Former Indian Trails Middle School student Reilly Opelka continues to slowly move up the ranks of the pro tennis tour, and Sunday notched yet another title.
Backgrounders
In Flagler Commemoration of Veterans Day, Memories of Armistice Day and Vietnam
Hal Kushner, a physician who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and Joe Kowalsky, who won this year’s Veteran of the Year Award, highlighted Flagler’s Veterans Day ceremony.
Amendments: Felons Will Get Voting Rights, Dogs Won’t Race Anymore, Homestead Expansion Fails
More than 64 percent of Florida voters had cast ballots for Amendment 4, which is designed to restore voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million felons who have completed their sentences.
Pit Bull Mauls 9-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl In Incident Similar to Attack on Pizza Man
For the second time in two weeks a pit bull slipped through the front door and attacked the person there, in this case a 9-year-old girl who was severely injured.
Buying Their Election: Mullins and Hansen Shatter Spending Records for Flagler County Commission Seats
The nearly $200,000 Joe Mullins and Greg Hansen have spent so far puts them on pace to match or outspend all 26 other county commission candidates in the past three years combined.
Unemployment Rate At 3.7% Approaching 50-Year Low as Economy Adds 250,000 Jobs
It is the longest uninterrupted expansion since before the Great Depression. The average monthly gain this year has been just over 210,000 jobs, equal the average monthly gains of the last two Obama years.
Joseph Bova Scrawls Guilty Plea in Mobil Station Murder, But Is Judged Still Incompetent
Joseph Bova is accused of first degree murder in the execution-style shooting of store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado at the Mobil convenience store on State Road 100 in February 2013.
Amendment 13: ‘Humane Treatment of Animals’ Would End Dog Racing in Florida
Florida is one of a handful of places in the country with dog racing, and passage of the amendment would be a serious blow for an industry that has been in the state for decades.
Stepped-Up Sheriff’s Patrols, New Sex-Offender App, Candy Buy Back: Halloween Game Plans
Flagler sheriff’s personnel will be conducting heavy patrols and providing crossing assistance at critical points for Halloween, the FDLE has a new safety app, and Flagler Dental is doing candy buy-back for 10 days afterward.
Thousands of Palm Coast Residents in P, R and E Sections Lose Power After Car Crash Knocks Out Power Pole
Some 3,000 residents in Palm Coast’s P, E and R Sections lost power after midnight this morning following a car crash that knocked out a power pole on Royal Palms Parkway.
Weekend Briefing: Bedrace, Rocky Horror Show, Gola’s Steampunk, Palm Coast Founders’ Day, De Yampert on Crows, A Schubert Concert
The fabulous bed race in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast Founders’ Day, Holler-ween at the Ag Museum, Daytona Solisti’s opening concert, last weekend for “The Rocky Horror Show” and lots more.
Amendment 9: What Has Vaping Got To Do With Offshore Oil Drilling?
Rather than allowing the vaping ban to stand on its own, the revision commission coupled it with a proposed ban on offshore oil drilling in Florida waters, describing the combination as an environmental amendment.
Licensed Palm Coast Realtor and Broker Is Arrested on a Shoplifting Charge
Pauline Flores, the 42-year-old owner of Realty Central, the real estate firm in Palm Coast, was arrested and charged with shoplifting at Kohl’s. The State Attorney’s Office followed up by filing its intention to prosecute.
Amendment 3: Not As Clear-Cut As ‘Voter Control of Gambling in Florida’
Amendment 3, placed on the ballot by a political committee largely backed by Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, would give voters the “exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state.
How Fentanyl, in 56% of Florida’s Overdose Deaths, Changes the Opioid Equation
With lethal amounts of fentanyl showing up in heroin and other drug supplies throughout the country, active drug users are at a greater risk of dying than ever before.
