Though distant, what will become Tropical Storm Michael is expected to bring waves of heavy rainfall and embedded thunderstorms beginning Tuesday and persisting through late Thursday in the northeast Florida region.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Attorney General Launches Investigation of Catholic Priests’ Child Sex Abuse in All 7 Florida Dioceses
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is leaving office in January due to term limits, said it is too early to know how many Floridians, former residents or visitors may have been molested.
Weekend Briefing: Creekside Festival, Pan-Am Dance, First Friday, Drug Court Fall Ride, Linda Cole
The Creekside Music and Art Festival at Princess Place, Hispanic-American Club’s Pan-American Dance, bikers for Drug Court, learning about the amendments, the Rotary’s Community Stars.
After Granting Stay, Supreme Court Clears Way for Execution of Murderer Jose Antonio Jimenez
Jimenez had cited a February execution of Death Row inmate Eric Branch, who reportedly screamed and made body movements as he was being executed, among reasons not to proceed.
Saint Kavanaugh
Whether Kavanaugh was confirmed or not is irrelevant: whoever’s next might be less personally sleazy, more temperamentally amoebic, but judicially? Same shill, different name.
Thursday Briefing: Active-Shooter Training, Wetlands Restoration Meeting, ITMS Band Fall Concert
The St. Johns Water Management District holds a community meetings on the controversial Flagler County Wetland Restoration Project, the Indian Trails band in concert, Mencken on art.
Judge Halts Florida’s Medical Pot Licensing Process Over Its Flawed Restrictions
The judge previously ruled that Florida health rules over medical pot were unconstitutional, and set a Wednesday deadline for the deficiencies with the law to be resolved. It passed.
Wednesday Briefing: Hurricane Irma Rebuilding Grants, Starlight Parade Sign-Ups, John Legend on Amendment 4
Palm Coast takes applications for the holiday Starlight parade, a University Women of Flagler workshop on traveling with confidence, musician John Legend campaigns in support of Amendment 4 in Orlando.
Nelson Calls Scott a Liar, Scott Calls Nelson a Do-Nothing, Both Lob Kavanaugh at Each Other
Scott’s and Nelson’s tangle over Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was one of many points of contentions in the senate-race debate Tuesday.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Futures, Lenhart at Hammock, 2020 School Calendar, Nelson-Scott Debate
The school board discusses its 2019-20 calendar, the Palm Coast council sets a course for its next manager’s search, Bill nelson and Rick Scott debate, Flagler Sportsfishing Club meets.
In Blow to Scott’s Play for Puerto Rican Vote, Nelson Wins Island Governor’s Endorsement
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s endorsement of Nelson unleashed pushback from Scott, who’s made nine trips to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the U.S. territory a year ago.
Monday Briefing: Pink Army Flag-Raising, Help for Hurricane Irma Repairs, $39,000 in Tax Subsidies to a Private Company
The County Commission ratifies $39,000 in subsidies from tourist development taxdollars to Triple Crown Sports, a for-profit private company, for events scheduled this fall in the county.
Sen. Dorothy Hukill, Among Rare Moderate Republicans, Ends Campaign and Enters Hospice as Cancer Returns
Hukill served as Education Committee chair and was one of four Republicans who earlier this year voted against a controversial measure (HB 7055) that included the use of sales-tax credits to help students attend private schools.
Weekend Briefing: Sweeney Todd, Timucuan Fishing, Deaf Fest, Basketball Registration, Alzheimer’s Walk, Songwriters Festival
It’s Deaf Fest in Flagler Saturday, Sweeney Todd opens the Flagler Playhouse’s new season, Timucuan fishing technology at Gamble Rogers, the Walk to end Alzheimer’s, Homecoming at Bethune-Cookman.
The Cruelty of the GOP’s Kavanaugh Charade
A few of us posted about sexual assault in general or about our own past assaults on our Facebook pages. Then the private messages began. The details are painful to talk about.
Thursday Briefing: Common Ground, Staly Subpoena, Drug Court Graduation, Beadle to Forte, NAACP
The sheriff is in court twice–for drug court graduation and for a potential showdown over a subpoena, Sweeney Todd opens at the Playhouse, Chief Beadle passes the torch to Jerry Forte at the Palm Coast Fire Department.
