11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grader who survived the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting where 19 students and two teachers were murdered told lawmakers Wednesday that she is afraid to go back to school.
All Else
Anti-Alabama Slurs Aside, Palm Coast Council Clears 251-Apartment Complex in Town Center
The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote approved the 251-unit Wilton apartment complex off Brookhaven Drive, but not before Council member Eddie Branquinho repeatedly took on the project’s Alabama-based investors, asking openly whether the council was “on the side of Alabama” or on that of Palm Coast residents.
The Live Profile | Raise High the Roof Beam: Kyle Berryhill Is Palm Coast’s New Fire Chief
Kyle Berryhill, 42, was named Palm Coast’s next fire chief when Jerry Forte officially retires on Oct. 14, though Berryhill has been gradually taking the reins for months. It is the culmination of a career that started in 2005 with his first job as a firefighter-EMT in Palm Coast, and that’s been defined by a combination of command and humility both as a union leader and a manager.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 8, 2022
The Blue 22 Forum, the anniversary of George Orwell’s 1984, what scared David Brooks in Orlando, the Supreme Court’s conflicting decisions on discrimination.
Meh Confidence: What It Means for Boris Johnson and Conservatives
The history of such confidence votes in Conservative leaders tells us that they almost always end up damaging both the leader and the party even when they support the incumbent. We have seen this happening on three successive occasions over the past 32 years.
District Readied to Open Summer School Without Deputies. Sheriff ‘Wasn’t Going to Tolerate It.’
Sheriff Rick Staly said the Flagler district prepared to open summer school at Rymfire Elementary with 350 students and no deputy requested. Livid at the possibility in light of the most recent school shooting, he ordered that a school resource deputy be dispatched to the school regardless, and told the district he’d be billing it regardless. The district has since conceded the point.
How Mud Muckers in West Flagler Bogged Down in Its Own Lawsuit and Wetlands Violations, and Lost
Mud Muckers for many years operated as a huge ATV park southwest of Bunnell, until it was found to be violating wetlands rules and required to move. Mud Muckers sued its landlord, and today lost its final appeal, four years after it said–inaccurately–that it had been unceremoniously shut down.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council hears from Jonathan Lord and considers approving a big apartment complex in Town Center, the school board meets, it’s the Sun King’s birthday, but Ellen has a phone call with another god.
Why the NRA Is So Successful at Stopping Gun-Safety Legislation
NRA has vigorously rejected any charge that its policies contribute to America’s gun problem, instead advancing proposals such as improving mental health responses, “hardening” schools with increased security, and potentially even arming teachers, which leaders claim, without evidence and against educators’ wishes, can serve as a deterrent.
The Gardens, Now Veranda Bay, Clears Last Hurdle Before Construction of First 56 of 334 Homes
After innumerable public, regulatory and legal hurdles, including a lawsuit, Veranda Bay today won with another key vote from the Flagler County Commission–an almost-routine 5-0 vote this time approving the final plat for the first 56 lots of a development that’ll eventually number 334 homes.
Flagler and Florida Gas Prices Hit New High, Relief Not Yet in Sight
In Palm Coast on Monday, regular gas was selling for $4.72 to $4.76 at gas stations on State Road 100 and Palm Coast Parkway, with the lowest reported price in the region at the Hess station on U.S. 1 south of Korona, where it was selling for $4.65.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Welcomes Florida Internet and Television CEO Brad Swanson
Florida Internet & Television represents providers across Florida, such as Atlantic Broadband, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Comcast and Mediacom.
SunRail and Central Florida Zoo Launch ‘Choo-Choo to the Zoo’
Starting today (June 6), leisure travelers can take SunRail to its Sanford station where they will find a free, “Choo-Choo to the Zoo” themed shuttle waiting to transport them to the front gate of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in less than 15 minutes.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 6, 2022
A busy meeting of the Flagler County Commission, with platting of The Gardens (now Veranda Bay), a new south-side library construction contract and more on the agenda, plus a special meeting of the Flagler Beach City Commission on its sewer plant, Pushkin, Harvey Firestein.
‘Napalm Girl’ at 50: How Media Myths Distort an Image’s Reality and Exaggerate Its Impact
The Pulitzer Prize-winning “Napalm Girl” photograph by Nick Ut of terror-stricken Vietnamese children fleeing an aerial attack on their village, taken 50 years ago this month, has rightly been called “a picture that doesn’t rest.” But the image formally known as “The Terror of War” has also given rise to tenacious media-driven myths.
Trial Diary: A Journalist Sits on a Baltimore Jury
Could 12 strangers agree on justice in Baltimore, a city riddled with killings and distrust of the police, in a shooting case where the victim was an actor on the legendary drama “The Wire”?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 5, 2022
Grace Community Food Pantry, the day the CDC noted the AIDS pandemic for the first time, Jamil Jan Kochai’s Occupational Hazards.
