Two Palm Coast men arrested in three days saw their drug-dealing charges complicated by felony child-neglect charges involving children ages 1 and 2.
Backgrounders
Floridian Wins 2nd Case at Supreme Court Over Arrest During Public Comment
Justices, in an 8-1 decision, sided with Fane Lozman, who filed a lawsuit against the city contending that the arrest involved retaliation for his outspoken criticism of officials in the Palm Beach County community.
Sheriff’s Potentially Sick Building Testing Done in 1 Day, Results Not Expected Until July
An environmental engineer Flagler County government hired to test the Sheriff’s Operations Center gathered some 30 air, soil and other samples in a one-day testing spree at the building.
Cruel and Usual Trump
The Trump-Sessions zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their parents at the border has no precedent except in America’s slavery times.
Five First Responders to the Pulse Massacre. One Diagnosis: PTSD.
“My head’s still not right,” said one paramedic who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting two years ago. He and some other responders say their departments haven’t given them the help they need.
291 Gun Permits Wrongly Issued, But Adam Putnam Says “Public Safety Was Not At Risk”
An employee stopped running background checks on hundreds of applicants. The problem led to heavy criticism of Putnam amid his campaign for governor.
Campaign Cash Fuels TV Ads for Adam Putnam and Philip Levine in Governor’s Race
As the leading fundraisers in their party primaries for governor, Adam Putnam and Philip Levine have an advantage over their rivals when it comes to reaching voters.
Trouble For 9 Ballot Proposals, But Homestead Expansion and School Board Term Limits Would Pass
Bans on offshore oil drilling and vaping in workplaces and restaurants, new ethics standard for public officials and voting rights to ex-felons would all fail.
Facing Life in Prison, George Wood Is Found Incompetent to Stand Trial; 2 Previous Guilty Verdicts In Question
Palm Coast’s George Wood, 32, was headed for trial on an armed burglary charge that could lock him up for life, and was sentenced to 10 years in February in separate trials.
Examining Budget, Commissioners May Increase Free Clinic and Family Life Center Funding
Commissioners Monday discussed county contributions to such organizations as the Flagler Free Clinic and the Family Life Center, level for years.
To Keep Sally Sherman, a $136,000 Employee, Flagler County Is Paying Private Agency $190,000
The bottom-line cost to taxpayers to retain Sally Sherman as a worker in Flagler government–totaling $258,554–is much higher than county officials originally conveyed.
Weekend Briefing: Porgy and Bess, Portugal Flag-Raising, Family Fun Day, USS Liberty, ‘What About Me?’
A Portugal flag-raising at Palm Coast City Hall, beach clean-up in Marineland, Porgy and Bess and the First Church of Palm Coast, Watson Realty’s Family Fun Day Summer Party.
Bunnell Short-Lists Six Men For City Manager, But May Have Violated Sunshine Law
The Bunnell City Commission short-listed six city manager candidates out of 18 outside of a public meeting, a method courts have found to violate the Sunshine law.
Booked on $180,000 Bond, Dollar General Armed Robbery Suspect Threatened Suicide
Gary Wayne Hodges, a 35-year-old resident of 21A Prosperity Lane in Palm Coast, who allegedly confessed to the armed robbery, threatened suicide before his arrest.
Is Your Car a Weapon? Supreme Court Leaning to Yes in Manslaughter Case
Under Florida law, the use of a weapon bumped up the manslaughter charge from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony, carrying a longer prison sentence.
Sheriff’s Operations Center Will Evacuate To Courthouse and Old Administration Building
The move out of the troubled building began as testing is scheduled in mid-June, but an environmental engineer cautions against expectations of black-and-white answers.
Deputy County Administrator Sally Sherman ‘Retires’ at $136,500, Returns Next Day at $149,000, Plus $330,000 Pay-Out
Flagler Deputy County Administrator Sally Sherman’s “retirement” is an extreme example of double-dipping and an end-run around a law that requires retirees not to work at their old agency for at least a year.
