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Backgrounders

Only Half of Palm Coast’s Land Mass Has Reliable Cell Coverage, with Limited Relief Ahead

September 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

More needed. (© FlaglerLive)

For all of the city’s efforts since 2017 to improve cell coverage in Palm Coast, reliability is still a serious problem. Only 14 to 15 percent of the city’s land mass is getting fully reliable coverage. Less than 35 percent of the city is getting fair to mediocre coverage. A deficit of needed towers still looms.

Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri Makes Startling Move to Annex Malacompra Park: ‘Our Citizens Are Entitled to Their Own Beach’

September 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 71 Comments

The beach at Malacompra Park. (© FlaglerLive)

In a startling proposal that may revive city-Hammock conflicts dormant since the mid 2000s, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri on Tuesday said the city should consider annexing the county’s Malacompra Park so Palm Coast can have its own beach. The idea did not get a warm reception from fellow council members or others.

Flagler Beach Will Consider New Impact Fees for Fire, Police, Parks, and Library, and Higher Fees for Water and Sewer

September 12, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

It's been a rain of rooftops in Flagler County, but proportionately fewer have gone up in Flagler Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday will vote on what could be the single-largest tax increase on development in the city’s history. The city is considering adopting higher impact fees on water and sewer connection, and imposing new impact fees for police, fire, parks and recreation services, which it has not had until now. 

Dead White Males Return: Behind Florida GOP’s Push for Christian-Leaning Classic Learning Test Instead of SAT

September 10, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Dead white males return: Plato, Rousseau and Hamilton. (Wikimedia Commons)

The new Classic Learning Test has been pushed by conservative politicians and religious activists as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, and will now be accepted as a measure of admission in Florida colleges and universities. Of the 12 private institutions in Florida that now accept the CLT, 11 are religiously affiliated.

Should You be Worried About Monster Hurricane Lee? Models and Emergency Chief Say No, But Erosion a Concern

September 8, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Should You be Worried About Monster Hurricane Lee? Models and Emergency Chief Say No, But Erosion a Concern

For the last several days, Hurricane Lee, the most powerful storm of the season yet and a potential record-breaker, has been as if making a beeline for Florida, from the middle Atlantic. But models and Flagler County’s emergency management director say the hurricane in five days will make an abrupt turn north well before it comes near the Florida Peninsula. Still, the dangerous storm is expected to cause more erosion on an already weakened Flagler County shore, with hurricane season just beginning to peak.

With K-12 Health Standards Mum on Abortion, Younger Floridians Seek More Influence Ahead of Court Case

September 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Abortion rights-activists with Occupy Tally gather on April 14, 2023 to protest a a recently signed six-week abortion ban. Credit: Danielle J. Brown

The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Sept. 8 on the abortion issues and could reverse the course the court set more than 30 years ago. Some young Floridians are turning to the future of reproductive freedom in Florida, as through Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group that launched a pro-abortion initiative to add a constitutional referendum on reproductive freedom to the November 2024 ballot.

Witnesses Say C.J. Nelson Jr. Had ‘Handled’ Jammed Gun Before Shooting of 18-Month-Old Girl

September 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

C.J. Nelson Jr.

C.J. Nelson Jr., the 21-year-old resident of 2 Ranwood Lane arrested the night of the fatal shooting of an 18-month-old girl at that house Sunday, was said by “more than one” witness in the house that he had been handling the gun that fired the fatal shot, and that he had described the gun as “jammed” before the shooting, according to his arrest report.

Sheriff’s Michael Breckwoldt Demoted to Corporal Following Investigation of Drinking Incident at Finn’s Bar

August 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Michael Breckwoldt, circled in red by the Flagler Beach police detective who originally investigated the case, in a still from surveillance footage at Finn's bar the night of May 26.

Michael Breckwoldt, the 20-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office who was in charge of the agency’s narcotics unit until last May, was demoted from sergeant to corporal and placed on last-chance probation for a year and a half as a result of an incident at Finn’s Beachside Pub in Flagler Beach, where Breckwoldt’s drinking led to “offensive behavior,” in violation of agency policy, and where he behaved in an unbecoming way toward patrons.

