The changes in the nuclear cost bill establish a series of benchmarks for a utility seeking to build a nuclear power plant to follow in order to impose pre-construction fees. But the amendment also removed a provision that would have required the companies to refund money if they halted their plans.
Backgrounders
Can’t Say It’s Not Producing: Flagler’s Economic Arm Lands 4th Firm in 11 Months
Gioia Sails South, a supplier of boat interiors for Sea Ray Boats, will move 30 jobs to Palm Coast and create 10 more in the coming year, the latest success for the county’s Economic Development Council.
Stop-and-Frisk in Bunnell Turns Into Brawl With Officers, and Threats of a “Hit”
Theodore Moore, 25, was observed by a Bunnell cop allegedly trespassing–near Moore’s home. The cop briefly pursued Moore and handcuffed him, finding a gun and contraceptive pills on him as Moore resisted his arrest and dared cops to Tase him as a crowd gathered in South Bunnell.
From Jackie Robinson to Jason Collins: Still Telling It On the Mountain
It will be Jason Collins’s misfortune to be labeled the “gay Jackie Robinson.” Like Robinson, he may have to endure a painful personal burden. But, argues Steve Robinson, history is less likely to view him as a pioneer than ask instead: “what took so long?”
Florida House Rejects $50 Billion in Federal Medicaid Help, Opting for Stingy Alternative
Florida’s rejection of federal aid for the expansion of Medicaid leaves the state with a bare-bones alternative to provide health care for the poor and uninsured while setting a defining marker against Obamacare and the federal vision of health care reform.
Militarizing the Border: Where Those Billions for More “Security” Will Go
The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement agencies last fiscal year, more than all other law enforcement agencies combined. Where would another $4.5 billion go? Here’s a closer look at what is being proposed, and how the government has spent (and often wasted) border money in recent years.
Flagler Beach Snuffs Out Discussion of Combining Fire Department With County
Flagler Beach City Commissioner had placed a discussion of consolidating fire departments on the agenda of Thursday’s meeting, only to have City Manager Bruce Campbell pull the item. Carney put the commission on notice that she wasn’t done.
Flagler County’s Budget Outlook Adds Up To $8 Million Gap and Likely Tax Increase
It’s difficult to see how Flagler commissioners will emerge from the budget process in September without either a substantial tax increase of one type or another or vast cuts in county services, though they began taking on sacred cows, such as consolidating fire departments.
France Becomes 14th Nation to Legalize Gay Marriage and Adoption in Historic Vote
The National Assembly voted today (April 23) 331-225, with 10 abstentions, to legalize gay marriage and gay adoption in France, making it the 14th nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, which remains prohibited in all but nine American states.
Publix’s Profitable Accommodation With Poverty: Not a Penny More for Tomato Pickers
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been trying for years to get Publix to join the Fair Food Coalition, in which suppliers and purchasers agree to pay the workers a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked. Publix won’t even meet with the workers.
In an Explosive Meeting, Bunnell’s Martinez Survives, 3-2, a Rogers Motion to Fire Him
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez survived getting fired on a 3-2 vote, with the unexpected support of one of his harshest former critics: Commissioner Bill Baxley, who was sworn in earlier this month on a promise of change.
Flagler School District Hones Its Sales Pitch for New Tax Ahead of June 7 Referendum
The Flagler school district is campaigning for the June 7 referendum on a new property tax for schools with a “You Decide” approach that emphasizes restoring time to the school day and reinforcing school security in spite of cuts in state funding.
Boston’s Home-Grown Terrorism: Echoes of London and Madrid
While hundreds of police officers pursued the 19-year-old during a nationally-televised rampage across Boston Friday, a former classmate recounted memories of the refugee who, according to counterterror officials, became a U.S. citizen on an ironic date: Sept. 11, 2012.
Flagler 911: Pot-Dumping on Colbert Lane; Commissioner’s Son Presses Charges Against Inmate
Two teens arrested after eluding a cop on Colbert Lane and allegedly dumping pot on the road; Bunnell City Commissioner John Roger’s son, in jail on a minor charge, is allegedly attacked by another inmate, who is charged with battery; the bomb squad is called out on Princess Geraldine Place; and more, including jail bookings.
The Peabody is Happy Together with Hippiefest
The Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach presents the 5th annual Hippiefest Festival and Concert Sunday, June 9 with the always-popular live music and street festival at 3 p.m. followed by the Happy Together Concert Tour at 7 p.m. with five of the biggest original headline artists and bands of the 1960’s.
Florida Voter Group Argues for a Free Speech Right to Secrecy and Unregulated PACs
The state says it is justified in requiring disclosures of information about political action committee contributions and expenditures. Plaintiffs, arguing their case before a federal appeals court Tuesday, say they should be free to express themselves on political issues without registering as a committee and filling out campaign documents.
Death in the Afternoon
It was that the death rattle. You’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it if we live south of the Mason-Dixon Line. This one broke the silence of a perfect Palm Coast afternoon. But an investigation proved to be a succession of decapitated assumptions.
