The Bunnell Planning Board discusses a retail project on the west side, The Palm Coast City Council holds an evening meeting, a few more thoughts on the Schbertian “Memory of Old Jack,” and some late Schubert.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
One in 3 Florida 3rd Graders Have Untreated Cavities. Now a New Law Prohibits Fluoride in Water.
Florida ranks among the worst states in the U.S. for dental care access, with over 5.9 million residents living in dental care health professional shortage areas. a new Florida law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2025 and going into effect on Tuesday (July 1), now prohibits local governments from adding fluoride to public drinking water. This makes other preventive treatments even more essential. Fluoride varnish, recommended by pediatric and dental associations, is a topical treatment that should be applied every 3-6 months to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 30, 2025
The total obliteration of truth, so naturally nobody wants to do anything today, how housing assistance falls short, how architecture shapes humanity, Dickens’s Bleak House.
The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani’s Win in New York
Top Republicans and Democrats alike are talking about the sudden rise of 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York on June 24, 2025, in a surprising victory over more established politicians. Some establishment Democratic politicians say they are concerned about how the democratic socialist’s progressive politics could harm the broader Democratic Party and cause it to lose more centrist voters.
Sarasota County Officials Downplayed Flood Risk. Tropical Storm Debby Exposed their Failures.
Sarasota County’s stormwater system is designed to steer floodwaters away from homes and businesses and safely to the coast. When Tropical Storm Debby hit in August 2024, the system proved dangerously unprepared when it mattered most — not because the system was overwhelmed, but because those in charge neglected to protect it, an investigation found.,
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 29, 2025
On the pleasures of smoking a pipe from Casanova to Flaubert to Yusuff Ali to John Updike to Simenon, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Pat Bagley on the bombing of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court Doesn’t Want You To Choose Your Own Doctor
Having the freedom to choose your own health care provider is something many Americans take for granted. But the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority ruled on June 25, 2025, in a 6-3 decision that people who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance don’t have that right.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 28, 2025
Peps Art Walk, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. eat Beachfront Grille in Flagler Beach, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Bruce Springsteen Hometown, Wendell Berry and Old Jack’s memories.
Understanding the Supreme Court Ruling Against Universal Injunctions
When presidents have tried to make big changes through executive orders, they have often hit a roadblock: A single federal judge, whether located in Seattle or Miami or anywhere in between, could stop these policies across the entire country. But the Supreme Court has just significantly limited this judicial power.
Environmental Groups Sue in Federal Court to Stop Everglades Stockade for Migrants
Environmental groups Friday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction and operation of a detention center for undocumented immigrants that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying it threatens ecologically sensitive areas and species in the surrounding Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit, filed by the group Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleges that federal and state agencies have violated laws that, in part, require evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 27, 2025
Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, Free For All Fridays with Host David Ayres, the Friday Blue Forum, Georges Lefebvre, Napoleon, and that bogus assassination attempt on 18 Brumaire.
Canada’s Strong Borders Act Is Bad News
The Canadian government advanced the controversial Strong Borders Act covering a wide swath of proposed legislative changes, from intensified border security measures to more restrictive immigration and asylum policies. Embedded within the proposed legislation are significant risks to digital privacy, along with increased executive authority — also known as “warrantless” powers — without judicial or civilian oversight. In these respects, the proposed Canadian legislation could be considered more worrisome than American travel bans.
DeSantis Joins Other Southern States to Develop Anti-‘Woke’ University Accreditation System
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced, alongside State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues and university leaders from Texas and South Carolina, that the states are developing a Commission for Public Higher Education that will combat “woke” ideologies such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and remake state higher education institutions to be more conservative.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 26, 2025
Palm Coast Concert Series at the Stage at Town Center with Half Step Down FLA, The Flagler Beach City Commission talks Beachwalk/Boardwalk redesign, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, J.M. Coetzee on the barbarians.
Bombing Iraq’s Osirak Nuke Plant Fueled Saddam’s Ambitions
Israel, with the assistance of U.S. military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. We have been here before, about 44 years ago. In 1981, Israeli fighter jets supplied by Washington attacked an Iraqi nuclear research reactor being built near Baghdad by the French government. It didn’t work. Had Saddam not invaded Kuwait over a matter not related to security, it is very possible that Baghdad would have had a nuclear weapon capability by the mid-to-late 1990s.
DeSantis Scoffs at Environmental and Ethical Concerns Over 1,000-Bed Migrant Stockade in Everglades
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that the temporary detention center being constructed at an isolated Everglades airfield will have “zero impact” on Everglades restoration, rebuking concerns by environmental advocates and local officials who say the project threatens drinking water and protected land. He scoffed at environmental and ethical concerns while appearing at a bill-signing event in Tampa on Wednesday, contending the opposition from critics stems from their antipathy to the crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 25, 2025
‘Let’s Talk Palm Coast’ Town Hall with Council Member Theresa Pontieri, The River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization meeting, Separation Chat, Open Discussion, the erasure of transgender people.
