Studio Media Group, an Irish company, today acquired Palm Coast Data from Pennsylvania-based Amrep Corp., the third time in 17 years that one of Palm Coast’s largest private employers is changing hands.
All Else
Florida Senate Creates New Program Using Public Money To Fund Private School Tuition
Florida senators on Thursday passed legislation that would allow more students to use taxpayer-funded scholarships to pay for private-school tuition, a major step toward expanding school choice in the state.
All FPC Students Directed to Stadium After School Officials Find Bomb Threat In Bathroom
All Flagler Palm Coast High School students–all 2,600 of them–were diverted to the school’s stadium this morning after a bomb threat was discovered in a school bathroom around 7 a.m.
Weekend Briefing: Curtis Gray Memorial, Community Art, Chorus, Cats, Best Little Whorehouse, Torch Run, Housing Fair
A funeral and celebration of life of Curtis Gray Saturday and Sunday, the NAACP’s Freedom Fund Banquet, Community Cats spring yard sale, ACLU honors Kaiti Lenhart, “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” at the Playhouse and much more.
A Courtroom for a Classroom, Built By Students, Gavels Matanzas High’s Law Flagship
Matanzas High School inaugurated its new courtroom, built by its own students for the school’s law and justice flagship, as the centerpiece of a program intended to develop future lawyers, paralegals and others interested in the law.
Joe Mullins Walks Back $2 Million Deal to Keep Sheriff’s Ops in Bunnell, But Calls for End to Bunnell Police Department
County Commissioner Joe Mullins says he still supports a sheriff’s district office for Bunnell–but also wants the Bunnell Police Department merged with the sheriff’s office, because the city has only a “ceremonial” department.
House Passes Controversial Felons’ Voting-Rights Bill, Setting Up Financial Hurdles Before Restoration
The House’s party-line, 71-45 vote drew a rebuke from backers of the amendment, who called the bill “a failure to live up to the bipartisan commitment” demonstrated by the 61 percent of voters who approved Amendment 4.
Thursday Briefing: Murals in Flagler Beach, Common Ground Does Media in Flagler, Happy Hubble Birthday
The Flagler Beach City Commission takes up a revised ordinance that would allow more expressive murals and some commercial content, the Flagler Chamber hosts a media panel at a Common Ground breakfast.
Agreeing to New Contract for Deputies in Schools, Board and Sheriff Discuss 128 Baker Acts in 2 Years
The school board’s share includes almost $100,000 for nine school crossing guards. It does not include about $110,000 that Palm Coast contributes for the school resource deputy program.
Wednesday Briefing: Free Clinic’s $5,200 Gift, Matanzas Law and Justice, Stetson Jazz Ensemble
The school district inaugurates the law and justice flagship program at Matanzas High School, Compassionate Friends meet, a multi-day hearing about whether former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum violated ethics laws begins.
Bunnell Condemns County’s Decision to Move Sheriff’s Building to Palm Coast, Threatening Lawsuit and Kindling Feud
The Bunnell City Commission approved an angry resolution against the county, instigating a feud that county officials say is misconstruing the county’s and sheriff’s intentions and missing the bigger picture.
Video Shows Shooting Outside Bunnell Circle K as Detectives Still Seek ID of Gunman
A weapon was recovered that may be tied to the shooting outside a Circle K store in Bunnell Sunday night–a shooting and the fight that preceded it captured by the store’s surveillance video.
Moments Before Trial, Jerald Medders Pleads to 15 Years in Prison On Charges of Raping 16 Year Old
Jerald Medders, the 53-year-old Palm Coast resident, faced a minimum of 30 years in prison and up to life if convicted by a jury, which had already been seated for the week-long trial, when Medders changed his mind and pleaded.
Tuesday Briefing: Medders Trial, Felons’ Rights, Spring Band Concert, School Safety
The Senate Rules Committee takes up a controversial proposal to limit felons’ right to vote based on financial obligations, Matanzas has its spring band concert, Jerry Medders’ trial day two.
In Jerald Medders Trial, Alleged Sex Crimes Are Triggers to Several Jurors’ Previous Traumas
Several potential jurors were excused Monday during jury selection in the trial of Jerald Medders, 53, who is accused of unlawful sex with a minor, as the jurors spoke of their own traumas.
Suicide Prevention Set To Become Part of Minimum Standard of Care At Addiction Centers
Rising opioids use and rising suicide rates: Suicide prevention advocates have been pushing the addiction treatment community to address the substantial overlap by adopting new standards of care. That starts in June.
18-Year-Old Man Shot at Bunnell’s Circle K During an Argument, Suspect Sought
An 18-year-old man was shot in the back outside the Bunnell Circle K on State Road 100 shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday. The man survived. Authorities are looking for a suspect seen in surveillance video.
