Between the drug war and the backing of brutal regimes, the U.S. created conditions in Central America that families are desperate to flee — even if they risk being separated.
All Else
In Letter to 3,600 Students Who Did Not Return, Daytona State Offers 25% Off Tuition
Daytona State wrote 3,600 students dating back to 2013 who did not complete their degrees, offering a one-time incentive valued at 25 percent off the cost of in-state tuition for Fall 2018 Semester.
Tuesday Briefing: Traffic Safety Team, France v. Belgium, African-American Entrepreneurs, Area Code 689
Flagler’s traffic safety team meets, it’s England and Belgium in the World Cup semi, a new area code may be coming to Central Florida, the African-American Entrepreneurs Association signs on with the SBA.
‘I Don’t Need Him To Tell Me How To Hire Our Next City Manager,’ Palm Coast Mayor Says of Landon
Though a search firm is ready to find Palm Coast’s next manager, council members were taken aback by an email from City Manager Jim Landon dictating delays.
Sheriff’s Deputy Fired For Failing To Stop Car Going Wrong Way, Toward Fatal Crash on I-95
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Robert Finn passed a motorist going the wrong way on an I-95 exit ramp in April, and did not conduct a traffic stop. The motorist was killed moments later in a head-on crash.
Monday Briefing: Bunnell’s Next Manager, Flagler Budget, Jeanette Loftus’s Rotary, Ronald Titus’s Deployment
Bunnell may decide tonight to sign on with Martin Murphy as manager, the Flagler County Commission talks property tax rates again, Ronald Titus redeploys with firefighters out west.
Abolish ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is supposed to keep Americans safe. Instead, it’s terrorizing refugees, families, and small children.
In Big Win For Flagler Beach, U.S. Army Corps Awards $17.5 Million, Reviving Dunes Project
The unexpected infusion of $17.5 million into Flagler’s beach-rebuilding projects revives a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan that appeared dead in 2017.
Just Released From Jail For Car Theft, Man Leads Deputies on Chase at Wheel of Another Stolen Car
Rico Ransom, 21, was released from jail a few months ago in a grand theft auto conviction. Thursday evening he led deputies through a chase west of US1.
The Other Victims: First Responders To Traumas and Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude
Some firefighters, emergency medical providers, law enforcement officers and others say the scale, sadness and sometimes sheer gruesomeness of their experiences haunt them, leading to tearfulness and depression, job burnout, substance abuse, relationship problems, even suicide.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday in Flagler Beach, Doobie Brothers Tribute, Tour de France, Softball Classic
If you miss July 4th fun you can head back to Flagler Beach for First Friday, a Doobie Brothers tribute band at the Bandshell, the fabulous Tour de France kicks off.
In Appeal to Sea Ray’s Laid Off Employees, Job Fair Is Scheduled For July 13
This job fair organized by CareerSource Flagler Volusia will showcase businesses with open, ready-for-hire positions, and will take place at the Flagler Palm Coast High School gym.
Floats of Pink, Red, White and Blue Reap Rotary’s Trophies For Fabulous 4th Parade
The Flagler Beach Rotary-sponsored parade’s big winner was Florida Pirate Alliance, which took Best of Parade, with more than a dozen more winners and honorees.
No Smokable Medical Marijuana Allowed Before Legal Challenge Plays Out, Court Orders
The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a lawsuit initiated by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan and others who maintain that a Florida law barring patients from smoking their treatment runs afoul of a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
Thursday Briefing: US Navy Band “Cruisers,” Rubio Mobile Office, Palm Coast Tech Assessment, Mafted
A down day as Flagler recovers from July 4 festivities, with a US Navy Band concert in Daytona and, if you insist, Rubio’s mobile staff office hours in Ormond.
From Food Stamps To Housing Allowances, There’s an All-Out War On Kids
It’s not just on the border: the Trump administration is targeting food stamps eligibility, rent subsidies and other safety-net measures that protect children.
