A inmate Facebooked live during a GED class at the jail, the second such breach in two months after sheriff’s officials warned the county, which handles the sheriff’s IT, to address the issue. A county employee has been suspended.
All Else
A Trust-Worthy Inspection of Captain’s Building at Bing’s Is Essential Before Any Decision
The Hammock Community Association is urging the County Commission to delay any decision on Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s pending a reliable inspection of the restaurant building. The association is willing to pay up to $4,000 for the inspection.
At FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Curtis Gray’s Memory Echoes in Honors and Emotions
Curtis Gray, the 18-year-old FPC senior gunned down on April 13, was awarded a posthumous honorary degree at what would have been his graduation Thursday evening, accepted by his mother, Carmen.
Weekend Briefing: Heat Aplenty, Lifeguard Class, Giant Book Sale, Sales Tax Holiday
The Friends of the Flagler Public Library hold the biggest book sale of the year, American Red Cross lifeguard certification classes all weekend, the weeklong sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness.
To Spur Town Center’s ‘Innovation District,’ Palm Coast Eagerly Gives Developers
What They Want
Palm Coast’s Town Center is finally stirring with sustained development after a decade and a half’s slumber, with generous financial breaks and changes in regulations attracting developers.
Trump Against the First Amendment
Julian Assange and Wikileaks are giving Trump a chance to challenge First Amendment freedoms of the press and get a radical ruling from his new buddies on the Supreme Court.
Chamber’s Public Leadership Institute Seeking Applicants for Non-Partisan Training Program
The Flagler Volusia Public Leadership Institute trains participants in business-minded leadership, advocacy and potential runs for local office. Four graduates from two previous classes are in office currently.
Thursday Briefing: FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Salute to Heroes, A1A Committee, Last Day of School
Matanzas High School and Flagler Palm Coast High School hold graduation for their 2019 class at the Ocean Center, a Salute to Heroes in Flagler Beach, the Chamber’s A1A committee meets on A1A construction mitigation.
Laws Restricting Abortion Betray a Judgment: Women’s Sexuality Is Not Equal to Men’s
Men regulating women’s bodies through restrictive abortion laws is the tip of an iceberg in which women’s sexuality is stigmatized, de-legitimized, silenced, controlled, and misunderstood, even by women themselves.
In Bing’s Twist, County and Captain’s BBQ Are Co-Defendants in Negligence Lawsuit
Notable elements in the case are its concurrence with Captain’s other challenges, its alignment of two antagonists on the same side, and the way the case illustrates the county’s responsibilities for the building.
26 Year Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Illegal Sex and Battery of a Pregnant 16 Year Old Girl
The 16 year old told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy she was seven months pregnant and had recently broken up with Jazzpen Leonard because of the “mental and physical abuse from him,” according to the sheriff’s report.
Wednesday Briefing: Talent Show at Auditorium, Early Dismissal, Invisible Cabinet Meeting, Peacekeepers Day
Schools let out early today and tomorrow ahead of summer break, spotlight on youth talent at the Auditorium, the Florida cabinet meets in Israel but can;t be covered live, it’s International UN Peacekeepers Day.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking To Block Florida Cabinet From Meeting in Israel, Out of Sunshine
The lawsuit, filed by the First Amendment Foundation and four major news organizations, accused the governor and Cabinet members of “willfully violating the law.”
Aaron London, Long-Time Voice of Flagler News-Tribune, Among Latest News-Journal Cuts
Aaron London’s by-line appeared 6,000 times since 2001 before he became one of six journalists laid off, leaving just 34 in the News-Journal’s newsroom, and just two reporters covering Flagler County.
Rotary Club of Flagler Beach Seeking Surfer Volunteers to Help at Youth Camp
Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is looking for surfer volunteers to help at-risk and foster youth in the community learn to surf this summer in Flagler Beach.
‘Landscaping’ and Reducing Truck Traffic Are New Goals to Calm Florida Park Drive Ire
Exploring landscaping options and truck-traffic reductions will be the next attempt by Palm Coast government to address complaints from Florida Park Drive residents about noise, pollution and traffic.
A ‘Precedent-Setting’ Suit Puts Opioid Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson On Trial, Starting Today
Johnson & Johnson is accused of overstating the benefits of opioids and understating their risks in marketing campaigns that duped doctors into prescribing the drugs for ailments not approved by regulators.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 104, Perry Mitrano Retires, Florida Park Drive, Opioid Task Force, Entrepreneur Night
Perry Mitrano, Bunnell’s long-time solid waste director, retires, the Palm Coast Council discusses Florida Park Drive pollution and other issues, Entrepreneur Night is at Bull Creek Fish Camp.
