The election of two Muslim women to Congress is a repudiation of Islamophobic domestic and foreign policies and of hostility to migrants and refugees from a number of countries.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
As Scott-Nelson Margin Shrinks and Fury Surges, Experts Say Process Is Working
Watching his lead shrink, Scott accused elections supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach counties of “incompetence” and fraud though the process is following state law and timelines.
Veterans Weekend Briefing: “Proof” at CRT, Vet Breakfast, Vet Fest, Community Cats Yard Sale,
City Rep Theatre stages David Auburn’s Pulitzer-winning “Proof,” Community Cats has its annual yard sale, several Veterans Day activities and commemorations throughout the weekend.
DeSantis Win Paves Way for Most Conservative Supreme Court in Generations
Ron DeSantis’ narrow win in Tuesday’s election for governor will bring an unprecedented expansion of conservative Republican power in Tallahassee.
Thursday Briefing: Animal Cruelty Investigations, Rickey Wheeler Appreciation, Wickline Center Uses
Flagler agencies host a two-day training session on animal cruelty investigations, the more than 100 volunteers who helped search for missing child Rickey Wheeler are recognized.
The Death of WNZF’s Ron Charles, Friend and Colleague, at 56
Ron ‘Charles’ Gitschier, 56, built Flagler County’s first radio station WNZF as its chief engineer for the past 10 years, was its news director and a man of rare integrity and humility.
Rick Scott Wins ‘Nasty’ U.S. Senate Race, Ending Bill Nelson’s 46 Years in Government
Scott’s win even more firmly cemented control of Florida and the U.S. Senate for Republicans. Nelson for the past eight years has been the only Democrat elected statewide.
Wednesday Briefing: Wetlands Restoration Meeting, Youth Orchestra Concert, Immigration Attorneys
It’s the day after: no better time than to head to the Auditorium for the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s fall concert, the second of two community meetings on the Flagler County Wetland Restoration Project is scheduled.
Being Trans in America Was Already Scary. Now It’s Terrifying.
On any given afternoon, the author is regularly and publicly catcalled, mocked, laughed at, and treated as an object of social disgust. Donald Trump is about to deny her right to exist.
A Few Big Legislative Races, Scattered Through Florida
Donors, party leaders and political operatives don’t like to toss away money on lost causes. With that in mind, here are some of the races to watch Tuesday in various regions of the state.
Election Day Briefing: Polls Open Until 7 PM, Storm-Damaged Tree Removal, Election Night Parties
Today: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 5 mph. Details here. Today’s document from the National Archives and the Astronomy Picture of the Day. Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway. Drought Index: 282 The OED’s Word of […]
Flurry of Polls Show Gillum and Nelson Decisively Edging Past DeSantis and Scott
Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson have built solid leads among independents, women and minorities, with Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott leading only among white men.
Monday Briefing: Diabetes Flag-Raising, Great Kids Awards, Dangerous Dog Hearing, Flagler Cares
The case of Cooper the dangerous dog finally gets its hearing in circuit court, the Flagler County Commission decides whether to appoint one of its most generous financial contributors to the planning board, November Great Kids.
Save Our Home: We Have 12 Years
There’s an urgent message of hope amid the latest climate report’s dire warning: We’ve got a little bit of time to save the only home planet we’ve got. And it’s going to take all of us to do it.
Yes, Your Car Can Be A Weapon, Florida Supreme Court Rules, Altering ’95 Definition
The Supreme Court made the somewhat-unusual move of backing away from a 1995 decision, which said a weapon must be “commonly understood to be an instrument for combat.”
In Miami on Final Stretch, Obama Chides GOP For ‘Repeated Attempts to Divide You’
The former president’s trip to the Sunshine State was sandwiched between two appearances in Florida by President Donald Trump, who held a rally Wednesday in Lee County.
Unemployment Rate At 3.7% Approaching 50-Year Low as Economy Adds 250,000 Jobs
It is the longest uninterrupted expansion since before the Great Depression. The average monthly gain this year has been just over 210,000 jobs, equal the average monthly gains of the last two Obama years.
