In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 31: Ominous Plans; News from Jim; Old Recollections; A Sheep Story; Valuable Information; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Parental Report Cards: Florida Lawmaker Wants Teachers Grading Your Parenting Skills
Kelli Stargel, Republican of Lakeland, thinks parents should be graded on their child’s preparedness as one way to address parental involvement and student underachievement. The proposal leaves economic and social issues mute.
Civil War Recreations, a Pie Festival, Art, Cocktails and a One Act Fest: Culture Worth the Miles
‘First Thursday’ at the Orlando Museum of Art, Jon Didier at the Maitland Art Center’s Culture and Cocktails gathering (April 8), Tab Benoit and other New Orleans musicians at the Plaza Theater, a pie festival, and more.
Downed Trees and Powerlines in Wake of Violent Storm That Shook Flagler Wednesday
The tornado watch on until 8 p.m. was upgraded to a warning until 4:45 p.m. in northern Flagler County. That means a tornado is either imminent or has been spotted in the affected region.
Circuit Judge Julianne Piggotte, in Daytona Beach, Retiring After 21 Years
Piggotte has been a judge since 1990, and was chief judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler County, from 2003 to 2005.
Gov. Scott Vows to End “Oxycontin Express,” Yet Legislature Weakens Pill Mill Regulations
Gov. Rick Scott gave no details on his assault on the “Oxycontin Express,” and a Senate committee approved eliminating a ban on doctors dispensing more than a three-day supply of drugs to patients who pay with cash or credit cards.
From Teacher Merit Pay to Charter School Expansion: Legislature Marches On
Like the swiftly-approved teacher merit pay reforms, the push to expand charter schools, including expanding preferential admittance, has the strong backing of Gov. Rick Scott, and continues to revamp education.
Yes, Stetson Kennedy Is Still Alive: Labor and Civil Rights Legend at Stetson Wednesday
Stetson Kennedy, who unmasked the Ku Klux Klan after infiltrating it and remains a prominent voice for unions, labor and civil rights, gives a free lecture at Stetson University. He is 94.
Our Legislature for Sale, Breastfeeding Stupidity, End of High School Sports: The Live Wire
Rick Scott’s sunshine problems, developers’ Florida free-for-all, return of the pythons in the Everglades, nuclear accidents, cave art, Hunter S. Thompson interviews Keith Richards, and more.
FPL, Progress Energy, Florida’s Nuclear Fraud
Florida taxpayers and ratepayers are footing the bill of Florida Power & Light’s and Progress Energy’s risk-free, $40-billion plan to build nuclear reactors, a fraud enabled by the Legislature and Congress.
Gov. Scott Orders Florida’s 33 Public Hospitals Reviewed for Possible Privatization
As the former CEO of a private hospital chain, Scott was opposed to publicly-run hospitals, which he considers to have an unfair competitive advantage over the privately run sort. The commission is a first step toward privatization.
States’ Buck-Passing, NASA Waste, Your Ignorance, Google’s Gaga: The Live Wire
How states pass the buck to cities, how Nasa wastes $1.4 million a day, health care reform’s many liars, living with nukes, Israel’s goodbye to peace, the winter of our lesbian content, Julian Schnabel and more.
Pay for Play: How Flagler’s Tourist Council Bribes Journalists, Who Happily Hack Along
Beginning today, Flagler’s tourist council will host four “journalists” for four days, touring the county’s attractions and restaurants, all expenses paid, with $3,500 in public money, in exchange for presumably “positive” press.
How Grim Are State School Spending Cuts? Try 7 to 10% Per Student, Layoffs to Follow
Florida House and Senate proposals would cut from $447 to $473 per student, or close to 7 percent, a little less than Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to slash per-student spending by $680 in addition to recent reductions.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 22
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 22: Sherburn; Attending the Circus; Intoxication in the Ring; The Thrilling Tragedy; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Rick Scott Orders State Employees Randomly Drug-Tested Often, Like Welfare Recipients
Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order requiring drug testing, and compared the testing of employees to the drug-testing of welfare recipients, a proposals lawmakers also approved unanimously in a Senate committee Tuesday.
