Some 1.3 million Floridians and millions more across the country will not lose their health insurance subsidies as the U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled decisively, by a 6-3 vote, that the subsidies are legal and must remain in place, even in states that have not established their own health insurance exchanges.
Backgrounders
Flagler Looking to Raise Tourism Tax For 2nd Time in Four Years Despite Surging Revenue
Flagler County wants to raise the local sales surtax on hotel and motel stays to 5%, from 4%, even though revenue has grown ten-fold over the past decade.
Flagler County’s Dust-Bowl Era Soil and Water Conservation Board Is Dissolved For Inaction
Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner ordered the 5-member elected board, established in 1937, dissolved for not complying with reporting requirements. It had not met in years.
County Rips Into Palm Coast Government Over Shackled Airport Water Deal
County frustration boiled into outright criticism of Palm Coast’s administration Monday as the city has yet to sign a deal both sides agreed to seven months ago, controlling water service at the county airport.
ISIS and Barack Obama’s Dumb War
Sending US troops back to Iraq to fight ISIS, Obama is doing what no American president has ever done before: re-start a war long lost. He’s doing it illegally, without Congressional authorization.
Don’t Panic: FPC Will Be the Scene of a Large-Scale “Active Assailant” Exercise Thursday
Emergency management is not releasing more detailed information than that because the aim of the exercise is to simulate a stressful emergency as close to the real thing as possible.
News-Journal Employees File Charges of Unfair Labor Practices Against New Owner GateHouse Media
The press room union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board on June 3, charging that GateHouse Media illegally abrogated their collective bargaining agreement and is trying to bust the union.
Childhood Cancer Clusters in Florida and The Department of Health’s Lethal Silence
Five years have passed since the University of West Florida’s Dr. Raid Amin and his team alerted the state to the presence of cancer clusters in Florida, the state Department of Health remains mum, seemingly uninterested in investigating the issue.
Palm Coast Resident Accused of Operating A Crack-and-Pot Operation in Bunnell
Tyrone Patterson, a 37-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R-section who was charged with child abuse in March, is being held on $720,000 bond for trafficking cocaine and growing pot near Carver Gym in Bunnell.
Judge William Parsons Is Resigning to Join Cobb Cole Firm in Daytona
Circuit Judge William Parsons, twice the chief judge in the judicial district that includes Flagler, will end 17 years on the bench to return to private practice next January.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.
Flagler Beach Confrontation Sends Man to Hospital and Splash Car Wash Owner to Jail
The fight at the he Shell gas station on State Road 100 in Flagler Beach sent Ricardo Mercado of Palm Coast to jail on an aggravated assault charge, and Roman Miroshnik to the hospital.
Florida Leads Nation in Boating Accidents With 70 Deaths; Coast Guard Releases Safety App
Features of the app include state boating information, a safety equipment checklist, free boating safety check requests, navigation rules, float plans, and calling features to report pollution or suspicious activity.
One Way to Lessen That Pain: Insurers May Not Charge for Anesthesia in Colonoscopies
Although the ACA health law made it clear that the colonoscopy itself must be free for patients, it didn’t spell out how anesthesia or other charges should be handled.
We’ve Been Flocked! All Flamboyance For Future Problem Solvers’ Fundraiser
It was fabulous to wake up to a flock of pink flamingos on our lawn, part of a fund-raiser for Flagler County’s Future Problem Solvers, who head for international competition in Iowa in June.
At Rymfire Elementary, A Medical Lab Radiates School’s Health, Fitness and Science Flagship
Rymfire Elemetary teamed up with Florida Hospital Flagler and the Education Foundation to develop a student-centered medical lab as part of the school’s health-centered flagship program, and showcased it to acclaim Tuesday evening.
How Health Care Blew Up the 2015 Session
Dramatic miscalculations and eagerness for showdown over health care derailed Florida lawmakers’ plans in the 2015 legislative session–impulses they must guard against if the special session is to go more smoothly.
Early Morning Flagler Beach Fire Levels One House, Guts Another, 5 Hospitalized, 2 Critical
Last Updated: 12:23 p.m. A fire that started around 2 this morning in a wooden house built on stilts at 208 Ocean Palm Drive leveled the house and spread to the house next door at 210, gutting it. The five occupants of the wooden house managed to get out but were all hospitalized, two of […]
Grand Jury Indicts Ex-Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks on 12 Felony Counts Over Secret Recordings
A grand jury that convened Tuesday indicted Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler County Supervisor of Elections on 12 felony counts of illegal interception and disclosure of oral communication, following a six-month investigation into allegations by county officials that she secretly and illegally recorded their conversations.