Hurricane Idalia: Tropical Storm Impact in Flagler Wednesday as Schools Will Close and Shelter Open at Rymfire

August 28, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

hurricane idalia

Hurricane Idalia will make landfall in western Florida Wednesday and rapidly transit across the state, impacting at least western Flagler County with tropical storm force winds and rain. Flagler County schools will be closed Wednesday. A combined general population and special needs shelter will open at Rymfire Elementary in late afternoon Tuesday.

Deep Disagreements Remain Between School District and Cities and Builders Over Enrollment and Impact Fee Dues

August 25, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

William Whitson, the district's intergovernmental planner

Are Flagler County’s public schools adding students? Will the district need to build new schools? Should it be drawing money from developers today even though it has no certain plans to build schools yet? Those questions were asked and answered with varying degrees of certainty and a lot more disagreements on Thursday in the latest meeting of a joint committee of local government representatives in charge of reviewing how much money developers are required to pay to defray the cost of new school construction. 

School Officials Forcefully Denounce ‘Segregation’ Assembly But Steps Ahead Are Vague Beyond ‘Conversations’

August 24, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore has taken a commanding role in her response to the segregation assembly at Bunnell Elementary last week. She was flanked by the entire membership of the school board at a news conference this morning, with Chair Cheryl Massaro and Collen Conklin, above. (© FlaglerLive)

The denunciations were forceful and Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore’s air of command over the most serious crisis of her tenure as interim was evident at a press conference this morning. But the steps ahead, beyond community meetings, more encounters with parents and students, and talk of “professional learning” with school employees, are far less clear even as the district positions itself against potential litigation.

Bunnell Principal Donelle Evensen on Administrative Leave as District Faces Fallout of Segregated Assembly

August 24, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

Donelle Evensen, the principal at Bunnell Elementary School for mere weeks, was placed on paid administrative leave today, and Superintendent LaShakia Moore asked that a three-hour board workshop scheduled for today, where she was to be interviewed for the permanent job, be postponed.

Black Students at Bunnell Elementary Are Told Of ‘Early Grave’ If They ‘Clown’ Around and Don’t Perform

August 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 73 Comments

Bunnell Elementary's Black 4th and 5th graders on Friday were singled out in two assembles, told that if they didn't bring up their test scores, they could end up in jail, shot or dead, they were paired off to compete academically against each other, and the winners would get McDonald's and Chick-fil-A. Parents were never told. Donelle Evensen, the principal at Bunnell Elementary, posted the above picture on her Twitter (or X) feed the morning of Aug. 18, with the message: "Thank you to Mr. Hines, Ms. Steed, Mr. Gabriel for loving our students and challenging them to be their best self!!" The screen shows the bracketed competition that was to pair off students against each other.

Bunnell Elementary’s Black 4th and 5th graders on Friday were singled out in two assembles, told that if they didn’t bring up their test scores, they could end up in jail, shot or dead, they were paired off to compete academically against each other, and the winners would get McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A. Their parents were never told. Parents are outraged. The superintendent acknowledges that while raising test scores is essential, the situation was mishandled.

Palm Coast Approves Doubling Housing Units to 845 at Lighthouse Harbor on Colbert Lane, Part of Future ‘Village’

August 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

Lighthouse Harbor in marina Village, off Colbert Lane, would literally be a small village of some 850 houses, town homes and apartment units built around a marina, with public-space components that would welcome visitors.

The council approved several deviations from the Land Development Code to accommodate the developer, which is part of the Marina Village collection of developments. Between Marina del Palma’s 615 units to its immediate north and a 240-unit apartment complex immediately to the west of Colbert Lane, the cluster of new developments will add 1,400 housing units.

