Job growth has averaged 158,000 a month this year, below the average monthly gain of 223,000 in 2018. August’s employment gain was helped by the federal government’s hiring of 25,000 temporary census workers in preparation for the 2020 census.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Groups Dispute Linking Financial Dues to Restoration of Felons’ Voting Rights
An amendment to the Florida Constitution restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences does not require payment of “legal financial obligations,” plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the law argue in a new court filing.
Hurricane Dorian Closures and Reopenings In Flagler-Palm Coast
Hurricane Dorian closures in schools, government, courts and other sectors in Flagler County, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell. The rolling list of closures will be updated as needed.
72 Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facilities Evacuated Ahead of Storm Along East Coast
Palm Coast’s Grand Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center off Palm Coast Parkway and Tuscan Gardens of Palm Coast on Colbert Lane are among those evacuated.
Hurricane Dorian: Fuel, Telecommunications and Other Emergency Measures In Place
Comprehensive outline of measures in place or readied for deployment across Florida in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, according to state emergency officials and the governor’s office.
Hurricane Dorian, Day By Day
Hurricane Dorian: an archival record of the storm’s path day by day as it impacted Flagler County and Palm Coast, with sequenced National Hurricane Center maps of the cone of uncertainty.
Florida Is Not Planning One-Way Evacuation Traffic on Highways, But Tolls Will Be Lifted
Since one-way traffic for evacuations could interfered with Hurricane Dorian safety preparations, the so-called “contraflow” approach is not being considered for now.
Hurricane Dorian: Sandbag Locations In Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach and the County
Sandbag locations in Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler County in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. Most of the locations are self-serve.
Dorian Day Weekend Briefing: Hurricane Prep
Nothing else matters this weekend: it’s about hurricane-safety preparations as Dorian heads for somewhere on the east coast, with Flagler well within the cone of uncertainties.
Thursday Briefing: High Anxiety, Heat Index to 102, Economic Development, Rep. Waltz at KALS
Rep. Mike Waltz visits KALK, a company at the Flagler County Airport responsible for emergency disaster response, the chamber’s Common Ground breakfast focuses on economic development, schools host open houses.
Wednesday Briefing: Interviews For County Judge, Parks and Recreation, Facing Grief, Handmaid’s Tale
A judicial nominating commission interviews 24 candidates for Flagler County judge all day at the county courthouse, the county parks and recreation board meets, Blue Power and Facing Grief Together.
Appeals Judges Punt on State Medical Pot Controls and Ask Florida Supreme Court to Decide
The 1st District Court of Appeal asked the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether the state’s “vertical integration” system of requiring licensed operators to grow, process and distribute cannabis and derivative products runs afoul of a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in Florida.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 103, AdventHealth’s Little League Hearts, Opioid Task Force, Appetizers With Anna
Concluding discussions on next year’s budget at Palm Coast council and Flagler Beach AdventHealth’s donation of AED devices to Palm Coast Little League, commission, Anna Crawford welcomes parents.
Search for Bodies Will Continue at Dozier Reform School, Site of 55 Graves So Far
Forensic experts are gearing up to conduct a high-tech sweep of the grounds at a notorious Northwest Florida reform school where survivors remain convinced bodies of long-lost boys are still concealed.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 103, ERA Ratification, St. Johns River Forum, Stamp and Coin
Rep. Paul Renner is among the hosts of a forum on the importance of the St. Johns River, the Florida National Organization still press for ERA ratification, the Flagler Stamp and Coin club meets.
Affordable Housing Push
Challenges Single-Family Zoning
Cities and states facing rising rents, stagnant household incomes and a tight housing supply are beginning to rethink, restrict and in places end zoning that favors single-family homes.
Gary Ray Bowles, a Serial Killer, Is Executed for 1994 Murder in Jacksonville
Gary Ray Bowles, who was convicted of the 1994 murder of a Jacksonville man who was hit in the head with a concrete block and strangled, was executed by lethal injection shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday night.