Hurricane, Terrorism, Evacuations: In Flagler Emergencies, These Are The People Who Hold Your Fate In Their Hands
The Flagler County Executive Policy Group is the most powerful local government panel you’ve never heard of, and its members make all key decisions in natural or man-made emergencies. They practiced this morning.
Palm Coast’s Tennis Phenom Reilly Opelka, 17, Goes Pro After Catching Agent’s Eye
Reilly Opelka, 17, caught the eye of an agent at Palm Coast’s Men’s Futures Tournament in January, and got an offer. He turned pro a week ago, skipping college for the tour.
Marketing 2 Go Celebrates 5 Years in New Digs at City Place in Palm Coast
Marketing 2 Go owner Cindy Dalecki took her new-media company from one employee to six and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting attended by some 200 people at City Place.
The Florida Legislature MessedUp. Ten Big Issues At Impasse and Beyond.
Lawmakers will come back sometime in May or June for a special session to negotiate and pass a budget. But with the 60-day regular session formally ending Friday, here is where 10 major issues stand.
It’s the Living Standards, Stupid: Britain’s Silent Election and Its Lesson For Democracies
As in the US, too many voters do not feel better off despite high growth and lower unemployment because average incomes have barely begun to rise, following seven painful years.
Teen Missing Since April 24 Is Found, But Stories Conflict Over What led Him to Leave
Rodney Fudge Jr., 15, says his father forced him to leave on April 24, while his step-mother claims that was not the case. Rodney had been staying at various friends’ houses.
Effective Altruism: The Meaning of Giving to Combine Head and Heart
The Effective Altruism movement consists of people who give to feel good and to do good, combining the head and the heart. Their aim is to do the most good they can with the resources that they are willing to set aside for that purpose.
662 Spaces Would Convert to Paid Parking in Flagler Beach in Panel’s Vast, Costly Proposal
Flagler Beach’s Ad Hoc Parking Committee, at work two years, will submit its recommendations Thursday to a special meeting of the city commission, with a focus on two options that call for paid parking either in city lots or throughout premium areas of the city, including A1A.
How George W. Bush and Benjamin Netanyahu Helped Iran Win the Middle East
Bush’s wars in the Middle East left Iran as the most influential actor in Iraq, while Netanyahu’s vulgarity and stupidity have fundamentally misunderstood the Iran challenge of regional mastery.
Your Guide to Summer Camps and Activities In Flagler Schools and Palm Coast
Flagler County Schools and Palm Coast Parks and Recreation offer summer camps and activities in June and July, including breakfast and lunch at school camps. Here’s a complete guide.
Monday Briefing: Last Day For Carver Center Auction, Your YouTube Arrest, More Brian Williams Trouble
The Carver Center auction closes at 7 p.m. tonight, make your last bids. The Florida House talks surveillance drones. The downside of police body cameras.
Three Encounters with Hillary
In three encounters with Hillary Clinton between 2004 and 2012, Bernard-Henri Lévy sees emotion and composure, the reflexes of an impeccable stateswoman and someone, he predicts, he will be addressing as Madam President next time they meet.
Tuesday Briefing: School Administrators’ Pay, Google’s Mobile Switch, and Abortion Waiting Periods
The Flagler County School Board is in day-long meetings and will be part of this evening’s senior scholarship awards banquet at FPC and the Auditorium. Stetson offers Handel’s Messiah. Another black man dies in police custody.
Proposal Allowing Concealed Guns in Schools, Largely Opposed By Flagler Board, Dies
Bills that would lead to guns at schools have traditionally faced an uphill challenge in the Senate, which is more moderate on such issues than the House.
You May Soon Shoot Black Bears: FWC Will Set One Week in October For Hunting
Hunting up to 200 black bears in Flagler and other parts of Florida would be allowed as part of a management plan as the state’s bear population of 2,500 is in increasing contact with its human population of nearly 20 million.
Last Patrol: Undersheriff Rick Staly Looks Back On 40 Years as a “Cop’s Cop,” and Forward
Undersheriff Rick Staly, who retires this week, took his last road patrol last Friday, an unusually quiet evening he spent driving and reflecting on his career and how law enforcement has changed since his first days as a cop in 1974.
