Vicki Payne wins Palm Coast’s photo contest, Christmas Come True has its grand re-opening, healing with food is the topic at the coffee series, England battles Croatia in World Cup.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Florida Regulators Approve Addition of 689 Area Code As Overlay in 407 Zone
As available numbers run out in the 407 zone, 689 will be available as a new area code in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, parts of Lake and Volusia.
Drug War Blowback: Why Those Central American Immigrants Are Still Coming
Between the drug war and the backing of brutal regimes, the U.S. created conditions in Central America that families are desperate to flee — even if they risk being separated.
Tuesday Briefing: Traffic Safety Team, France v. Belgium, African-American Entrepreneurs, Area Code 689
Flagler’s traffic safety team meets, it’s England and Belgium in the World Cup semi, a new area code may be coming to Central Florida, the African-American Entrepreneurs Association signs on with the SBA.
Days After Criticism From Sen. Nelson, Governor Declares Emergency Over Algae Outbreak
On Friday and over the weekend Democrats and Bill Nelson accused Scott of “going through the motions” in dealing with the algae blooms.
Monday Briefing: Bunnell’s Next Manager, Flagler Budget, Jeanette Loftus’s Rotary, Ronald Titus’s Deployment
Bunnell may decide tonight to sign on with Martin Murphy as manager, the Flagler County Commission talks property tax rates again, Ronald Titus redeploys with firefighters out west.
Abolish ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is supposed to keep Americans safe. Instead, it’s terrorizing refugees, families, and small children.
The Other Victims: First Responders To Traumas and Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude
Some firefighters, emergency medical providers, law enforcement officers and others say the scale, sadness and sometimes sheer gruesomeness of their experiences haunt them, leading to tearfulness and depression, job burnout, substance abuse, relationship problems, even suicide.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday in Flagler Beach, Doobie Brothers Tribute, Tour de France, Softball Classic
If you miss July 4th fun you can head back to Flagler Beach for First Friday, a Doobie Brothers tribute band at the Bandshell, the fabulous Tour de France kicks off.
No Smokable Medical Marijuana Allowed Before Legal Challenge Plays Out, Court Orders
The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a lawsuit initiated by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan and others who maintain that a Florida law barring patients from smoking their treatment runs afoul of a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
Thursday Briefing: US Navy Band “Cruisers,” Rubio Mobile Office, Palm Coast Tech Assessment, Mafted
A down day as Flagler recovers from July 4 festivities, with a US Navy Band concert in Daytona and, if you insist, Rubio’s mobile staff office hours in Ormond.
From Food Stamps To Housing Allowances, There’s an All-Out War On Kids
It’s not just on the border: the Trump administration is targeting food stamps eligibility, rent subsidies and other safety-net measures that protect children.
Union-Busting Bill Draws Lawsuit from Florida Education Association and Teachers
Florida teachers and unions filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the constitutionality of a new law that requires local unions to represent 50 percent or more of instructional personnel.
Independence Days Briefing: Fireworks, The Flagler Beach Parade, Choral Arts Society Concert, Sportsfishing
Yes, it’s days, not day: celebrations begin Tuesday, stretch through Wednesday with fireworks in Town Center and in Flagler Beach plus all sorts of associated events.
Monday Briefing: Campaign Signs on Trucks, County Taxes, Bunnell’s Demanding Candidate, Palm Coast Tech Assessment
The Flagler County Commission takes on those trucks that park on county property to advertise candidates, the Bunnell commission decides whether its manager candidate is worth $90,000.
Man Shoots and Kills German Shepherd in Palm Coast’s W-Section, Says In Self-Defense
A 5-year-old German Shepherd mix called Caroline is dead from a gunshot to the head after allegedly attacking a man and his puppy on Westchester Lane in Palm Coast this morning.
Unlocked And Loaded: Families Confront Dementia And Guns
The epidemic of gun violence that kills 96 people a day is focused on mental illness. But a little-known problem is what to do about firearms in homes of aging Americans with dementia.
