Daily Briefing

Godspell, the ugly attack on Larry Elder, Edith Wharton’s delicious remembrance of Teddy Roosevelt, and a few words about H.L. Mencken the epigrammatic bigot.

A day and evening of 9/11 commemoration ceremonies from the Elks Lodge to Hammock Beach Resort to Heroes Park in Palm Coast, with a few words from Don DeLillo’s “Falling Man.”

A busy Friday with L’Darius Smith’s sentencing in court, the Palm Coast Senior Games kicking off, “Godspell” at the Daytona Playhouse, “Frozen 2” in Movies in the Park, a chamber music concert at Stetson, and Lawrence Wright on time unspooling.

The school board holds a day-long “training” session that may get a bit messy if board members veer toward discussions of meetings’ content. The Palm Coast City Council at the 11th hour hopes to find the votes to pass its coming year’s budget and tax rate.

L’Darius Smith is back in court ahead of his sentencing on Friday to argue, with a fair amount of evidence on his side, that he was wrongly found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault. The County Commission meets for the first time in an eternity. Arundhati Roy on America’s fiery, brutal impotence.

The Flagler County School Board holds a 3 p.m. workshop that could draw another round of anti- and pro-masking militancy. The Palm Coast City Council for a final time hashes out ways to approach the sheriff’s request for 10 more deputies. Mme de Staël on the pleasures of opposition.

Reilly Opelka attempts to get into the US Open’s quarterfinals in his fourth-round match today, a farewell to Michel Corboz, Joseph Heller’s “Something Happened.”

Hurricane Larry heads for Bermuda, the second annual Pet Parade at the Florida Agriculture Museum, and Arthur Koestler’s life and death: “I plead guilty to having placed the idea of man above the idea of mankind.”

Reilly Opelka at the U.S. Open is in his third-round match roughly around 5 or 5: 30 p.m. He faces 29-year-old Nikoloz Basilashvili, of Georgia (the country, not the state), ranked 39 in the world. Jonathan Franzen on freedom.

Daniel S. Da Costa, who has pleaded to arson in setting fires outside Publix and a gas station last year, is sentenced this morning. Opelka is off. Hurricane Larry will be a major hurricane by Saturday, but well out at sea for now.

Reilly Opelka goes for a second-round win at the U.S. Open, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. on artificial ethnic chauvinism, the county winds down before Labor Day weekend.

The ♫ Flagler Youth Orchestra ♫ hosts its Open House ahead of its 17th season for all new students who want to join at 5:30 p.m. at the Flagler Auditorium.

Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin and Dr. Paul Mucciolo co-host “Uncomfortable Conversations: Covid-19 Protocols, Best Practices,” a Facebook Live online forum at 7 p.m. The Flagler Beach City Commission workshops the proposed purchase of a new fire truck.

The Bunnell branch library is closing to prepare for a move to Marvin’s Gardens, smoke testing in Palm Coast’s B Section, Cornelius Baker status hearing, and a few words on the wonders of forests.

The Stetson University Music Department’s faculty recitals are back in action this afternoon, Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana this evening, Garcia-Marquez on the patriarch in his bed of lies.

We wish Brian McMillan and his family the best, and wish their tormentors less than that, Hurricane Ida’s mean turn for Louisiana, weekend covid testing schedules, John Cheever on John Updike.

The Sheriff’s in-house attorney resigns after lurid postings surface, Tropical Storm Ida is on its way to becoming Hurricane Ida by Saturday as it heads for the Louisiana coast, Carla Cline on Free for All Fridays, John Updike on selves.

Palm Coast’s beautification and environmental advisory committee talks public sculptures and sea rise, rezoning listening tour continues at Indian Trails Middle this evening, Edith Wharton talks about the ruts of old age.

School rezoning listening session at Buddy Taylor Middle School, big-dog adoptions for just $30 at the Humane Society, vaccination clinics at Daytona State College, Ray Warren on truth and the justice system.

The Palm Coast City Council begins the redistricting process of its voting districts and looks at its budget one final time. Women’s rights in Afghanistan and truth according to Marmontel’s Belisaire.

Hurricane Henri gun for Long Island, more heat guns for Palm Coast, Paul Krugman on anti-maskers’ dishonesty, Salman Rushdie on being disliked.

The Garden Club of Palm Coast seeks new members, new covid restrictions in Flagler schools, the greatest speaker at last Tuesday’s school board meeting you did not get to see, and a few words on Democrats and Republicans from Uncle Willy.

Flagler County Planning Director Adam Mengel and GoTobin Publisher and Realtor Toby Tobin talk growth on WNZF’s Free for All, Palm Coast reviews cultural arts grants, a scorcher of a day with the heat index reaching toward 108.

Distant and unthreatening tropical activity, a plea, in the Flagler wilderness, to do the right thing on masking, free testing and vaccine schedules at two locations, Alejo Carpentier on freedom of expression.

A hearing about a fugitive murderer out of New York in circuit court, Brian McMillan on vaccines, FPL’s rate-hike request, Mohsin Hamid on America’s retro infatuation with flags and uniforms.

The East Flagler Mosquito Control District considers expanding its boundaries, the County Commission discusses its budget and the sheriff’s request for additional deputies, Old Kings Road North closes again tonight past Palm Coast Parkway.

Old Kings Road nightly closures north of Palm Coast Parkway, finishing up a soggy weekend, Sunday covid testing or vaccination hours between 9 and 11 a.m. at the Health Department, a Donald Barthelme observation about good conversation.

UNF Mednexus CEO David Szymanski is on WNZF, it’s “Jumanji: The Next Level,” at Movies in the Park in Palm Coast’s Town Center, and Fred is expected to re-become a tropical storm by evening as it nears the Florida Peninsula.

No Flagler Beach City Commission meeting this evening as a couple of commissioners and the city manager are attending the annual conference of the Flagler League of Cities in Orlando through Saturday. Tropical Storm Fred is threading its way across the northern coast of Cuba.

Keep an eye out for Fred, the indecisive storm. The Health Department’s two locations for rapid testing and vaccinations are operating from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.–at the county airport and at the department’s headquarters in Bunnell.

The Flagler County Commission debates the sheriff’s request for 15 additional deputies (in addition to the 10 he’s requested from Palm Coast). The reconstituted Bunnell City Commission meets at 7 p.m. Circuit Judge Terence Perkins holds bond, status, and sentencing hearings. A few words from Richard Nixon about his resignation.

City Repertory Theatre’s “Twisted”, a comic adult musical with adult themes and language, directed by Beau Wade, closes out its run with a 3 p.m. matinee. The Borowitz Report on DeSantis. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings remembered.

The annual Flagler County School District-sponsored Back to School Jam is back this year, at Flagler Palm Coast High School, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please wear masks. CRT’s “Twisted” is tonight.

City Repertory Theatre’s “Twisted”, a musical directed by Beau Wade, continues its four-day run at City Repertory Theatre in City Marketplace. It’s Hiroshima Day, calling for remembrance.

The Canvassing Board of the Palm Coast special election for mayor meets for the last time to conduct a legally-required manual audit of one precinct in the election. A community meeting about Cimarron Drive, and a good word from Ninon de Lenclos.

David Alfin is sworn-in as Palm Coast’s fourth mayor at a 6 p.m. meeting, the council votes on a proposed tax rate, and the School Board meets at 3 p.m. in workshop to discuss a long list of key issues.

It’s Andy Dance’s 58th birthday, shared with that of James Baldwin, the County Commission meets and will likely approve a lease moving the Bunnell Branch library to Marvin’s Garden.

A dangerously hot day with heat indexes up to 109, the Observer interview with John Sbordone and Beau Wade, when majorities become tyrannies. Ann Frank’s last diary entry.

The Palm Coast Canvassing Board meets to go over mail-in ballots and provisional ballots in the special election for mayor, and to announce official results. A word from the Tao Te Ching.

Flagler Beach City Commission members Rick Belhumeur and Jane Mealy have a funny exchange about ethics training, the state Ethics Commission releases its fiundings from a closed-door session Friday that included a discussion of the Milissa Holland case.

It’s the final Election Day in the Palm Coast race for mayor, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., results expected shortly after that. The Palm Coast council meets to discuss its non-general fund categories, and a ground breaking of a Flagler Health Plus village in north Palm Coast.

The Bunnell City Commission appoints two new members to fill out the terms of Bill Baxley and Donnie Nobles, who have resigned. Amin Maalouf on the tolerance of former empires.

A Community Cats adoption event at Pet Supermarket, and kittens in need of fostering at the Humane Society, with a word on the weather by Jenny Offill.