‘Severance’ and the Folly of the Work-Life Balance
Imagining work as separate from home life has its roots in the Anglo-American suburban model: drive along newly built highways to the downtown office in the morning and retreat home to family in the suburban idyll. But the TV show Severance’s dystopian message mimics today’s all-encompassing digital capitalism: there is no escape.
‘Our Democracy Is At Risk’: FPC’s Jack Petocz’s Winning Essay in ACLU Contest
Jack Petocz, who will be a senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School next fall, won First Place in the ACLU of Florida Volusia/Flagler Chapter’s first Annual “Cary Ragsdale Future Voter’s Essay Contest.” The award carries a $500 prize underwritten by FlaglerLive, and publication of the essay here.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 4, 2022
First Saturday Creative Bazaar Arts and Craft Market, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, Grace Community Food Pantry, the United Nation’s International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.
How Assault-Style Rifles and Ammunition Kill and Maim
The AR-15 usually fires a version of the ammunition used by many NATO soldiers to kill enemy troops. As shown in Texas, and many other mass shootings, that ammunition is also extremely effective at harming civilians. The Texas killer purchased 1,600 rounds of the ammunition.
Florida’s Relatively New Red-Flag Law Emerging as Model for Other States in Gun Debate
As a national debate rages over gun laws after last month’s mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, proponents of “red-flag” policies point to a Florida law as a model for states seeking to strip deadly weapons from people who could cause harm.
Tropical Storm Almost-Alex: No Direct Impacts for Flagler, But a Good Reminder to Prepare
While Flagler County’s Emergency Operations Center staff is keeping an eye on the storm, Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord says Flagler will see some wind and up to a quarter to half an inch of rain Saturday, but little else from the storm soon to be called Alex.
Firing Range Among Funding for Daytona State College Projects
The largest of these projects is the construction of a firing range on the DeLand Campus, providing DSC’s Law Enforcement Academy with an on-site, all-weather training facility. Current law enforcement officers from state and national agencies will also be able to utilize the range for their continuing education opportunities, too.
Mask-Up Again: Covid Patients Up to 13 at Hospital, Flagler Positivity Rate Above 21% as Cases Rise
Covid cases have increased for the 10th straight week in Florida, to just under 72,000 as of May 27, and have also increased in Flagler County, to 270 this week, up from 219 the week before, according to the Flagler County Health Department. The county’s positivity rate was 21.3 percent. Flagler is averaging 26 new cases per day. But there are glimmers that the surge is leveling off.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 3, 2022
First Friday in Flagler Beach, Jonathan Lord on Free for All Fridays, Mohsin Hamid’s Face in the Mirror, Allen Ginsburg, the first woman rabbi in the United States.
Overcoming the Distorted Narrative of Christian Nationalism
I grew up in a church community that pitted people against each other and called it “Christianity.” As a pastor now myself, I know there’s another way. We work to transform systems of inequality rather than blame people for struggles outside of their control, the author writes.
Bunnell’s Long-Awaited Commerce Parkway Survives Veto, as Does Barrier Island Sewer Project, But Not Ag Museum
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued $3.13 billion in vetoes Thursday as he signed a record $109.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1. For Bunnell, the $6.8 million allocated for long-awaited Commerce Parkway survived, as did an $8 million allocation for the barrier island’s septic-to-sewer project.
Québec’s Dangerous Bill 32 on ‘Academic Freedom’
In addition to undermining the autonomy of universities and faculty, and creating myriad implementation problems, the bill blurs the important distinctions between free expression and academic freedom. Most troubling, it signals that politicians are turning academic freedom into a political weapon.
Travis Smith, Convicted in Lyft Driver Attack, Wants a New Trial and to Be Let Out of Jail
Travis Smith, the 38-year-old Palm Coast resident convicted of battery by a jury last week for attacking a Lyft driver, has filed for a new trial. Smith is challenging the jury’s findings. He has also filed a motion to get out of jail, challenging the judge’s decision to revoke his $5,000 bond immediately after the May 25 verdict.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 2, 2022
The Palm Coast Democratic Club meets at AACS, a child teaches what to do in case of an active shooter, Flagler Beach webcam makes its Briefing debut, Johnny Weissmuller, Queen Elizabeth, Ted Koppel on gun show loopholes.
Why Are So Many Americans Fixated on England’s Monarchy?
In America, Elizabeth retains approval ratings that would leave most political leaders envious. No royal family from any other nation has induced the same level of scrutiny or celebration. But British royals have been eliciting similar responses on American shores for the past 150 years.