Flagler County Jail Wins National Innovation Award for Initiatives Preparing Inmates’ Re-Integration

August 19, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Chief Engert. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s jail has been awarded the 2023 Innovation Award for medium-sized facilities by the American Jail Association. Sheriff Staly, Court and Detention Services Chief Dan Engert, and other Detention Services members accepted the award at AJA’s 42nd Conference and Jail Expo in Omaha, Nebraska during the awards banquet.

300-Unit Apartment Complex Going Up Next to Imagine School at Town Center, One of 2 Planned There

August 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

Arendering of what would be a four-level apartment building at Legacy Apartments near Imagine School at Town center.

A high-end, gated, 300-unit apartment complex is going up on the 27-acre squarish parcel across the street from Imagine School at Town Center. It is to be the first of two such apartment complexes in that area. The complex is to be called The Legacy at Palm Coast Town Center.

From Pier to Walkovers to Sea Walls to Paving and Dunes, an Update on A1A’s Numerous Projects Ahead

August 16, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

The (normally) buried sea wall at the north end of Flagler Beach after Hurricane Ian last September. It has since been re-buried in sand. A similar sea wall will be built at the south end of Flagler County's shoreline, an area that has sustained repeated and severe erosion. (© FlaglerLive)

As the Florida Department of Transportation, Volusia County, Flagler County and the City of Flagler Beach continue to move forward with several projects along State Road A1A, the transportation department today issued the following update on the numerous projects ahead, with relevant links to each project details.

Congestion Ahead: Palm Coast Approves 4-Laning of Old Kings North and 7 Safety Projects on Belle Terre Parkway

August 16, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

belle terre parkway improvements

Get ready for some new traffic disruptions around some of Palm Coast’s busiest arteries: Old Kings Road North, just past Kings Way, and along Belle Terre Parkway from south of Buddy Taylor Middle School to Royal Palms Parkway as construction crews take on a series of critical road improvements that, once done, will make traveling safer and swifter.

Homeowner, 85, Arrested on Murder Charge in Shooting Death of Mark Ruschmeier, 36, in Long-Running Dispute

August 14, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

The Flagler County Sheriff's Crime Scene Investigation unit in front of 20 Blare Drive in Palm Coast nearing noon today, as it investigated the early-morning homicide there. (© FlaglerLive)

Charles Kidd Jr., 85, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge this afternoon following the early morning shooting death of 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier, who has lived with Kidd at Kidd’s Blare Drive home in Palm Coast’s Woodlands for at least a decade.

Time for Flagler County Government To Appoint a Citizen Advisory Group

August 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

They can use the help: the Flagler County Commission. (© FlaglerLive)

As Flagler County government appears to flail between budget shortfalls and a call for a new tax, it may be time for the county to do what St. Lucie County has been doing for years: appoint a citizen advisory group of resident volunteers with business experience to review future budgets and advise the commissioners.

School District’s Cost for Security at Alternative School with 2 Teachers and 25 Students: $142,500

August 11, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

A Flagler County Sheriff's deputy at a protest outside the Government Services Building before a School Board meeting two years ago. It's been a bit calmer since. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County school district is paying $142,500 a year for security at its relatively new alternative school on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School–an alternative school with just two teachers and an average of 20 students per quarter, some of them virtual, and that operates only four days a week.

Flagler Schools Drop AP Psychology as State Sends Conflicted Signals Over Gender and Sexuality Unit

August 10, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, would “preempt” regulation of vacation rentals, including licensing and inspection, to the state.

In Flagler County, where students returned to school today, AP Psychology, one of the more popular courses in Flagler Palm Coast High School’s accelerated curriculum, will no longer be taught. Students have been automatically shifted to the IB course in a pre-emptive move against the state’s conflicting messages about whether the AP course was legal to teach in its entirety of not, and a local school board with members eager to fuel the state’s culture wars.

DeSantis Ousts State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Black Democrat Elected with 67 Percent of Vote

August 9, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 45 Comments

Monique Worrell, a Democrat, was elected State Attorney in 2020 with 67 percent of the vote. (Facebook)

Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected prosecutor. This time it’s Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, in Orange and Osceola counties, a Democrat who was elected in November 2020 and is the second African American to hold the position.