Upon Further Review: Inside the Police Failure to Stop Darren Sharper’s Rape Spree
Nine women reported being raped or drugged by Sharper to four different agencies before NFL safety Darren Sharper’s capture. His Sharper’s rampage of druggings and rapes could have been prevented, according to a two-month investigation by ProPublica and The New Orleans Advocate.
As Rideshare Apps Like Uber Build Up Fares, Florida Senate Taps Insurance Requirements
As taxi and limo services call for stricter regulations on growing “transportation network companies,” the Senate has expanded an insurance measure to include a requirement for around-the-clock coverage on the vehicles of app-connected rideshare drivers.
Draft Lease With YMCA at Belle Terre Racquet Club May Be Ready in May, But First, a Trial
The Flagler schoolo administration has made steady progress toward a lease agreement with the YMCA to take over the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, but a negligence lawsuit hanging over the club since 2012 may be heading for trial at the end of May or in early June.
As Sheriff Defends Cops’ Body Cams, Public Defender Warns Of Untenable New Work Load
Public Defender James Purdy agrees with Sheriff Manfre that cops’ body cams are a valuable addition, but he says neither his nor the state attorney’s office have the manpower required to review the data being generated by the cameras, and the Legislature isntt about to provide more money or attorneys to help.
In Reversal, Scott Opposes Expanding Poor’s Health Insurance and Opens $2.2 Billion Budget Hole
Scott’s opposition means Florida would again forego $47 billion in federal aid over the next 10 years while fewer poor Floridians would have health coverage–and the state’s budget would lose $2.2 billion in current aid that federal officials will no longer provide to the state under its existing medicaid system, which falls short of federal standards.
Job Creation Slows to 126,000, Unemployment Rate Stays at 5.5%
Several factors have slowed the economy in the first quarter: harsh winter conditions, recession in Europe and a surging dollar, which hurts exports. Even lower oil prices, which have benefited consumers at the pump, have crimped investment in the energy sector, reducing job expansion there.
No Ice-Bucket Challenge Here: Staring Death Down, Ex-Teacher Fights ALS Her Way
Mary Ann Dominessy Reese, 62, of Plantation Oaks in Flagler Beach, was diagnosed with ALS in December. She has since started an awareness campaign that spread blue and white ribbons to the 50 states, Canada and England, and been raising money through such fund-raisers as last Saturday’s dinner for 120 people in her community.
My Surprise Visit From FDLE
FDLE interprets Beatles lyrics as a threat on Gov. Rick Scott, and Daniel Tilson, the columnist, gets a call investigating his intentions. He wonders if this is the way FDLE operates under Rick Swearingen, Scott’s hand-picked replacement of Gerald Bailey.
Barely Less Stingy, More Demanding Palm Coast Completes $30,000 Arts Grants Awards
The amount Palm Coast devotes to the arts remains woefully low, however—amounting to just 37 cents per year per resident. The grant program represents a paltry 0.11 percent of the city’s $28 million general fund budget.
Flagler Students From 6 Schools Collect 62 Awards at State Future Problem Solvers Competition
Some 35 Flagler County students have been invited to the competition’s International Conference this summer in Ames, Iowa. A list of the winners is included.
Deadliest State: Florida Roads Have Highest Bicyclist Fatality Rate in The Nation
Florida spent decades building roads designed to move commuters from homes in sprawling suburbs as fast as possible. Conventional wisdom says these roads were built for speed, not bicycles.
Benghazi Revisited: Private Emails Reveal Ex-Clinton Aide’s Secret Spy Network
Emails disclosed by a hacker show a close family friend was funneling intelligence about the crisis in Libya directly to the Secretary of State’s private account starting before the Benghazi attack.
Drugs, Weapons and Child Porn Lead to 3 Separate Arrests in Palm Coast and Bunnell
The Palm Coast teen had transmitted items flagged as child porn by the social media site Whisper, then was found to have 10 short videos of explicit sexual acts between adult men and pre-pubescent girls.
Palm Coast Teen Critical After Motorcycle Wreck On Lakeview Blvd.
A Palm Coast teen was critically injured in a motorcycle wreck at the intersection of Lakeview Boulevard and Laramie Drive in north Palm Coast just after noon today.
Scott’s Magical ‘Tax Cut Calculator’ Obscures Nation’s 2nd Most Unfair Tax System
As Gov. Scott touts minor tax cuts for consumers, you could ask why that $43 a year saved on the cable bill compares so unfavorably with the $3-4 billion in corporate tax evasion he and his legislative allies let Florida’s biggest, most profitable businesses get away with each and every year, writes Daniel Tilson.