Open Court Proceedings Require NRA-Backed Gun Litigants To Be Named, Florida Argues
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is asking a federal appeals court to reject arguments that two 19-year-olds should be able to remain anonymous in a challenge to a new state gun law.
Wednesday Briefing: Bunnell’s Newest Park, National Guard Airport Facility, Football Prayer Case
Bunnell dedicates its new Louis L. Jackson Municipal Park on South Pine Street, a beer tasting at the Humidor, the National Guard facility at the county airport comes along.
Tuesday Briefing: Banned Book Week, Whitley Sentencing, Palm Coast’s Future Manager, Beach Management
A visual commemoration of Banned Book Week at the Flagler Public Library, the Palm Coast council discusses what kind of manager it wants, a child molester recorded by his victim is sentenced.
Missing and Endangered: Ricky Wheeler, 17, Who Has Diminished Mental Capacities
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking public help in locating 17-year-old Ricky Wheeler, who went missing Friday (Sept. 21) and may be endangered.
New Laws Benefiting First Responders With PTSD and Increasing Punishment for Animal Abuse Kick In
The 21 laws taking effect Oct. 1 range from allowing credit cards to be used for background checks when firearms are purchased to doling out tougher punishment for people who steal bee colonies or trespass at airports.
Monday Briefing: Mosquito Control and Bunnell Budgets, Stamp and Coin Club, Moonrise at Gamble Rogers
The Mosquito Control District sets a higher tax rate, Bunnell does not, Moonrise at Gamble Rogers Recreation Area, the Stamp and Coin Club meets, Víkingur Ólafsson plays Philip Glass.
Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault
That urge to discredit accusers of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford is exactly why it takes so long for some to come forward in the first place.
Environmentalists Call Scott’s Call for Red-Tide Research a Campaign Stunt
The state has documented 115 manatee and 318 sea turtle deaths this year in regions suspected to be related to red tide, which stretches 145 miles.
Weekend Briefing: Linda Cole, Sweeney Todd, Jim Canfield Farewell, Longineu Parsons Jazz
Linda Cole’s jazz ensemble at Cue Note, Flagler Playhouse’s “Sweeney Todd,” Arts Foundation presents Longineu Parsons, Palm Coast says farewell to ex-Mayor Jim Canfield.
Thursday Briefing: Inspiring Bathrooms at Imagine School, Uninspiring Flagler Taxes, DCF Refugees
Imagine School students brighten up bathroom stalls with positive quotes, Flagler County passes its budget, DCF has refugee services, Anita Hill speaks.
Gillum Wants $50,000 Minimum Teacher Salary. DeSantis Proposes 80% Formula.
In competing proposals, Democrat Andrew Gillum would provide teachers with a minimum $50,000 starting salary by raising the corporate tax, Ron DeSantis would require 80 percent of school funding to be spent in classrooms.
Wednesday Briefing: Ocean Palm Golf, Heat Index to 103, Free Wellness Screenings, DSC Job Fair, Genealogy Society
Daytona State hosts its fall job fair, Florida Hospital Flagler offers free health screenings, Flagler Beach’s Ocean Palm Golf Club lifts its profile, a free legal clinic on landlord and tenant law.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 105, Palm Coast Rezoning, School Board Talks Security, Bunnell Containers
Another scorcher, the school board hears from a school-security group that emerged out of the Connecticut school shooting, Palm Coast talks rezoning.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Tiger Bay’s 1st Lunch, Wetlands Restoration, Charter Schools
Another scorcher with temperatures well into the 90s, Integrity Florida releases a report on charter schools, Flagler’s new Tiger Bay Club hosts its first luncheon with guest Husein Cumber, a rail executive, the Flagler County Commission talks wetlands.
Nobody In the White House Is Part of ‘the Resistance’
Administration insiders admit Trump’s dangerous, but they’ll stick with him as long as he cuts billionaires’ taxes, deregulates corporations, and feeds the military-industrial complex.
State Education Board Wants a $200 Per-Student Increase and $100 Million More For Cops
The budget proposal, which was approved by the Board of Education at a meeting in Naples, drew support from education advocates.