County’s Sales Tax Hike Rings Hollow as Attorney Defends Commissioner’s Unilateral Request for Delay

August 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

County Attorney Al Hadeed, from where he usually sits during commission meetings. (© FlaglerLive)

Reeling in a school’s worth of red herrings, County Attorney Al Hadeed today fervently defended the authority of County Commissioner Dave Sullivan to ask Flagler Beach government a week and a half ago to pull from discussion a request from the County Commission for support of a proposed increase in the sales tax.

Sheriff’s PAL Is Not Taking Over Carver Center Or Changing Its Name, County and School District Assure Community

August 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

The Carver Center in Bunnell is a lot more than a community center to its neighboring residents. (© FlaglerLive)

Contrary to rumors and fears, the Flagler Sheriff Police Athletic League is not taking over the Carver Center in South Bunnell, nor is the Carver Center losing its name, its governing structure its staffing by the school district, the chairman of the Flagler County School Board and the county administrator say. But PAL is seeking to have a significant presence there.

REDIRECTED: Homeowner, 86, Arrested on 2nd Degree Murder Charge in Shooting Death of Mark Ruschmeier, 36, in Woodlands

August 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The Flagler County Sheriff's Crime Scene Investigation unit in front of 20 Blare Drive in Palm Coast nearing noon today, as it investigated the early-morning homicide there. (© FlaglerLive)

Charles Kidd Jr., 86, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge this afternoon following the early morning shooting death of 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier, who was has lived with Kidd at Kidd’s Blare Drive home in Palm Coast’s Woodlands for at least a decade.

Child Nicotine Poisoning Hit All-Time High as Vapes Flood the Market

August 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

vaping children

Cases of vaping-related nicotine exposure reported to poison centers hit an all-time high in 2022 — despite a 2016 law, the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act, that requires child-resistant packaging on bottles of vaping liquid. In what doctors call a major oversight, the law doesn’t require protective packaging on devices themselves.

Army Corps Issues Permit Notice for New, 828-ft Flagler Beach Pier, Detailing Construction and Seeking Public Input

August 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

The old Flagler Beach pier may soon be a construction zone. (© FlaglerLive)

In what one of the designers of Flagler Beach’s new pier described as “a big milestone in the federal regulatory process,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued notice that it is reviewing the permit application for the new pier, and soliciting public comment about detailed construction plans that had not been disclosed until now.

Without Evidence of Wrongdoing, Palm Coast Council Orders Expensive, Unprecedented Forensic Audit

August 2, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Ken McDowell Tuesday evening "demanded" that the Palm Coast City Council conduct a forensic audit of city finances, and the council agreed. (© FlaglerLive via Palm Coast TV)

The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday evening agreed to an unprecedented and very expensive forensic audit of city finances, the sort of audit usually predicated on suspicions of wrongdoing, despite a lack of evidence of any wrongdoing and routine, annual audits and a finance department that just as routinely wins annual awards for transparency. The council was responding to public demands driven more by ideology and general dissatisfaction than facts.

Health Care’s Familiar Symptoms: GOP Wants Less Regulation, Democrats Want More

July 30, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

gop democrats health plans limits

GOP health plans would allow more employers to bypass the landmark health insurance overhaul’s basic benefits requirements and most state standards. Democrats want to limit short-term plans’ length before people go into ACA plans. Meanwhile, many still struggle to afford deductibles or other costs.

Teron, in 2nd Trial, Is Guilty on All Charges of Raping 7-Year-Old Niece; Will Be Sentenced to Life in Prison

July 28, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Monserrate Teron will be sentenced to life in prison. (© FlaglerLive)

In Monserrate Teron’s second trial in six weeks, a jury of four men and two women today found the former Army nurse guilty of raping and molesting his 7-year-old niece at his Palm Coast home in November 2019. The jury deliberated three hours, its decision finally, clearly clinched by the testimony of the child, now 11, whom Teron had victimized for years.