‘Shocking’ Ages: 4 Children, Youngest 12, Arrested on Felony Theft and Burglary After Joyride
Four Palm Coast children–12, 14, 15 and 17–with the 15 year old at the wheel, were arrested at gunpoint after allegedly stealing a Palm Coast resident’s car and joyriding through Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.
BP’s Flagler County Rainfall and Climate Report for May 2022
The following is Flagler County Emergency Management Weather Specialist Bob Pickering’s report for Flagler County rainfall and climate in May, as prepared and submitted today.
“Be Prepared to Be Off the Grid”: Flagler Emergency Management Chief Decodes Hurricane Season
Flagler County Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord today prefaced the 2022 hurricane season, with 14 to 21 storms predicted, six to 10 of them expected to become hurricanes. There are some worrisome weather factors in play, but also improvements in preparation and infrastructure.
U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Florida-Like Texas Law Limiting Content Moderation by Social Media
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law similar to one in Florida that prohibits large social media companies, such as Facebook or Twitter, from banning or removing users’ posts based on political viewpoints. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week ruled that Florida’s law unconstitutionally restricts free speech.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Code enforcement board meeting, the Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the Second Amendment as the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence interpreted it, Penny Lane.
Mass Shootings Are a Boon to Firearms Stocks
A week on, and the market rally of gun stocks following the latest mass shooting hasn’t subsided. That’s been the case with recent mass shootings–but it contrasts with shootings a decade or more ago, when gun companies’ share prices would fall.
Flagler 3rd Graders’ Reading Scores Fall Again, to Lowest Level in 7 Years, Yet Rank 12th in State
The percentage of Flagler County 3rd graders achieving a reading level of 3 (out of 5) or above–that is, reading at a satisfactory level–fell to 58 percent, the lowest level in at least seven years of comparable testing results, and down from last year’s 59 percent. Scores had peaked at 69 percent in 2017 and 68 percent in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 31, 2022
An uneventful day-after- memorial Day in Flagler County. It is the anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Linda Greenhouse on abortion and the 13th Amendment.
Memorial Day’s Forgotten History
Memorial Day was born in the former Confederate States in 1866 and adopted by the United States in 1868. Cities and towns across America have for more than a century claimed to be the holiday’s birthplace, but we have sifted through the myths and half-truths and uncovered the authentic story of how this holiday came into being.
Measure Up to What Vets Fought For: A Call to Flagler’s Community and State Leaders
It is time county commissioners, governors and legislators exhibited some plain common sense, balancing serious gun-safety regulations with responsible gun ownership. The politicians who let the carnage continue are the cowards for not taking action.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 30, 2022
Memorial Day commemorations in Palm Coast at 8, at the county in Bunnell at 10, in Flagler Breach at 1 p.m., and all about Voltaire’s complete works, finally completed.
Roadside Safety Messages Distract Drivers and Increase Crashes
A study showed there were two to three per cent more crashes within one to 10 kilometres downstream of each dynamic message sign during the week fatality messages were shown. This suggests that this specific behavioral intervention backfired.
Our National Pathology Over Guns Is Inhuman
Insanity, as has been famously remarked, is doing the same thing over and over again, and hoping for a different result. And that is the story of our lawmakers’ ongoing inability to pass even the simplest of gun violence reduction measures. And, then, under our very noses, we’re hit with another Sandy Hook.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 29, 2022
Grace Community Food Pantry, Houston’s divide over guns, Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul, G.K. Chesterton’s Catholic obsession, Palatka’s Blue Crab Festival has its last day.
Arming Teachers: Risks and a False Sense of Security
There are documented incidents of school staff using their firearm to neutralize a shooter. However, researchers have not found evidence that arming teachers increases school safety. Rather, arming teachers may contribute to a false sense of security for teachers, students and the community, when even highly trained police in gunfights hit their target only 18% of the time.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 28, 2022
Flagler-Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High’s graduations, LGBTQ+ ice cream social at Sally’s Ice Cream, the NRA’s unconscionable conventions, the guillotine, Amnesty International.
Yes, Muslims Are Portrayed Negatively in American Media
The warm welcome Americans and Europeans have given Ukrainians in 2022 contrasts sharply with the uneven – and frequently hostile – policies toward Syrian refugees in the mid-2010s. Negative opinions on Muslims were mostly influenced by what they heard and read in the media, which projects “stereotypic beliefs, negative emotions and support for harmful policies” toward Muslim Americans.
5th District’s Judge Meredith Sasso Among Applicants to Florida Supreme Court Vacancy
After reshaping the Florida Supreme Court to reflect his legal and political ideology, Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to pick a new justice who will give him four appointees on the state’s highest court. Judge Sasso is a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the ultra-conservative Federalist Society, whose faculty advisors included Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia.