Though Robinson was a fierce competitor, an outstanding athlete and a deeply religious man, the aspect of his legacy that often gets glossed over is that he was also a radical. Celebrations of his career risk downplaying his activism during and after his playing career.
All Else
Sheriff’s Office Is Flush With New Deputies, a New Operations Center and a New Mobile Command Center Ahead
The sheriff’s annual address gave him a chance to boast of a crime index 53 percent lower than when he took office in 2017, to summarize the past year in policing, explain current initiatives and project some of what’s ahead, including the big-ticket items–a new mobile command center and the opening of the Sheriff’s Operations Center later this year–and another big ask from the County Commission.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 15, 2022
Good Friday has courts, schools (for students, not teachers, who have a workday), county, city and law enforcement offices closed. Time to use the day to make good on your Carver Center auction bids.
Elon Musk Claims Twitter’s Better Off Going private. Corporate Governance Experts Disagree.
A big problem with private companies is they lack the safeguards of public corporations – like outside ownership and independent oversight. As such, they escape the scrutiny of these public overseers. The CEO of a public company is subject to an array of constraints and a varying but always substantial degree of oversight. Not so the CEO of a privately held company.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 14, 2022
Sheriff Rick Staly holds the fifth annual public Addressing Crime Together meeting this evening, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, remembering Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” and Eugene Debs’s famous speech on justice.
When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A 1st Amendment Scholar Explains
Government actions that some may deem censorship – especially as related to schools – are not always neatly classified as constitutional or unconstitutional, because “censorship” is a colloquial term, not a legal term. Some principles can illuminate whether and when book banning is unconstitutional.
Palm Coast’s Belle Terre Park and Frieda Zamba Pool Need ‘Total Rebuild,’ But Council Is Wary of Another Expansion
Palm Coast with Belle Terre Park and its Frieda Zamba Pool is in the same boat as the school district with its nearby Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club: both facilities are on their last legs and need millions in repairs or construction, but the two agencies have yet to discuss cooperation. On Tuesday, Palm Coast council members were taken aback by the extent of the needs at Belle Terre Park.
Seven Years On, a Judge Signs Off on Legality of Florida’s 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion
After nearly seven years of legal battling, Judge Angela Dempsey issued a ruling Friday that upheld the constitutionality of a 2015 law that called for women to wait 24 hours after initial visits with physicians before having abortions.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 13, 2022
The quarterly Public Safety Coordinating Council is today, the annual George Washington Carver Foundation Auction, pre-trials in circuit court, Eudora Welty on Dick Cavett.
Half a Century of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
“Jesus Christ Superstar” set off controversy from the start. Composer Lloyd Webber has recounted how London producers initially regarded the 1971 project as “the worst idea in history.” Many religious audiences viewed the play with deep suspicion for what they considered an irreverent approach, questionable theology and its rock ‘n’ roll-influenced score.
Splash Pad Boondoggle at Holland Park: Council Considers Suing Builders and Scrapping $5.1 Million Amenity
Palm Coast’s much-vaunted $5.1 million splash pad at Holland Park It opened for barely a few weeks before failing twice, closing the second time in July and soon closing for good. The failure is causing the city to threaten a lawsuit against the contractor and designer of the splash pad and consider scraping off the whole thing and replacing it with more traditional, less breakdown-prone amenities.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council talks unsplashing splash pad, the Flagler County Planning Board has a long agenda, voter turnout in other countries, John McWhorter’s “Woke Racism.”
Understanding the Reactionary Realignment Behind the French Election
The French political landscape continues to shift rightward. Testament to this is the emergence of Éric Zemmour’s identity-based platform and Emmanuel Macron’s renewed political offer. While Jean-Luc Mélenchon made gains, they were not enough to compensate for the Socialist Party’s precipitous decline.
DeSantis Signs Bill, Passed Unanimously in House and Senate, Addressing ‘Fatherhood Crisis’
A significant portion of the money earmarked for the program, about $32.6 million, will go toward funding grants aimed at assisting fathers. The grants will be targeted at issues such as helping fathers find employment, manage child support obligations and transition from a period of incarceration.
Parents Asked to Pick-Up Their Children as Power Outage at Belle Terre Elementary Causes Early Dismissal
An extended power outage at Belle Terre Elementary led the school district to end the school day early there and request that car-rider pick-up their children starting at 12:30 p.m. All children who cannot be picked up will be supervised until dismissal time, or through the period usually reserved for extended day, which has also been cancelled.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Wins Fourth ATP Tour Title, Besting Isner in Houston Ahead of European Circuit
Reilly Opelka, 24, captured his fourth career ATP Tour title on Sunday in Houston, besting longtime friend and rival John Isner, 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the championship match of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court championship.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 11, 2022
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins hears a plea from Aaron Thayer, who faces an attempted first degree murder charge, the Bunnell City Commission meets, why some Americans have always fiercely resisted the truth.