Bunnell to Prospective Manager: “Not A Penny More” Than $80,000, and Thursday Deadline
It was not the friendliest of negotiations with Martin Murphy, the New York planner whose demands had rubbed some commissioners the wrong way.
Independence Days Briefing: Fireworks, The Flagler Beach Parade, Choral Arts Society Concert, Sportsfishing
Yes, it’s days, not day: celebrations begin Tuesday, stretch through Wednesday with fireworks in Town Center and in Flagler Beach plus all sorts of associated events.
Agonizing Over Tax Increase, Indecisive County Commission Defers To Administrator
County taxes are going up no matter what, but most county commissioners, some of them in election season, have been unable to give the county administrator more than vague direction on the budget.
Monday Briefing: Campaign Signs on Trucks, County Taxes, Bunnell’s Demanding Candidate, Palm Coast Tech Assessment
The Flagler County Commission takes on those trucks that park on county property to advertise candidates, the Bunnell commission decides whether its manager candidate is worth $90,000.
Man Shoots and Kills German Shepherd in Palm Coast’s W-Section, Says In Self-Defense
A 5-year-old German Shepherd mix called Caroline is dead from a gunshot to the head after allegedly attacking a man and his puppy on Westchester Lane in Palm Coast this morning.
Shooting and Pistol-Whipping Over “Disrespect” in Target Parking Lot Land Man in Jail
Christopher Quijano, 19, allegedly pistol-whipped a man and fired a round after the man told Quijano he was being disrespectful to his (Quijano’s) girlfriend.
Unlocked And Loaded: Families Confront Dementia And Guns
The epidemic of gun violence that kills 96 people a day is focused on mental illness. But a little-known problem is what to do about firearms in homes of aging Americans with dementia.
Zero Tolerance: Here’s What It’s Like to Work at a Shelter for Immigrant Kids
A window into a system pushed into overdrive, straining to serve traumatized kids amid the uncertainty of America’s immigration system.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley was arrested on a domestic violence charge Friday evening at the 7-Eleven store he owns on South Oceanshore Boulevard.
Woman Faces Felony Charge In Case of Palm Coast Teen Missing 8 Months
The arrest of Kindra Dixon is the latest twist in the disappearance and recovery eight months later of Palm Coast teen Samantha Posella.
‘No Breach’ Says CEO of Exactis, Palm Coast Company at Heart of Reported Massive Data Leak of Personal Information
Palm Coast-based Exactis CEO Steve Hardigree spoke with FlaglerLive of the data breach that exposed 340 million records, saying nothing actually leaked.
Burglary on Parkview Drive Triggers Search and Code Red in P Section
The house at 10 Parkview Drive was the target of a burglary early Friday afternoon, triggering a search for two men and a Code Red for P Section residents.
DeSantis and Putnam Battle To Out-Trump Each Other In Televised Debate
Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis focused more on national topics than challenges facing the next Florida governor in their debate broadcast on Fox.
Weekend Briefing: Scenic A1A, Lifeguard Certification, Bandshell’s ZZ Top Tribute,
Democrats and Republicans hold competing state summits, a lifeguard certification class at Frieda Zamba pool, Creature from the Black Lagoon in Marineland.
There’s Always Room For a Confederate Statue in a Lake County Government Building
A bronze statue of the Confederate general will be relocated from the National Statuary Hall in Washington to a museum housed in the same building as the Lake County Sheriff’s Office
A Dagger in the Heart of Unions, Workers and Democracy: Behind the Janus Ruling
Their end game is to overturn a fundamental premise of majority rule, and lock in place permanent Constitutional changes to bar any limits on oligarchical rule.
For 21-Year-Old Who Brutalized Dog, 270 Days in Jail, 5 Years’ Probation, Lifetime Felon
Brenden Geary, 21, left an 11-lb Yorkshire terrier unconscious after brutalizing her at a W-Section Palm Coast home in Palm Coast last March.
Sheriff Still Investigating Even After Woman Missing 8 Months Turns Up
Palm Coast’s Samantha Posella revealed herself to a West palm Beach police officer Tuesday after going missing eight months, but the case is not closed.
