There will not be a single moment when social life suddenly goes back to normal. Instead, gradually, over time, most people will view Covid-19 as a background risk and abandon the trappings of pandemic caution. There are major caveats to when the pandemic will wane, and trust in public health agencies has declined significantly.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 12, 2022
American Association of University Women hears about “The Contextualization of Confederate Iconography,” Daytona Playhouse stages “Calendar Girls.” the Jacksonville Symphony is all brass and organ, big days for Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
Trump and the Vaporization of Presidential Records
Boxes of documents and other items that should have been handed over to the National Archives were found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Among the records reportedly incomplete or missing from Trump’s tenure in the White House are phone logs from Jan. 6, 2021.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 11, 2022
Flagler Technical College Director Renee Stauffacher and Sheriff Rick Staly talk about giving convicted criminals a second chance on the job, Meowy Hour at Sea Casas Boutique and Uncork’d, Lincoln on xenophobia.
How Joe Rogan Became Podcasting’s Goliath
Joe Rogan is not just a purveyor of right-wing ideologies. He is also someone who has built an empire by introducing these ideas – and a wide range of others – to listeners from across the political spectrum. His truly unique skill is drawing in from that spectrum a massive, young, largely male audience that advertisers highly covet.
Supreme Court Rejects DeSantis Request on Cutting Up Congressional District Held by Black Democrat
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday denied a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis for an advisory opinion about his proposal to revamp a sprawling North Florida congressional district that has been held by a Black Democrat.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 10, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets and will ban balloon releases, people who believe in Covid conspiracies, all the news that’s fit to print’s history, a little Virgil as time goes by.
The Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol Was Not ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’
When Trump urged the Ellipse crowd to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell,” his words transformed an occasion of legitimate political discourse into an anti-democratic violent insurrection. The result was real physical violence.” Several people died and many were injured.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Gunnar Galambos pleads out in court, Circuit Judge Perkins is in pre-trials, including that of Brennan Hill, the Microtel shootist, the cold-weather shelter opens again, recalling “Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida,” the 1964 legislative report.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Holocaust Muddle
Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” set off a firestorm when she insisted on Jan. 31, 2022 that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Hands outstretched, she went on to describe the genocide as a conflict between “two white groups of people.” Her apology tour raised more questions about her views on race, antisemitism and the Holocaust.
How Republicans Take Biden Relief Bill Money and Run, After Unanimously Opposing It
The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan package was opposed by every Republican in Congress and criticized by Republican governors, most of whom are now grabbing the money.
Florida Lawmakers Applaud Local School Board members Even as They Consider Cutting Their Salaries
Republican members of the Florida House and Senate have been pushing legislation to limit school board pay. At first, a House bill proposed zero salary for local school board members. Then, the Senate proposed a small salary of $29,697 — the same as Florida lawmakers, which would dramatically cut most school board member salaries.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
The cold-weather shelter is open tonight, the Flagler County Planning Board takes up the rezoning of Eagle Lake, the Palm Coast City Council talks public works, Joseph II talks burials.
How Truckers’ ‘Freedom Convoy’ Was Overtaken by Radical Fringe in Canada
The protest of commercial truckers swarming Canada’s capital in Ottawa shows how an issue can quickly be hijacked by extremist groups spouting themes of racism, hatred and violence.
Transgender Athlete’s Challenge of Florida Ban on Hold Pending Resolution of St. Johns Bathroom Case
U.S. District Judge Roy Altman last week issued a stay in the challenge filed on behalf of a Broward County transgender girl who is in middle school. The lawsuit contends that the ban, passed by lawmakers last year, is unconstitutional and violates a federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 7, 2022
Jason Reynolds on anxiety and book-banning, the Flagler County Commission holds a pair of meetings, including a workshop on beach issues, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, the biggest book ban advocates in the country are parents, Notes from Underground.
The Biggest Censor: Olympic Committee Silences Athletes’ Freedom of Speech
Beyond the Olympic’s facade of glitz, glamour and gold there’s a glaring and controversial regulation — the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Rule 50. Rule 50 prohibits athletes from demonstrating during competition or on the podium.
