Matanzas High holds its showcase for next fall’s incoming 9th graders, Miss Florida is at Belle Terre Elementary, Lance Blanchette is introduced as the Flagler Beach Police Department’s 2nd in command.
All Else
Flagler Reads Together:
“The Alice Network”‘s Little Problem
Flagler Reads Together this year chose Kate Quinn’s “The Alice Network,” a novel about women spies during World War I wrapped in a sort of buddy road story.
Parent Faces Charges After Appearing to Instigate Fight Between 2 Indian Trails Middle School Boys
Anthony Gardiner, a 34-year-old resident of Pam Coast’s B Section, was captured in several videos either instigating or intervening in a fight between two boys on a Belle Terre Parkway sidewalk.
Sheriff’s Chief Paul Bovino, Newly-Minted FBI Academy Graduate, On The Experience From Within
Paul Bovino is among the more charismatic and intimidating members of the Sheriff’s Office, a cop’s cop with outsize stage presence and a love of the job that radiates in most things he says and does.
Wednesday Briefing: Lifesaving Inmates, Holden House Open, Bach’s Birthday, Adult Open Gym Volleyball
Four inmates who kept another inmate from killing himself get a lifesaving award from the sheriff, historic Holden House holds an open house in Bunnell, first day of spring means it’s Bach’s birthday.
C.J. Nelson Exonerated of Felony Child Abuse Charge in Epic Confrontation, Faces
Sentence on Misdemeanors
A jury found C.J. Nelson not guilty of felony child abuse in an incident in which he punched a 16-year-old girl, but found him guilty of two misdemeanor battery charges.
Iconic Geodesic Dome at North End of Flagler Beach Collapses and Won’t Be Rebuilt
The two geodesic-domed houses, totaling close to 10,000 square feet between them, have been at Flagler Beach’s north end since the early 1980s. The owner says the dome will be replaced with a flat roof.
Sheriff Staly Orders Investigation Re-Opened in Flagler Courthouse Bailiffs’ Behavior
Staly issued the order three days after a FlaglerLive story detailed allegations of racial and sexual improprieties involving courthouse deputies and staff.
Nursing Home Industry Successfully Quashes Residents’ Bill of Rights
Florida Constitution Revision Commission member Brecht Heuchan withdrew a proposal that would have guaranteed rights to nursing-home residents and allowed them to sue facilities if those rights were violated.
Severe Weather and “A Few Tornadoes Possible” in Afternoon for Flagler-Palm Coast
The National Weather Center’s prediction for today projects a potential for severe and damaging weather onto the entirety of Flagler.
Tuesday Briefing: C.J. Nelson Trial, School Fitness, Colbert Ln. Development, Bach at Stetson
The school board buys fitness equipment, Palm Coast talks big development along Colbert Lane, cooling night ahead, Bach’s birthday celebrated at Stetson, Whitney Lab tours, adult basketball at Indian Trails.
Scott Signs Bill Targeting Opioid Addiction, Imposing Limits on Prescriptions
The bill is designed, at least in part, to prevent patients from getting addicted to prescription painkillers and then turning to street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
Tiny RV Park Proposed for Colbert Lane Revs Up Residents’ Rebellion, and Is Denied
Upscale or not, Palm Coast Plantation and Grand Haven residents saw a proposed RV park on Colbert Lane as a trailer park, and the county commission rejected it Monday evening.
Fleeing Man Who Overturned Truck on Palm Coast Parkway Is a Felon With History of Chases
Brent Enfinger, fleeing cops since Volusia County, was at the wheel of a truck that overturned on Palm Coast Parkway Saturday when he got out and fled again before his arrest.
Levi Ovenshire, 19, Sentenced to 15 Years In Prison For Friend’s Attempted Murder in F-Section
Levi Ovenshire, 19, shot 19-year-old Marco Salazar in the back as the two were hanging out at 13 Fulton Place in Palm Coast last June 24. Ovenshire later spoke as if he’d been hallucinating.
Monday Briefing: Severe Weather Potential, C.J. Nelson Trial, Emergency Communications, Provencher Town Hall
A heavy trial week includes that of C.J. Nelson, severe weather could be plaguing the area today and tomorrow, the county commission settles on a contractor to build the next emergency communications network.
Are Drug Addicts Less Valuable Than Students? Florida Says Yes, Wrongly.
Politically there may be a big difference between students’ safety and drug addicts. Ethically, there is none, and financially, addicts are being lethally short-changed.
