Vivian Jones, 92 died at home in Palm Coast FL in the company of loved ones on December 17, 2019. She was born February 15, 1927 in Sellers, South Carolina, the daughter of Rufus Leslie Liles and Mary Lexie Burr. Vivian graduated from Winyah High in Georgetown South Carolina and then worked as a secretary […]
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Supreme Court Defines When Stand Your Ground Law Shifting Burden to Prosecution Applies
With backing from groups such as the National Rifle Association, the 2017 law shifted the burden from defendants to prosecutors to prove whether a self-defense claim is justified.
Thursday Briefing: The Inspired Mic at Hidden Treasures, IB Diploma Ceremony, Fake and Real Christmas Trees
The Inspired Mic, the region’s most challenging open mic evening, at Hidden Treasures in Flagler Beach, the annual IB diploma ceremony at FPC, wood or plastic–the battle over Christmas trees.
Trump’s Judaism Order Has Nothing To Do With Fighting Anti-Semitism
The meat of this action is aimed at Israeli boycott movements on college campuses across the U.S. It threatens to withhold federal funding from schools where students organize events linked to the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights.
In Major Shift, Federal Spending Bill Contains Money for Gun-Related Research
The spending bill allocates $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence. If the bill becomes law, it would be the first time in more than 20 years that Congress has allocated money for such studies.
GOP Legislators Claim Restrictions on Medical Pot Keeps It From Ending Up In Recreational Hands
In a Florida Supreme Court case with major ramifications for the medical-marijuana industry, the Florida House contends a disputed 2017 law helps prevent “diversion” of pot to the illegal recreational market, minors and other states.
Save the Minor Leagues
These teams have provided a way for folks in rural and underserved areas to see baseball and future major leaguers for a fraction of the price of traveling to an MLB city. And they’re a way to boost the communities they play in.
Tuesday Briefing: Women United Mini-Grants, Food Truck, Elijah Jackson Trial, Thomas Jefferson’s Foresight
Women United Flagler Chapter hands out grants to 10 local organizations, the Palm Coast council meeting was cancelled, it’s Food Truck Tuesday in Central Park. A meet and greet for newly minted Judge Andrea Totten was cancelled.
Education Commissioner Corcoran Wants Prayers at School Athletic Events ‘Permitted to Greatest Extent Possible’
As a three-year legal battle continues over the issue, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wants the Florida High School Athletic Association to reconsider policies that prevented Christian schools from offering a prayer over the stadium loudspeaker before a 2015 state championship football game.
Crime Rate in Flagler and Palm Coast Continues Steep Drop in 1st Half of 2019
The crime index in Flagler County and Palm Coast dropped in the first six months of 2019, continuing a steep decline of the last two years, falling 15.1 percent compared with the first six months of 2018. The declines were especially steep in Flagler Beach and Bunnell.
Monday Briefing: Bethune-Cookman’s Nurses, Elijah Jackson on Trial, Another World
Where the other world is, Elijah Jackson goes on trial on charges of using a computer to lure a child, the county commission and the East Flagler Mosquito Control District board meet.
Florida Aquarium Partners with NOAA on New Coral Reef Restoration Initiative
The Florida Aquarium is taking another step to save dying reefs by joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and local partners to announce the first high-level bold strategy to protect and restore seven coral reef sites in the Florida Keys.
The Price of America’s Inability to Track Child Deaths from Abuse and Neglect? Sometimes, More Lives.
Reliable statistics on deaths and near-deaths from abuse and neglect can help shape better policies to protect children. A new report shows the breadth of government failures to collect and report this information.
Weekend Briefing: Starlight Parade, ‘Actually’ and Weird ‘X-mas Carol’ on Stage, Coffee With Cops, LGBT Gathering
Palm Coast’s Starlight Parade on Saturday, plays and concerts at CRT, the Playhouse, the Auditorium and Matanzas High, Coffee with a Cop, the David Snelgrove death penalty case, and much more.
Florida House Revives Controversial College Survey That Would Undermine Intellectual Freedom
During the final hours of the 2019 legislative session, Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, warned senators the so-called intellectual freedom survey would “keep coming up again” and urged the Senate to block it from passing every time.