Monday Briefing: Gerald Medders On Trial, Stamp and Coin, A1A Update, Minimum Wage, Vietnam Memorial
Gerald Medders, 53, of Palm Coast, arrested in March 2016, goes on trial on four counts of illegal sex with a minor, the Stamp and Coin Club meets, an A1A construction update, Stanley Karnow on the Vietnam Memorial.
Abolish the Electoral College
Abolishing the Electoral College would level the playing field. It would ensure that people, not parties or mechanisms, determine who leads the country. Is that so bad? If you’re a Republican, yes.
Before Kevin McCarthy’s Suicide, a Life of Creative Advocacy and Contradictions Running in Overdrive
Until his last year, Kevin McCarthy had a stellar 17-year career with Flagler schools, coming out of the shadow of his father Bob McCarthy, Flagler’s longest-serving sheriff. But he had unspoken struggles.
Listen Up Soon-To-Be High School Graduates: Your Chance For a $10,000 Presidential Excellence Scholarship
Daytona State College is offering a new scholarship opportunity for high schools students. Starting this fall, the college will award five Presidential Excellence Scholarships totaling $10,000 each to qualified 2019 high school graduates. The application deadline is April 30, 2019.
Free Housing Fair Rich in Financial, Mortgage and Other Tips, This Saturday April 27
The 2019 Housing Fair – hosted by Flagler County, the City of Palm Coast, Flagler County Association of Realtors, and the Mid-Florida Housing Partnership – will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building, 4101 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell.
Sheriff Provides State of Policing in Flagler in 2nd ‘Fighting Crime Together’ Meeting
Sheriff Rick Staly held a public meeting on “Addressing Crime Together” at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast on Thursday afternoon to discuss crime trends, past and future initiatives.
New Florida Supreme Court Flexes Rightward Muscle, Overturning Two January Decisions
Justices, in a pair of 6-1 opinions Thursday, overturned the two rulings. The only dissenter in both cases: Justice Jorge Labarga, who had sided with Pariente, Lewis and Quince in January.
FlaglerLive’s Rick de Yampert, a Palm Coast Artist, Brings Mr. Crow Art to Peabody Auditorium Exhibit
Palm Coast artist and FlaglerLive culture writer Rick de Yampert’s photographic digital art of crows will be featured in “Mr. Crow Saves the Universe,” an exhibition May 1-24 in the Rose Room at Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach.
Get Ready For a Few Possibly Severe Storms This Afternoon Into Evening
The Storm Prediction Center is projecting an “enhanced risk” of severe storms for the majority of northeast Florida today, with Flagler County in the squall line mostly between 3 and 6 p.m.
Easter Weekend Briefing: Stormy Friday, Easter Egg Hunts, Unemployment Numbers, St. John Passion
Easter egg hunts in Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach, March unemployment numbers, Barnett Newman, an uneventful weekend across Flagler, a full new version of Bach’s St. John Passion.
Don’t Call Him Interim Anymore: Flagler Stops Search and Settles on Jerry Cameron as Administrator
Jerry Cameron may be Flagler County’s administrator for two to three years as commissioners opted to end their search for a replacement for now, seeing in Cameron the sort of fixer they need to shepherd them through a series of crises.
Thursday Briefing: Det. Fiona Ebrill, Officer of the Year, ‘Addressing Crime Together,’ Scholarship Awards Ceremony
The Sheriff’s Detective Fiona Ebrill is the 2019 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, the school district’s scholarship awards at the Auditorium, the sheriff delivers a crime-fighting update.
Both County and Palm Coast Officials Question Whether Waste Pro Can Still Do The Job
County officials have been getting complaints about recycling and missed pick-ups, and Palm Coast got 300 complaints just last week, but Waste Pro said it was just one bad week and the company is on the mend.
At Walk-Ins Across 9 Flagler Schools, a Call to Lawmakers To Stop Undermining Public Education
Teacher and service employee unions organized the walk-ins at the schools to pressure lawmakers to improve per-student allocations and lessen the favored financial and other terms granted charter and voucher programs.
Wednesday Briefing: Walk-Ins at Eight Schools, Jason Altmire at Tiger Bay, Lukasik’s TDC, Parental Consent
Teacher and support personnel unions hold “walk-ins” at eight schools in early morning, the county’s tourism council meets for the first time with Amy Lukasik as interim director rather than Matt Dunn, lawmakers talk parental consent.
Teacher and Support Personnel Unions Set to Stage ‘Walk-Ins’ at 8 Flagler Schools Wednesday
The teacher and support personnel unions (FECA and FESPA) are part of a statewide walk-in effort designed to focus awareness on the erosion of public dollars for public schools.
FPC and Matanzas Mourn Loss of Curtis Gray as Two Teams Huddle and Power On in His Memory
Curtis Gray was an 18-year-old senior and track athlete at Flagler Palm Coast High School who’d also been an athlete for three years at Matanzas High. His death Saturday was rippling, and ripping, across the community early this week.
