Sheriff Jim Manfre’s ethics case again goes before the state ethics commission, Salvo Art Gallery shows four artists’ new works, a victims’ rights memorial on the pier Saturday, and plenty more.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Public Agencies That Violate Sunshine Law Must Pay Attorney’s Fees, Supreme Court Rules
Justices rejected arguments that agencies should be shielded from paying plaintiffs’ legal fees if public-records requests are handled in “good faith.”
Thursday Briefing: 7 Month Old on Terrorist Watch List, FPC Chorus Spring Concert, Beach-Saving Talk
The Flagler Beach City Commission hears about repairing its beach south of the pier, how a 7-month-old American baby ended up on the terrorist watch list, FPC’s chorus in action at the auditorium, a priest disappears in St. Johns and foul play is suspected.
Islam’s Contempt for Self-Criticism: From Salman Rushdie to Kamel Daoud
When the Algerian journalist Kamel Daoud linked rapes in Germany on New Year’s Eve to Muslims’ extreme sexual deprivation and “unhealthy relationship with women, their body, and desire,” he was vilified, and silenced.
Claiming “Robust” Bear Population, Florida Wildlife Commission Targets Another Hunt
The commission in October 2015 held its first bear hunt in more than two decades as a means to slow the increase of black bears in the state and to reduce dangerous interactions between bears and humans. But the hunt was highly controversial, with opponents protesting in various parts of the state.
Wednesday Briefing: Take a Transportation Survey, Victoria Acierno’s Continued Commitment, Paul Ryan’s Future
Victoria Acierno, who drove her car through a brick wall at Indian Trails school in January 2001, will remain in a psychiatric hospital against her will, Palm Coast wants you to take a transportation survey, and what remains of the bus that started the Lebanese Civil War 41 years ago.
Outside Gov. Scott’s Office, a Battle Over Alimony Bill’s Elevation of “Father’s Rights”
The most contentious part of the measure involves not alimony but offspring. It would tell judges that, when determining child-custody arrangements, they should begin with a “premise” that children should split time equally between parents.
Tuesday Briefing: Women’s Unhappy Hour at Farley’s, More Costs at Holland Park, Spring Band Concert
What equal pay? Women will gather at Farley’s Irish pub this evening to drown their unhappiness in booze over women’s pay still not matching men’s, some minor cost overruns at Holland Park, FPC’s band in action.
What Cara Jennings and Black Lives Matter Protesters Don’t Get
Progressive ideals and values are strong, they don’t need to be shouted or paired with epitaphs to pack a punch. Our jobs are already challenging, and you are making them worse, argues Catherine Durkin Robinson.
Rick Scott’s Shout Show
To trade public punches with another politician or a media critic is an accepted part of the game. To defame a private citizen — one who wasn’t even responsible for publicizing the original incident — is out of bounds.
IRS Could Easily Signal to 10 Million Uninsured Working Poor Eligibility for Coverage. But It Doesn’t.
About half of the uninsured people in families receiving the earned income tax credit are eligible for significant financial assistance — 4.1 million are eligible for Medicaid, and another 1.1 million are eligible for large subsidies.
Monday Briefing: National Library Week, Speed Bumps in Bunnell, Zez Confrey’s Kitten on Keys
Colony Park residents in Bunnell want speed bumps but the city is speed-bumping the request, it’s National Library Week, so read all week, and it’s time to watch Zez Confrey’s Kitten on the Keys.
Benghazi Syndrome: Obama Learns the Wrong Lesson
There was clear support from Security Council members for the initial military action, which unquestionably spared thousands of innocent lives in Benghazi, argues Gareth Evans.
Why North Carolina’s New Anti-LGBT Law is a Trojan Horse That Kills Workers’ Rights
Another provision banned local minimum wage laws like the $15-an-hour “living wage” ordinances gaining traction around the country. The state minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Bowing to Baptist and Catholic Pressure, DCF Backs Off Protecting LGBT Children from Discrimination
Proposed language protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in a DCF rule was opposed by the Florida Baptist Children’s Home and the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, so it was deleted.
Thursday Briefing: Rock ‘n Ribfest, Legislative Scorecard, States’ Bathroom Obsessions, Matanzas Golf Course
Rock ‘n Ribfest launches its band bash at the Flagler County Fair, Travis Hutson and Paul Renner speak to a chamber group, The Gap apologizes, still more bombing runs at Pinecastle range.