Thursday Briefing: ‘Actually’ at CRT, Mediation for Captain’s BBQ, ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Playhouse, Madrigal Dinner
Lots of shows this evening: City Rep’s “Actually,” the Playhouse’s sort of “Christmas Carol,” Matanzas High’s Madrigal show, plus a Whitney lecture on the dramatic impacts of global warming on the Antarctic.
Physician Assistants and Certain Nurses Could Practice Independent of Doctors Under Proposed Law
Bill sponsor Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, said the proposal (HB 607) would go a long way toward improving patients’ access to primary-care providers, especially in medically underserved areas of the state.
250 Journalists Imprisoned Globally in 2019, Including Spike of 30 on ‘Fake News’ Allegations
The number of journalists imprisoned for their reporting globally reached at least 250 for the fourth consecutive year, with China and Turkey topping the list of the world’s leading jailers, the Committee to Protect Journalists found.
Wednesday Briefing: SuperWash’s $13,300 Donation to AdventHealth, Dinner With Santa at FPC, Rising Seas
SuperWash Express donates more than $13,000 to AdventHealth to support breast cancer care funds, FPC’s SGA’s annual Dinner With Santa, the dislocations of rising seas, freedom of speech.
God, Homosexuality and Government Intrusion Frame Senate Panel’s Push For Abortion Restrictions
The 6-3 vote by the Senate Health Policy Committee followed a hearing that lasted more than 90 minutes as Chairwoman Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, tried to balance testimony between people on both sides.
A Plea From the Middle, Against Extremism
No matter what side Americans fall on politically, most hold many common beliefs and convictions in common, placing them far closer to a shared middle than the extremes of our current political discourse, argues former sheriff Jim Manfre.
Lunatic Conspiracy Theories Are Corroding Today’s GOP
How do the horrific events of Charlottesville, the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a similar hate crime in California directly relate to the eye-rolling pronouncements by Devin Nunes, Rudy Giuliani, and other Republicans in defense of President Donald Trump?
13 Florida Cities and Gun-Control Groups Counter NRA Claims and Push for Assault-Weapons Ban
The political committee Ban Assault Weapons NOW, the gun-control group Brady and a coalition of 13 cities filed briefs Friday saying that the proposal meets legal tests to go before voters.
700,000 Poorer People Could Lose Food Stamps Under Tighter Trump Work Requirements
The finalized rule just announced by the Trump administration, which will take effect in April, will make it harder for states to exempt adults without dependents from work requirements.
Inside the Cell Where a Sick 16-Year-Old Boy Died in Border Patrol Care
Video obtained by ProPublica shows the Border Patrol held a sick teen in a concrete cell without proper medical attention and did not discover his body until his cellmate alerted guards. The video doesn’t match the Border Patrol’s account of his death.
Saudi Military Trainee Kills 3 and Wounds 8 in Shooting at Pensacola Navy Air Station
DeSantis, a former Navy attorney who is a close ally of Trump’s, said the gunman’s nationality will likely add an additional layer to federal authorities’ probe into the shooting.
Is Marijuana a Gateway Drug?
Like nearly all Americans of a certain age, we were told in school that tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are gateway drugs — and that is why marijuana should remain illegal. The myth bears closer examination.
NRA and Local Governments Square Off Over Gun Law Silencing Home Rule
Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws, and the penalties in the 2011 law were designed to strengthen that “preemption.”
Who is Worse, Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell?
Even if Trump is gone, if the Senate remains in Republican hands and McConnell is reelected, America loses because McConnell will still have a chokehold on the democracy, argues Robert Reich.
Slamming State on Felons’ Voting Rights, Judge Accuses DeSantis of ‘Running Out the Clock’ Before Election
A federal judge on Tuesday excoriated lawyers representing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, accusing the state of trying to “run out the clock” to keep felons from voting in next year’s elections.
Public’s Advocate Contends Underground Power Line Rules Allow For Improper Utility Charges
An administrative law judge will hold a hearing this month in a dispute about how to carry out a new law that is expected to lead to more underground power lines in Florida — and higher costs for utility customers.
A Trump Tax Break To Help The Poor Went To a Rich GOP Donor’s Superyacht Marina in West Palm Beach
Wealthy donors Wayne Huizenga Jr. and Jeff Vinik lobbied then-Gov. Rick Scott for the lucrative tax break for the Rybovich superyacht marina in West Palm Beach — and won it. Poorer communities lost out.
