John Dean Purr, 46, was found dead of a gunshot wound near Walmart, and Craig Dolgin 48, allegedly attempted suicide by cop in a 24-hour period in Palm Coast Monday and Tuesday.
Mental Health
School Safety Commission Calls for More Mental Health Funding in Second Major Report
A state commission tasked with making school-safety policy recommendations to the Florida Legislature approved a draft report on Thursday that will highlight a need for more mental health funding.
Prosecution Rests, and Rests Easy, in Bova Murder Trial as Even Defense Witnesses Fall Short of Pointing to Insanity
Joseph Bova II is claiming he was insane when he shot Zuheili Rosado dead at the Mobil mart in Palm Coast in 2013, but even the defense’s witnesses so far are not making the case, proving more helpful to the state’s argument of pre-meditated first-degree murder.
Appeals Court Upholds Florida’s ‘Red Flag’ Law Allowing Gun Seizure From Mentally Ill
Florida’s red flag law passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and allows guns to be removed from people found to pose a threat to themselves or others.
Opioid-Related Deaths Decline By 34% in Flagler’s 3-County District in 1st Part of 2018
The decline is far more pronounced in the Flagler region than in the state, strongly suggesting that the introduction of front-line life-saving measures, combined with stricter state rules on prescription drugs, is having an effect.
Lethal Crisis: When Seniors Turn To Suicide
As suicide rates continue to climb, claiming more than 47,000 lives in 2017, a six-month investigation finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes.
Flagler’s Suicide Rate Falls to Still-Grim 9th-Highest in State But Sets Record Gun Deaths; Florida’s Matches 43-Year High
Twenty-nine people killed themselves in 2018 in Flagler County, two fewer than in 2017, but still by far the second-highest total in Flagler history. More people died by firearm in Flagler in 2018 than ever before.
Schools Will Have To Teach Minimum of 5 Hours of Annual Mental Health Instruction in Grades 6-12
The five-hour minimum will be included in curriculums for grades 6-12, but it remains unclear if the classes will begin in the upcoming academic year. The policy finalized Wednesday does not include an implementation date.
Richard S. Hartung, 76, Dies in Apparent Suicide, County’s 3rd Self-Inflicted Death in 8 Days
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the death by apparent suicide of Richard S. Hartung, 76, in his condominium at 7 Avenue de la Mer in Palm Coast on May 30.
At Flagler’s 1st-Ever Suicide Town Hall, Hope and Resolve Confront Grim Void of Mental Health Services
Personal stories of confronting suicide, including that of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, combined with an assessment of Flagler’s grim mental health landscape to show the county’s growing awareness and resolve not to remain entirely at the mercy of circumstances.