Europe Can Lead the World the US Is Abandoning. But Will It Seize the Moment?
Europe’s decision-making processes are sub-optimal. Indeed, they were built for a different age. There is no shared voice on foreign policy – the EU has been able to say far less on Gaza than individual countries like Spain or the UK, for example. This may have the practical consequence of eroding the “moral leadership” that should still be Europe’s soft advantage.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council talks property taxes and the potential sale of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the LAPD’s shameful apology for a humanist tweet, Budgeting by Values: a free virtual class to learn budgeting skills at Flagler Cares.
Christianity Has Long Revered Saints Who Would Be Called ‘Transgender’ Today
There are at least 34 documented stories of transgender saints’ lives from the early centuries of Christianity. Originally appearing in Latin or Greek, several stories of transgender saints made their way into vernacular languages.
After He’s Declared in Contempt, Uthmeier Takes Immigration Defiance to Supreme Court
After an appeals court rejected his arguments, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and at least temporarily allow enforcement of a new law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state. If the Supreme Court grants Uthmeier’s request, the state could enforce the law while what could be a lengthy court battle plays out.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 23, 2025
The Bunnell City Commission takes on the rezoning of nearly 1,900 acres to industrial, the Flagler County Beekeepers Association meets, visiting the caves of Altamira and Lascaux, and that first moment when Maria Justina encountered the bull.
‘Jaws’ and Those Two Musical Notes that Changed Hollywood
Two simple notes – E and F – have become synonymous with tension, fear and sharks, representing the primal dread of being stalked by a predator. And they largely have “Jaws” to thank. Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film – along with its spooky score composed by John Williams – convinced generations of swimmers to think twice before going in the water.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Gamble Jam for musicians of all ages and just about all instruments, at Gamble Rogers Recreation Area, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, David Foster Wallace’s commencement and Kenneth Fearing’s Big Clock.
How School Choice Went from Minority Boost to Middle Class Hand-Out
School voucher programs had been pitched as a tool to provide children from low-income families with quality education options. They have now evolved into subsidies for middle-class families to send their children to private and parochial schools, redirecting money from public schools, many of which are serving Black students, while ironically adopting language from civil rights activists pushing for equal access to quality education for all children..
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County meets, what Hallmark birthday wishes sound like in China, a few words about the Chinese Exclusion Act now that these laws are back in vogue.
Smartphones vs. ICE
Across the United States, Latino organizers are raising their phones, not to go viral but to go on record. They livestream Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, film family separations and document protests outside detention centers. Their footage is not merely content. It is evidence, warning – and resistance.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 20, 2025
The Friday Blue Forum, Michael Martin’s Ellis Island ancestry, the opening Genesis-like lines of “The Columbia History of Literature.”
Is Israel’s Bombing of Iran Illegal?
This is not the first time Israel has advanced a broad interpretation of self-defence. In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, which was under construction on the outskirts of Baghdad. It claimed a nuclear-armed Iraq would pose an unacceptable threat. The UN Security Council condemned the attack. As international law stands, unless an armed attack is imminent and unavoidable, such strikes are likely to be considered unlawful uses of force.
Out-of-State Students May Face 10% Tuition Hikes at Florida Colleges and Universities This Fall, More Next Year
Out-of-state students attending Florida universities could see a 10 percent increase in tuition this fall and an additional hike the following school year, under a rule unanimously adopted by the state university system’s Board of Governors on Wednesday. Florida has the nation’s third-lowest tuition and fees for out-of-state students, at an average of $21,690 in 2023-2024. That was about 28 percent lower than the national average of $30,140.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, the Library of America delivers a new Wendell Berry, who speaks with Bill Moyers and gives us a few lines about Old Jack.
Tourism Invasions Provoke a Backlash
Large-scale protests have made Barcelona synonymous with social resistance to the negative impacts of predatory and extractive tourism, but it is far from alone: popular destinations such the Canary Islands, Málaga, and the Balearic Islands have all seen massive protests against the excesses of tourism over the last year.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Paul Peterson at Flagler Tiger Bay Club, the Flagler County Contractor Review Board meets, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the library, Margolis & Cox’s dishonest cherry-picking quote from Martin Luther King’s “The Other America.”
Extremists Like the Minnesota Shooter Are Not Lone Wolves
The threat of domestic violence and terrorism is high in the United States – especially the danger posed by white power extremists, many of whom believe white people are being “replaced” by people of color. extremists are almost always part of a pack, not lone wolves. But the myth of the lone wolf shooter remains tenacious, reappearing in media coverage after almost every mass shooting or act of far-right extremist violence. Because this myth misdirects people from the actual causes of extremist violence, it impedes society’s ability to prevent attacks.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Food Truck Tuesdays in Palm Coast’s Town Center, the Palm Coast City Council meets, the indifference of Americans as Israel bombs Iran, as John McCain sang about it, Andre Gide gliding on ice.
