Florida public schools, envious of the flexibility enjoyed by charter schools–and fearing a migration to charters–are launching a lobbying campaign in the legislature to relax some public school regulations like class size and school hours.
Backgrounders
Beyond Qaddafi’s Good Riddance
Chest-thumping illusions aside, there wasn’t much difference between the killing of Qaddafi and the killing of bin Laden, and America’s coddling of other Arab dictators carries on.
Cole Bros. Circus Comes to Palm Coast Trailing History of Violations and Animal Abuse Charges
Cole Brothers Circus owner John Pugh pleaded guilty in February to violating the Endangered Species Act and the circus was fined $150,000, and both face a long list of animal abuse and neglect charges from the USDA.
Class-Action Lawsuit Calls Florida’s In-State College Tuition Restrictions Unconstitutional
American citizens who’ve lived in Florida for years and have all the documents to prove it are denied in-state tuition rights the moment they can’t prove that their parents are lawful Florida residents–an unconstitutional form of discrimination against citizens, the Southern Poverty Law Center charges in the lawsuit.
School Uniforms as Contrived Regulation: 10 Answers to the Flagler School Board
School uniform FAQ: Nancy Nally, a local parent and writer, lays out 10 reasons why the Flagler County School Board should not adopt school uniforms. The board is discussing the matter later this afternoon.
Pink Armies Invade Flagler In Varieties Of Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns
The Flagler County fire department, Palm Coast government, Florida Hospital Flagler, schools and organizations are all in on raising awareness to battle breast cancer in October.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: School Uniforms Again and Andrew Young
The African American Cultural Society’s 20th anniversary celebration culminates with a talk by former UN Ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at Matanzas High’s Pirate Theater.
Flag-Pin Fanaticism in St. Augustine, Huxley’s LSD, Occupying Anger: The Live Wire
A graph-by-graph illustration of what the Occupy Wall Street crowds are angry about, Clint Eastwood’s Thelonius Monk, U.S. flag pins get banned in a St. Augustine hotel, and more.
The 99% Answer the 53%
In what has turned into one of the most virally circulated pieces of the year, Max Udargo explains the Occupy Wall Street movement to a conservative critic who calls himself part of the 53 percent.
Flirting With the Bizarre and the Unconstitutional, Bunnell Retains 4 Lawyers
A Bunnell city commissioner opened Monday’s commission meeting with a hard-core Christian prayer as seven lawyers, including the city attorney, looked on–and took the fifth on the matter, as most were angling for a contract with the city.
Penny Wise, Light Foolish: Palm Coast in the Dark In Reclamation of Ralph Carter Park
League organizers and parents are calling Palm Coast’s plan to charge youth leagues for field and light use at city parks short-sighted and counter-productive, given the leagues’ stabilizing effect on once-troubled parks such as Ralph Carter Park.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Local Legislators’ Annual Drive-By Natter
Sid Nowell’s job is on the line in Bunnell, Bruce Campbell’s job may finally become more permanent in Flagler Beach, the African American Cultural Society’s 20th anniversary celebrations all week, dire state revenue estimates, and more.
Occupy Jacksonville: Video and Reports of Saturday’s Occupy Wall Street-Inspired Protest
Occupy Jacksonville at hemming Plaza Saturday drew between 200 and 300 people, including participants from Palm Coast and Flagler County. Video of the protest, updates and pictures.
Elect Dennis Cross
Palm Coast City Council District 3
Dennis Cross for Palm Coast City Council District 3: his experience, platform and qualifications for Palm Coast City Council.
Re-Elect Holsey Moorman
Palm Coast City Council District 1
Holsey Moorman for Palm Coast City Council District 1: his experience, game plan and qualifications for Palm Coast City Elections. Re-elect Holsey Moorman.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Arts Galore, Taser Time and Creekside
The Flagler school board is set to approve Tasers on campus, the county commission talks sustainable farming, Palm Coast revisits the Palm Coast Park DRI (a major planned development) and three galleries have show openings Friday and Saturday.
Two Crashes a Day on Flagler Roads: DMV’s Annual Report Adds Up Grim Miles
In Flagler, there were 716 crashes in 2010, about two crashes a day, 11 percent of them involving alcohol. There were a total of 23 fatalities on Flagler roads, up from 16 in 2009 and 2007. A complete report of local and state crashes.
