Palm Coast’s new city council sits for some ethics training, the Men’s Futures tennis tournament fields its wildcard contestants, Zora Neal Hurston is celebrated all week.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Senate Bill Proposes Less Restrictive Approach to Florida’s Medical Marijuana Regulations
Under Sen. Rob Bradley’s bill, the state would add 20 marijuana operators, eliminate the minimum 90-day treatment before doctors can prescribe marijuana, and extend allowances to 90-day supplies for patients.
Monday Briefing: Greg Hansen Swears-In, Project Bags Incentives, Dunes Tensions, Doughnuts With Doughney
Gov. Rick Scott Appointee Greg Hansen fills the County Commission seat left vacant by the late Frank Meeker, Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney holds another Doughnut With Doughney session, the county talks dunes restoration, Edith Wharton talks marriage.
Trump Promised to Resign From His Companies. There’s No Record He’s Done So.
To transfer control of his companies, the president has to submit filings in Florida, Delaware and New York. That has not happened.
Jane Anne Staly, Civil Rights Champion in Central and Northeast Florida, Dies at 95
Jane Anne McNerney Staly, 95, of Maitland, the mother of Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and an influential civil rights and social services activist for over half a century in Central and Northeast Florida, died peacefully on January 19 in Maitland.
You’ll Miss Him
At noon today the world ended as the sound of seven trumpets was replaced by the words “I, Donald John Trump…” Until then it was a fairly good run. An excellent run, in retrospect, considering what we’re losing.
Public Schools Dealt Blows in Pair of Court Decisions Favoring Vouchers and Charters
One court decision upholds corporate tax vouchers for private schools, another diminishes the role of local school boards in deciding what charter schools may operate.
Continuing Year-Long See-Saw, Flagler Unemployment Dips Back Down to 5.4%
For the past 13 months, Flagler County’s unemployment rate has been stuck within in narrow band in the mid-5.5 percent range, bottoming out at 4.9 percent last May and peaking at 5.7 percent three times along the way.
Weekend Briefing: Next to Normal at CRT, Career Day at Rymfire, Home Show, Black on Trump, The Inauguration
Next to Normal, the rock musical, at City Repertory Theatre, Lewis Black on Trump’s inauguration, the annual Home and Lifestyle Show at Flagler Palm Coast High School, and Career Day at Rymfire.
Thursday Briefing: Project Bags, Thank A Mentor Day, Lawless Plea, District Spelling Bee
A special meeting of the county’s jobs council reveals “Project Bags,” Rebecca Lawless pleads in the DUI manslaughter death of Diane Upton, the district spelling bee at Wadsworth Elementary, Theodor Adorno.
2016 Sets Global Heat Record For 3rd Straight Year, Raising Alarms of Irreparable Threats
Central Florida felt the heat: Orlando’s temperature average for 2016 was 1.80 degrees above normal in 2016. From late November through December, it was 5, 6 and 7 degrees above normal day after day.
Stringent Rules By Florida Health Department Would Circumvent Medical Pot Amendment
The proposed rules would maintain current vendors’ stranglehold on the medical marijuana industry and give authority to the Florida Board of Medicine, not individual doctors, to decide which patients qualify for marijuana treatment.
Wednesday Briefing: Rezoning for Homes Off U.S. 1, TDC Grants, Betsy DeVos’s War on Public Schools
The Flagler Tourist Development Council awards a few quality-of-life grants to local groups and businesses, rezoning for 348 homes along US1 in Palm Coast’s K Section, Scott McClanahan on Crapalachia.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Loses 1st-Round Five-Set Thriller at Australian Open
But the 6-foot-11 (and growing) giant nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the first round on the men’s side, battling for five sets with 11th seed David Goffin before finally falling.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Steven Nobile’s Multi-Generational Vision
Inspired by the muti-generational households he knew in Brooklyn, N.Y., Councilman Steven Nobile sees a Palm Coast where young families raise children, have plenty of work opportunities, and retire all in place.
Tuesday Briefing: The John Seth Difference, Flagler Schools’ Rezoning, Flagler Playhouse Expansion, Pink Army
FPC Band Leader John Seth gets national recognition, the Flagler School Board considers various rezoning proposals, the Flagler Playhouse wants to expand, The Palm Coast City Council refinances again, and Narciso Yepes plays on.