Tuesday Briefing: Yo-Yo Ma At the Border, Talent Show Auditions, Food Truck Tuesday, Notre Dame
FPC’s spring concert, auditions for “Spotlight on Flagler,” the annual youth talent show, Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Stetson Guitar on the Rocks.
Flagler Commission Will Build New, $12-15 Million Sheriff’s Operations Center by Palm Coast Library, Condemning ‘Mold Ops’
The Flagler County Commission this evening voted unanimously to build a new Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center–in Palm Coast, next to the county library on Palm Coast Parkway.
For Marion Gavins Jr., 17, Accused of Murdering Curtis Gray, a Life of Crime Since He Was 13
Marion Gavins’s arrest on a murder charge Sunday was the culmination of four years of run-ins with school authorities, suspensions, expulsions, run-ins with sheriff’s deputies, arrests, stints in the criminal justice system’s juvenile division, probation and house arrest.
Eyes on the 2022 Senate Presidency:
Five Questions For Travis Hutson
The St. Augustine Republican, who also represents all of Flagler, is the Senate’s top economic development budget writer and sits on other major committees, including the Appropriations Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Rules Committee.
Monday Briefing: Considering a New HQ For Sheriff, Carver Gym Auction, Church on the Rock In Court
The Flagler County Commission discusses picking a new home for the Sheriff’s Operations Center, Bunnell’s Church on the Rock is in court on a negligence suit, Amy Lukasik’s appointment at the tourism office is confirmed.
Marion Leo Gavins Jr. Turns Himself In, Ending 36-Hour Search After Killing of Curtis Gray
Marion Leo Gavins Jr., the 17-year-old Palm Coast suspect wanted in the shooting of Curtis Gray, 18, early Saturday morning, turned himself in to Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies this afternoon.
Curtis Gray Murder Investigation: Sheriff Seeking Suspect Marion Leo Gavins Jr., 17
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating Marion Leo Gavins Jr., 17, of Palm Coast. He’s been charged in the shooting death of Curtis Gray, 18, Saturday morning.
FPC’s Curtis Gray, 18, Is Shot and Killed Outside Coin Laundry in Palm Coast
Curtis Gray, 18, a Flagler Palm Coast High School senior, was shot and killed outside a smoke shop and coin laundry off Belle Terre Parkway at 12:36 this morning, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Old Dixie Roundabout Contractor Halts Work For Being ‘Considerably’ Ahead of Schedule, and of Utility Shifts
P & S Paving of Daytona Beach has halted work on the $4.1 million roundabout project at Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 because it is “considerably” ahead of schedule and utility companies have not caught up to move some utilities.
Calling Judge, Jury and Prosecution a ‘Travesty,’ Michael Bowling Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in Sleep-Over Molestation
Michael Craig Bowling was sentenced to two consecutive terms totaling 20 years plus 10 years’ sex-offender probation after a conviction for molesting a 15-year-old girl visiting his step-daughter for a sleep-over.
A Palm Coast Man’s 5-Year Prison Sentence for Armed Robbery Exposes Intersection of Opioids, Suicide and Crime
Gary Wayne Hodges, 35, faced life in prison before his sentence for the armed robbery of a Dollar General in Bunnell last year. The judge was lenient, however, because of his history.
‘Tick Tick Boom’ Musical Brings ‘Rent’ Creator’s Artistic Anxiety to City Repertory Theatre
“Tick Tick Boom” is fueled by that tension between the food-on-the-table demands of everyday life versus one’s artistic ambitions, and all those struggles to make it work.
Weekend Briefing: ‘Tick Tick Boom,’ Microplastics, Bing’s Landing, Safety Expo, FCAL Poetry, Picnics and Pops
An incredibly busy weekend with plenty of live theater, art and poetry openings, the annual Picnics and Pops concert with the Jacksonville Symphony in Town Center, a sheriff’s safety expo, and plenty more.
Palm Coast Utility Replacing Devices That Exceed Permissible Lead Limit It Installed at 1,500 Homes
At issue is the amount of lead content in the brass components of the devices. The 1,500 devices installed exceeded the limit, which may not exceed 0.25 percent.
Nanny Senate: Students Would Have to Get Parental Consent Before Seeking Mental Health or Birth Control
The so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” would allow parents to access and review all of their children’s school records and change the way students can seek mental-health and reproductive-health services, including counseling and birth control prescriptions.
10 Acres In, Wetlands Restoration Project Near Flagler Beach Is Still Kicking Up Turbid Opposition
Construction on the controversial $516,000 Flagler County Coastal Wetlands Restoration Project began on Feb. 13 on 100 acres of decades-old dragline ditches in the area of the Intracoastal Waterway, parallel to Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area and parts of Flagler Beach.