Thursday Briefing: Future of Water, Animal Cruelty Sentencing, Flagler Beach Audit, Heat Index Up to 105
The Chamber’s Common Ground breakfast focuses on the future of water, Brenden Geary is sentenced on an animal cruelty conviction, the heat index is expected to reach 106.
Flagler School District Scores a B For 7th Year In a Row, Ranks 32nd Out of 67
Only Indian Trails Middle School scored an A while Old Kings and Rymfire elementaries dropped a grade. Other schools maintained last year’s grades.
More Than 100 New Laws Take Effect Sunday, as Does $88 Billion Budget
New laws expanding education vouchers, prohibiting marriage for anyone younger than 18, and placing Florida on permanent daylight saving time–if Congress approves–all go into effect.
Palm Coast Man Faces Rape Charge, Allegedly ‘Testing’ If Girlfriend Had Been Unfaithful
D’Marcus Boyd, a 24-year-old Palm Coast resident, is at the Flagler County jail on $127,500 bond on accusations that he broke into a P-Section house and raped his girlfriend.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index Up to 106, Stewart Marchman Foundation, Compassionate Friends
Watch out for that heat, the African American Entrepreneurs Club gets the county’s economic development board’s sponsorship, Stewart Marchman Foundation’s annual gala.
Balking at Proposed Tax Increase, County Commissioners Offer Alternatives Outside of Public Meeting
Flagler County commissioners want to cut a proposed budget increase but didn’t do so at a workshop, and plan to offer their suggestions outside of budget workshops.
Supreme Court Orders Flagler’s Judge Scott DuPont Removed in Unanimous Decision
Scott DuPont, who’d served on Flagler’s and Putnam’s civil benches since 2010, was investigated for improprieties on and off the bench.
Being Separated From My Child Nearly Destroyed Me
The administration’s policy of separating families is torture, and Trump’s executive order to incarcerate families together doesn’t solve the crisis.
In the Hammock, Boyfriend Shoots Girlfriend In the Ear During Argument Over Chinese Food
George Virgin, a 65-year-old resident of 11 North Shady Lane in the Hammock, faces a second-degree felony charge over the shooting.
Tuesday Briefing: NAACP Candidate Forum, Youth Baseball, Heat Index 101 to 105, Juvenile Justice Study
The NAACP holds one of its famed candidates’ forum at the African American Cultural Society, a study on juvenile justice in Florida is released.
Sea Ray Boats’ Palm Coast Plant Shutting Down in Major Blow to 440 Workers
Palm Coast’s Sea Ray Boats plant, one of the top five employers in the county, with some 440 employees, is shutting down as Brunswick corp. abandons the yacht line.
Bunnell Votes 3-2 To Hire Martin Murphy as Manager, a Planner From New York
The divided vote to hire Martin Murphy reflected the mayor’s wish for a second round of interviews and another commissioner hoping for a different candidate.
Samantha Posella of Palm Coast Now Missing 8 Months, Sheriff Names “Persons of Interest”
Flagler sheriff’s detectives are worried that Samatha Posella, 17 when she disappeared, may have been the victim of a crime. Two Palm Coast residents are persons of interest.
Monday Briefing: Flagler County Taxes, Bunnell Manager Pick, CR205 Road Closure, Indivisible
The Flagler County Commission meets to discuss next year’s likely increase in proeprty taxes, the Bunnell commission meets to possibly choose a new manager, County Road 205 closes for construction.
For a 6-Year-Old Snared in the Immigration Maze, Lifeline in a Memorized Phone Number
As the U.S. attempts to reunite migrant families, children will bear the burden of helping to identify who and where their parents are. One 6-year-old girl has an advantage.
Once a Jail Commander, 23-Year Sheriff’s Employee Is Demoted to Deputy Over Chronic Flaws
Tammy Stakes last September was a commander making over $80,000 a year. She was demoted to deputy over a series of supervisory failures and missteps.