Zero Tolerance: Here’s What It’s Like to Work at a Shelter for Immigrant Kids
A window into a system pushed into overdrive, straining to serve traumatized kids amid the uncertainty of America’s immigration system.
DeSantis and Putnam Battle To Out-Trump Each Other In Televised Debate
Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis focused more on national topics than challenges facing the next Florida governor in their debate broadcast on Fox.
Weekend Briefing: Scenic A1A, Lifeguard Certification, Bandshell’s ZZ Top Tribute,
Democrats and Republicans hold competing state summits, a lifeguard certification class at Frieda Zamba pool, Creature from the Black Lagoon in Marineland.
There’s Always Room For a Confederate Statue in a Lake County Government Building
A bronze statue of the Confederate general will be relocated from the National Statuary Hall in Washington to a museum housed in the same building as the Lake County Sheriff’s Office
A Dagger in the Heart of Unions, Workers and Democracy: Behind the Janus Ruling
Their end game is to overturn a fundamental premise of majority rule, and lock in place permanent Constitutional changes to bar any limits on oligarchical rule.
Thursday Briefing: Future of Water, Animal Cruelty Sentencing, Flagler Beach Audit, Heat Index Up to 105
The Chamber’s Common Ground breakfast focuses on the future of water, Brenden Geary is sentenced on an animal cruelty conviction, the heat index is expected to reach 106.
More Than 100 New Laws Take Effect Sunday, as Does $88 Billion Budget
New laws expanding education vouchers, prohibiting marriage for anyone younger than 18, and placing Florida on permanent daylight saving time–if Congress approves–all go into effect.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index Up to 106, Stewart Marchman Foundation, Compassionate Friends
Watch out for that heat, the African American Entrepreneurs Club gets the county’s economic development board’s sponsorship, Stewart Marchman Foundation’s annual gala.
Being Separated From My Child Nearly Destroyed Me
The administration’s policy of separating families is torture, and Trump’s executive order to incarcerate families together doesn’t solve the crisis.
Tuesday Briefing: NAACP Candidate Forum, Youth Baseball, Heat Index 101 to 105, Juvenile Justice Study
The NAACP holds one of its famed candidates’ forum at the African American Cultural Society, a study on juvenile justice in Florida is released.
Monday Briefing: Flagler County Taxes, Bunnell Manager Pick, CR205 Road Closure, Indivisible
The Flagler County Commission meets to discuss next year’s likely increase in proeprty taxes, the Bunnell commission meets to possibly choose a new manager, County Road 205 closes for construction.
Ralph Nader’s Open Letter to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Given your successful tax avoidance mania, you should be ashamed of yourself, Nader tells the Amazon founder. “You should spend some personal time” with the homeless.
Weekend Briefing: Qualifying Window Closes, Jazz at Salvo, Amateur Radio, Social Justice Conference
National Amateur Radio Field Day at the Hammock Community Center, Bethune Cookman University hosts an education and social justice conference, Jazz at Salvo Art House, World Cup Watch Party in Palm Coast.
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling On Web Retailers Could Boost Florida’s Sales Tax Revenue
A 5-4 ruling upheld a law that allowed the state to apply its sales tax to major online retailers, even if they had no physical presence in the state.
Critics Assail Scott Policy Shift That Would Reduce Eligibility Window For Medicaid
The majority of the 39,000 people impacted by the change would be seniors and people with disabilities. But Gov. Scott wants the shift to save nearly $100 million.
Thursday Briefing: Senior Self-Defense, World’s Largest Swim Lesson, Heat Index Up to 109, Dante Mobley
Beware, the heat index is set to rise to 109 in the afternoon in parts of Flagler, Lunch ‘N Learn is about senior self-defense, Dante Mobley is back in court on a probation violation.
We Get It. Trump Is Awful. But Standard-Issue Democrats Are Not an Alternative.