As in Flagler, Few Districts Embrace Arming “Marshals,” So Money May Shift to School Cops
In Flagler County, Superintendent Jim Tager and the school board said they would not support arming anyone who is not, in essence, as trained as school deputies must be to carry a weapon.
Vehicle Chase Ends in Arrest Off Palm Coast Parkway After Pick-Up Overturns
The driver of the pick-up fled on foot toward the Red Roof Inn but was apprehended by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies within minutes.
Driver Plows Into 4 Bikers on U.S. 1 North of Matanzas Woods, 3 Are Hospitalized
Two men and a woman were hospitalized, one of them airlifted as a trauma patient, after a car plowed into them as they rode south on U.S. 1 Friday afternoon.
Shake-Up in Chambers: At Flagler Courthouse, 3 Judges Intervene Over Allegations of Deputies’ Sexual and Racial Improprieties
Two bailiffs have been disciplined and reassigned out of the courthouse, bailiffs have a new supervisor, and one judge’s administrative assistant lost her job as a judge’s assistant as a result of the alleged improprieties.
Weekend Briefing: Freedom’s Journal, The Nerd, Graham Swamp Endurance, Mozart and Friends, Youth Clinic
The Flagler Playhouse’s last weekend for “The Nerd,” a mountain-biking endurance event at Graham Swamp, NCAA youth sports clinic at Indian Trails Sports Complex, Recycled Percussion at the Auditorium.
Behind Closed Doors, Palm Coast Council Was Willing To Risk Big Loss Against McDonald Until Judge and Adjuster Set It Straight
Battles between Palm Coast government–the council and Jim Landon, the manager–and Dennis McDonald, the perennial critic, got so personal in a previous lawsuit, records show, that the city was willing to risk taxpayer money until it was forced to accept a settlement.
Broad-Ranging Gun Control Proposal Could End Up on November Ballot as an Amendment
A proposed constitutional amendment would a minimum age of 21 on all firearm purchases, a 3-day waiting period and a comprehensive background check.
Thursday Briefing: Farm Swap and Music Jam, Enchanted Music of Ireland, Jake Tapper, Buxtehude
Andy Cooney brings his enchanted music to the Flagler Auditorium, and his Enchanted Music of Ireland, the Agricultural Museum’s Farm Swap, Jake Tapper on journalism.
White Supremacist Teacher Dayanna Volitich Mustn’t Be Returned to the Classroom
Try to imagine you’re a non-white student in Volitich’s social studies class. What do you do with this new information about your teacher’s “white superiority”?
The New Palm Coast Community Center: A Bounty of Spaces Welcoming Uses and Nature
The $8 million renovation more than triples the size of the old building to 18,000 square feet, with ample and handsome spaces inside and out, including a renovated public park.
Sheriff Credits “Fugitive Friday” Video For Re-Arrest of Palm Coast Man He’d Arrested In May
Sheriff Rick Staly last August pulled over James Christopher Raposa for speeding. He was later placed on probation on an impaired driving charge, but violated probation.
Wednesday Briefing: Night in 30s, Building Robots, Cancellations Aplenty, Olde Florida Title
Spring break takes its toll as various meetings are cancelled, one of the county’s oldest businesses marks a grand opening in Flagler Beach, a freezing night ahead, a Dietrich Buxtehude fugue.
Post-Hurricane Initiatives Fall Short of Measures to Prevent Fuel Crises In Next Storms
A strategic fuel-reserve task force and using rail-tank cars to bring fuel into evacuation areas to avoid a repeat of runs on gas stations were among initiatives that failed at this year’s legislative session.
Dennis McDonald To Sue Palm Coast for 3rd Time in 5 Years, 2nd Time Over Sidewalk Fall
Dennis McDonald, a four-time candidate for office who perennially sues Palm Coast and files complaints on elected officials, required a hip replacement after falling on a city sidewalk before Christmas.
Tuesday Briefing: Marion Hammer’s NRA, Palm Coast “Progress Report,” Free Army Field Band Concert
Marion Hammer’s NRA power in Florida, the Palm Coast Council hears from its administration on the city’s “progress” so far this year, a free concert at the Flagler Auditorium.
Lawmakers Pass $88.7 Billion Budget But With Few of Flagler’s or Local Cities’ Priorities
Palm Coast and the county did not get any extra appropriations, nor did Flagler’s county court system get extra help for Judge Melissa Moore-Stens.