Rick Scott’s Rising Radicalism, Obama’s Failing leadership, Housing Pains: The Live Wire
Rick Scott’s Texas obsessions, poverty rising, death penalty barbarity in Georgia, housing forecast shows pain through 2015, Sarah Palin’s welfare state, and much more.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Tasers in Schools and Beach Preservation
The Flagler County School Board will consider reversing its four-year ban on Tasers in schools, the county offers up a $100,000-a-year post for an economic development director, Flagler Beach talks beach preservation, and more.
Palestinian Statehood: Deserved, Overdue, Inevitable
The Obama administration’s attempts to block Palestinian statehood at the United Nations scorn American ideals and pander to Israel’s insistence on denying Palestinians’ right to exist. The outcome will be ruinous.
Jon Netts, The 5% Mayor: Election Turnout Was Lowest By Far in City’s 11-Year History
Just 10.6 percent of registered voters turned out on Tuesday, which means that just 4.7 percent of Palm Coast’s voting-age residents made the difference in electing Jon Netts. The turn-out was worse than Bunnell’s and Flagler Beach’s recent city elections.
Incomes at Their Worst Since 1996, Poverty At a 52-Year High, Inequality Deepening
Florida’s poverty rate rose to the highest level in 16 years, with 3 million residents—one in six—living under the poverty line in 2010. Nationally, most economic and health insurance indicators are worsening to historic levels.
Jon Netts: The Live Interview
Jon Netts, incumbent mayoral candidate in the Palm Coast election, answers 12 questions and a few follow-ups on a broad range of issues. He faces Charlie Ericksen and Joe Cunnane.
Charlie Ericksen: The Live Interview
Charlie Ericksen is challenging incumbent mayoral candidate Jon Netts in the Palm Coast election. He answers 12 questions and a few follow-ups on a broad range of issues.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: An Election and the Gun to Governments’ Heads
A relatively quiet week if not for the Palm Coast mayoral primary, which is shaping into quite a contest. “The Laramie Project” opens at the Repertory Theatre, and the Palm Coast City Council will talk guns.
Palm Coast Mayor Poll: Make Your Voice Heard
Who are you voting for in the Palm Coast mayoral election? Netts? Ericksen? Cunane? None of the above? Take the FlaglerLive poll. Also: do you approve of the job Netts is doing? Of your choices in this year’s election?
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Budget Hearing Galore, Saturday at the Galleries
Several local governments hold public hearings on their 2011-12 budgets, the county commission takes on economic development again, the Flagler Youth Orchestra kicks off again, Hollingsworth and the Art League galleries hold show openings, and Tallahassee talks online bookings.
Door-to-Door Salesmen, Peddlers, Solicitors:
The Palm Coast Ordinance
The Palm Coast ordinance setting forth the regulations and penalties regarding solicitors, peddlers, door-to-door salesmen, solicitations and hawkers. From Chapter 35 of the Code of Ordinance, under “Nuisances, Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions,” Article III.
Texas-Size Holes in Gov. Rick Scott’s Boast Of Florida Job Creation as 2nd to Texas
Rick Scott called the rest of the nation’s job numbers “pathetic” compared to Florida’s, yet Florida ranks near the bottom in the nation on Gallup’s index of job creation, while its 70,000 new jobs in the past year proportionally rank the state below the national average.
Elect Jason DeLorenzo
Palm Coast City Council District 3
Jason Delorenzo for Palm Coast City Council District 3: his experience, qualifications and priorities for Palm Coast City Council.
Despite Raises, Average Teacher Pay Is Eroding Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Average teacher pay at the end of last year in Flagler was $48,067. Adjusted for inflation, it represents an 8.5 percent decline compared with pay in 2006. Take-home pay declined further this fall.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Budgeting Mysteries, Spy Cameras, Dogs in Restaurants
The Flagler County Commission tries again (and again, and again) to figure out what to do about economic development, the Palm Coast City Council awaits its manager’s latest budget presentation, Flagler Beach talks dogs in restaurants, Bunnell talks spy cameras.