Weekend Briefing: Surf for Autism, Hammock Harbor, Rick Shaefer’s Refugees, Farmers’ Markets
Surf for Autism is slated for Saturday in Flagler Beach, the Scenic A1A Pride Committee gets a look at the revised Hammock Harbor redevelopment proposal, Rick Shaefer opens an exhibit.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 102, Tiger Bay Wine Tasting, Transgender Inmate Case, FYO Recruits
The Flagler Tiger Club hosts a community wine tasting, Gary Ray Bowles is scheduled to be executed, the Flagler Youth Orchestra performs in elementary schools, the case of a transgender inmate is heard in court.
HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine: What You Need to Know
The complete Centers for Disease Control’s Vaccine Information Statement regarding the HPV vaccine to prevent infection with human papillomavirus.
Wednesday Briefing: Technical Review, Tourism, Planning, Contractor Review and Navy Bombing
A day of workhorse meetings including Flagler’s tourist development council and its technical review committee, the Palm Coast Planning Board and other routines.
House Democrats Seek Special Session On Gun Violence, But GOP Set to Quash It
House Democrats on Tuesday said they’ve submitted letters from 41 representatives, more than the required 20 percent of the chamber’s 120 members, to demand that Secretary of State Laurel Lee poll all 160 legislators on the request for the special session.
Tuesday Briefing: Building in Palm Coast, School Vaccination Protocols, Stormwater, Food Truck Tuesday
Palm Coast government hosts a forum on its building department, the school board talks vaccination, Food Truck Tuesday in Central Park, the Flagler Youth Orchestra recruits.
5 Ways The Economy Is Stacked Against Young People
Stagnant wages, out of control student debt, rising costs of necessities, unaffordable housing: they’re all among the reasons why the rules are rigged against young people trying to make it on their own.
State Economists Warn of Slowing Economy, as DeSantis Says State Is Prepared for Recession
DeSantis’ outlook was more restrained than that of White House officials, when they were asked about the national economy while making the rounds on Sunday morning news programs.
Among Hurdles For Those With Opioid Addictions: Getting The Drug To Treat It
Among the barriers to buprenorphine access: too few medical providers are certified to write the prescriptions. But pharmacists are also a part of the problem. Because they fill the prescriptions, pharmacists are the gatekeepers for the drug, and not all of them are willing to take on that role.
Monday Briefing: Contractor Review Board Appointments, More Money for Fireworks, Employees of the Quarter
The County Commission makes appointments to the Contractor Review Board, with a controversial applicant in the mix, the cost of July 4 fireworks is going up to $25,000, the sheriff names winners of quarterly awards.
Stop Criminalizing Children in the Name of School Security
The rash of zero-tolerance felony arrests of children that the Flagler school district experienced last year unjustly makes examples of adolescents in the name of a security establishment focusing on the wrong threats across the state.
Where Doctors Can Recommend Marijuana to Replace Opioids
Four states, not including Florida, allow people with an opioid addiction to qualify for a medical marijuana card. Many physicians say it’s a bad idea, with marijuana unproven either to manage pain or kick an opioid addiction.
Federal Judge Raises Question on Felon Rights’ Amendment: What If It’s Unconstitutional?
Federal Judge Robert Hinkle is raising a question of constitutionality that goes to the heart of Amendment 4 and may invalidate the entire amendment, not just its provision on financial obligations.
Weekend Briefing: Fruehan and Haughton in Court, Improv at the Playhouse, GTM’s 20th, Belle Terre Clean-Up
Judge Perkins hears ex-physician Fruehan’s plea and sentences Bruce Haughton on an assisted suicide conviction in separate cases, the GTM reserve celebrates, a night of improv at the Flagler Playhouse, a fishing tournament on the pier.
State Safety Panel Berates “Non-Compliance” With Armed Presence in Some Schools
A state school-safety commission meeting got heated Wednesday as members tackled a range of issues stemming from a controversial school “guardian” program, while one panelist recommended allowing Florida pre-schools to have armed security.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 102, Palm Coast’s Sports Alliance Re-Launch, Inspired Mic, Primary Elections
Palm Coast re-launches its Sports Alliance, the school safety commission meets again, a proposal to open primary voting is discussed, the Inspired Mic at Hidden Treasures.