Palm Coast’s Rock n’ Rib Fest Takes Town Center This Weekend
Rock N’ Rib will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 12, and from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at Palm Coast’s Central Park in Town Center. Admission is $3 per day (down from $20 per person per day last year). Children 12 and under get in free.
Invitation to an Execution
Larry Eugene Mann was executed at Starke state prison Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. by lethal injection. I traveled to Starke with a Catholic Church group to witness the vigils–pro and con–outside the prison grounds.
Should Teachers Be Able to Spy on Students’ Study Habits?
An electronic-textbook company called CourseSmart lets teachers track whether and how their students are reading assigned textbooks, allowing them to tack on “engagement index” scores to the students’ performance. It’s the latest form of intrusion in private habits driven more by marketing and gimmickry than good intentions.
Two Women, Caught on Video, Sought in Palm Coast Robbery; More Guns Drawn
Sheriff’s investigators are looking for two women caught on a home surveillance video where a burglary was reported; a hit-and-run at Grand Haven; a family quarrel ends in a gun being fired; death threats from a drunk man on Columbia Lane; and more. Includes jail bookings.
For Abuse Victims, Navigating Government Help Can Be Another Defeating Challenge
Using stories drawn from real-life cases, participants a Domestic Violence Summit for police agencies in Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putrnam counties tried to understand what it would be like to walk in the shoes of victims coping with the criminal justice system–and discovered the numerous obstacles victims face.
Bobby Pace, Acting Flagler Beach Fire Chief, Faces Felony Charge Over Falsified Records
Bobby Pace, installed as interim fire chief just seven weeks ago to replace Martin Roberts, who was fired, faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence and a misdemeanor charge for obstruction of justice. It is only the latest shock to a fire department riven by conflict that reaches into City Manager Bruce Campbell’s office.
FPC’s Culinary Students Audition, Through Dishes of Brash, For Their Day on TV
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s team finished ninth out of 50 schools at the Pro Start Culinary Team Competition last month in Orlando, a testament to a program that numbers 133 students and almost as many ambitions to make it to the big time.
Flagler 911: Palm Coast Man Accused of Raping His Wife; 4 Teens Arrested for Burglary
Chhom Chann, a 40-year-old resident of 15 Prosperity Lane in Palm Coast, is at the Flagler County jail on $100,000 bond, facing three felony charges, including sexual battery–otherwise known as rape–false imprisonment and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly forced his wife to have sex with him, tied her to a chair, struck her in the face and and cut off her hair against her will.
College-Acceptance Reckoning: Costs, Debt and Deception
Student fees have been something of a known irritant for years, often criticized as a kind of stealth, second tuition imposed on unsuspecting families. But such fees are still on the rise on many campuses. There’s nothing funny about how they can add up.
Flagler’s 10.3% Unemployment Is Lowest Since August 2008, Florida’s Matches 7.7% U.S. Rate
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell sharply in February, to 10.3 percent–from 11 percent the previous month–and matched its lowest level since August 2008. Florida’s unemployment rate also continued to fall, matching the national rate, at 7.7 percent, in February while adding 7,800 jobs. Flagler continues to rank among the counties with the highest unemployment rate, […]
1.7 Million Floridians Could Get Lower Premiums Under Obamacare, But Don’t Know It
The premium assistance, which begins Jan. 1, will come in the form of tax credits for low- and middle-income workers and their families. The money will flow directly to the patients’ health plans, which simplifies matters and means patients don’t have to come up with cash and wait for reimbursement.
As Local Governments Tackle Candy-Flavored Tobacco, Teen Trends Contradict Alarm
Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach have each passed a resolution asking merchants not to sell flavored tobacco products, which are especially appealing to youths, but teen use of tobacco products (including smokeless tobacco) has been on the decline since the mid-1990s.
Florida’s Two-Faced Feedback to Teachers: Do as We Say, Not As We Fail to Do
The Florida Department of Education expects its teachers to give immediate and detailed feedback to students on all work, yet the state will take three months to produce FCAT results, and it will do so without one iota of feedback other than a grade. Jo Ann Nahirny explores the hypocrisy.
For Helen Reddy, No More “Stupid Pop Songs” as She Takes Over the Auditorium Sunday
Helen Reddy, the woman responsible for the mega 1971 hit “I Am Woman,” that second-wave feminist anthem, doesn’t dance to anyone’s drum. At 71, she takes on stages and audiences as if it were still Seneca Falls.
Internet Cafe Ban Picks Up Steam as House Committee Closes In on “Skills” Loophole
The new law would end a gray area in state statutes used by operators of Internet cafes that the games are contests of skill and that the contests are similar to regulated sweepstakes offerings by places like McDonalds, Coca Cola, Chucky Cheese and churches.
Lt. Gov. Carroll Resigns as Internet Cafe Scandal Sweeps Florida–and Palm Coast
As Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were serving a search warrant on the Internet Cafe in the Home Depot shopping center, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was resigning in connection with the scandal, which has led to Allied officials’ arrests.