Israel-Iran ‘Threshold War’ on Brink of Nuclear Escalation
Israel’s conflict with Iran represents far more than another Middle Eastern crisis – it marks the emergence of a dangerous new chapter in nuclear rivalries that has the potential to reshape global proliferation risks for decades to come. What began with Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets has spiraled into the world’s first full-scale example of a “threshold war” – a new and terrifying form of conflict where a nuclear weapons power seeks to use force to prevent an enemy on the verge of nuclearization from making that jump.
A Democratic Lawmaker Is Assassinated. Right-Wing Influencers Vomit Disinformation.
Immediately after Minnesota House Leader Melissa Horton’s assassination, right-wing influencers marred Hortman’s death and smeared Gov. Tim Walz on a pile of lies. In a different, saner world, they would be humiliated and slink away. But the smart money is that during the next moment of national crisis and mourning, they will again lie for profit.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 16, 2025
The Flagler County Commission meets in workshop at 9 a.m. to discuss the beach management plan, what may be a do-or-die meeting, Charles Van Doren and the great game-show fraud.
How Orwell’s ‘1984’ Explains the Debasing of History to Control You
When people use the term “Orwellian,” it’s not a good sign. It’s a term used primarily to describe the present, but whose implications inevitably connect to both the future and the past. The president has revealed his ambitions to rewrite America’s official history to, in the words of the Organization of American Historians, “reflect a glorified narrative … while suppressing the voices of historically excluded groups.” Such ambitions are deeply Orwellian. Here’s how.
Maga Servility Ends in Humiliation for Santa Ono and UF
The trustees liked Santa Ono; Ron DeSantis liked him, especially since Ono, who was once all-in on diversity at UM, recently pulled a 180, loudly recanting his climate change-admitting, student protest-allowing progressive ways and parroting the governor’s War on Woke nonsense like a DeSantis Bot. It wasn’t enough. Poor old weathervane Ono fell victim to a nasty social media campaign against him, led by such intellectual giants as Don Trump Jr., who squawked “WTF!” on the twixter; New College trustee Christopher “They’re eating the cats!” Rufo, Sen. Rick Scott and the congenitally absurd Rep. Byron Donalds.
DeSantis Given Power to Investigate Local Governments for DEI, Overspending or Fraud
Lawmakers are giving Gov. Ron DeSantis the power to probe local governments for overspending or fraud and for supporting DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives. One of the final provisions finalized late in the budget talks this week allows the Office of Policy and Budget (OPB) within DeSantis’ Executive Office to investigate local government “functions, procedures, and policies” involving misspending and mismanagement of taxpayer money, DEI and redundant functions.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, memories of Louis Robilliard’s musician family, a few words from Solzhenitsyn.
Stomping on a Senator: Another Dangerous Shift in American Democracy
Democratic leaders and a lone Republican senator decried the treatment of U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California and called for an investigation after he was removed from a press conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Political polarization and a shift in American political decorum may have contributed to the shocking moment of an American senator being forcibly removed from a press conference.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 14, 2025
No Kings Rally in Palm Coast, a Legacy of Care: Flagler Cares’ 10-Year Celebration at the Palm Coast Community Center, Peps Art Walk in Flagler Beach, Enrollment Day at Daytona State College, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Monthly Meeting, a sublime juxtaposition about the new world, Wendell Berry on militaristic morons.
For Gen Z Militaristic Flag-Waving Rings False
Saturday’s military parade will occur amid bleak times for the U.S. military, as it experiences a multiyear decline in recruitment numbers. In the face of a pandemic and a strong civilian job market, the Army, Air Force and Navy all missed their recruitment goals in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the Army missed its quota by 25%.
Federal Funding Cut Could Close Hundreds of Planned Parenthood Clinics
If the budget reconciliation package before the U.S. Senate becomes law in the coming weeks, reproductive health advocates say the provision that would cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics could serve as a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, eliminating access to 1 in 4 abortion providers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 13, 2025
Commissioner Leann Pennington on Free For All Friday, Volusia County Drug Court Celebrates 100th Graduation, targeting journalists, Jeff Sharlet’s “Scenes from a Slow Civil War.”
A Radical Change in Federal Environmental Reviews
Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.
Senate Plan Would Lower Burden of Cost Shift to States for Food Stamps
The Agriculture section of the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill, like the House version that passed last month 215-214, would create the possibility that states for the first time would shoulder some of the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits starting in 2028. But unlike the House version, the Senate’s language would allow states an opportunity to avoid paying anything if they hit an efficiency benchmark, Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, told reporters at the Capitol.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 12, 2025
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, the glee for arresting powers in traditional refuges, Learned Hand on red baiting.