Palm Coast’s Frieda Zamba Pool Is Target of Three Smash-And-Grab Car Burglaries
Over $1,000 in merchandise was stolen as well as a seven-night vacation package, gift cards, and miscellaneous items, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Homeless Man Accused of Child Abuse and Assault Against 5 Children at Public Park
Matthew Edward Marro, A 22-year-old homeless man, faces 10 felony counts following a confrontation with children at a Bunnell park Sunday.
Domestic Violence’s Overlooked Damage: Concussion And Brain Injury
Survivors of domestic violence may be suffering largely in silence from the same traumatic brain injuries, memory loss and PTSD seen in veterans and athletes.
Palm Coast’s Epic Theatres Briefly Evacuated After Burnt-Smell Report
Epic Theatres in Palm Coast’s Town Center was briefly evacuated Saturday evening after a report of a burning odor in the area of the box office.
Life In Prison For William Schwarz, Drunk Driver Who Killed Kathy and Carl Boos in Flagler Beach
The sentence against William Schwarz was extraordinarily harsh, but also driven by his very lengthy record of drunk driving and other criminal arrests.
In Her Own Words: Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Reveals Anguish and Fears Over Sick
Building in Plea For Urgency
An internal sheriff’s investigation uncovers a three-page letter Detective Annie Conrad wrote Sheriff Rick Staly, urging that employees’ concerns of a potentially sick building be taken seriously.
Flagler Property Values Rise 7.5%, Best Since Recession, But Government Revenue Faces Shock
Higher values ease pressure on government revenue but a potential increase in the homestead exemption would reduce revenue by millions, absent tax hikes.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday in Flagler Beach, Synchronized Swimming Show, LGBT Pride
Flagler Beach’s increasingly popular First Fridays, assuming there’s no rain, the Synchro Belles put on a show, Flagler Volunteer Services put on a hurricane prep presentation.
Voices From the Grave
Maj. Sullivan Ballou’s Last Letter to His Wife
Maj. Sullivan Ballou’s letter to his wife, written a week before he was killed at Bull Run in 1861, is one of the great eulogies of sorrow and divided duty to nation and family. As a memorial to the victims of war, who include survivors, especially civilians, the letter has few equals.
Flagler Government Spent $1 Million on 3 Websites Since 2010, Wants $300,000 More In Next 4 Years
Flagler County government wants to spend $284,000 on a tourism website over the next four years. It has already spent $1 million on three websites in the past nine.
With Pastor Silano In Charge, Opioid ‘Task Force’ Attempts to Take Shape Free Of Candidate’s Hazier Motives
An “opioid task force” created in the shadow of County Commission candidate Joe Mullins’s campaign held its first meeting, with glimmers of potential substance on its future agenda.
Shirley “Bird” Blanton, 1928-2018
Shirley “Bird” Blanton, 89, of St. Augustine, Florida went to her heavenly home to be her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 20, 2018.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Wins Pro Tennis Title in France, 2nd on Circuit
Opelka previously defeated former Top 10 player Ernests Gulbis in the semifinals, and now has a lot of momentum heading into French Open qualifying.
Couple On Way To Their Own Kids’ Birthday Party Stop To Shoot Up Heroin, Causing Overdose
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy administered Narcan to help revive the overdose victim in the W Section. The man’s girlfriend had passed out earlier and revived.
Israel’s Mass Shootings
You can always depend on Israel periodically to mass-murder bunches of Arabs in proportions as lopsided and unforgiving as our own mass shootings in the U.S., then scapegoat the bloodletting.
Construction Brisk in Flagler and Palm Coast, Prompting Glimmers of Steady Boomlet
Brisk construction activity in Palm Coast and Flagler is sending building inspections soaring, reflecting healthy but not boom-like activity in the sector.
Wednesday Briefing: New Assisted Living on Cypress Point, Kids v. Plastics, FPC Spring Band Concert
The Flagler Palm Coast High band has its Spring Concert, Old Kings problem solvers had another kids’ town hall in Flagler Beach, Michelle Goldberg on the “grotesque spectacle in Jerusalem.”