Monday Briefing: Unemployment Report, Spring Break, Travel Policy, FPC Snow, Mencken on Poetry
Looks like a lot of Flagler County is taking the week off, not just schools, as spring break takes precedence over most duties all the way up to criminal court.
Nobody Knows How Many Kids Get
Caught With Guns in School. Here’s Why.
Lax reporting by schools, lax oversight by state and federal authorities make it nearly impossible to say just how many students get caught taking firearms into public schools each year.
Daytona State College Partners With UCF On Best Practices In Inclusive Classroom Grant
Daytona State’s College of Education has teamed with the University of Central Florida to develop new strategies for teaching and learning in an inclusive classroom setting, where students with and without disabilities learn together.
Bunnell Police Find Weapon Used in School Incident, a BB Gun, and Locate 2nd Boy
The gun allegedly brandished during a school-related incident was a BB gun, and the second boy located in relation with the incident may not be facing charges.
6 Years After Murdering Dana Mulhall, Paul Miller, 70, Claims Lawyer Failed Him By Not Invoking Stand Your Ground
Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall as Mulhall in a dispute over Miller’s barking dogs. Miller is contesting his life sentence and was back in court in Flagler today.
Brazenly Misrepresenting Council, Palm Coast’s Landon Names Assistant and Awards $15,000 Raise Council Did Not Approve
For Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon, the Beau Falgout appointment for $110,000 a year is the latest in a long list of instances where Landon’s version misrepresents the facts.
NRA Files Challenge Moments After Gov. Scott Signs School-Safety and Gun-Control Bill
The new law raises the permissible age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and imposes a three-day waiting period for the purchase of rifles and other long guns, among other provisions.
Florida Increases Per-Student Funding By $101, Much Of It For Security and Mental Health
The annual school funding formula would include a new category for mental-health funding with $69 million and increase the school-coop pot by $97 million, to $162 million.
Bigotry-Laced Threats To Shoot Up Pet Smart Over Cats’ Insurance Lead to Woman’s Arrest
Keech, a 53-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R Section, was upset that Pet Smart would not cancel the health plan for her two cats, which she claimed had died.
Weekend Briefing: Paul Miller in Court, Commissioner Eric Cooley, Lions’ Dining in Dark, Seafood Festival, Snowfest
Flagler Beach murderer Paul Miller, now 70, comes back to court, the Seafood Festival in Central Park, snow at FPC, the Lions’ Club’s Dining in the Dark fundraiser, symphonic hip hop.
Details Behind 6th Grader at Center of Bunnell School Incident Point To a “Gun,” a Troubled History and Family
The 6th grader at the center of the alleged gun incident by a Bunnell Elementary playground has had a history of suspensions and an unstable home life.
Palm Coast Man Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charge After Yorkshire Terrier Is Brutalized
Brenden Geary of Winchester Place in Palm Coast is accused of brutalizing the 11-pound dog after the dog had allegedly relieved herself on the carpet.
Sheriff and Superintendent Pledge to Double School Deputies as They Outline New Normal Of Campus Security
School deputies will be increased to 13, with two at each high school and one in every elementary school, while a series of other security measures are implemented in a reflection of post-Parkland massacre norms.
Thursday Briefing: Eric Cooley Takes Office, Flagler Playhouse’s “Nerd,” Matanzas Stands With Parkland, Flood Risks
School and sheriff’s officials talk school security, Matanzas High School stands with Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High, “The Nerd” is back at the Flagler Playhouse.
Suspended Student Feared To Have a Weapon at Bunnell Elementary Fence Triggers Alert, and Arrest
A student who’d been suspended earlier in the day is facing arrest for assault was seen at a Bunnell Elementary fence with what looked like a weapon near dismissal time Wednesday afternoon, causing a lockdown.
“It Stinks,” Palm Coast Manager Says of WastePro’s Service as Mayor Speaks of Ending Contract
Mayor Milissa Holland is raising the possibility of finding a new garbage hauler for Palm Coast after losing patience with complaints about WastePro.
Wednesday Briefing: Canales in Court, County Commission Candidate Forum, Grand Living, Garcia-Marquez
Jonathan Canales, the veteran who shot his wife in the neck in the Monxed, is scheduled–again–to appear in court, a GOP forum for all county commission candidates, Grand Living replaces Coquina Construction in Flagler Beach.