The Palm Coast Council talks about its own pay and discusses overhauling county’s EMS system, Hubert Grimes gives thanks at Methodist gathering, Imagine school’s K-Kids care for the less fortunate.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Scott’s $79.3 Billion Budget Proposal Draws Criticism for Gimmickry and $250 Million Fund
The budget would cut taxes $1 billion, create a business fund and raise per-student funding but would still be $1,284 per student below the 2006, inflation-adjusted level.
The Politics of Resentment: Why Poorer Areas Are Increasingly Voting Republican
A political puzzle: Parts of the country that depend on the safety-net programs supported by Democrats are increasingly voting for Republicans who favor shredding that net. The reason: the poor don’t vote.
Monday Briefing: Mayor Netts Honored, Enterprise Florida’s Fans, Scott’s Budget Unveiled
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts is the recipient of a Northeast Florida Regional Council award, Gov. Scott unveils his proposed budget while pushing for more powers for Enterprise Florida.
Conservatives Should Be Leading the Charge to Accept Syrian Refugees. We Have No Choice.
Doesn’t American exceptionalism demand that we lead where others have neither the will nor the courage? We have no choice. America gives sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, argues Nancy Smith. This is what we do and who we are. We’re the good guys.
Weekend Briefing: Salvo Art Project’s 1-Year Bash, Jim Guines Appreciation, Chili Pipers at the Auditorium
The great Jim Guines is celebrated and appreciated Sunday at 3 p.m. at FPC, JJ Graham’s and Petra Iston’s Salvo Art Project turns 1 year old in a Saturday celebration, the myth of Sisyphus in an Oscar-Nominated short film from 1974.
America’s Responsibility for Enabling ISIS, And How to End Blowback Terrorism
More wars – especially CIA-backed, Western-led wars – will solve nothing. By contrast, a surge of investment in education and sustainable development is the real key to building a more stable future for the Middle East and the world, argues Jeffrey Sachs.
Measure Allowing Guns on Florida College Campuses Heads for Likely House Passage
But the fate of the NRA-supported gun measure, vehemently opposed by university officials, still hangs in the Senate, where passage is less certain.
Thursday Briefing: Civil Liberties v. Security, Ambulance Wars, Jindal Drops Out, and Henryk Wieniawski
How to balance civil liberties in an age of insecurities, Palm Coast and Flagler County are at loggerheads over ambulance services again, Bobby Jindal is the latest GOP candidate to drop out of the presidential race.
Syrian Refugees, ISIS, the Attacks to Come and What To Do: A Grim Q&A
Tom O’Hara’s sobering answers to basic questions on the next ISIS attack, the refusal to take in Syrian refugees, what ISIS wants and whether an invasion of Syria and Iraq can work.
Trump in Florida Maintains Big Lead Over Rubio and Easily Beats Clinton in Latest Poll
Donald Trump has double the support of Marco Rubio, with Ben Carson a distant third, and would beat Hillary Clinton by 8 points in Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative.
Wednesday Briefing: Curbing Bottle Clubs, a Manager’s Job Description in Bunnell, ISIS Debates
Palm Coast’s planning board takes on bottle clubs, where patrons gather with their own liquor to socialize, Bunnell takes on its manager search, and a slew of other government meetings are scheduled before Thanksgiving.
In Rare Defeat for NRA in Florida, Lawmakers Kill Broader Stand Your Ground Measure
A National Rifle Association-backed measure that could have made it easier legally for people to claim self-defense in shooting incidents failed to get through its first House committee on Tuesday.
We Are At War
No one wants to repeat the errors of the US under President George W. Bush; but to use those errors as an alibi to avoid confronting the world as it is would merely be an error of a different sort.
Tuesday Briefing: FPC Band in Concert, Flagler Auditorium in Review, Florida Lawmakers Ride Refugee Crisis
The FPC band just returned from scoring superior for the 13th straight year. The school board and Auditorium board hold a joint workshop. Florida lawmakers seize on the Syrian refugee crisis to talk illegal immigration.
Gov. Scott Orders DCF to Stop Aiding Relocation of 425 Syrian Refugees
Governors in Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin have also announced they will refuse to accept any more Syrians.