FDLE Lacked Oversight of Employees’ Text Messages and Use of Personal Devices for State Business
Florida’s top law enforcement agency did not have safeguards in place to ensure text messages sent and received by its employees were retained as required by state law, according to an audit released last week.
Nikki Fried Backs Proposed Requirement to Keep Fingerprints of Concealed-Weapons Applicants
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is backing a measure that would require her agency to retain fingerprints of applicants seeking concealed-weapon licenses.
What Would It Cost to Buy the 2020 Election?
At $100 a vote, a victory in November 2020 would run Michael Bloomberg $6.3 billion. He is currently sitting on a personal fortune worth $52 billion. He could easily afford it.
A Florida City Wants to Ban Styrofoam. State Wants Court to Affirm Preemption Law.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Tuesday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject an appeal in a battle about the city of Coral Gables’ attempt to ban the use of Styrofoam food containers.
Tuesday Briefing: FTI’s Heavy Equipment Simulator, Stetson Choral Union and Chamber Orchestra, Trump in South Florida
Techniques to cope with fatigue, frustration, isolation, and poor sleep at the Flagler Beach library, the Stetson Choral Union and Chamber Orchestra performs in DeLand, William Seward.
State Seeks to Strictly Deny Home Rule to Florida Cities and Counties on Gun Regulations
Pointing to a “hierarchical relationship” with local governments, the state late Friday asked an appeals court to uphold a 2011 law that has threatened tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun regulations.
Monday Briefing: Cooler, Citizens of the Year, Mitigation Strategy, Colin Kaepernick, Alateen Sereniteen
Anthony Butrym and Dawn Butrym were both awarded ‘Citizen of the Year’ for the State of Florida in recognition of their volunteer efforts that led to finding missing and endangered
juvenile Rickey Wheeler alive.
Political Committee Forms to Oppose 2020 Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative
Organizers of Floridians Against Recreational Marijuana, or FARM, issued a news release Friday announcing the formation of the political committee, aimed at combating “the mega-marijuana, out-of-state corporate interests” behind legalization.
Daytona Tortugas Respond to Major League Baseball’s Plan to Eliminate The Team
The owners and staff of the Daytona Tortugas minor league team in Daytona Beach respond to Major League Baseball’s plan to eliminate 42 minor league teams, including the Tortugas.
Fast-Track Enrollment Saturday at Daytona State College, Dec. 7
DSC offers an easy-access, no-cost session – Enrollment Day – on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at DSC’s Daytona Beach Campus, Wetherell Center, located at 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.
Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare For All: Unfair and Irresponsible
Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for all proposal is right in principle but is not realistic, fair or honest and it ensures that Warren’s candidacy will not succeed at a time when a door knob should have the capabilities of defeating Donald Trump.
Flagler Health Department Increases In-School Flu Vaccinations by 13%
This year, the Flagler Health Department vaccinated 1,391 students and 114 faculty members, a 13 percent increase over 1,331 vaccinated in the 2017-18 school year.
Thursday Briefing: Legislative Delegation, Superintendent Search Public Forum, AdventHealth Robotics, Voltaire
Flagler County’s legislative delegation hears local concerns and hopes for the coming session, the public is invited to a forum on choosing the next school superintendent, the Inspired Mic is at Hidden Treasures.
Americans Love CBD Products, But It’s a Wild West
Americans’ exuberance for CBD could well be short-lived. That’s because many products currently marketed under the CBD banner are of low or variable quality.
Appointments to Federal Bench Open Two More Seats on Florida Supreme Court
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Lagoa’s appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, setting the stage for Gov. Ron DeSantis to make two appointments to the state’s highest court.
Wednesday Briefing: Paws to Read, Dan Wagner at Tiger Bay, Bombing in Ocala Forest, Stetson Jazz
Nuclear and national security expert Dan Wagner is at Flagler Tiger Bay, A1A construction in pictures, Humane Society’s Paws to Read at the public library, the Stetson Jazz Ensemble performs.
Whose News Literacy? What’s ‘Fake News’? Resources for Teachers and Students Raise Questions.
Inappropriately named “fake news” is real, pernicious and dangerous, but the tools developed to detect it and teach students savvy media literacy can be problematic, with an over-reliance on the status quo.
DeSantis Wants $1 Billion Injection into Public Education, Mostly For Teacher Pay
After dubbing next year the “Year of the Teacher,” DeSantis has made two major teacher-compensation packages the centerpiece of his education spending plan for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.