300,000 Floridians Could Lose Food Stamps as State Restores Work Obligations and Time Limits
The requirement was suspended in the aftermath of the recession, but starting Jan. 1, all able-bodied, childless adults 18 to 49 were required to work, get job training or volunteer 20 hours a week to receive food stamps . Otherwise, they’re limited to three months of food assistance in each 36-month period.
Wednesday Briefing: Botched SWAT Raids, County Fair Kick-Off, Auditorium’s Tea at Tiffany’s
The Flagler County Fair begins today and runs through Sunday, the Cato Institute has a map of botched SWAT raids, Palm Coast Code Enforcement board meets, the Flagler Auditorium’s Tea at Tiffany’s, a fund-raiser for the Arts in Education fund.
Raise the Driving Age to 18
Neurologically, kids aren’t ready, argues Catherine Durkin Robinson. Isn’t it time we did what’s best before more die or kill others? Simply focusing on experience ignores what we know about the teenage brain and its predilection for risky behaviors.
Closer to Home: Gainesville’s San Felasco Nurseries Approved for Marijuana Growing
San Felasco’s approval came after an administrative law judge ruled in February that health officials wrongly rejected the nursery’s application last year because of a decade-old drug crime.
Tuesday Briefing: Cell-Tower Approval, Matanzas Woods Parkway Update, Palmyra Demolished, Too Many Photographs
Superintendent Jacob Oliva provides a Matanzas Parkway update this evening, the Palm Coast City Council is expected to approve a 150-foot cell tower, you take too many pictures, and complaints about the loss of Palmyra’s ruins forget about the real loss: civilians.
Has Business Biased Florida’s Workers Comp Law Too Far Against Labor? Court Will Decide
Plaintiffs argue that lawmakers have taken too many rights and benefits from people who get injured on the job, while business groups say a 2003 law kept costs from “spiraling.”
Criminal Immunity: Prosecutors Are Rarely Punished for Mistakes and Misconduct
The Innocence Project alleges that prosecutors across the country are almost never punished when they withhold evidence or commit other forms of misconduct that land innocent people in prison.
Monday Briefing: Palmer Talks Union Power at Caucus, Commissioners Talk Complaints and Bypass, Trump Obscenities
Firefighters union chief Stephen Palmer talks about the new coalition of six public sector unions in Flagler to the Democratic Caucus at AACS, busy county commission meetings, the latest Trump obscenities.
Economy Adds 215,000 Jobs But Unemployment Rises to 5% As Workers Flood Back
The more accurate, so-called U-6 unemployment rate, which includes part-time and discouraged workers, places unemployment and underemployment at 9.8 percent, and 11.5 percent in Florida.
Weekend Briefing: Chamber Players of Palm Coast, Suicide Prevention Walk, Jewish Festival, Rising Seas
A suicide prevention walk Saturday in Town Center with a special focus on Lindsey Brockhaus and Cora Ann Engel, the Chamber Players of Palm Coast in concert Sunday, the fifth Jewish Heritage Festival at the Casements in Ormond Beach Sunday.
Declaring 2008 Amendment Unconstitutional, Judge Closes Book on Gay-Marriage Ban in Florida
In a harshly worded ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle chastised state officials like Pam Bondi for reluctance in acknowledging that the Florida ban had been overturned
Thursday Briefing: More Irish at Auditorium, Inspired Mic Returns at Europa, Torture Insanity
The Inspired Mic returns after a hiatus, this time at its new home at The Europa, at Palm Coast’s European Village. A majority of Americans support torturing terrorist suspects. More Irish spectaculars at the auditorium.
Scrubbing Sexism: Scott Signs Bill Awarding Big Raise to Supervisors of Election
The long-overdue raises, averaging 18 percent, redress salaries traditionally kept low because most supervisors were, and still are, women.
Wednesday Briefing: Spousal Shooting Cases in Court, Problem Solvers in Orlando, Bombing in Ocala
William Carson Merrill, who shot and killed his wife in 2012, and Anna Pehota, who shot and killed her husband, are both in court for various motions today before Judge Matthew Foxman. The school district’s Future Problem Solvers are in state competition in Orlando.
Behind Florida’s Deceptively Low Unemployment Rate
The labor force participation rate should always be taken into account when determining the overall state of the job market and the economy, and that rate has fallen significantly since the Great Recession, argues Dominic Calabro.
Florida Drops Planned Parenthood Case, Eliciting Charge of Political Motivation
Barbara Zdravecky, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, blasted the state Agency for Health Care Administration for “political gamesmanship” in a statement.