In Defeat for Home Rule, Appeals Court Rejects Florida City’s Ban on Styrofoam Containers
Siding with the Florida Retail Federation and upholding the constitutionality of state laws, an appeals court Wednesday rejected a 2016 move by the city of Coral Gables to ban the use of Styrofoam food containers.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index to 110, Safety Commission, “Public Feeding,” $16,263 to Youth Ranches
Flagler’s Public Safety Coordinating Council talks homelessness and suicide prevention, another dangerously hot day, the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas safety commission meets.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Litter Gitter’s River Cleanup, Hammock Harbor, Flagler Beach Budget
Matanzas Riverkeeper’s Litter Gitter II cleans up around Bing’s, the Flagler Beach City Commission figures out next year’s budget, the Flagler Planning Board takes on another big Hammock development.
Judge Rejects Teachers’ Claim That Education Law Violates Collective Bargaining Rights
Unions argued a 2018 requirement violated collective-bargaining rights and equal-protection rights as the requirements did not apply to other public-sector unions.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 108, First Day Back for Students, Flagler Cares Coalition, Charter Review
Another potentially dangerously hot day for a first-day back for students, the Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission meets, the Flagler Sportfishing Club’s generosity, and Bunnell talks finances–without a finance director.
End-Running Federal Lawsuit, Gov. DeSantis Petitions Florida Supreme Court on Felon Voting Rights
A week after asking a federal judge to toss out a lawsuit on the issue, Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking guidance from the Florida Supreme Court about a controversial state law requiring people convicted of felonies to repay financial obligations before they can regain the right to vote.
Of Course Guns Have Nothing To Do With It
Mountains of evidence link America’s mass killings to the massive amount of guns in circulation, but let’s go ahead and pretend that guns have nothing to do with it, nor the absence of sensible gun control.
Florida Film Academy’s International Student Film Festival in St. Augustine Sept. 14-15
Florida Film Academy is hosting its inaugural International Student Film Festival on Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 at Corazon Cinema and Café in downtown St. Augustine with showings from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
State Rules May Ease Path to Mental Health Counselors’ Qualifications and Toughen Charter School Security
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, Florida officials are eyeing policy changes that would expand the number of mental health professionals in schools and ensure that charter schools are meeting safety requirements.
Weekend Briefing: 4 Artists Talk, School Open Houses, Enrollment Day at DSC, Teens-In-Flight Fund-Raiser AdventHealth’s Kids
Teens-In-Flight Inc. hosts its second annual Hangar Party, a free one-day youth football safety clinic, time for students to lock in their fall schedule at Daytona State College, artists Peter Cerreta, J. J. Graham, Harry Messersmith, and John Sbordone at FCAL,
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 109, Meet the Teachers, Gopher Tortoises in Flagler Beach
Dangerously high temperatures, meet the teachers and orientation at Old Kings, Rymfire, Buddy Taylor, Indian Trails and FPC, talk of gopher tortoise in Flagler Beach.
Deriding Focus on Trump Rhetoric, DeSantis Blames Mass Shootings on ‘Recesses of the Internet’
Trump is facing accusations that his immigration rhetoric inspired a man who posted warnings online of a “Hispanic invasion” before killing 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart on Saturday.
Wednesday Briefing: Purple Heart Day, New Student Orientation at FPC, Meet the Teachers at Imagine
It’s pre-planning days in Flagler Schools and new student orientation at Flagler Palm Coast High School, Purple Heart Day, Henry James characters discuss being in love.
Florida Senate Will Study White Nationalism and Other Factors in Mass Violence
In the run-up to the 2020 legislative session, the Florida Senate will review acts of mass violence such as the deadly shootings this weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, along with factors such as white nationalism.
Tuesday Briefing: National Night Out at FPC, Superintendent Search, Sportsfishing Club, Sales Tax Holiday Ends
The sheriff’s annual National Night Out this evening at FPC, the school board discusses a timeline for its next superintendent hire, the back-to-school sales tax holiday ends at midnight tonight.
I’d Like to Stop Writing About Innocents Killed by Guns
So far, as hard as we try, every time it happens again we apparently have not stood up in sufficient numbers or shouted loud enough to make the massacres stop. What does it take? The story keeps repeating.
DeSantis Wants Felon Voting Rights Case Tossed, Saying It belongs in State, Not Federal, Court
The interpretation of “all terms of their sentence” became a flashpoint during this spring’s legislative session as lawmakers struggled to reach consensus on a measure to carry out the amendment.