Two Burglar-Squatters Arrested Near Rymfire Drive, an ‘Accidental’ Shooting in West Flagler
Lisa Touhey and Jennie McAfee had shacked up in the house on Ryan Drive after leaving jail a few days earlier. In an unrelated incident, 20-year-old Walton Kinney was shot in the stomach while wrestling a gun away from another man.
Gleeful Power Chords, an Illustrious Wasteland and Gordon Lightfoot: Culture Worth the Miles
Gordon Lightfoot at the Plaza Theater, ‘My Illustrious Wasteland,’ the rock musical, returns to Orlando, the Glee-like Power Chords at the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando Philharmonic’ shows off its brass, and more.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 23
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 23: Sold; Royal Comparisons; Jim Gets Home-sick; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Abigail Lemay, NOW and ACLU Activist at Stetson, Wins National Undergraduate Social Action Award
Lemay re-founded Stetson’s chapter of the National Organization for Women and the university’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter, and produced Even Ensler’s “Vagina Monologues” in 2010 and 2011 .
Hijacking Home Rule: Stiff Fines if Local Gun Regulations Exceed the State’s
The Senate proposal adds financial penalties of between $5,000 and $100,000 on cities and counties with stricter gun regulations than the state, and removes a longstanding shield protecting elected and appointed officials from civil lawsuits relating to their job function.
Florida Slush Funds, Radioactive Coulter, Corrupt Editors, Bullies and Body-Slammers: The Live Wire
The Australian anti-bully body-slammer talks, Ben Stiller on manchild syndrome, Ann Coulter thinks radiation is good for you, acts and pictures worse than Abu Ghraib, Willem de Kooning and more.
Florida’s Deficit Grows by $135 Million, To $3.75 Billion, As Growth Remains Anemic
State revenue forecasters essentially tacked about $135 million dollars onto a budget shortfall that already stood at $3.62 billion, forcing lawmakers to consider deeper cuts as they craft a spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1.
Bipolar Obamocracy:
Bombing Libya While Invading Bahrain
Barack Obama didn’t deserve the Nobel peace prize a few months into his first term. He deserves it less now. But Obama and Clinton certainly deserve the Nobel prize in physics for reinventing the rules of double-standards.
Census 2010: Flagler’s Population Climbs to 95,696, Florida’s to 18.8 Million
Flagler County’s population increased 92 percent since 2000. Florida’s population is 18.8 million, up 17.7 percent from a population of 16 million a decade ago.
Florida Lockups Lite: Closing Prisons and Boot Camps, Privatizing Inmate Healthcare
The Department of Corrections plans to close three prisons and two boot camps, a bill would privatize inmate health care and cut top salaries 5 percent while ending numerous positions.
Teacher Tenure Out, Merit Pay In: Legislature Whips First Bill of 2011 to Gov. Scott
The Legislature passed the biggest change to the state’s education system in more than 10 years, sending to Gov. Rick Scott a bill tying teacher salaries to test scores and ending multi-year contracts.
Cancel This Subscription: Palm Coast Data Revenue Plummets Another 21% in 3Q
Palm Coast Data revenue fell $15.7 million in the last nine months, compared with the same period a year earlier as trouble for the company and its parent, Amrep, continue.
School Board Member Salaries By County, 2010-2011
Complete list of Florida school board members’ salaries, county by county, as set by state law. Salaries are set by population–or according to the starting pay of a teacher, whichever is less.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 16
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 16: Expectation; A White Lie; Floating Currency; Running by Cairo; Swimming Ashore; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Theatrical Premieres and a Unique View of the White House: Culture Worth the Miles
A new comedy about five would-be actors at the Mad Cow Theater, “Greater Tuna,” the critically acclaimed comedy, at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, “Charm” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and more.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 15
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 15: Huck Loses the Raft; In the Fog; Huck Finds the Raft; Trash; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Florida Abortion Public Funding Ban Would Extend to Reform’s Health Insurance Exchange
Measures that would bar public money from subsidizing abortion coverage in Florida in nearly all cases passed a Senate panel on Monday. The ban would extend to the health-insurance exchange that will be set up by 2014 as part of health care reform.
King Scott’s Nepotism, Tsunami Creeps, Kerouac Dreams, A Flash Mob in Beirut: The Live Wire
Why Bob Graham fears Rick Scott, the new pessimism in American culture, Bahrain imports repression, Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, dental floss imports, and more.