Tuesday Briefing: Art as Day Job at FPC, Entrepreneur Night, Palm Coast Talks Cell Tower
Entrepreneur Night is at the Beachfront Winery, Palm Coast talks debt and cell tower for Corporate Drive, An Art League grants brings a discussion of art as a job to FPC.
As Scott Signs Bill Stifling Abortion Clinics, Planned Parenthood Sees Danger and Cruelty
The restriction means low-income Floridians could lose access to the organization’s health-care and family-planning services. Planned Parenthood said it has more than 67,000 patients in Florida annually.
Monday Briefing: Matanzas Interchange Dedication, Bunnell Health, Kasich’s Jekyll and Hyde Act
The Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange with I-95 is finally dedicated today after decades of efforts to build it, the Bunnell City Commission talks health care, and John Kasich isn’t the man you see on TV.
Scott Signs Medical Marijuana Bill for Terminally Ill, Enabling Experimental Drugs
That law allows terminally ill patients to have access to experimental drugs that have not been approved for general use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Weekend Briefing: Cracker Day Rodeo, Motown Madness for Carver Gym, Newman’s Stations of the Cross
The 61st Cracker Day at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, Good Friday with Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross (video), a few egg hunts, Motown Madness, a fund-raiser concert for Carver Gym.
Florida Supreme Court Deals Another Blow to Tobacco Industry, Rejecting Disease Defense
Justices, in a 5-2 ruling Thursday, rejected R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s arguments in a Broward County case stemming from the 2002 death of George Ciccone, who started smoking as a child.
America on Xanax: The Disunited State of the Union
An election season defined by popular fury aimed at Wall Street, Muslims, trade deals, Washington, police shootings, President Barack Obama, Republicans, immigrants, and other targets.
Thursday Briefing: Belhumeur Sworn-in, a New Project WARM Playground, Trump Reflexes
Rick Belhumeur takes his seat, without an election, as a Flagler Beach City Commissioner today, a new playground at at the Vince Carter Sanctuary is dedicated in memory of Joan M. Kelly.
Court Upholds Prohibition on Married Couple Claiming 2 Separate Homestead Exemptions
Whether in state or out of state, the Florida appeals court found that the plain language of the law meant that only one homestead exemption was allowed, regardless of location.
Wednesday Briefing: Young Irelanders at Auditorium, Xenophobia Over Brussels, and From Ted Cruz, Grandma Gatewood
The Young Irelanders dance at the Flagler Auditorium this evening, xenophobes and Ted Cruz screech over Brussels, the library’s book discussion group talks about “Grandma Gatewood’s Talk” as part of Flagler Reads Together.
Garlanded: Smart Republicans Need To Find Their Inner Brain
The Republican Senate’s submission to Mitch McConnell and the right-wing lobbies over the blocked Garland nomination is reason enough for voters to elect a Democratic majority, argues Martin Dyckman.
No, Florida, You May Not Count Prisoners Who Can’t Vote in Redistricting Tallies
A federal judge has struck down county commission districts in a rural North Florida county — a potentially precedent-setting decision that could play into a challenge of the state’s congressional lines.
Tuesday Briefing: 99-Home Development Off John Anderson, Rape Trial, More Bombings at Pinecastle
The Navy bombs Pinecastle range again, the trial of Waldemar Rivera, accused of raping his step-daughter, resumes today, the planning board again considers a 99-house development near Bulow Creek.
Obama in Cuba:
The Limits of “Engagement”
Indeed, if engagement is supposed to result in political change, US engagement with Cuba is most likely doomed to fail, writes Jorge G. Castañeda. After all, trade and investment have done nothing to bring about a democratic opening in Vietnam over the last 20 years.
Three Changes You Can Expect In Next Year’s Obamacare Coverage
Ahead: more warning about “surprise” medical bills from out-of-network providers, more standardized out-of-pocket costs and better information about the size of the insurers’ network of doctors and hospitals.
Monday Briefing: FPC Track Team’s Big Wins in Jacksonville, CR 305 Makeover, Genuflecting to AIPAC
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s track and field team cleaned up at the the Bob Hayes Invitational track meet Saturday in Jacksonville, Donald Trump will genuflect to AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Flagler Reads Together:
In Search of Wilderness
Along the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail reveals the limits and deceptions, but also the joys, of wilderness in urban America: An essay to accompany Flagler Reads Together’s focus on “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk.”
Court Backs New Death Penalty Law But Asks Florida Supremes to Rule on Constitutionality
The 5th District Court of Appeal today sided with the state in two death penalty cases, saying that blocking the executions “impermissibly invades” the discretion of the state to seek the sentence.