The story is that the president-elect is more factually irresponsible than any political leader in the United States in memory. Chasing it will be just one challenge of the next four years.
All Else
Tuesday Briefing: Rymfire Winter Concert, Matanzas v. Menendez, Palm Coast Redevelopment Plan
The Palm Coast council this evening is set to approve bringing Wawa to State Road 100 as part of a redevelopment plan, Rymfire Elementary’s winter concert, a word from Reinhold Niebuhr.
A Stage Grows In Town Center as Palm Coast Arts Foundation Celebrates New Milestone
The arts and culture organization now has a handsome outdoor stage to call its own on its new grounds in Palm Coast’s Town Center, which it celebrated with an afternoon of performances and activities.
Flagler County Approves 6-Month Moratorium on Medical Pot Dispensaries or Facilities
Flagler County commissioners said the moratorium is not intended to counter the constitutional amendment legalizing medical pot, but to give the county time to figure out what zoning and other regulations may be in place with legalization.
Daytona State Homecoming Marked By 4 Days of Celebration and Events
Daytona State College invited its thousands of friends and near-70,000 alumni to celebrate homecoming in a weekend packed with wide-ranging activities, Nov. 2-5.
Beyond Tweet Storms: What Trump Could Learn from Alexander Hamilton
Hamilton wanted a strong central government. He advocated taxation. He took these positions for practical reasons, not because he was a flaming liberal, argues Jill Richardson.
Monday Briefing: Flagler’s Wild Tourism Spending, Fame, Between Trumpism and Islamism, Kundera
New county commissioners will contend with expensive requests from the county’s tourism division, Fame: the Musical at the Flagler Auditorium, Slovakia-bound art and Milan Kundera words.
Why Trump Would Almost Certainly Be Violating the Constitution If He Continues to Own His Businesses
Even if he does sell his business, any retained residual interest, or any sale payout based on the company’s results, would still give him a stake in its fortunes, again fairly clearly violating the Constitution.
Court Ruling Mostly Favoring Developer May End Nearly 2-Decade Wrangle Over Flagler Beach Marina
Howard Sklar’s marina and boat-works on the Intracoastal in Flagler Beach has been mired in conflict with the city almost since its inception in the late 1990s. A circuit court ruling may finally clear the way for its operations.
Florida’s Death Penalty Law in Disarray, Supreme Court Throws Out Yet More Sentences
Signaling how it is likely to handle scores of Death Row cases, a majority of the Florida Supreme Court threw out death sentences and ordered a new penalty proceeding for a convicted triple-murderer.
Economy Adds 178,000 Jobs in November, 4.6% Unemployment at Lowest Level in 9 Years
It’s the longest job-creation streak in the nation’s history, but wages dropped in October by 0.1 percent and the decline in the unemployment rate was due more to a decline in the labor force than because of job creation.
Weekend Briefing: Christmas Parade in Flagler Beach, Arts Foundation Takes the Stage in Town Center, Messiah and Candlelight
An eventful weekend of Christmas performances all over the place, with the Flagler Beach Holiday Parade, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s afternoon celebration of its new stage on Town Center, performances of Handel’s Messiah, and plenty more.
Sheriff Meets With FPC and Matanzas Students On Timely Issues But Again Gives Neither Public Nor Press Notice
It was the sixth time Sheriff Jim Manfre held “One Common Ground” meetings with community members, and the sixth time his office neglected to publicly notice the meetings or inform local media so they could be properly reported.
Flagler Circuit Judge Scott DuPont Faces Charges of “Recklessly” Spreading Baseless Claims About Opponent
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont may face serious disciplinary action from the Florida Supreme Court if the Judicial Qualifications Commission recommends it after finding probable cause that he violated ethical rules in his latest election campaign.
Not a Storm Too Soon, Worst Hurricane Season In 11 Years Ends as Flagler Continues Recovery
Florida ended its 2016 hurricane season Wednesday, marking the first time in more than a decade that the Sunshine State was hit by a hurricane–and the closest Flagler County came to a direct hit in decades.
Thursday Briefing: Fantasy Lights and Tree Lighting in Town Center, Vaccine Skeptics, That 60s Show, Flagler Audubon
The Rotary Club’s annual Fantasy Lights displays in Palm Coast’s Town Center open just after the 6 p.m. tree-lighting ceremony, where Santa and the mayor make an appearance. Vaccine skeptics like Donald Trump. The 60s at the Auditorium.