On Trial For Husband’s Murder, Dorothy Singer’s Own Words and Fabrications Dig Deep Grave
Dorothy Singer, accused of murdering and burying her husband in their west-Flagler backyard, wove a web of lies to detectives and friends to explain her husband’s disappearance, as the jury heard today.
At Flagler Sheriff’s Ceremony For Fallen Officers, Feeling Pain Of ‘Loss Across the Nation’
Fagler County’s five fallen deputies over the years were recognized Monday evening, and the sheriff’s tactical center was renamed after Sheriff Homer Brooks.
Haspel, Spies and the Destruction of Evidence
The CIA official who ordered the destruction of videotapes that had documented the treatment of terror suspects, says he told Gina Haspel what he intended to do.
A Year Later, a Palm Coast Man Is Arrested in Hit and Run Crash That left Cyclist Critical On SR100
Michael Darryl Bailey, a 61-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was allegedly drunk when he struck cyclist Kerry Lee Milich on State Road 100 a year ago.
Flagler Palm Coast High Thespians Go Big With ‘Little Mermaid’ and Again Raise Bar
For Local Musicals
The $18,000 production of FPC “Little Mermaid” is, Like Matanzas’s “Sherk” last month, giving Flagler audiences a new look at high school musicals that have little to differentiate them from professional productions.
Rejecting Manager-Favored Secrecy, Mayor Calls For Open Interviews of Palm Coast Council Candidates For Nobile Replacement
Twice in recent years the Palm Coast Council held closed-door interviews for seat replacements, an approach favored by Manager Jim Landon and rejected by Mayor Milissa Holland.
Accusing Palm Coast of Making ‘Blatantly False’ Claims, County Talks Mediation and Litigation Over SR100 Development
A proposed commercial development on State Road 100 by the airport has county and Palm Coast government relations at their lowest ebb in years.
Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military With Advanced Weapons Training
A Marine who took part in the violent assaults in Charlottesville last summer underscores involvement of current or former service members in white supremacist groups, long a concern.
Supreme Court Unanimously Rejects Challenge to Red-Light Camera Enforcement
Justices said a local government could use a private contractor to review images — so long as a city officer makes the ultimate decision on whether to issue a ticket.
Jane Gentile-Youd for Flagler County Commission, District 4
Jane Gentile-Youd is running for Flagler County Commission District 4, 2018 election.
Thursday Briefing: Honoring FHF Volunteers, Shrek Opens, USA Gymnastics Regionals, Farm Swap and Music Jam, Sharpton March
Shrek the fabulous musical opens for general audiences at Matanzas’s Pirate Theatre, ROTC awards at the auditorium, Florida Hospital Flagler thanks its volunteers.
The Latest Assault on Food Stamps Holders
The draconian work requirement to receive food stamps could throw 1 million people off the rolls and cause more job losses than job gains.
AR-15s in Flagler Schools, Traffic Cops in Mustangs, New Marine Unit: Sheriff Staly’s State of Policing
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly spoke to some 75 people Thursday on a re-energized state of policing in Palm Coast and the county, summing up initiatives and coming developments.
A Palm Coast Resident Says “School Shooting” In a Facebook Video That Has Nothing To Do with School Shootings. Cops Show Up.
Tony Lagano, 35, was upset over a family court issue and alluded to a school shooting in a sarcastic Facebook video last week, only to be visited by sheriff’s deputies.
Scott Wants To Cut Medicaid Application Window From 90 Days To 30; His Savings Claims Are Challenged
The Scott administration’s cost analyses sometimes have not made sense to Medicaid experts or health and social-service providers in the trenches.
In Praise of Pops: Jax Symphony’s Palm Coast Picnic Returns in Salute To Bracing Favorites
The Jacksonville Symphony’s 11th Picnics and Pops concert with the Palm Coast Arts Foundation is an exploration of the worlds of pop music’s Mozarts.