Voices from the Grave:
So Proudly We Fail
In “So Proudly We Fail,” James Agee looked at war films to explain the “unutterable dislocation” between soldiers and civilians, what he described–in 1943–as a destructive “chasm” that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan describe with equal anger today even as the nation goes through the motions of marking its Veteran and Memorial days.
Supreme Court Reverses Course on Expert Witnesses, Signaling Continued Shift Right
In a move that left little doubt about the new direction of the Florida Supreme Court, justices on Thursday reversed a controversial 2017 decision about the testimony of expert witnesses in lawsuits.
Alexis Somerford, 27, Mother of 4, Dies in Alleged Suicide by Gunshot in Palm Coast’s F-Section
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death in an alleged suicide of Alexis Marie Somerford, 27, Saturday night (May 25) at her home at 85 Farragut Drive in Palm Coast.
At Flagler’s 1st-Ever Suicide Town Hall, Hope and Resolve Confront Grim Void of Mental Health Services
Personal stories of confronting suicide, including that of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, combined with an assessment of Flagler’s grim mental health landscape to show the county’s growing awareness and resolve not to remain entirely at the mercy of circumstances.
Prosecution Questions If Accused Murderer Joey Bova Is Insane Or Just Playing The System
Joseph Bova is accused of murdering Mobilmart store clerk Zuheily Rosado in 2013, but has been seesawing between competence and incompetence since, delaying trial. He appears to be sliding back into incompetence for the third time.
Memorial Weekend Briefing: Peter the Great at Blue Gallery, Ceremonies at Heroes Park and GSB, Pool Safety
Peter Cerreta, one of Flagler County’s greatest, most genial and surprising artists, has a new show at Blue Gallery at Marvin’s Garden, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach the county host Memorial Day ceremonies, the city pool has a pool safety day.
End This Hidden Risk to Military Families
The Feres Doctrine shields military medical providers from malpractice suits by troops — and their dependents. Military recruiters never tell the families that it applies to them, too.
400,000 Florida Children Need Mental Health Services. More Than Half Get None.
220,000 children across the state, or about one child in every classroom, get no mental health treatment for lack of providers. Florida has one psychiatrist who treats children and adolescents for every 100,000 children.
Dolphin Discovery Buying Marineland Attraction Would Yield $128,000 In New Flagler Tax Revenue
The pending sale of Marineland Dolphin Adventure by for-profit Dolphin Discovery means the property, assessed at $5 million, would return $128,000 a year to Marineland, Flagler County and school board coffers.
Janet and Dennis McDonald Agree to Settle Ethics Case for $500 Each, Reflecting Minor Disclosure Violations
School Board member Janet McDonald and her husband Dennis McDonald agreed to settle a three-year-old case with the Florida Commission on Ethics, conceding that they had made minor and unintended violations on their financial disclosure forms.
Baseless Claims of a “Shoot Up” at Indian Trails Middle School Spread Through Snapchat
Indian Trails students received a Snapchat message warning them not to go to school today for fear of a shooting, a claim that grew out of a misunderstanding tied to a student who’d made threats before.
Town Hall on Suicide Awareness in Flagler Will Feature Survivors and Mental Health Experts
Flagler Lifeline, a volunteer committee and Flagler Cares affiliate established to broaden conversation and awareness of suicide, will host the public town hall event at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building.
Thursday Briefing: Legislative Update, Suicide Town Hall, Weldon Ryan, Long Execution
Flagler Lifeline hosts a suicide town hall with survivors of suicide and others, Flagler’s legislative delegation speaks at a Common Ground breakfast, Palm Coast artist Weldon Ryan has a meet-and-greet.
Medicaid Expansion in Florida Would Improve Maternal and Child Health and Reduce Racial Disparities
States like Florida that refuse to expand Medicaid are missing an opportunity to address racial disparities in maternal health and improve child health care, according to a report released Wednesday.
Bruce Haughton Is Found Guilty of Assisted Suicide in Death of Katherine Goddard in R-Section
Bruce Haughton, 54, and Katherine Goddard, 52, his girlfriend of 16 years, attempted to jointly kill themselves in their Palm Coast home’s garage in 2017. She died. He lived. Then he was criminally charged.
Smoke In Cabin and Rear-End Crash Sideline Full Greyhound Bus at SR100 in Palm Coast
A woman was hospitalized and several people aboard a Greyhound bus complained of injuries and smoke discomfort after the bus began to fill with smoke on I-95 in Palm Coast, then was rear-ended by another car
Wednesday Briefing: FYO Chamber Music Recital, Bruce Haughton Trial, Compassionate Friends, Baccalaureate Night
Closing arguments are expected in the trial of Bruce Haughton on a charge of assisted suicide, 70 Flagler Youth Orchestra musicians perform in the annual Chamber Music Camp, the Compassionate Friends meet.