Weekend Briefing: Nesbitt in Court, Bunnell Bonanza, Basketball Registration, Puppy Pub Crawl, Branford Marsalis
The first annual Bunnell Bonanza, the first Annual Flagler Redfish Tournament, coastal clean-up, Flagler Beach Pirate Invasion, 5K for the Flagler Auditorium, Branford Marsalis in Jacksonville.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 103, Florence Strike Team, Sharks and Rays on the Brink
The Flagler Beach City Commission sets next year’s taxes, a Flagler Strike Team helps with the Hurricane Florence response, a lecture on “Sharks and Rays on the brink” at the Whitney Lab.
UF Ranked 8th-Best Public University in Nation, 4 Other Florida Schools Crack Top 100
Florida universities continued their academic climb in the latest U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings, placing five schools in the country’s top 100 public universities for the first time.
Wednesday Briefing: Florida Beers Minifest at EuroVillage, Free Legal Clinic, Waste Pro’s Shea Drury
European Village features three Florida brewers in a mini beerfest, Waste Pro appoints a new manager in the Flagler-Palm Coast region, free legal clinics.
Stand Your Ground Vigilantes
Instead of allowing the police to perform their jobs, some gunslingers hiding behind stand-your-ground laws take the responsibility of pursuing criminals upon themselves.
Tuesday Briefing: 9/11 Ceremonies, Keith Johansen in Court, Stormwater Rates, Hammock Hansen
The Palm Coast council discusses stormwater rates, which are set to rise steeply, the Elks Lodge and other places host 9/11 ceremonies, a man accused of murdering his wife is in court for a pre-trial.
Avoidable Sepsis Infections Send Thousands Of Nursing Home Seniors To Gruesome Deaths
No one tracks sepsis cases closely enough to know how often these severe infections turn fatal. But the toll — both human and financial — is enormous, an investigation finds.
Monday Briefing: Suicide Prevention Day, Women’s Self-Defense, Bunnell Manager, Mideast Primer
World Suicide Prevention Day takes place as Flagler stands as the county with the highest rate of suicides among Florida counties; Bunnell sets its tax rate, women’s self-defense class.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday, Intracoastal Cleanup, Gospel Show, KidCare Enrollment, Arts Festival, Senior Games
The annual Intracoastal Waterway cleanup on Saturday, the kick-off of the Palm Coast Senior Games, Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s two-day arts festival in Town Center, KidCare enrollment, “California Suite,” and a lot more.
Justices Weigh Loading Charter Schools, Term Limits and Civics on One Amendment
Justices are only supposed to determine whether the ballot title and summary would provide an accurate description of the proposed constitutional amendment to voters.
Thursday Briefing: County Taxes, Canvassing Board, Flagler Beach Golf Course (Again), Massacre Commission
The Flagler Beach City Commission again tries to decide what to do with its troubled golf course, Flagler government sets next year’s taxes, an NRA-designed gun-safe program.
Should Supervisors of Election Provide Spanish-Language Ballots? Judge Hears Arguments.
A federal judge today hears arguments in a lawsuit seeking to require 32 Florida counties, including Flagler, to provide Spanish-language ballots and other materials to Puerto Ricans who are eligible to vote in the state.
Wednesday Briefing: Free Family and Civil Law Clinic, Youth Orchestra Open House, FPC Fire Academy
FPC’s Fire Academy takes a training trip, the Youth Orchestra holds its Open House, an NRA gunsafe program is presented to Kindergarteners and first graders, Kaiti Lenhart at Flagler GOP club.
The $109,000 Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
The hospital that overcharged a teacher cut the bill not before the huge charge sparked a national conversation over what should be done to combat surprise medical bills afflicting a growing number of Americans.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Apartments Near Woodlands, School Taxes, State of Education, Chess
The Palm Coast council considers approving apartment zoning near the Woodlands, the Flagler County School Board presents the State of Education, Chess on the Porch at the Humidor at European Village.
When McCain’s Odes to Honor and Civility Ring False
The “straight talk” people praise McCain for is actually what most of them can’t stand about politicians: They say noble words but cast ignoble votes.
Labor Day Briefing: Drug Court Steering Committee, OD Awareness Day, FPC v. New Smyrna, Gentile-Youd Loves McLaughlin
A candlelight vigil in observance of Overdose Awareness Day, the Drug Court Steering Committee meets, Flagler Palm Coast High meets New Smyrna Beach on the gridiron, and Labor Day quiet.
Obamacare Participants in Florida Will See Lowest Premium Increase In 8 Years
The rate increases are some of the lowest ever requested by Florida insurance companies since the federal health law passed in 2010.