Restoring Felons’ Right to Vote:
Why I’m Voting Yes on Amendment 4
In 46 other states, the right is restored either immediately or on completion of probation. Florida stands out for harshness, accounting for a quarter of America’s disenfranchised.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday, Freedom Fest at Airport, Navy Jazz Ensemble, Tommy Tant Classic
Freedom fest brings a couple of dozen aircraft to the Flagler Airport, the Tommy Tant Surf Classic takes Flagler Beach after First Friday there, the Navy’s Jazz ensemble is at the Auditorium.
With 3.7 Million Early Votes In, Election Day Delays May Ease Despite Epic Ballot
While the lengthy ballot will cause some delays, it is not expected to be as bad as 2012 as a majority of voters will have already cast ballots.
Thursday Briefing: Joseph Bova Status, Critics Choice Dinner, Palm Coast Finance’s Winners
The case of Joseph Bova, accused of gunning down store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado at a Palm Coast gas station in 2013, is back in court, Palm Coast’s finance department wins two awards.
Amendment 13: ‘Humane Treatment of Animals’ Would End Dog Racing in Florida
Florida is one of a handful of places in the country with dog racing, and passage of the amendment would be a serious blow for an industry that has been in the state for decades.
Showdown Over Local Control as State Aims to Stop Miami Beach From Raising Minimum Wage
Attorney General Pam Bondi claims a state law bars Miami Beach from gradually increasing its minimum wage to $13.31 an hour in 2021. The case also has drawn attention from local governments, which have sided with Miami Beach.
Wednesday Briefing: Halloween, Canvassing Board, Stetson Woodwind Ensemble, Trump in Lee County
It’s Halloween: be careful out there, the Flagler Canvassing Board meets again to go through mailed-in ballots, the Stetson Woodwinds Ensemble is in concert, Donald Trump is in southwest Florida.
Journalists Say Trump’s Caravan Claims Are ‘Evidence-Free.’ It’s a Lot Worse Than That.
Journalists have a duty to give context, not just to report on whether a sound bite contains truth on a sliding scale. Otherwise, it’s journalistic malpractice.
Tuesday Briefing: $28,000 Raised For FHF’s Hospice, Taste of Fun Coast, TNR, Bunnell Town Hall, Hall of Terror
It’s Taste of the Fun Coast, a fund-raiser for the Flagler County Free Clinic, at the Hammock resort, Palm Coast talks trap, neuter and release and dangerous dogs, Bunnell hosts a town hall, Fire Station 21 hosts its annual Hall of Terror.
From Wing Joint to Hair Salon, Florida Voters Split on Gillum-DeSantis Race for Governor
Interviews with a diversity of Florida voters reveal the searing differences of opinions between voters–and their solidified opinions about Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum, with days left in the gubernatorial race.
Monday Briefing: PCAF’s Latest Turtles, Rotary Club Looking For Bands, Leslie Pitter in Court, Eric Holder on Voting Rights
The Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s community public sculpture project dedicates its latest at Long Creek Nature Preserve, the Flagler Rotary is looking for musical acts to play at Fantasy Lights, corrections as a people skill.
Amendments 1, 2 and 5: Taking Aim at Taxes Through Homestead Exemption, a Cap and Supermajorities
Three proposals on the November ballot that would make tax-related changes to the state Constitution have drawn conflicting views from the real-estate industry, local governments and other groups about the measures’ potential economic impacts.
Trump’s Responsibility
Trump can’t have it both ways. He can’t revel in his powers of denigration and incitement then take cover behind a bogus sense of outrage and his usual deflections when the incitement and denigration arm fuses and kill people.
2 Million Floridians Have Already Voted, Republican Registrants Holding 43-40 Edge Over Democrats
As of Friday morning, 869,745 Republicans had cast ballots, compared to 808,288 Democrats and 347,488 unaffiliated voters, out of the state’s nearly 13.3 million registered voters.
Weekend Briefing: Bedrace, Rocky Horror Show, Gola’s Steampunk, Palm Coast Founders’ Day, De Yampert on Crows, A Schubert Concert
The fabulous bed race in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast Founders’ Day, Holler-ween at the Ag Museum, Daytona Solisti’s opening concert, last weekend for “The Rocky Horror Show” and lots more.
All Insults Nearly All The Time As Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum Debate a Final Round
It was an hour of jugular attacks, with Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis accusing each other of being dishonest and unworthy of leading the state before they exited the stage with a fist bump.