Going Gray: Can Our Car-Centric Towns Adjust to Aging Baby Boomers?
The millions of boomers who will grow old in Palm Coast-like exurbs will put pressure on local governments to spend more on everything from transportation to senior services.
Weekend Briefing: Drug Court Graduation, Next to Normal Musical, Adam Trent Magic, RPOF Annual Meeting, Democrats’ New Leader
Retired Judge J. David Walsh presides over the 27th Drug Court Graduation ceremony, the fabulous Next to Normal musical at City Repertory Theatre, a magic show and Dave Mason at the Auditorium, MLK Day on Monday.
From Women’s Ob-Gyn Rights to ER Cost Controls, 6 Items That Could Disappear With Obamacare Repeal
Some of these Obamacare measures enjoy broad support and are taken for granted even though people often don’t realize they spring from the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans are working to repeal.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Teacher and Employee of the Year, Pirates in Flagler Beach, Trump’s Conflicts
The 2017 Flagler County Teacher of the Year and Service Employee of the Year are crowned at the Flagler Auditorium, a Palm Coast promotion company explores holding a pirates festival in Flagler Beach, Trumpology of the day.
Attention Florida Patients: You May Start Buying Your Pot Treatment in 90 Days
Florida’s top pot cop said today it’s up to doctors to decide to order marijuana for patients with eligible conditions, months before new rules are expected to go into effect.
Wednesday Briefing: Humane Society Expansion, Public Safety Council talks Jail Inspection, Bad Journalism
The Public Safety Coordinating Council meets for the first time under its new chairman, Commissioner Nate McLaughlin, and with a new Sheriff, Rick Staly, the Humane Society expands, focusing more on bad journalism than fake news.
Lawmakers File Bill to Ban AR-15-Like
Weapon Used in Orlando Massacre
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, and Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, announced they are sponsoring a proposal (SB 254) that would ban so-called assault rifles and “large capacity” ammunition magazines.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Ranked 1st For Online Education By U.S. News
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide has been ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 list for best online bachelor’s degrees in the nation.
Tuesday Briefing: Rebuilding Palm Coast Community Center, Flagler Auditorium Update, What Is Woman
The Palm Coast City Council is about to undergo a makeover, the Flagler County School Board holds another workshop with the Flagler Auditorium board, John Paul Stevens on Citizens United.
Teacher May Be Disciplined But Not Fired Over Disparaging Transgender Student
An administrative law judge reversed the decision of the Lee County School Board, which had moved to terminate Angel Villanueva, a Junior ROTC instructor at East Lee County High School.
Alleged Chicago Assault Reignites
Issue of Hate Crimes Against Whites
As Chicago authorities waited before filing hate-crime charges against four young adult blacks for an alleged attack on a white disabled man, the Internet raged.
Conservatives Plot Their Course on the Rising ‘Sea of Red’ in State Capitals
The American Legislative Exchange Council sees bright future for its agenda now that Republicans control 68 of the nation’s 99 state legislative bodies and 33 governor’s mansions.
Israel’s Suicide Mission
Israel’s right-wing government never seriously considered the two-state solution, which it has now abandoned as it imposes a de-facto annexation of the Palestinian West Bank, enshrining apartheid.
Only 20 Percent Of Americans Support Health Law Repeal Without Replacement Plan
More than a third of those said they would not want the law repealed after being told that some people with preexisting health problems would no longer be able to get insurance.
Another Emblem of Disarray for Florida Democrats: 12 Counties Have No Organizational Structure
In a state where presidential votes have decided by 1 percent margins, Democrats’ absence even in small counties point to a fatal weakness for the party.
In Bizarre Move, Court Stops Prosecutors From Seeking Death Penalty, Then Rescinds Order
The release of the Florida Supreme Court order, a mistake, according to a court spokesman, further muddled Florida’s embattled death penalty, on hold for nearly a year following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last January.
Pot Amendment Goes Into Effect Amid Mass Confusion and “Dangerous Legal Area”
Proponents of Amendment 2 as well as some marijuana operators are demanding that the state health department provide adequate guidance to the industry about the proposal approved by more than 70 percent of Floridians in November.
Florida Ethics Commission Chairman Decries Vote to Eliminate Office of Congressional Ethics
If the Florida Commission on Ethics did not exist, its chairman argues, thousands of ethical violations and trespasses of good government would occur, continuing to diminish what little trust the people have left in government.
