives us an inside look.
Flagler Beach Police Get 3-Year Contract, No Raises
The 10 percent-a-year raises of the police rank and file’s previous contract give way to realities of shrinking government budgets and stingy taxpayers.
Flagler Crowns Its Nascent
Entertainers of the Year
Sophia Paterno Peper is Flagler’s Youth Entertainer of the Year in the junior division, Caitlin Hanna, Zack Harris and Jeff McDevitt took senior honor.