The Most Dangerous Time For Women’s Rights in Decades
More than 250 bills restricting abortions have been filed in 41 states this year. At least a third have successfully passed 20-week abortion bans, based on the unfounded assertion that a fetus can feel pain 20 weeks after fertilization.
For Bruce Haughton, the Price of Failing to Die in a Double-Suicide Is a Criminal Charge
Prosecutors are not disputing that Bruce Haughton, 54, wanted to die, only that when he failed in his suicide attempt, he became an accessory in the death by suicide of Kathryn Goddard, a claim he disputes.
County Orders Space Reallocation For Sheriff at Courthouse; ‘We’re Going to Stand Our Ground,’ Bexley Says
The County Commission acting as landlord is directing its administrator to come up with the necessary additional space for the sheriff at the courthouse, where Clerk Tom Bexley says it’s useless to try.
Sheriff’s Beachside Substation Is Renamed in Honor of Grady Prather Jr., Who Started Marine Unit
The late Capt. Grady Prather Jr. had launched the Flagler sheriff’s marine unit, which was disbanded after his retirement in 2008, but was revived last year. Prather died in 2009.
Tuesday Briefing: Bruce Haughton Trial, American Village, Schools’ Legislative Wrap-Up, DSC Express Enrollment
Daytona State College hosts an Express Enrollment afternoon and evening from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Palm Coast campus, Bruce Haughton’s assisted suicide trial begins its second day, the school board gets a wrap-up of this year’s legislative session’s effects on Flagler schools.
In Rare Assisted Suicide Trial in Flagler, Jurors Weigh Sympathy For Desperation Against an Unforgiving Law
Bruce Horton, 54, became an accused criminal when he failed to die along with Katherine Goddard in Palm Coast’s R-Section two years ago as the two had made a pact to die together. He’s on trial this week.
With Conservatives In Control of Supreme Court, A 2016 Decision Reducing Death Sentences Is In Jeopardy
The court has begun the process of reconsidering whether changes to Florida’s death penalty-sentencing system should continue being applied retroactively to cases dating to 2002.
Flagler County Readies to Approve $6 Million Fix of Plantation Bay Utility, Borrowing $3.8 Million
County officials say the entire cost will be borne through Plantation Bay’s utility system and its rate-payers, without affecting county taxpayers at large.
Monday Briefing: ‘Assisted Murder’ Trial, Grady Prather Honored, Plantation Bay Costs, Cpl. Fred Gimbel
A trial in an unusual case of “assisted murder,” in a half-failed double-suicide, begins, the county commission discusses Plantation Bay and sheriff’s space issues, Capt. Gary Prather gets a substation named after him.
What Two Florida Counties’ Elections Supervisors Were Hacked by Russians? FBI Won’t Say, Upsetting Lawmakers.
The FBI has maintained there is no evidence that votes or voter information were altered in the hacking. But such assurances have drawn questions.
Sheriff’s Precinct on Utility Drive? Palm Coast Explores Bailing Out County’s Search for Space
City, county and sheriff’s officials spent Thursday exploring various buildings, among them Palm Coast’s Utility Department building off Old Kings Road, as potential sites for the sheriff’s Palm Coast precinct.
Weekend Briefing: Cycle de Mayo, Bunnell Bonanza, Hazardous Waste, Choral Arts Society, Brown at 65
The Choral Arts Society holds its Spring concert, the 6th annual Cycle de Mayo, or Bike to Work Day, the second annual Bunnell Bonanza is Saturday, “Southern Fried Funeral,” at the Daytona Playhouse.
County’s Intention To Seek Damages Over Sears Building Fiasco Belies Cozy Relations With Broker in Run-Up to Sale
Flagler County today sent letters of intent to sue for damages to the parties involved in the purchase of the mold-infested Sears building, including the real estate broker the county had a very close relationship with for years.
Stabbing Involving 2 Buddy Taylor Middle School Students Just Off the Bus Leads to Charges
A Buddy Taylor Middle School student stabbed another during a fight immediately after the two students got off their school bus Wednesday afternoon near the corner of Chapel and Hope Streets in Bunnell.
An Inside Look at Sheriff’s Confidential Weekly ‘Crimemaps’ Strategy Planning With Command Staff
Every Wednesday, the sheriff and his command and other top staffers meet to map out the coming week’s crime-fighting focuses, analyzing trends, hot spots and raw intelligence. This week, reporters were invited to witness the session.