As ISIS loses territory on the battlefield, lone-actor assaults are expected to increase. The question for cities is what more can be done to protect against such attacks.
Health & Society
How 2nd Grader at Old Kings Got Whole School District and 2 Other Counties To Go Green
Students boycotted the use of plastic trays on the way to convincing the administration to adopt more eco-friendly, biodegradable paperboard lunch trays that don’t harm oceans, as plastics do.
Obamacare Enrollment Opens Wednesday For 5th Year: 5 Things You Should Know
Despite the efforts of President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress, the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land. But there are changes.
Uncertainty On Generators at Nursing Homes After Governor’s Order Is Invalidated
Gov. Rick Scott’s administration appealed the order to the 1st District Court of Appeal and claims the rules remain in effect during the appeal.
Lawmakers Moving To Put a Leash On
Bogus Service Dogs As Abuses Proliferate
Though Florida two years ago tightened some service dog regulations, it’s still easy to acquire or pass off any animal as a service animal. Other states are working to tighten their laws.
Treatment Overkill: Unneeded Scans, Therapy and Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
Though ample evidence shows breast-cancer radiation treatment for many can be drastically cut down, less than half those eligible received it despite the additional cost and inconvenience.
An Allegation of Rape On the Sands of Flagler Beach, But Beyond That, Mostly Blur
A 26-year-old woman reported being raped the morning of Oct. 14 somewhere between South 4th and South 9th Streets, but evidence and alcohol-blurred memories are scant.
Florida Lawmakers Looking To Add Treatment Programs To Fight Opioid Epidemic
A combination of short-term intensive treatment beds, long-term outpatient services and medically assisted treatment could be the blueprint for a solution, a powerful lawmaker says.
Senators Angry At Delays In Medical Marijuana Licenses, Blaming Complacency
The head of the state’s medical-use office is blaming the delays on litigation over the constitutional amendment. Senators aren’t buying it, blaming complacency.
Racist, Violent, Unpunished: A White Hate Group’s Campaign of Menace
the Rise Above Movement, one of whose men beat up protesters in Charlottesville, train to fight. They post their beatings online. And so far, they have little reason to fear the authorities.
Sheriff’s Domestic Violence Task Force’s Job Done, Attention Turns To Enacting Proposals
Several proposals the domestic violence task force put forth area already being enacted but many more remain unfunded or not yet fully analyzed.
No Maternity Wing or Trauma Unit Any Time Soon, But Florida Hospital Flagler Thrives On
Florida Hospital Flagler’s top leadership appeared at the Chamber of Commerce’s Common Ground breakfast Thursday morning with a sum-up of making it through recent stormy challenges and glimpses of what’s new within the hospital’s walls.
Stanley Wykretowicz Acquitted On Aggravated Child Abuse Charge, May Face Negligence
The 42-year-old Palm Coast resident was looking at up to 30 years in prison had he been found guilty on a charge that he’d brutalized his 2-year-old niece. The defense said the girl was merely ill.
Prosecution Stymied In Ex-Jail Guard’s Trial Over 2-Year-Old Girl’s Alleged Brutalization
Stanley Wykretowicz, 41, was the sole caregiver to his 2-year-old niece when he brought her to Florida Hospital Flagler, comatose and bruised, but his lawyers say she was merely ill, not abused.
Flagler’s Domestic Violence Task Force Spurs Sheriff’s Action Ahead of Final Report’s Recommendations
Flagler County now has its own “batterer-intervention program” and Sheriff Staly will devote a detective full-time to pursuing domestic violence cases as his task force prepares to submit its recommendations Friday.
Flagler Commissioners Approving $400,000 In Grants to Six Critical Social Service Agencies
The grants subsidize free healthcare for the poor, a shelter for abused women, interventions for victims of rape, and help for addicts and individuals with mental health needs, among other services.