Florida’s Black Snow: How the Sugar Industry Makes Political Friends and Influences Elections
Florida produces more than half of America’s cane sugar and relies heavily on cane burning, a harvesting method in which the sugar industry burns crops to rid the plants of their outer leaves, producing pollution. Residents in the largely Black and Hispanic communities nearby claim the resulting smoke and ash harms their health. A city commissioner race provides a window into how the industry cultivates political allies, who help protect its interests.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 6, 2022
Cirque Ma’Ceo, the revolutionary theatrical experience, has its last day at the county fairgrounds, Ronald Reagan’s corruption and lawlessness, Richard Hofstadter on the Constitution’s paradox.
New Forms of Advertising Raise Questions About Journalism Integrity
Mainstream news media outlets have, in recent years, begun to create advertisements that look like news articles on their websites and on social media. Research raises questions about whether this modern form of advertising might influence those outlets’ real journalism.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 5, 2022
PCAF’s First Saturday Creative Bazaar Arts and Craft Market, Friends of the Library book sale at the Flagler County Public Library, John Adams on democracies’ suicidal tendencies, Olympic winners over the ages.
No, You’re Not Born Either Male or Female
Sex designation is not as simple as a glance and then a check of one box or another. Instead, the overwhelming evidence shows that sex is not binary. To put it another way, the terms “male” and “female” don’t fully capture the complex biological, anatomical and chromosomal variations that occur in the human body.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 4, 2022
Joseph Bova, convicted of murdering Zuheily Rosado at a Palm Coast convenience store in February 2013, is back in court, First Friday in Flagler Beach, Cirque Ma’Ceo at the county fairgrounds, Rigoletto in Daytona Beach and The Chris Thomas Band in Jacksonville.
ISIS’ Leader Is Dead. What Next for the Terrorist Group?
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed as he exploded a bomb at his compound in the country’s northwestern Idlib province. The blast also caused the death of members of his family, including children. Here’s how this raid fits the U.S.‘s counterterrorism strategy, and where it leaves the Islamic State.
In Trial Over Florida’s New Voting Law, Past Suppressions at Ballot Box Reverberate Anew
Post-Reconstruction history, first-hand narrative and statistics have laid the foundation this week in a legal challenge to a state election law that plaintiffs say will curtail Black and Hispanic Floridians’ ability to cast ballots and register to vote.
Florida Judge Attacks Landmark 1st Amendment Decision Protecting Press as ‘Wrongfully Decided’
Judge Brad Thomas of the 1st District Court of Appeal wrote an 11-page concurring opinion that took aim at the Supreme Court’s 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan ruling, which, in part, required that public officials prove “actual malice” to prevail in defamation lawsuits. But the concurrence’s reasoning and citations lack context.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 3, 2022
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is the featured speaker at the meeting of the Palm Coast Democratic Club this evening, America’s non-partisan debt, an excerpt from John McGahern’s “The Barracks.”
11 Reasons Why Community College Students Quit Despite Being Almost Finished
Community colleges are designed to make college more accessible, yet 6 out of every 10 community college students cannot reap the full rewards of higher education because they do not earn their degree. For graduates, rewards often include making more money. For society, the reward is citizens who are more likely to vote, volunteer and pay more in taxes.
Florida House Completes Work on Its Own Voting Districts as Litigation Looms
The Florida House voted along party lines to approve a redistricting plan for itself and asked the state Senate to go along amid lingering uncertainty over the fate of congressional redistricting generated when Gov. Ron DeSantis got involved.
A City Seeks to Purchase Motels as Affordable Housing Instead of Letting Developers Demolish Them
The mayor of Reno is proposing to buy and rehabilitate motels through the Reno Housing Authority to accommodate low-income residents, moving quietly to buy two shuttered buildings, including one with a history of code violations that is now part of an estate sale.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 2, 2022
The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, Florida’s citrus crop is as bleak as ever (but not California’s), rediscovering Florence Price, Dostoevsky’s bleeding heart.
Facial-Recognition Technology’s Worrisome Government Uses
The U.S. stands at the edge of a slippery slope, and while that doesn’t mean facial recognition technology shouldn’t be used at all, it does mean that the government should put a lot more care and due diligence into exploring the terrain ahead before taking those critical first steps.
House Set to Vote on Plan to Scrap School Board Salaries
A bill that would eliminate salaries for school board members and increase scrutiny of the way public-school instructional materials and library books are chosen is now primed for consideration by the full House.