Monday Briefing: John Oliver Gives It to ISIS, A Cell Tower on Colbert, Open Government
The county commission considers a cell tower on Colbert Lane, no more county-provided bus trips for the Historical Society, John Oliver takes on ISIS in terms befitting ‘premium-cable profanity.’
At Florida’s GOP Summit, 2nd-String Candidates Focus on Paris Attacks and Blame Obama
Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and Bobby Jindal spoke on the second day of the Sunshine Summit and criticized current policy regarding ISIS as they sought to distinguish themselves and lift their sagging place in polls.
As Paris Bleeds
The Paris attacks strike at the mother democracy and culture, but they’re the continuing consequence of 15 years reckless militarism in the Middle East. More of the same will solve nothing.
Weekend Briefing: Legislative Delegation Meeting, Marineland’s 75th, Sevyn, Greetings and Roof-Raising
Flagler-Palm Coast officials will appear before the county’s legislative delegation–Travis Hutson and Paul Renner–to make their pitch of priorities, Marineland is celebrating all weekend.
The United States Has Been Dithering on Climate Change Since LBJ. Enough.
despite 50 years of growing scientific consensus, the warming of the earth continues unabated. Well-funded lobby groups have sowed doubt among the public and successfully downplayed the urgency of the threat.
Florida Wildlife Officials Call Bear Hunt a “Success,” Opponents Call It a Slaughter
Some 304 bears were killed in two days and few hunters cited for violations, but critics called it a slaughter, saying most of the bears were killed on private land, where state regulations could be more easily skirted.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Rezones, Dick Cheney at Sunshine Summit, Homecoming at Stetson,
Flagler Beach takes on rezoning 3 acres it doesn’t want to rezone, Dick Cheney opens the GOP’s Sunshine Summit at Disney’s Contemporary, Stetson celebrates homecoming.
Paying for Patriotism: The Pentagon’s Crass, Misguided Stunts
The Pentagon has been buying and choreographing patriotism at NFL, baseball and NASCAR events that are made to look spontaneous and voluntary. They’re anything but.
Another Dire Forecast for Florida Oranges And Grapefruit as Citrus Greening Raids On
The industry has been trying to fend off a decrease in agricultural land because of development while also confronting massive losses from the spread of citrus greening.
Wednesday Briefing: Veterans Day Ceremonies, “Flashdance” at the Auditorium, Shrinking Deficit
Veterans Day ceremonies are scheduled in Palm Coast, at the Government Services Building and in veterans Park in Flagler Beach. “Flashdance,” the musical, is at the Flagler Auditorium.
Legislature on Defensive After Congressional Redistricting Fight Reaches Supreme Court
A key Florida Supreme Court justice sounded skeptical Tuesday about the Legislature’s proposal for a contested South Florida district in a battle over the map for the state’s congressional delegation.
Tuesday Briefing: Discover the Vince Carter Sanctuary, Goodbye Killer Whale Shows (Finally)
The Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation hosts an open house at Vince Carter Sanctuary, SeaWorld will end its Shamu theatrics in San Diego, but it’s not clear whether it will follow suit in Orlando and San Antonio.
Court Uphold 45-Year Sentence for Inmate Convicted of Rape and Robbery When 15
Continuing to grapple with decades-long sentences for juveniles who commit serious crimes, a divided state appeals court refused Monday to order a new sentence for Thomas Kelsey, now 28, but asked the Supreme Court to take up the question.
Even Liberals Should Concede:
Obamacare Is Not Working
Between the rapacity of insurers, GOP assaults and its own flaws, the Affordable Care Act is failing its promise to curb costs and make insurance coverage affordable. Republicans have no alternative. But a better one already exists.
Monday Briefing: The News-Journal’s Special Report on Officer-Involved Shootings, Bunnell Reorganizes, Rotary v. Hunger
The News-Journal’s “Shots Fired” investigates the murky world of officer-involved shootings in Florida, where 249 people have been shot in two years. The Rotary needs volunteers against hunger. Bunnell government reorganizes after its manager’s resignation.
Stewart Marchman-Act Foundation Launches Bouquets of Hope Campaign for Thanksgiving
The Stewart Marchman-Act Foundation is launching the Bouquets of Hope & Classic Chocolates fundraiser to support mental health awareness in our community.
Why Your Fitbit May Be Pointless
If you’re rooting for smartphones to solve all our health problems, you’re not going to like what the researchers found. The smartphone app didn’t help young adults lose any more weight than if they hadn’t been using the app at all.
