Trial notes: a few thoughts about jury selection, Separation Chat, the open discussion, the Technical Review Committee and the county’s Tourist Council meet, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the public library.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
‘I’m Not black, I’m O.J.’: O.J. Simpson and the Race Trap
Simpson was charged in two murders and during the trial became the epitome of Black, male toxicity. Though acquitted – in large part because of the Los Angeles Police Department’s racist history of police brutality – his trial exposed the racial divisions within America and the deep-seated resentment that many Black people had for the U.S. criminal justice system.
DeSantis Signs Education Bill Controlling Book Challenges and Broadening Charter School Takeovers
After more than 1,200 objections were filed to school-library books and other materials last school year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that will limit challenges by some people. The wide-ranging bill (HB 1285) also includes making changes designed to ease the process of charter schools taking over operations at traditional public schools that lag in performance.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council holds a morning meeting, the Flagler Beach Library Writers’ Club meets, Erwin Rommel’s end, the unfortunate immortalizing of assassins’ names.
Trump on Trial: What the Images Might Show
Three things will be worth looking for in the visual coverage of Trump’s appearance: surprises, body language and symbolic juxtapositions. But even in the most camera-friendly jurisdictions, such as New York and Florida, photojournalists are subject to strict rules about placement and procedure.
Civilian Oversight Boards Are Now Prohibited from Investigating Police Misconduct in Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills last week that would prohibit civilian oversight boards from investigating police misconduct and stop people from getting too close to first responders doing their jobs.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 15, 2024
Closing arguments in Marcus Chamblin trial, tax-filing deadline, the Flagler County Commission meets, America’s disturbing taste for bad beer, a history of the drink of the gods, and John Updike’s bar.
Dunes
The Dune films remind us of just how beautiful, mysterious, expansive and changeable sand dunes can be. For centuries these wonderful landforms have filled humans with awe – and in some cases fear and foreboding – because of the apparent remoteness and risks associated with the deserts they are synonymous with.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Whitney Lab 5K in Marineland, Daytona State College Orchestra in concert, ‘Bonnie and Clyde, the Musical,’ at Daytona Playhouse, Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain” and a trip to his Key West home and cats.
Yes, Efforts to Eliminate DEI Programs Are Rooted in Racism
In the past year, a number of states have begun to dismantle their DEI programs. Alabama, Utah, Texas and Florida have all passed and signed into law anti-DEI legislation ranging from prohibiting diversity training to terminating all positions associated with DEI efforts. Florida lawmakers have restricted the teaching of what they call racially “divisive” subject matter in public schools, colleges and universities. Legislatures in more than two dozen additional states are considering similar measures.