New Florida Senator Files Bill To Scrap 2014 Law Granting In-State Tuition to Undocumented Immigrants
The plan by Sen. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, repealing the in-state tuition exception, could alter the higher-education plans of many students who have spent much of their lives in Florida.
Wawa Might Anchor Long-Sought Redevelopment Plan at Bulldog Drive, But Uncertainties Abound
The Palm Coast City Council is set to sell to a developer corner lots at Bulldog and SR100 for almost $600,000 less than it paid for them, as an incentive and linchpin for the redevelopment of the Bulldog Drive entrance.
Enormous Debris Pile from Hurricane Matthew Inadvertently Catches Fire Off U.S. 1
One of three of the nearly-20-foot-high piles of flammable debris collected over the past two months after Hurricane Matthew caught fire Tuesday morning and continues to burn today, though the fire consumed much of the pile.
Wednesday Briefing: End of Hurricane Season (Good Riddance), Matthew Pile Burns, Gun Violence
The Palm Coast City Council goes on a field trip to its public works facility ahead of a workshop on the subject, the Public Service Commission discusses a settlement that would result in higher electric rates for FPL customers, Bob Graham at UF.
Lawyers Cut Trenches in Case Involving Kids’ Sexual Improprieties at Old Kings Elementary VPK
The case now in Flagler circuit court potentially opens a window onto a relatively new world of early childhood education, but one with little of the regulations or oversight that attends K-12 programs.
With an Election Looming, Bunnell Commission Rebuffs Request to Raise Its Salaries Back Up
Commissioner Bill Baxley’s proposal to raise salaries cut in 2014 back up to $9,600 a year got no support from a commission with two members–John Rogers and Bonita Robinson–running for re-election in March.
Nominating Commission Sends 3 Names to Scott for Next Supreme Court Appointment
Fifth District Court of Appeal Chief Judge C. Alan Lawson, appellate Judge Wendy Berger and Orlando lawyer Dan Gerber made the final cut of the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Council’s Public Works Field Trip, FPL Rates, “America: The Owner’s Manual”
The Palm Coast City Council goes on a field trip to its public works facility ahead of a workshop on the subject, the Public Service Commission discusses a settlement that would result in higher electric rates for FPL customers, Bob Graham at UF.
Monday Briefing: Bunnell Commissioners Want Their Full Salaries Back, We Are the 99%, Rorty’s Suggestion to Lefties
Two years ago the Bunnell Commission cut its own salaries by 10 percent, now it wants that 10 percent back. A relatively quiet day in local government, Richard Rorty on what the Left got right and how it could do better.
3rd Set of Human Remains Found in 4 Months as Dune Erosion North of Varn Park Uncovers Bones
For the third time since August, authorities in Flagler County have been led to what they believe to be human remains, this time apparently uncovered by beach erosion caused by Hurricane Matthew.
Staly Names Bisland Undersheriff as Transition Team, Including Big Donors, Gets to Work
Jack Bisland, an investigator at the State Attorney’s office, had been Jim Manfre’s chief of investigations briefly in 2013, but the two men quickly parted ways.
Flagler Beach Holiday at the Beach Parade Set for Saturday: Late Participants Welcome
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is once again hosting the Holiday at the Beach parade this Saturday, Dec. 3, along resilient State Road A1A in the city and is welcoming last minute parade applicants this week. See the application below.
In An Ugly Election Result, Hate Surges Online as Trump Emboldens Extremists
Throughout Donald J. Trump’s ultimately successful run for the presidency, many worried that he had, willfully or recklessly, emboldened racists across the country. Evidence suggests Trump’s effect on rising extremism has been unmistakable.
Flagler’s Humiliated Democrats Try To Regroup, Only to Expose the Dysfunctions At Their Core
Some 60 people had turned up at the All Flagler Democratic Club eager for guidance and strategy only to hear vague and at times bewildering proposals that have little to do with finding local Democrats to run, or get them elected.
Surprised? Trump’s Advisor on Wall Street Regulations is a Longtime Swamp-Dweller
Donald Trump’s transition advisor for financial regulations works for a firm that is emblematic of the Washington revolving door: deregulation could serve Paul Atkins’ wallet as well as his political agenda.
How The Electoral College Mistrusts Voters
That flaw is the Electoral College. For the fourth time in our history, and the second in 16 years, it has given the presidency to the candidate who polled fewer votes — 2 million fewer in this case — than his principal rival.
Flagler Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Jamie Burnsed’s Family House Burns in Morning Blaze
Jamie Burnsed, one of three battalion chiefs at Flagler County Fire Rescue, and one of its longest-serving firefighters, had lived at the property with his family for just about 10 years.