Jane Gentile-Youd, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Jane Gentile-Youd is an independent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District , challenging Joe Mullins in the Nov. 6 election. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Bitter Clash Over Charter Schools Behind Supreme Court Decision To Kill ‘Defective’ Ballot Measure
The proposed constitutional amendment could have opened a new avenue for the establishment of charter schools outside the control of county school boards.
Dennis McDonald, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Dennis McDonald is an independent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 2, challenging Greg Hansenin the Nov. 6 election. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Asbestos Found in Window Caulking at Sheriff’s Future Palm Coast Precinct; Opening Delayed
Modest amounts of asbestos were found in the building the county recently bought and is renovating into a Palm Coast substation for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Wednesday Briefing: Wawa, Town Center Apartments, Fearless and Focused Women, Wellness
The Bulldog Drive Wawa takes a gulp closer to reality, the Palm Coast planning board approves a site plan for Town Center apartments, fearless women talk at a chamber function.
Overlooked Evidence Between Blood Spatters Undermines Prosecution in Canales’s Attempted Murder Trial
The prosecution’s first day unwittingly revealed that a crime scene investigator missed key evidence in the shooting of Tiffany Norman in Jonathan Canales’s trial on an attempted first-degree murder charge.
Jack Howell, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Jack Howell is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Sean Shaw v. Ashley Moody: Race for Attorney General Contrasts Activism With Status Quo
State Rep. Sean Shaw, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, vows to aggressively use the office to take on fraud and other issues, while Former Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ashley Moody, the Republican candidate, wants to build on the work of her friend, the term-limited Bondi.
Jon Netts, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Jon Netts is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
‘Marsy’s Law’ Protections for Crime Victims Sound Great, but Could Cause Problems
Giving crime victims constitutional rights equal to those of defendants sets up a clash over the accused person’s Sixth Amendment right to due process and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Amendment 4: With 1.4 Million Florida Felons Banned from Voting, Voters Will Decide On Restoring Right
Amendment 4 would automatically restore the right to vote for felons who have completed their sentences, paid restitution and fulfilled probation. Murderers and sex offenders would be excluded.
Palm Coast Again Considering 2 New Electric Taxes That Drew Bitter Opposition 6 Years Ago
The Palm Coast City Council is considering a public service electric tax and an electric franchise fee to diversify revenue, build a new, $20 million public works facility and repave city streets.
88-Apartment Complex Planned Near Epic Theatres in Palm Coast’s Town Center, Start of City’s ‘Innovation District’
The three-building apartment complex will rise three stories and will be within walking distance of Flagler Palm Coast High School and Palm Coast City Hall.
State Attorney Drops Battery Charge Against Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley, Closing the Case
The domestic battery misdemeanor charge against Eric Cooley was dropped Friday morning after the prosecution failed to convince the alleged victim to cooperate, ending the three-month case against the Flagler Beach city commissioner and 7-Eleven owner.
Saint Kavanaugh
Whether Kavanaugh was confirmed or not is irrelevant: whoever’s next might be less personally sleazy, more temperamentally amoebic, but judicially? Same shill, different name.
St. Johns River District Was Barreling Into Flagler Beach’s Marshes to “Restore” Them. Then It Met Fierce Opposition.
With little notice, some haphazardness and many unanswered questions, the St. Johns River Water Management District was speeding toward a $500,000, 113-acre “restoration” of marshes at the south end of Flagler Beach, angering residents and businesses, who slowed the project.
Jon Netts for Palm Coast City Council, District 2
Jon Netts is running for Palm Coast City Council District 2, 2018 election.
Between Frittatas, Colonoscopies and Rebranding at Florida Hospital Flagler
Wally deAquino, Dean Abtahi and Issam Nasr, physicians at Florida Hospital Flagler, headlined a Common Ground breakfast this morning at Palm Coast’s Hilton.
Claiming Judge Moore-Stens “Abused” Her Discretion, Sheriff Staly Appeals to Circuit Court for Stay on Subpoena
Sheriff Staly and his office in a flurry of legal moves today attempted to quash a subpoena that would have him testify Thursday in Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley’s case of alleged domestic violence.
Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault
That urge to discredit accusers of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford is exactly why it takes so long for some to come forward in the first place.
Flagler County ‘Re-Hires’ Deputy Administrator Sally Sherman, Who Never Left: She Cost $99,000 in 7 Months as a ‘Consultant’
Sally Sherman “retired” and returned the next day with a $12,500 raise as a “consultant” so she could skirt the law requiring retirees to stay out of Flagler government work for half a year.
Attorney Calls For Gag Order on Sheriff Staly in Eric Cooley Case, Claiming Prejudicial Words
Palm Coast Attorney Josh Davis wants a court to muzzle Sheriff Rick Staly in the case of alleged domestic violence involving Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley. The sheriff is having none of it.
Three Suicides Averted in 2 Days As 911 Dispatchers and Deputies Defuse Chilling Situations
Over the weekend, authorities converged on three suicide attempts–by gun in Flagler Beach, by hanging and by cop off a county road in western Flagler, and by knife in Palm Coast’s K-Section.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 105, Palm Coast Rezoning, School Board Talks Security, Bunnell Containers
Another scorcher, the school board hears from a school-security group that emerged out of the Connecticut school shooting, Palm Coast talks rezoning.
2018 Flagler Jail Bookings, Sheriff’s, Bunnell and Flagler Beach Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2018 Flagler County jail bookings, commanders’ crime and incident reports, Flagler Beach and Bunnell police shift reports and archive.
Stand Your Ground Vigilantes
Instead of allowing the police to perform their jobs, some gunslingers hiding behind stand-your-ground laws take the responsibility of pursuing criminals upon themselves.
Palm Coast Council Would Rather Spare Dog Cooper’s Life. You Wouldn’t Know It
From Its Court Pleadings.
Palm Coast’s administration is is making its decision to kill Cooper the dog synonymous with the council’s preference. But it isn’t.
Pay Disparity: Many Flagler Government Employees Paid Less While Several “All Stars” Are Overpaid
A salary study found pay disparities between Flagler government and other governments, but also within Flagler government, where an “all stars” system is rewarding some employees far more than others.
For 2nd Time in 3 Weeks Man Pulls a Gun on Flagler Deputies, But No Arrest This Time
Flagler deputies were checking on a 33-year-old man who had been reported to be suicidal (possibly falsely). He came out of his house pointing a gun at the deputies.
Sheriff Investigating Death of Samantha Brewer, 30, in R-Section as Overdose Claims Another Life
Samantha Brewer had called a friend over from the C-Section. He was in the bathroom 4 minutes, when he returned, Brewer was unresponsive from an overdose.
Flagler Youth Orchestra, Accompanist to Generation of Students, Marks 14th Year With Open House Wednesday
Many thousands of students have enrolled in the free Flagler Youth Orchestra’s strings program through the years, with some 400 enrolling each fall. Its open house is next week.
For Palm Coast’s Boldest Stage in New Season, “Rocky Horror,” Satanic Puppet, and a Shrew
Palm Coast-based City Rep, always willing to do a Capt. Kirk and boldly go where few community theaters have gone before, will offer six productions in the coming season.
DUI Manslaughter Charge for David Zlokas in Death of Gary St. Peter in A1A Crash;
Bar Named in Lawsuit
David Zlokas and Gary St. Peter had just left Uncaged Tasting Room, the bar in the Hammock, when they crashed and St. Peter was killed. Zlokas faces criminal and civil actions.
Labor Day Briefing: Drug Court Steering Committee, OD Awareness Day, FPC v. New Smyrna, Gentile-Youd Loves McLaughlin
A candlelight vigil in observance of Overdose Awareness Day, the Drug Court Steering Committee meets, Flagler Palm Coast High meets New Smyrna Beach on the gridiron, and Labor Day quiet.
Time to vote: whatever your affiliation or non-party affiliation, there’s a ballot for you, Palm Coast discusses budgeting and pavement, Couch to 5K Challenge.