William Dillow, Serving 45 Years for Raping 2 Pre-Teen Flagler Beach Girls, Is Murdered
William Dillow, 29, was sentenced in April to 45 years and was serving at the Jefferson Correctional Institution near Tallahassee when he was killed by a fellow-inmate. He’d been arrested in February 2014.
3rd Special Session Implodes as Senate Kills Redistricting Plan and Blames Fair Law
This time, instead of blaming each other, GOP leaders blamed a pair of voter-approved constitutional amendments that ban political gerrymandering in legislative and congressional redistricting.
Weekend Briefing: AJ Fernandez Skate Competition, Siberian Dancers, Carnage, Greetings and Poker Run
A busy weekend in Flagler with plays at City Rep, FPC and the Playhouse, the AJ Fernandez benefit skate competition at Wadsworth Park, Palm Coast Rotary’s Poker Run, the Auditorium’s Disco Gala, and a lot more.
Small Businesses to Obamacare’s SHOP Option: Not Interested
Nationally, about 85,000 people have coverage through the online marketplace known as the Small Business Health Options Program, less than a tenth of original projections.
Thursday Briefing: Puppy Killer Gets 5 Years, “You Can’t Take It With You” at FPC, Flagler Beach Tees Up Again
Kevin McClenithan, the 46-year-old felon and Bunnell resident, is sentenced to 5 years for killing a puppy, FPC Thespians stage a 1937 Pulitzer-prize winning play, Flagler Beach negotiates for a new golf club.
Hunting Bear at Whole Foods Misfires
The chairman of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s comparison of hunting bear to shopping at Whole Foods prompts Tom O’Hara to investigate. He strikes out on bear meat.
Campus Gun Bill Advances in House While Opponents Pitch More Police Funding
If the aim of more guns is to prevent more rapes on campus, one opponent of the legislation said more police officers would provide better protection.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler Beach Interviews, Road Closure on Florida Park Drive, Jeb’s Tanking Numbers
Flagler Beach takes on the third of five candidates for city manager, an overnight road closure is planned for Florida Park Drive, Jeb is going the way of Obamacare.
Angry With Liberal Court, Florida Lawmakers Propose Judicial Term Limits
The proposal comes after years of rising anger in the Legislature at members of the Supreme Court. With its more-liberal majority, the state’s highest court has emerged as the only major hurdle in Tallahassee to Republicans’ conservative agenda.
Tuesday Briefing: Grand Openings Galore, Humane Society Takes SC’s Homeless Cats and Dogs
Gov. Rick Scott is at the sheriff’s operations center’s grand opening at 11 a.m., Palm Coast holds an open house for its city hall at 4:30 p.m. at Town Center.
Battered and Bewildered, Bush Seeks Florida Reboot in “Jeb Can Fix It” Campaign
Bush debuted the “Jeb Can Fix It” tour while acknowledging criticism that he’d given his advisers too much control and failed to gain traction on the national level.
America’s Pious Embrace of the Police State
The easy worship of the use of force abroad for the past 15 years is coming home to roost in an escalation of police-state tactics and violence a majority of the public dangerously accepts if not condone.
Taxation’s Next Frontier: The Cloud
But as states look to tax cloud services, questions arise as to whether storage space in the cloud is a tangible “good,” subject to sales taxes, a “service,” subject to use taxes, or neither of those.
At Disney, Florida Democrats’ Big Bash Draws Snubs from Clinton and Sanders
The candidates have “other fish to fry,” noted U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, when asked why Clinton and Sanders would ignore the convention in a winner-take-all primary state — and its 99 delegates.
Inequality in the Age of Uber
For fairness as well as for efficiency reasons, rights and benefits should be attached to individuals, not to companies or employment status, and should be fully portable across sectors and jobs.
House Pitches New Redistricting Senate Map, But Hutson’s District Would Still Shift South
Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said in a memo to House members that his proposal for the 40 state Senate districts was inspired in part by a plan floated by the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause Florida.
In Defeat for Florida Carry Inc., Court Upholds UF Policy Banning Guns in University Housing
The appeals court rejected Florida Carry’s argument that the Legislature provided for gun possession in dorms as it does in homes. That leaves it up to lawmakers to change. There’s been movement in that direction.