School Board Chairman Colleen Conklin On the Trump Election: “Words Matter”
In light of the swastika incident at Palm Coast’s Imagine School and many other hurtful or vile statements during the election campaign, the school board chairman calls on local leaders to denounce messages that erode trust and respect.
Despite Orlando Massacre and Zika Virus, Florida Tourism Draws Record 27 Million Visitors in 3 Summer Months
The 5.1 percent increase from the same time last year came as Canadians, Florida’s top source of foreign tourism, have cut back on travel due to their nation’s weakened dollar.
For George Hanns, 24 Years As Commissioner End With a Long Goodbye and a Biting Roast
The county administration gave George Hanns a farewell reception Monday afternoon, with some 100 people in attendance and touching moments mixing with humor and a colleague’s roast.
Palm Coast Man Charged With Felony Child Abuse For Allegedly Knocking 6-Year-Old Girl to Ground
Richard Kenney, 33, was arrested after briefly resisting deputies, and charged with a felony count of child abuse and domestic battery after deputies learned he had allegedly slugged a 6-year-old girl hard enough to knock her to the floor, then slapping his wife or ex-wife.
It’ll Be Alt-Right
Donald Trump’s appointments and short-lists are pointing the way to an administration not much different than his campaign, suggesting there’s more wishful thinking than reality behind the hope that he’d surround himself with people saner than he is.
A Start-Up Contest Conceived By Palm Coast’s Office Divvy Crowns Snappy Marketing Winner
Snappy Kraken, a company that launched only last April partly from palm Coast, won from among 30 entrants for its innovative and automated do-it-yourself approach to marketing campaigns.
Two Kindergarten Students of Mixed Races Come Home From Imagine School With Swastikas on Their Skin
School officials say clear video from the school bus captured the incident, in which a middle school student is said to have drawn swastikas on at least two kindergarteners’ skin. A motive has not been disclosed.
Weekend Briefing: Richard Schreiner at Salvo, The Rainmaker at City Rep, This and That at Calypso
The late and very great Richard Schreiner’s works are revived at Salvo art gallery, Nash’s “Rainmaker” is staged all weekend at CRT, “This and That,” a new show at Calypso art gallery, and more.
Feed Flagler Beach at Thanksgiving
Feed Flagler Beach is a sit down community based Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day, November 24, 2016, from 1-3 p.m. at The Wickline Center.
Revered School District Administrator Is Baker Acted Outside Government Services Building
Hearts are breaking at school district offices at the Government Services Building in the wake of an unsettling incident Wednesday afternoon involving Shawn Schmidli, one of the district’s most admired and prized administrators.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Connect Golf, 5 Students in Limbo, Josh Crews, Bob Dylan’s Nobel Snub
The Flagler Chamber’s lagler Connect Golf Tournament, drug court, five students still in limbo after getting expelled from school two months ago, Bob Dylan will not go to his own Nobel Prize ceremony.
“Shoddy Police Work” Helps Bunnell Man Facing Life in Prison Turn Trial In His Favor
Grant Gieger, 30, accused of armed burglary and other violent charges, was found guilty on minor charges instead as the case against him appeared to fall apart because of “shoddy police work,” according to his attorney.
Musical Chairs Continue as Flagler Will Have 5th Different Criminal Court Judge in 7 Years
Circuit Judge Matthew Foxman, in Flagler less than a year, is being reassigned to Volusia County, and will be replaced by Judge Dennis Craig, a Flagler resident who’d previously presided over civil and family court law.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler Youth Orchestra In Concert, Tattooing Pine Cone Drive, Deputies’ Fitness
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s 375 musicians are in concert at the Auditorium tonight, a tattoo parlor wants to open on Pine Cone Drive, a foot chase reveals deputies’ lack of fitness,
Races Lost Across the State Again, Florida Democrats Look for Answers, and a Leader
After losing the state’s presidential and U.S. Senate races and failing to make major gains in the Legislature, Florida Democrats are groping for a way forward as the 2018 elections loom with battles for governor and all three state Cabinet seats.
Sea Change With Immediate Notes of Assertiveness as New Mayor and Palm Coast Council Are Seated
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland wasted no time taking the reins after her swearing in, as did now-senior council member Steven Nobile, who wants a more assertive and involved council.
Farewell Reception Set for Commissioner George Hanns as Quarter-Century Service Ends
County Commissioner George Hanns, a Democrat who once always counted on sure-fire popularity, was first elected in 1992 during the (Bill) Clinton sweep, and was voted out last week during the anti (Hillary) Clinton sweep.