Why Lowering the Voting Age to 16 Is a Good Idea
Thirteen countries, ranging from Brazil to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Austria, Estonia and Malta, already have voting ages under 18. The Council of Europe has urged its member countries to follow suit. In Canada, the federal NDP and Green Party publicly support a younger voting age. The federal Conservative, NDP and Liberal parties already allow members as young as 14 to vote in leadership contests.
Experts Predict 19 Named Storms and 9 Hurricanes This Season
Researchers have put forward a second above-normal forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Colorado State University researchers predicted 19 named storms, with nine growing into hurricanes, for the season that runs from June 1 to November 30.
New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill April 6 that will make it easier for people like White to see their loved ones in health care facilities. Before Florida, at least eight states had passed similar laws, and several others have bills under consideration.
Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor Recognized for Intervention at Crash Site
At the April 5 Palm Coast City Council Meeting, Palm Coast Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor character was recognized by the City Council for his interventions at a recent fatal motor vehicle crash.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 10, 2022
Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, is staged at 3 p.m. at Stetson University’s Second Stage Theatre, the French go to the polls today in the first round of their unpresidential election, a reminder about Boulanger and Dreyfuss.
The French Election: 5 Things to Watch
A lot has changed since incumbent Emmanuel Macron captured the presidency in 2017 – with a global pandemic and a major conflagration in Europe topping the list. Yet the vote looks likely to be heading to another showdown between Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.
Some Republicans Re-Normalize Racism
For much of our recent history, racist and bigoted viewpoints were confined to secret conferences, white supremacist communications, obscure far-right radio programs and the darkest, racially sordid corners of the web. No longer.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 9, 2022
Sustainable Flagler’s second Electric Vehicle Showcase at Palm Coast City Hall, Family Builder Lab at the public library, 9th Annual spring Festival and Plant Sale at FPC, WEB DuBois on Dayton, Ohio.
Will Smith’s Slap and the Persistence of ‘Honor Culture’
Cultures of honor require men to aggressively defend their reputations against insults or threats, and this imperative extends to protecting their spouses, children and property. While many people are quick to declare that “violence is never the answer,” for others violence is, in fact, the answer – and that’s due, in part, to honor culture being alive and well.
Not One Reason for Palm Coast Council’s 365% Raise for Itself Passes Smell Test
The quadrupling of Palm Coast City Council members’ salaries was shoveled through hurriedly and sloppily on baseless assumptions posing as evidence. Every single one of Mayor David Alfin’s or supporting councilmen’s rationales collapses with a little scrutiny, leaving a proposal contemptuous of the public and insulting to city staff.
More than 1,500 Books Have Been Banned in Public Schools. House Panel Asks Why.
From July 2021 to the end of March this year more than 1,500 books were banned in 86 school districts in 26 states. A report on book-banning in public schools found that of the banned books, 467 — or 41 percent — contained main or secondary characters of color; 247, or 22 percent, addressed racism; and 379, or 33 percent, of the books contained LGBTQ+ themes.
Santa Rosa County Objects to FPL Rate Increase
In a letter dated March 24 and posted Tuesday on the state Public Service Commission website, the Santa Rosa County Commission pointed to a base electric-rate increase that took effect Jan. 1 and additional costs that FPL is passing along to customers because of high natural-gas prices.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 8, 2022
Richard Dunn’s attorney argues his client should be released from jail, One Night in Memphis at the Flagler Auditorium, Flagler County Fair’s 4H and FFA Youth Livestock Show, Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, a few words from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Father and Son Duo Appearing at DSC’s L. Gale Lemerand Entrepreneurial Speaker Series
Randy Dye is the owner of Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona which employs more than 100 people from our community. A former race car driver himself, he is the current owner of Daniel Dye Racing where his son Daniel drives on NASCAR’s ARCA Circuit.
Ukraine and Russia from the Holodomor Genocide to Today
The Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933, also known as the “Holodomor”, has rapidly become a central component of Ukrainian identity. Today, 55% of Ukrainians understand the Holodomor as an artificial famine orchestrated by the Soviet authorities and directed against Ukrainians, a view held by just 5% percent of Russians.
U.S. Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson, ‘America at Its Best,’ to Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson will make history by becoming the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, after Democratic and Republican senators voted Thursday to confirm her to the lifetime appointment. The 53-47 vote comes just six weeks after President Joe Biden announced his nomination.
3 Incumbent Judges–Andrea Totten, Kenny Janesk and Stacia Warren–Speak (Almost) Freely at Candidate Forum
A Flagler County Republican Club forum Wednesday evening at the Palm Coast Hilton was a chance for the three incumbents–Flagler County Judge Andrea Totten, Circuit Judges Kenny Janesk, who sits in Volusia and Putnam, and Stacia Warren, who sits in Volusia–to speak about themselves without the strictures of their robes and in unusually personal terms, but within the bounds of Canon 7, the unique ethical rules that frame judicial races.