Taxes, the Economy, the Stimulus: Separating Fiction from Fact
Answers to recurring questions of the day: what’s the state of the economy, are Americans really as overtaxed as they think they are, and what has the 2009 economic stimulus accomplished–or not?
Whiley v. Scott: Full Text of Florida Supreme Court Decision Invalidating Gov. Scott’s Rulemaking Edict
Full text of the Florida Supreme Court’s 5-2 decision in Whiley v. Scott. The opinion was unsigned.
IB Extended Essay Guide for Students
IB Extended Essay Guide: how to write the International Baccalaureate extended essay. A complete student guide with subject-specific examples.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: The Cost Of Elections, Garbage and Redistricting
The County Commission has another close encounter with Supervisor of Elections Weeks, the Palm Coast City Council talks garbage, the school board talks redistricting, Bunnell talks special events, and in Tallahassee, the governor and the cabinet meet while several redistricting hearings are held around the state.
Health Care Reform Ruling: 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2-1 Decision
Full text of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2-1 ruling on Aug. 12, 2011 overturning parts of the Obama administration’s health care reform law, in a case from Florida.
To Ward Off Senility, Make That Bed: UF Researchers’ Advice to the Medicare Generation
University of Florida researchers have used laboratory-based methods to objectively measure the amount of energy older adults use up as they go about their daily activities. Activity means less senility.
Why Palm Coast Doesn’t Want To Lower Your $239 Garbage Rate and Bid Out the Contract
Palm Coast skims off $700,000 from its annual $7 million contract with Waste Pro. Cheaper garbage rates for customers means less money for the city, which is partly why the city is resisting bidding out the contract.
Reminder: Florida’s Sales Tax Holiday Is This Weekend: Here’s A Guide
Florida’s Tax Free Days, or sales tax holiday, is scheduled this year for August 12 through August 14. The sales tax exemption applies to clothing and school supplies. A complete guide.
When France Has a Better Credit Rating Than the United States
What does it mean to the United States when France and Britain are considered safer destinations for investors by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor? It shouldn’t mean much. But it’s not always about what’s rational.
Garbage Cunning: Palm Coast May Skip Bidding Out $7.7 Million-a-Year Contract
The 5-year contract with Waste Pro is expiring. The city council Tuesday will discuss whether to renegotiate or go out to bid, though so far the city administration is signaling resistance to a bid process
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Garbage, Jobs and Nukes
The Flagler County Commission discusses Enterprise Flagler’s future, the Palm Coast City Council takes on garbage hauling, Bunnell debates adult video arcades, and the PSC takes on nuclear power construction costs.
Fact Check: The Economy By the Numbers
A sobering look at the real economy’s numbers broken down in easy-to-chew bullet points, from national to local numbers. Spam can not included.
Ex-Bunnell Commissioner Jimmy Flynt Faces State Ethics Violations on 3 Counts
Bunnell City Commissioner Elbert Tucker filed a series of ethics charges against Jimmy Flynt last August. Flynt faces fines of up to $10,000 on each of the three violations. Several others were thrown out.
Capital Punishment As a Crime More Dreadful Than Murder: Dostoyevsky on the Guillotine
The death penalty, in this passage from Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot,” is seen as a punishment mostly for what precedes it–and an indictment of those who impose capital punishment.
George W. Bush’s Debt, Thrasher’s $1.3 Million Home, Unnecessary Censorship: The Live Wire
What $15 trillion in $100 dollar bills would look like, Jason Alexander on the Netflix Relief Fund, Florida’s water problems–solved, When Lady Gaga is great, the Muppets’s tribute to Jim Henson, and more.
Auditions Set for Flagler Playhouse’s “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
The Flagler Playhouse will hold open auditions for their upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on July 31 and Aug. 1 at 6 pm at the Flagler Playhouse in Bunnell.
Flagler Fish Company’s Pet-Friendly Patio Expands Outdoor Dining
The Flagler Fish Company in Flagler Beach completed an expansion of their pet-friendly outdoor dining area.
Gov. Rick Scott on Impending Federal Government Shutdown: What, Me, Worry?
Rick Scott is unconcerned about the federal shut-down, saying its impact on Florida will be “minimal.” Much of the evidence says otherwise as millions of Floridians’ including Social Security and food stamps recipients, may be affected.