Flagler County Uses False Information as It Asks Cities to Support Increase in Sales Tax

July 26, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

County government's claims are off. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government is disseminating false information about the proportion of the local sales tax paid by visitors as it seeks letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach to increase the county’s sales tax by half a percent.

District Breaks Ground on Two-Year, $22.6 Million Matanzas High School Expansion

July 24, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

The groundbreaking scene. (Jason Wheeler/Flagler Schools)

The $22.6 million project is the largest on a Flagler school campus in a decade and a half, adding 20,000 square feet, including classrooms, and renovating 11,000 square feet over the next two years.

Now DeSantis Is Going After Bud Light Maker Over Transgender Promotion

July 23, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

There may or may not be a Bud Light in there. (© FlaglerLive)

Pointing to concerns about a hit to Florida’s pension fund, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to know if the state can take legal action against beer company AB InBev, which has been embroiled in a controversy involving transgender social-media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Florida’s Magical Negro History Standards

July 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

"America," by Edward William Clay (1841), shows an idealized portrayal of American slavery and the conditions of blacks under this system in 1841

We now have the Magical Negro elevated to an entire curriculum. It’s Florida’s African American History standards. The standards are an excellent illustration of what American history looks like through white eyes, and how whites are the best thing that ever happened to Black people, who apparently should worship the Middle Passage down the chains of their ancestry. 

Confrontation and Felony Charge Over a Private Walkway and a Seawall Point to Erosion of Different Kind

July 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 27 Comments

Jason Wiles, a beachside resident north of Flagler Beach–and the husband of an assistant county attorney–faces a felony battery charge after a confrontation with a neighbor over a private walkway. The incident is illustrative of new kinds of tensions becoming part of beachside norms as recurring consequences of rising seas erode more than just shorelines: the fabric of beachside culture is also fraying.

Jury Finds Nysean Giddens Not Guilty in Overdose Drug Death of Shaun Callahan, 1st Such Acquittal in Flagler

July 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

After deliberating nearly four hours, a 12-member jury this afternoon acquitted Nysean Giddens, 25, of first degree murder in the overdose drug death of Shaun James Callahan, 37, at his Palm Coast home in September 2020. It is the first time a person charged with murder or manslaughter in an overdose death in Flagler County was found not guilty at trial.

Tone-Deaf Flagler County Wants Palm Coast and Other Cities to Support Sales Tax Increase

July 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

County Commissioner Donald O'Brien, left, says the county would assume all the political risk if it were to approve a new sales tax, while Commissioner Dave Sullivan said the proposal will need all the city's support if it is to fly. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission will seek letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to raise the county’s sales surtax to 7.5 percent and generate an additional $10 million that would be shared between the four governments and used at their discretion. Palm Coast’s answer may well be: Read the room.

Flagler County Faces a $5.6 Million Deficit in Road Costs Over Next 5 Years; Gas Tax Is Tapped Out

July 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

A county road in Rima Ridge, at the south end of Flagler County. (Flagler County)

Flagler County government is facing an estimated $5.6 million deficit in the next five years in the required local match for nearly a dozen road projects the state Department of Transportation is financing. That’s in addition to a need for $2.6 million in annual dollars for maintenance of the county’s roads. The County Commission is planning to approve only $2 million next year.

Verdict in Teron’s 2nd Trial Means Life in Prison or Acquittal as Judge Prods Lawyers Toward Last Plea Attempt

July 14, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Monserrate Teron at the end of his hearing in court this morning. He will again go on trial on July 24. (© FlaglerLive)

Weeks after a hung jury and days from Monserrate Teron’s second trial on capital charges of raping his 7-year-old granddaughter, a judge today spurred lawyers on both sides to give a plea deal one more go, but chances of such a deal are slim. The trial begins July 24.

Yes, There Is a Free Lunch

July 14, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

The paradox of generosity in a society cruel toward its poorer half. (© FlaglerLive)

Step back a moment and take stock of the paradox. On one hand a community can and should take pride in its willingness to rally for those in need. On the other hand, there should not be such things as food drives–not in a country that presumes itself wealthy and civilized. There should not be food insecurity, period. Basic nutrition is a human right, as ought to be universal food assistance where necessary and free school meals whether necessary or not. 

