Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy Cpl. Peter Descartes served a one-day suspension without pay last month following an internal investigation over allegations that he referred to a Black inmate by a racist slur in November. Descartes is himself Black, and denied using the term saying he used a different word that sounds similar.
Backgrounders
Cimmaron Drive Residents Clamor for a Sidewalk, Citing Dangers and Degradation of Walking and Biking Experience
It was a matter of time before Palm Coast residents would start complaining about Cimmaron Drive’s degradation and its impact on their ability to walk it, ride it or skirt its often indifferent traffic. That time is now, as Cimmaron Drive may become the city’s next Florida Park Drive headache.
Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton’s Evaluations at Year 2: One Brutal, One Good, 3 Glowing or Stellar
City Manager Matt Morton’s past year saw some of the city’s most challenging times during the pandemic, and some of its greatest successes, with the landing of two university campuses and the return of the city’s largest manufacturing company, with 300 to 400 jobs.
School Board’s Latest Fray Over LGBTQ ‘Hysteria’ Is Tense But Civil as Law Has the Last Word, Not Parents
Flagler school district officials explained that a student’s privacy–and sexual identity–may override a parent’s right to know about it as transgender matters again divided an audience of 70 and the school board in impassioned but mostly courteous debates at a meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Tiny Number of People Will Be Hospitalized Despite Being Vaccinated. We Have to Learn Why.
Experts say we should investigate “breakthrough infections” to look out for variants and understand who’s vulnerable. In many cases, that’s not happening. Crucial pieces of the puzzle are being tossed in the trash.
Are Mass Shootings an American Epidemic?
The most recent research on frequency of mass shootings indicates that, while still rare, they are becoming more common, though the exact number each year can vary widely, while the number of Americans who are victims of crimes involving a firearm approaches half a million a year.
‘Don’t Be a Holdout’: Flagler Aims for 1st In State in Vaccinations, With 40.7% Inoculated So Far and Youth Shots Ahead
Flagler County’s vaccine supply is now exceeding demand as health officials step up their outreach to restaurants, local businesses, schools and children 16 and 17 to get vaccinated in hopes of vaulting the county’s vaccination rate to the top of the state’s chart. Flagler is 7th or 8th best in the state in vaccinations.
Covid-19 Daily Data for Florida and Flagler: Cases, Testing, Locations, Hospitalizations and Deaths
Florida’s and Flagler’s complete daily reports by the Health Department of Covid-19 data including county-by-county infection numbers, testing, people monitored and deaths.
Palm Coast’s Sean Farrelly Sentenced to 30 Years In a Federal Case Misleadingly Termed ‘Sex Trafficking Of A Minor’
A federal judge sentenced Sean Patrick Farrelly, the former Palm Coast resident, to 30 years in prison for having enticed his girlfriend’s adopted daughter with money, alcohol, drugs and gifts a girl to have sex with him. Federal authorities classify the case as “sex trafficking.” Court proceedings shows otherwise–that Farrelly was a standard, brutal predator who cultivated a victim under his roof, fitting the profile of most sex crimes against children.
When Births Go Horribly Wrong, Florida Protects Doctors and Forces Families to Pay the Price
A Florida program designed to reduce doctors’ malpractice bills strips families of their right to sue, offering instead a one-time payment and promises to cover medical expenses. Some parents report a bureaucratic nightmare that’s anything but supportive.