Sunshine Week: Improving State Legislatures’ Transparency
Think about the American Legislative Exchange Council’s secret lobbying in favor of “Stand Your Ground” legislation to at least 15 states. Lobbyists were backed by corporate special interests – a fact the public was left in the dark about. Additionally, there was little way to easily track how this law was passed in Florida. That’s just one example of the kind of copycat legislation peddled to state legislatures.
Abuse of Dispatch: When Calling 911 (Five Times) Lands You at the Flagler County Jail
Palm Coast’s Wesley Jackson, 26, called 911 to report property damage Saturday night, but allegedly kept calling, cussing out the dispatcher and the cop who showed up, and ended up arrested on a charge of abusing 911, a misdemeanor.
Sea Ray Boats in Palm Coast Benefits from Plant Closures Elsewhere, With Cautions
Consolidation will likely add to the payroll in Flagler County, and do so with well-paying manufacturing jobs. It also puts to rest, at least for now, worries that Sea Ray’s local plant would either close. But the company is facing tough economic headwinds even as it stock soars to seven-year highs.
Israel’s Apartheid Bus Lines
Israel’s transportation ministry gave in to Israeli colonists’ demands that they not have to ride buses with Palestinians, and started two segregated bus lines for Palestinians only.
Between Firings and Wrist-Slaps: How the Flagler Beach Fire Department Was Gutted
Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell fired the fire chief and four others while retaining Acting Fire Chief Bobby Pace, who falsified records, after a three-day suspension. Volunteer firefighters were hired in the others’ place to ensure that the city remains protected.
Repeat Folly: Florida Prepares to Boom Again By Busting Local Environmental Authority
Bills in the Florida Legislature would take away Flagler’s and other counties’ authority to ensure that development doesn’t sprawl without required infrastructure, and would virtually demolish environmental land acquisition programs. Milissa Holland argues that such bills make a mockery of local control.
From Bankruptcy to Granny Nannies: Navigating the Shoals of Long-Term Care
Long-term care insurance is expensive, but the costs of long-term care are far more so. The experiences of local residents and businesses contending ding with reality almost everyone will eventually face illustrate the dilemmas of aging in a society with a meager safety net. A special report.
What Researchers Learned About Gun Violence Before Congress Killed Funding
President Obama has directed the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence as part of his legislative package on gun control. The CDC hasn’t pursued this kind of research since 1996 when the National Rifle Association lobbied Congress to cut funding for it.
At Investiture of County Judge Melissa Moore Stens, A Few Tears, Some Advice and Pride
Melissa Moore-Stens, Flagler County’s first county judge not named Atack in 34 years, marked her investiture at the Flagler Auditorium Friday with family, friends and the counsel of judges, now her equal colleagues, including a few words on the etiquette of peeing as a judge.
Readying for Showdown With Residents, Palm Coast Nudges Slightly on Water Rates
Rather than impose a 22 percent water-rate increase over the next three years, the Palm Coast City Council might scale that back to 16 percent, but only by shifting increases to later years. The council is scheduled to approve a plan on Feb. 19 as public opposition builds.
Rebecca DeLorenzo Strengthens Chamber President Candidacy With New Designation
Rebecca DeLorenzo, the interim president at the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce and Affiliates, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Association leadership, the highest professional credential in the association industry. The designation burnishes her already substantial credentials as she aims for the permanent presidency of the chamber.
What an Ode to Farting, Drug-Dealing’s Benefits and the FCAT Have in Common
A Matanzas High School student who wrote a humorous essay on the health benefits of drug-dealing was threatened with a referral, though his teacher gave him a near-top grade: Jo Ann Nahirny explains how FCAT rewards dull, stupid and bad writing at the expense of creativity.
Palm Coast Cited Among Florida Cities Most Vulnerable to Climate Change in Latest Review
The federal National Climate Assessment just released names Palm Coast among four Florida cities vulnerable to sea level rises and other vulnerabilities to climate change. Flagler County has no comprehensive initiative locally to frame long-term climate-change policy collectively.
Parent at Old Kings Elementary Hires Full-Time Armed Guard at Her $12,000 Expense
Laura Lauria put up $12,000 just for the first two months’ cost of a full-time sheriff’s deputy at Old Kings, an arrangement carried out without the school board’s knowledge and outside normal policy and legal oversight, though school and sheriff’s officials welcome it–with caveats.
Only Mild Opposition as Palm Coast Council Prepares to Raise Utility Rates 22% in 3 Years
To avert a crisis with its creditors, Palm Coast will raise water and sewer rates 22 percent over the next three years, beginning with an 8 percent increase this March. Residents’ rates are increasing to ensure that the city’s debts can be paid.
Arming Teachers Isn’t Enough: A Proposal of Modest Caliber
The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre is proposing having an armed guard in every school. That’s insane, because it’s not enough: teachers, principals, librarians, counselors, bus drivers should all be armed, and of course children, too, should be armed.
John Thrasher, Travis Hutson, Plus One: Airing Out Flagler’s Legislative Delegation
The inaugural guests on Milissa Holland Live Friday on WNZF will be Holland’s ex-opponent Rep. Travis Hutson, and Sen. John Thrasher, as Holland hosts an informall follow-up to December’s at-times contentious legislative delegation meeting on short-term rentals and other issues of local concern.