Funnel Cloud Spotted in 3 Locations, from Fairgrounds to Beverly Beach, as Severe Storm Sweeps Through Flagler
A funnel cloud was spotted in three locations late this morning as a tornado-warning leaden storm swept through northeast and central Flagler County from the east, but the funnels never touched down and damage was limited to a few, immediately contained brush fires from lightning strikes. “We got off pretty well, lightly,” Flagler County Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord said.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 7, 2022
Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, at Stetson University’s Second Stage Theatre, 4H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale, Randy Jaye, a writer and historian, discusses his book “Perseverance” at the Democratic Club.
American Evangelicals See Putin as a Leader of Conservative Values. Ukraine War Is Testing the Myth.
In February 2022, evangelical leader Franklin Graham called on his followers to pray for Vladimir Putin to avoid war. The backlash was fast and direct. Graham had not solicited prayers for Ukraine, some observers commented. And he had rarely called on believers to pray for U.S. President Joe Biden. But white conservatives have been developing a political and emotional alliance with Russia for almost 20 years.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Judges election forum at the Hilton Garden Inn, Flagler County Fair’s 4H and FFA Youth Livestock Show, George Washington Carver Foundation Auction, Woodrow Wilson on entering World War I and the stupidity of applauding warfare.
In Victory for Mayor But Against Loud Public Opposition, Palm Coast Council Will Quadruple Its Own Salaries
The Palm Coast City Council this evening voted 4-1 to quadruple the mayor’s and council members’ salaries starting after the election in November, a raise that will benefit three sitting council members and two to be elected later this year. The first of two required votes on the ordinance Mayor David Alfin proposed only last month was a victory for the mayor, who was elected less than a year ago, but at a steep price.
Academic Freedom and Responsibility
“Academic freedom,” one university’s charter of freedoms reads, “is not a legal right, but rather a right or a privilege bestowed by an institution of higher learning. It might best be construed as an ethical right, insofar as it serves good ends: the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.”
Pride Flag Flies in Flagler Beach Rally in Protest of Florida’s Latest Charge Against LGBTQ Rights
Eryn Harris, a Palm Coast student cinematographer and editor, last week organized a rally in Flagler Beach in support of civil rights and the LGBTQ+ community and produced an Op-Art photo essay about the event.
Stetson University’s Second Stage Theater Hosts ‘A Doll House, Part 2’
Stetson University continues its 116th season with Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, which will run April 7-10 at Stetson University’s Second Stage Theatre, located inside the Museum of Art, 600 N. Woodland Blvd., adjacent to the DeLand campus. Admission is free.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 5, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council takes up Mayor David Alfin’s proposal to quadruple council members’ salaries and considers an $8 million bank loan to pay for swales and other stormwater improvements, the school board meets, where the barbaric death penalty still prevails, Vonnegut on mother tongues.
SMA Healthcare Foundation Hosts 7th Annual Who Is Jay Mental Health Symposium
The SMA Healthcare Foundation (the Foundation) is pleased to announce it will feature suicide prevention keynoter Jeff Yalden and This Is My Brave – The Show at the 7th Annual Who is Jay? Mental Health Symposium, coming up on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
Amazon, Starbucks and the Sparking of a New Union Movement
Inspired by pro-union sentiment in political movements, such as Bernie Sanders’ presidential bids, Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Socialists of America, young workers are spearheading the efforts for workplace reform rather than professional union organizers. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find many experienced organizers among the recent successful campaigns.
ERAU Undergrad’s Research on ‘Space Mice’ Tops National Conference
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Olivia Siu won first place in the undergraduate Brain and Behavior category of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) annual poster session for her research on how simulated cosmic radiation affects the behavior and cognition of male and female mice.
Judge Again Rules Against Muezzin-Like Prayer Before High School Game, But Decision May Have Short Life
In a long-running legal battle, a federal judge has rejected arguments that the Florida High School Athletic Association improperly prevented Christian schools from offering a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a 2015 state championship football game. But the decision may have a short life depending on a U.S. Supreme Court’s decision by the end of June on a a somewhat similar case.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 4, 2022
The Flagler County Commission talks 911, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, the Flagler County Fair’s 4H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale, racist responses to the war in Ukraine, Elisabeth Leonskaja’s complete Mozart sonatas.
Criminal Justice Algorithms: Being Race-Neutral Doesn’t Mean Race-Blind
Justice is supposed to be “blind.” But is race blindness always the best way to achieve racial equality? An algorithm to predict recidivism among prison populations is underscoring that debate.
First Amendment at Center of Lawsuit Against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law
A pivotal lawsuit in Florida — related to classroom instruction of sexual identity and gender orientation — could have heavy implications for what the discussions will sound like when it comes to free speech and the First Amendment.