After 1,000 Manatee Deaths in a Year, Groups Sue to Upgrade Federal Protections
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club filed the lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C., against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Allyson Dawn Bennett, 39, is sentenced in the overdose death of Michael Joseph Burnett Jr., 33, in June 2018, the school board discusses changing start and end times of school days, slightly, Dostoevsky among the murderers.
New Flood Maps Show US Damage Rising 26% in Next 30 Years
Despite recent devastating floods, people are still building in high-risk areas. With population growth factored in, the increase in U.S. flood losses will be four times higher than the climate-only effect. Deep inequities define who has to endure America’s crippling flood problem.
League of Women Voters President Blasts Florida’s Shackling Voting Law on 1st Day of Trial
League of Women Voters of Florida President Cecile Scoon testified Monday in federal court that Florida’s new election laws — adopted in 2021 Senate Bill 90 — makes voter-registration drives, voting by mail, and rendering basic assistance to voters in line needlessly difficult, resulting in voting suppression.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, January 31, 2022
A warming trend after a freezing weekend, Anthony Burgess on death camp commanders who went home to Schubert and tears, the first Social Security Check.
Pope Benedict’s Betrayal
An in-depth report released last week alleges that former Pope Benedict XVI allowed four abusive priests in Munich to remain in ministry. The pope, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, led the German archdiocese from 1977 to 1982.
Hacked: How the Technician Helping Me Fix a Problem Was Scamming–and Hacking–Me
How a simple problem with a printer turned into a two-month nightmare after a tech call involving a supposed Hewlett-Packard pro turned out to be an artful hack job that planted spyware and weeks of anxiety and clean-ups. A cautionary tale by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lucy Morgan.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, January 30, 2022
The Cold Weather Shelter open again tonight. The matinee and last showing of City Repertory Theatre stages “Wait Until Dark.” Ernie Pyle looks up people hungry for divorce in Reno.
The Moderate, Pragmatic Legacy of Stephen Breyer
Stephen Breyer will leave a legacy that reflects the Supreme Court he joined nearly three decades ago – less fractious and less partisan than the bench he is reportedly set to leave at the end of the current term.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, January 29, 2022
Hard freeze watch tonight with temperatures dipping into the upper 20s. The Cold Weather Shelter will open. Palm Coast Historical Society Lecture Series on Florida before the European invasions. City Repertory Theatre stages “Wait Until Dark.”
Sorry, Nick Klufas: The Downside of Driverless Cars
Automated vehicles hold tremendous promise. Cars that handle most or all of the driving tasks could be safer than human drivers, operate more efficiently and open up new opportunities for seniors, people with disabilities and others who can’t drive themselves. But while attention has understandably focused on safety, the potential environmental impacts of automated vehicles have largely taken a back seat.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, January 28, 2022
The Cold Weather Shelter is open tonight, “Florida History through the Amazing Illustrations of Harper’s Weekly,” a lecture at the Palm Coast library, City Repertory Theatre stages “Wait Until Dark,” Dostoevsky reflects about his first book after a prison term.
Where Are All the Substitute Teachers?
Pay for substitute teachers averaged $17 an hour in May 2020, according to federal figures. Assuming a substitute worked as much as possible – seven hours a day for 180 school days – that’s $21,420 a year, which is about one-third of the national average pay for full-time teachers. It is also below the poverty line for households with three people.
Are Lawmakers Seeking to Censor Discussions of Race and Gender in Classrooms and the Workplace?
With such things as critical race theory and sensitivity training targeted, much of the debate and public testimony centered around the bill’s effect on schools and whether it would curtail frank discussions about United States history and race.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, January 27, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets and hears a report from its attorney on its nine-hole golf course at the south end of town, Neil Postman’s favorite quotes on science and religion.
Should Supreme Court Justices Have Term Limits?
Extensive research on the Supreme Court shows life tenure, while well-intended, has had unforeseen consequences. It skews how the confirmation process and judicial decision-making work, and causes justices who want to retire to behave like political operatives.
Dismissing ‘Slippery Slope of Censorship,’ GOP Senators Back Stricter Scrutiny of School and Library Books
The proposal (SB 1300) would change the review process for books and other learning materials, adding requirements and making it more open to the public but also enabling regular purges of book lists to align them with standards or if the books are considered out of date.