Mayor David Alfin and Dr. Steven Bickel’s Arm-Wrestling Match Will Launch $1 Million Food-A-Thon

July 14, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

bickel alfin food a thon 2023

Dr. Stephen Bickel, the medical director at the Flagler Health Department and the county’s leading philanthropist, will arm-wrestle in a best-of-three match with Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to launch this year’s $1 million Food-a-Thon, an effort to raise $200,000 that will e leveraged into $1 million worth of food for needy families, through Grace Tabernacle Food Pantry.

Flagler County Library’s Budget, Hours and Staffing Shrunk as Population Increased 25%

July 10, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

flagler county library

Flagler County’s population has increased 25 percent since 2010, but the budget of the county library has shrunk 3 percent when adjusted for inflation, the library’s hours have been cut, it’s lost staffing and its materials budget has declined.

District Looks to Get Past Turmoil at Wadsworth Elementary with Amy Neuenfeldt as New Principal

July 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Amy Neuenfeldt, a former assistant principal of the year, is the new principal at Wadsworth Elementary. (Flagler Schools)

A month after the termination of Paul Peacock’s principalship at Wadsworth Elementary School, Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore today appointed a new principal for Wadsworth, the third in as many years: Amy Neuenfeldt, the county’s 2021 assistant principal of the year.

County’s Heidi Petito Gets Strong to Glowing Evaluations, at Least From Those Turned In

July 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito, center, with state Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, left, and Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord last October, around the time she was celebrating the completion of her one-year anniversary as the permanent county administrator. (© FlaglerLive)

County Administrator Heidi Petito got glowing evaluations from Commissioners Greg Hansen and Dave Sullivan, and a less glowing but strong one from Andy Dance. Donald O’Brien didn’t bother turning one in, and Leann Pennington wasn’t allowed to fill one out, being told that the evaluation window didn’t coincide with her tenure on the commission.

Ms. Cheryl: Why I Am Leaving the Flagler Youth Orchestra

July 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 93 Comments

Ms. Cheryl, center, in the 50th and last concert of the Flagler Youth Orchestra at the Flagler Auditorium in May. (© FlaglerLive)

“As of today I am no longer the director of the Flagler Youth Orchestra,” writes Cheryl Tristam, ending an 18-year relationship with the school district program she led since 2005. “It isn’t what I wanted to do. But the conduct of some of our school board members toward me personally and toward the program leaves me no choice.”

Flagler and Palm Coast July 4 Holiday Schedules, Travel and Safety Advisories

July 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

independence day holiday advisories flagler palm coast

Independence Day this year falls on a Tuesday, slicing through the earlier part of the week and creating a checkerboard of work schedules and closed offices. The one constant are safety and travel advisories. Here’s a  run-down.

How Often Do Health Insurers Say No to Patients? No One Knows.

July 2, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Impenetrable: your insurance claim is somewhere in there. (© FlaglerLive)

Insurers’ denial rates — a critical measure of how reliably they pay for customers’ care — remain mostly secret to the public. Federal and state regulators have done little to change that.

Un-Achieving Brown v. Board of Education

June 29, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 47 Comments

affirmative action decision

It took 69 years, but today the U.S. Supreme Court took its revenge on Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that cracked the door a smidge to desegregating schools. It did so in a vengeful, cynical decision re-inventing color-blindness in an America where only whites wear the blinders.

Flagler Beach Selects Five Finalists for City Manager, Some With More Baggage Than Others

June 28, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Imagine if there was that much excitement for the next city manager. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Beach City Commission in a 20-minute special meeting Tuesday evening narrowed its list of city manager candidates to five finalists. They will be invited to interview with commissioners and meet the public on July 13 and 14. The finalists are Dale Martin, Todd Michaels, David Williams, James Gleason and Howard Brown, whose backgrounds are detailed.

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