Should Older Drivers Face Special Restrictions?
Legislatures have become increasingly reluctant to restrict driver’s licenses for seniors or impose extra requirements — such as vision or road tests — for getting them renewed based solely on their advancing age.
Eroding Florida’s Checks and Balances, One Bill at a Time
A Florida Republican lawmaker’s proposal to give the Legislature the power to invalidate any court’s decision would upend centuries of precedent and make a mockery of a balance of powers, argues Ben Hogarth.
Trump and the Climate: His Hot Air on Warming Is Far From the Greatest Threat
Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, has frightened many with his embrace of fossil fuels. What’s truly scary, scientists and others say, is how much larger the problem is than one American president.
Controversial “Best and Brightest” Teacher Bonus Pay Program Heading for Revisions
Under Best and Brightest, first approved by lawmakers in 2015, teachers who are highly rated and scored in the top fifth of the test results on the SAT or ACT, are eligible for bonuses of up to $10,000.
Striking at Balance of Powers, Florida Lawmaker Files Measures to Nullify Court Decisions
Gonzalez’s bills are a reflection of the Legislature’s latest assault on judicial power. But taking aim at separation of powers considered fundamental, if not sacred, to American government may be more of a partisan than a realistic exercise.
Knowing When To Shut Up: What Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins Could Teach Politicians
Had LeRoy Collins spoken of some things in public as he did privately, he’d be remembered not as Florida’s greatest governor but as a failure who was voted out after serving only the last two years of a deceased predecessor’s term.
Assume Obamacare Is Repealed. What Then?
Republicans have also pledged to repeal the taxes that Democrats used to pay for their health law. Without that funding, Republicans will have far less money to spend on whatever they opt for as a replacement.
Justice James E.C. Perry’s Last Dissent Denounces Florida’s Death Penalty
Justice Justice James E.C. Perry in a blistering condemnation of the death penalty in general rendered a blistering analysis of the manner in which capital punishment is carried out in Florida.
Year-End Briefing: Buy Less, Live More, Merry Christmas
This is the last Daily briefing of the year, so the Briefing will be off until Jan. 3. Happy Hanukkah, Fabulous Festivus, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, in that order.
With Florida leading the Way, Obamacare Enrollment Jumps Despite Trump Threats
Despite the Affordable Care Act’s rising prices, decreased insurer participation and a vigorous political threat to its survival, consumer enrollment for 2017 is outpacing last year’s.
Thursday Briefing: Losing Democrats Look Back, Journalism in Age of Trump, Bud Powell
Flagler’s Democrats gather to hear from three of their candidates who lost in November and talk about the future, a man who assaulted police in Flagler Beach goes on trial, how journalists should cover Trump and Trumpism.
Wednesday Briefing: Legislative Delegation Wish List, Beach Restoration Dollars, National Geographic’s Trans Cover
Paul Renner and Travis Hutson hear the county’s wish lists in the annual legislative meeting, seeking tourism dollars to fix beaches, National Geographic breaks ground, belatedly, with a 9-year-old transgender girl on its cover.
Florida Second Only to Texas in Gaining New Residents in 2015
Florida’s gain of 367,525 new residents topped California’s growth of 256,077 new residents; Texas led the nation with a gain of 432,957 people. Florida led the 10 largest states with a 1.82 percent annual growth rate.
Tuesday Briefing: Policing Palm Coast, A Lid on Pot, Historic Bus Tour, Centennial Plans, Trans Homicides
State of law enforcement in Palm Coast, pot-bsiness moratorium in Palm Coast, undercounting transgender homicides, “a fabulous” boat parade, the exquisite Billy Evans and his foolish heart.
Effort to Get Electoral College Away From Trump Fizzles as Florida’s 29 Votes Go All In
In Florida, the votes for Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were never really in doubt. The slate of electors was made up of GOP stalwarts, from fundraisers to activists to elected officials.
Monday Briefing: Revels Farewell, Holly Norris Plea, Florida Presidential Electors, ITMS Concert
Florida electors meet today to cast their vote for Donald Trump, Holly Norris, accused of aggravated manslaughter in her uncle’s death 3 years ago, may plea, the county commission says goodbye to Barbara Revels, Gary Kasparov writes.