The neoliberal establishment that runs the Democratic Party party holds fast to the very policies that are making it shrink into oblivion, argues John Atcheson.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index 100 to 104, Live Bombing, Portugal v. Morocco
Palm Coast’s Portuguese community mobilizes at 8 a.m. as Portugal faces Morocco at the World Cup, a day of extreme heat, Boris Berezovsky plays Chopin.
Floridian Wins 2nd Case at Supreme Court Over Arrest During Public Comment
Justices, in an 8-1 decision, sided with Fane Lozman, who filed a lawsuit against the city contending that the arrest involved retaliation for his outspoken criticism of officials in the Palm Beach County community.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Harbor Charter, School Vouchers, Food Truck Tuesday, Historic Flagler Tour, Stewart Goodyear
Flagler Woman’s Club scholarships, the school board takes another look at troubled Palm Harbor charter school and discusses private school vouchers.
Monday Briefing: Election Qualifying Starts, Live Bombing, Dante Mobley, Bunnell Interviews Round 2
Qualifying for this year’s elections starts at noon, Bunnell holds the second round of its manager interviews, sex offender Dante Mobley is back in court, bombing in Ocala forest.
Cruel and Usual Trump
The Trump-Sessions zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their parents at the border has no precedent except in America’s slavery times.
Judge Says Legislature Illegally Spending Florida’s Land-Preservation Money on Operating Costs
Striking a blow to the Legislature, a judge ruled lawmakers failed to comply with a voter-approved constitutional amendment to buy and preserve environmentally sensitive lands.
Five First Responders to the Pulse Massacre. One Diagnosis: PTSD.
“My head’s still not right,” said one paramedic who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting two years ago. He and some other responders say their departments haven’t given them the help they need.
FDLE Adds Texts and Other Notification Systems for AMBER/Missing Child Alerts
Citizens can now receive AMBER and Missing Child Alerts through text messages as well as email. To use the new system, citizens must create an Everbridge account.
Flagler College Ranked in Top Five of ‘Best Beach Colleges’
Flagler College recently ranked fourth in ‘25 Best Beach Colleges’ list from College Consensus. The list recognized colleges for effectively using their unique coastal locations as an educational engagement tool. Drawing from college review sources such as U.S. News reports and Center for World University Rankings, as well as from student reviews, College Consensus said […]
Weekend Briefing: CPR Class, Get Out the Vote Class, “Benji,” Women’s Hall of Fame, Claude Bolling
Palm Coast Fire Station 25 hosts a CPR class, the Flagler NAACP hosts a Get Out the Vote class, Marineland shows “Benji” outdoors, 10 World Cup games over the weekend.
If Trump Is Giving Diplomacy a Chance in Korea, His Critics Should, Too
The North Korea negotiations are far from over, and could still tip from a fragile diplomacy back to middle-school insults, but diplomacy isn’t just the better way. It’s the only way.
291 Gun Permits Wrongly Issued, But Adam Putnam Says “Public Safety Was Not At Risk”
An employee stopped running background checks on hundreds of applicants. The problem led to heavy criticism of Putnam amid his campaign for governor.
Thursday Briefing: World Cup, Flagler Beach Golf Course, State of the Judiciary, Congressionals at Tiger Bay
The Flagler Beach Commission again talks about what to do with its troubled golf course, the World Cup begins its month-long fanaticism, GOP congressional candidates appear at Tiger Bay.
Beyond Donation of 25 FHP Used Cars to Puerto Rico, an Island’s Policing in Crisis
Puerto Rico right now is all about a cattle pen of system failures — but one of the most important is its broken and bleeding law enforcement structure.
Campaign Cash Fuels TV Ads for Adam Putnam and Philip Levine in Governor’s Race
As the leading fundraisers in their party primaries for governor, Adam Putnam and Philip Levine have an advantage over their rivals when it comes to reaching voters.
Wednesday Briefing: Citizenship Academy Graduates, Live Bombing, Managing Cholesterol, Workforce Summit
Palm Coast graduates 18 from its 43rd Citizenship Academy, learn about managing cholesterol, live bombing in the Ocala forest, Schumann virtuosity.