Stunner On Birth Control: Trump’s Moral Exemption Is Geared To Just 2 Groups
A separate rule allowing employers that are not religious organization to deny contraceptive coverage to employees is geared toward anti-abortion groups, but its legal status is doubtful.
7-Day Limit On Pain-Killer Prescriptions Part of Sweeping Proposal To Crack Down on Opioids
Doctors would be limited to prescribing seven days’ worth of opioids for patients with acute pain and would have to check a statewide database before ordering most prescription pain medications.
Trump Blows Up Obamacare Subsidies: What You Need To Know
Some of Trump’s actions could have an immediate effect on the enrollment for 2018 ACA coverage that starts Nov. 1. Here are five things you should know.
Flagler District’s Bombardments Battling Mosquito Surge Not Seen in 65 Years As County Seeks State Aid
Stagnant waters left from two massive storms have led to record numbers of mosquitoes in Flagler, with aerial bombardments resuming Thursday and likely more coming.
Florida Cuts Payments To HMOs Caring For Poor, Elderly and Disabled By 3.7 Percent
The hospital cuts accounted for 94 percent of the reduction in rates, which the state says is attributable to lower pharmaceutical costs. Long-term care is seeing an increase.
Florida Lawmakers Hear Grim Picture of Worsening Opioid Crisis and Lack of Treatment
In the first six months of 2016, deaths caused by fentanyl increased by nearly 140 percent, deaths from heroin overdoses jumped by 25 percent, compared to the same period in 2015.
Pride In “Our Country”? Count Me Out.
There’s no contending with a president who speaks of his pride in this country in serial tweets even as his every other pronouncement is a cleave, a slur, a boast, a lie or a disgrace.
What You Should Know About Trump’s Rollback Of Contraception Coverage
The rules will make sweeping changes to the law’s requirement that most employers provide coverage of birth control with no out-of-pocket costs to women.
Flagler Kills Pot Decriminalization Proposal, But Approves Medical Marijuana Zoning
The end of the de-criminalization proposal is a reflection of a much harsher approach by the county commission and a new sheriff on marijuana matters.
At Flagler’s Pink Army Flag-Raising, Eloquence of Grief and Hope No Matter the Gender
Florida Hospital Flagler’s Pink Army launch of Breast-Cancer Awareness Month with the County Commission was a mostly male production, but no less moving in message and aims.
`Where the Hell Is the Cavalry?’ As Puerto Rico Suffers, Florida Prepares for Influx
From schools to shelters, Florida is readying for an influx of people struggling for food, water and power in hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico.
Exhaling Excuses, Florida Health Department Will Miss Deadline to Issue Medical Pot Licenses
An official is blaming the delay on Hurricane Irma and a pending challenge to a recently passed law that ordered the Department of Health to expand the number of medical marijuana licenses.
“A Major Disaster Has Taken Place Here”: Flagler Beach Pleads Amid Crisis Affecting Up to 400 Homes
Mold is the growing, silent enemy in hundreds of flooded homes in Flagler Beach, making them potentially unlivable and creating new crises for residents with nowhere to go.
To Fight Opioids, Gov. Scott Will Include $50 Million In Next Year’s Budget For Drug Treatment
The proposal won;t be considered before January. The $50 million would include money for such programs as substance-abuse treatment, counseling and recovery services.
The Bombing Begins Friday: 2 Planes Will Spray Entirety of Flagler To Kill Billions Of Post-Irma Mosquitoes
A pair of King Air planes will be sweeping and spraying over the entire county over the next two nights to kill an already rising swarm of mosquitoes bred from standing water left by Hurricane Irma.
Trying To Make Up For Mistakes, Florida Health Officials Seek To Speed Up Medical Pot Licensing
The Florida Health Department had until Oct. 3 to issue 10 medical pot licenses to producers, a deadline it will almost certainly miss even as it scrambles to ease the application process.
That Last-Ditch Effort By Republicans To Replace ACA: What You Need To Know
While the chances for this last-ditch measure appear iffy, many GOP senators are rallying around a proposal that would repeal most of the ACA.