Thursday Briefing: Fruehan in Court, Holden House on National Registry, Innovative Workforce, Early Voting
Holden House in Bunnell lands on the National Register of Historic Places, ex-physician Florence Fruehan attempts to get a criminal charge dropped, the Flagler Beach commission meets.
Amendment 9: What Has Vaping Got To Do With Offshore Oil Drilling?
Rather than allowing the vaping ban to stand on its own, the revision commission coupled it with a proposed ban on offshore oil drilling in Florida waters, describing the combination as an environmental amendment.
Trump’s Bone Saw Problem
Trump can’t be lavishing praise on tyrants and think it’s not another way of saying, as he did of white supremacists last year, that “some of them are fine people.” He can’t be equating journalists with scum and not have blood on his hands.
Wednesday Briefing: What Kind of Manager for Palm Coast? Great Kids Awards, Gillum-DeSantis II
Palm Coast government hosts two public workshops to hear from residents what kind of city manager they want next, Gillum and DeSantis debate again, early voting continues at three locations.
Even As Voter Registration Soars, Bogus Fraud Claims and Real Voter Suppression Live On
Experts are predicting record-high midterm voter turnout. But millions of U.S. citizens are being systematically inhibited — either blatantly or covertly — from casting votes this November.
Judge Clears Way For Local Governments to Challenge State Ban on Stricter Gun Restrictions
Some 30 local Florida governments are challenging a state law that forbids cities and counties from passing stricter gun regulations than the state allows.
Gillum Leads DeSantis 52-46, Taking 21-Point Lead Among Women, 18 With Independents
Gillum is so far winning key demographics, with a seemingly insurmountable 18-point lead among independents, who usually decide statewide races, but he’s also winning among women by 21 points.
Tuesday Briefing: D’Marcus Boyd Plea, Stetson Guitar Ensemble, Moody-Shaw Debate, Ocala Forest Bombing
D’Marcus Boyd appears in court to tender a plea on charges of rape, burglary and grand theft, Attorney General candidates Ashley Moody (R) and Sean Shaw (D), debate on News 13, some bombing in the Ocala forest.
Amendment 3: Not As Clear-Cut As ‘Voter Control of Gambling in Florida’
Amendment 3, placed on the ballot by a political committee largely backed by Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, would give voters the “exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state.
Elizabeth Warren’s Identity Problem
Trump’s racism is obvious. He’s using the name Pocahontas as a racial slur. But Elizabeth Warren stepped into a controversial issue without much sensitivity for the people who are most affected by it.
Women and Independents Keep Bill Nelson Ahead of Rick Scott By 6 Points in Latest Poll
Sen. Bill Nelson, drawing much higher favorability ratings and strong support from independents–key to all statewide races in Florida–is maintaining a comfortable 52-46 percent advantage over Gov. Rick Scott in the race for U.S. Senate.
Monday Briefing: Early Voting Begins, Bunnell’s Meet-and-Greet, Sea Ray Boats Yard Sale
Early voting begins at three locations for all registered voters in Flagler, Bunnell government hosts a meet and greet for all, the Stamp and Coin Club meets.
Is The .08 Threshold for DUI Too Lax?
Traffic safety advocates and a federal highway safety agency support the change to .05 and have been recommending it for years.
How Fentanyl, in 56% of Florida’s Overdose Deaths, Changes the Opioid Equation
With lethal amounts of fentanyl showing up in heroin and other drug supplies throughout the country, active drug users are at a greater risk of dying than ever before.
Weekend Briefing: Rocky Horror, Holler-Ween Fest, NAACP Freedom Fund, Sea Ray Boats Sale, Brass and Opera
The Rocky Horror Show at City Repertory Theatre, Holler-Ween Fest at the Agricultural Museum, the NAACP hosts its Freedom Fund evening, Sea Ray has a yard sale.
Nikki Fried and Matt Caldwell Gun For Agriculture Commissioner Behind Holsters and Consumer Protection
Democrat Nikki Fried and Republican Matt Caldwell offer differing views on Trump, the state’s management of concealed-weapons licenses and how to move forward with medical marijuana.
A Better Way To Fight Homelessness: Decriminalize It
Law enforcement is often used as a first response to address homelessness. Many communities criminalize it instead of connecting the homeless with essential services, assuming they’re available.