Palm Coast Voter to City Council: “Reducing Voting Locations Is Insane”
In a letter to the Palm Coast City Council, Steven Jones, a Palm Coast resident and voter since 1984, opposes reducing polling locations from 21 to six, and offshoring early voting to Bunnell.
Sunshine Sunday: Beyond Transparency, Government Records Must Be Accessible
Government transparency and access to government records are not the same, says First Amendment Foundation President Barbara Peterson, though access to any record not exempt by law is every citizen’s right.
Peter King’s Muslim McCarthyism
U.S. Rep. Peter King’s homeland security hearings about Muslims and “radicalization” recall, beyond McCarthyism, a long American tradition of xenophobia and prejudice on the lunatic fringe. It’s not more broadly representative.
From 5% to 2%: Retreat from Extra Pension Contributions; All Salaries Below $40K Exempt
A Senate committee backed off considerably from a proposal to require state workers to make 5% contributions to their pension fund, exempting most state workers, and cutting back the amount others would have to chip in.
Flagler and US Diverge as Unemployment Here Climbs Again to 16%
Flagler County’s January unemployment rate in January rose again to 16% percent, remaining in the same high range it’s been stuck in for a year and a half and bucking the national trend. Florida’s rate is 11.9%.
Despite 4 Million Uninsured, Florida Senate Approves Opt-Out Amendment on Health Law
Senators voted 29-10 to approve the proposed constitutional amendment, which would allow people to opt out of the “individual mandate” requirement that they buy health insurance or face financial penalties.
Popping Pops and and Freud’s Last Mad Cow Session: Culture Worth the Miles
A free pops concert by the Orlando Philharmonic at Winter Park’s Central Park, the Boston Pops’s tribute to Cole Porter in Longwood, art in Maitland, Freud’s last session at the Mad Cow Theatre, and more.
Ex-Neo-Nazi White Supremacist Recruiter Lectures on “Turning Away from Hate” At Stetson March 21
TJ Leyden is the author of Skinhead Confessions and an adviser and trainer to state and federal panels, the military and law enforcement. Jason Alexander, the Seinfeld star, wrote the Foreword to Leyden’s memoir.
All Business All the Time as Gov. Scott
Tells Lawmakers: “Don’t Blink”
Scott mentioned the word “job” or “jobs” 31 times in the 27-minute State of the State speech, lauded privatization, vouchers for private and parochial schools and the needs and virtues of business.
State of the State Tonight: Scott and Legislature’s GOP Keep Their War Civil–So Far
Don’t expect Gov. Rick Scott to deviate much from his frequent message as he delivers his first State of the State speech Tuesday night before a joint session of the Legislature: Budget cuts, tax cuts, potshots at Washington rather than his own dissenting GOP.
Oxycodone Central, James Bond in Drag, Placenta-Eating and Georgia O’Keeffe at 92: The Live Wire
The 100th International Women’s Day, islamophobe Brigitte Gabriel, Mike Huckabee’s bigotries, Duke Ellington’s wonders, a Palm Coast company on TLC, pretend abortions in Oklahoma, and more.
Room for Debate: Do You Let Your Teen Drink At Home?
A new study shows that 5.9 percent of adolescents 12 to 14 drank at home in the past month, almost half of them getting their drink from family. Do you let your teen drink in hopes of teaching responsibility?
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 8
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 8: Sleeping in the Woods, Raising the Dead, Exploring the Island, Finding Jim; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
St. Johns Raises Impact Fees on Residential Construction, Decreases Them on Commercial
St. John’s decision to raise impact fees on residential construction contrasts sharply with discussions in Flagler, where developers and some elected officials want a moratorium on fees. Flagler’s fees are considerably lower than St. John’s.
Enough Nickel and Diming: How to Cut $1.5 Trillion From the Budget Without Really Trying
Voodoo economics is back, this time with Obama sprinkling the wrong salts. His plan to reduce the deficit is irresponsible. Here’s one way to do it now, with everyone contributing. The alternative is French status in 10 years.
End of the Line for Rail Brawl As Supreme Court Ruling Sends $2.4 Billion Elsewhere
The Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Gov. Scott could not be bound to spend $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail money. That money will now go to New York or California.