How Health Insurers Fuel Opioid Crisis By Denying Claims For Less Addictive But More Expensive Drugs
Insurers limiting access to drugs with a lower risk of addiction or dependence. Why? Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%, But Florida’s Rate Still 5th Highest in U.S.
Florida’s rate of uninsured would have been lower had Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature not prevented the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid.
Flagler Beach Museum Providing 100 Free Meals Thursday Evening
Beyond the meals, the museum will be a one-stop resource center for residents needing volunteer help or assistance with FEMA.
Post-Irma Daily Digest: Flagler Beach Crossovers and Pier Update, FEMA Registrations, Senior Games
Local governments’ drizzle of information releases related to post-Hurricane Irma recovery are distilled for their essentials and published in a running tally.
In Flooded Flagler Beach, Caring For Neighbors In Cops’ Colossal Trucks Or in Tiny Kayaks
The Sheriff’s Office sent out its colossal military-surplus trucks on search and rescue missions, while at least two Flagler Beach residents conducted their own in canoes and kayaks.
Palm Coast’s Big-Box Stores All Out of Water, Shipments Expected But No Promises
Aldi, Publix, Target and Winn-Dixie all show bare water shelves and few promises about when the next shipments are due, as supply lines are dependent on state conditions.
After Resisting Most of the Day, Flagler District Agrees to Close Schools Friday and Monday
The school district had wanted to keep schools open Friday, but by 4:45 p.m. today caved to health and county emergency officials’ pressure, who wanted to get a special needs shelter ready at Rymfire Elementary.
In Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and County, More Contempt For Medical Pot
Elected officials in Palm Coast, Flagler County and Flagler Beach are still peddling false or misleading assumptions as they draw up more restrictive medical pot dispensary zoning.
Chez Jacqueline Hosts Fundraiser For Flagler’s Cold-Weather Homeless Shelter Sept. 6-7
The Sheltering Tree, which depends entirely on donations, has provided the homeless with food and extreme weather shelter since 2008: the shelter opens whenever the temperature falls to 40 degrees or below.
At Palm Coast Meeting On Elder Needs, Pleas For Senior Center, Better Information and Respect
Some 90 people turned out to speak their mind on what’s needed in Palm Coast for seniors, revealing long lists of needs but also gaps of awareness of what’s already here.
Bunnell, Citing Iffy Crime Figures, Will Be Holdout Against Medical Pot Dispensaries
Bunnell will be the only local government that will ban medical pot dispensaries. Officials there, on little or flimsy evidence, claim dispensaries would attract crime.
White Supremacists Joked About Using Cars To Run Over Opponents Before Charlottesville
Leaked chat room conversations by white supremacists reveal expectations of violence — along with detailed planning and intelligence gathering on left-wing adversaries.
Florida Lawmakers to Review Law Targeting Injured Undocumented Workers
A top Florida lawmaker and a national insurance fraud group criticized a law used by insurers to turn in injured undocumented workers and avoid paying workers’ comp benefits.
Renner and Hutson Call For State Audit of Free-Spending Flagler Mosquito Control District
It is the first indication that the tax-supported district, which has itself so far refused to conduct an audit in the wake of the crisis, will be examined independently.
In Preventive Demonstration, Sheriff Highlights Lethal Danger of Leaving Children in Hot Cars
With an average of 39 children killed each year for being left in hot cars, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly and DCF officials underscored the danger in a demonstration in Palm Coast this morning.
On Brink of Banning Medical Pot in Haze of Misinformation, County Opts for Compromise
Three Flagler commissioners nearly pulled off a medical-marijuana ban in the county before one of them surprisingly, and perhaps unintentionally, opposed the ban.
Beating Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, County Will Be 1st to Welcome Pot Dispensaries; Bunnell May Ban Them
The Flagler County Commission is expected to approve opening the county to medical pot dispensaries Monday, becoming the first local government formally to do so.