A tractor trailer on a route from Miami to Jacksonville crashed into three parked and empty school buses as the buses’ drivers were working on one of them on the side of I-95 just north of the Palm Coast Parkway exit at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
All Else
Wednesday Briefing: Benefit Concert For Flagler Beach Family in House Fire, the TDC’s Empty Kitty, Extinct Cougar
A fund-raiser for the the Johnson-Ghormley family twho lost their home in May is at the Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach at 5:30 p.m. The Flagler Tourist Development Council is out of money for certain grants. The federal government is ready to declare the eastern cougar extinct.
School Board Seals Agreement Reforming Disciplining of Black Students, Ending Civil Rights Complaint
The Flagler County School Board this evening voted 5-0 to ratify an agreement with the Southern Poverty Law Center that seeks to eliminate racial disparities in school discipline, resolving a federal civil rights complaint the center filed three years ago.
Flagler Court Clerk Throws a Switch, and Mass of Criminal and Civil Records Becomes Accessible Online
Flagler County court records, from arrest affidavits to civil, criminal, county and probate court are now all available online, 24 hours a day, in a vast improvement of public record access ordered by the Florida Supreme Court.
Tuesday Briefing: YMCA Taking Over Belle Terre Racket Club, Yet Another Dollar General, Yet More Trump
The school board this evening may ratify an agreement with the YMCA to take over Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, a Dollar general is planned for the west side of the county, the pope’s global warming encyclical is leaked.
County Rips Into Palm Coast Government Over Shackled Airport Water Deal
County frustration boiled into outright criticism of Palm Coast’s administration Monday as the city has yet to sign a deal both sides agreed to seven months ago, controlling water service at the county airport.
Flagler Government Embraces Socialized Medicine in Striking Drug Deal with Canadian Rx Company
The Flagler County Commission voted 4-0 Monday to contract with CanaRx to provide prescription drugs to county employees at 50 percent of their U.S. cost.
1,200 Customers in Palm Coast’s P-Section Lose Power Due to Underground Cable Issue
A problem with an underground cable emanating from a Florida Power and Light substation toward the south end of Palm Coast cut off power to around 1,200 customers north of State Road 10 and west of I-95, especially in the city’s P-Section.
June 27: Safety F.I.R.S.T. and Playing It Safe! Expo in Palm Coast
The fourth annual Hurricane Expo has been renamed the Safety F.I.R.S.T. & Playing It Safe! Expo, and is scheduled for June 27th in Palm Coast.
Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) Offers Free Summer Activities for Youth
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) is now offering “KIDS, KOPS and K9” during the months of June and July. This free summertime program is being offered to children ages 4-18
Monday Briefing: Cottages for Princess Place, Canadian Drugs for County Employees, New Health Department Director
The design of the proposed vacation cottages at Princess Place Preserves is unveiled to county commissioners, who also are expected to appoint Robert Snyder as Flagler County’s Health Department administrator, replacing Patrick Johnson.
Palm Coast Flagler Beaches Senior Games, Sept. 12-19: Registration Open
Active older adults can now sign up for the second annual Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games – offering competition in 14 sports.
Swimming Lessons and Lifeguard Classes Available at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool
Palm Coast offers swimming lessons at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool for all ages. All classes are taught under the supervision of a Red Cross-certified swim instructor.
ISIS and Barack Obama’s Dumb War
Sending US troops back to Iraq to fight ISIS, Obama is doing what no American president has ever done before: re-start a war long lost. He’s doing it illegally, without Congressional authorization.
Mark Richter Files to Run for Ericksen’s County Commission Seat as DeLorenzo Mulls Move
Richter, an ex-felong with a history of obscene and threatening communications to local media, ran on a Ronald Reagan Republican Assembly platform in 2012. Palm Coast Council member Jason DeLorenzo is exploring a move away from the council.
Sedated We Stand: Medicare Paid for Nearly 40 Million Tranquilizer Prescriptions in 2013
Florida had more doctors who prescribed large amounts of benzodiazepines than anywhere else in the country with some 144 Florida doctors wrote at least 2,000 prescriptions for them to Medicare patients.
Weekend Briefing: Celebrating George Hanns’s Quarter Century, Lacrosse at Indian Trails, Nukes Everywhere
Flagler Commissioner George Hanns’s 25 years in public service are marked Sunday at Hijackers Restaurant, the Legislature passes a series of health care bills today, Palm Coast graduates another academy class.
Thursday Briefing: Emergency Drill at FPC, Ty Pennington Digs Palm Coast, Denali Dims McKinley
Avoid the area around Flagler Palm Coast High School Thursday morning, Mt. Denali wants to kick out McKinley, Ty Pennington grills in Palm Coast.
Don’t Panic: FPC Will Be the Scene of a Large-Scale “Active Assailant” Exercise Thursday
Emergency management is not releasing more detailed information than that because the aim of the exercise is to simulate a stressful emergency as close to the real thing as possible.
The War on Women, Cont’d: Enough with Mandatory Vaginal Exams, Florida
It’s not enough that in 2011 our Legislature passed a draconian law forcing women to schedule, pay for, and look at an ultrasound of their fetus if they choose to exercise their right to an abortion.
Fossil-Fuel Utilities Band Up to Block Solar-Power Initiative Aiming to Unshackle Industry
Florida’s largest electric utilities, AG Pam Bondi and business groups want the Supreme Court to block a proposed solar-energy ballot initiative that would go before voters in 2016.
Palm Coast Passes on Supporting County In Anti-Fracking and Drilling Resolutions
The Palm Coast City Council chose not to sign on to a pair of resolutions opposing fracking or seismic testing for oil offshore of Florida, saying the county has already spoken.
Wednesday Briefing: Golden Lion’s Saucy Reach, Brotherhood Ride at Palm Coast Elks, Bail’s Injustice
Flagler Beach’s Golden Lion donates 50% of profits from its tartar sauce sales to feed the needy, the Brotherhood Ride in Palm Coast honors 10 Fallen Florida First Responders, how the bond system screws defendants and ruins families daily.
News-Journal Employees File Charges of Unfair Labor Practices Against New Owner GateHouse Media
The press room union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board on June 3, charging that GateHouse Media illegally abrogated their collective bargaining agreement and is trying to bust the union.
Childhood Cancer Clusters in Florida and The Department of Health’s Lethal Silence
Five years have passed since the University of West Florida’s Dr. Raid Amin and his team alerted the state to the presence of cancer clusters in Florida, the state Department of Health remains mum, seemingly uninterested in investigating the issue.
Tuesday Briefing: Swim Lessons at Frieda Zamba, Texas Pool Party Video, Michael J. Fox at 54
Video of Texas police shown abusing a 14-year-old girl at a Texas pool party surfaces, the Palm Coast council takes on Florida Park Drive again, Michael J. Fox is still powering Parkinson’s battlers, and the Women’s World Cup continues in Canada.
Sheriff’s $2.5 Million Budget Request Increase Is Largest in 10 Years, With 5% Raise For Ranks
The increase reflects additional staffing at the new jail, money for 10 new patrol vehicles, a 5 percent across-the-board raise and state-required retirement contributions accounting for the bulk of the increase.
Monday Briefing: Flagler’s Entertainers of the Year, Navy SEALS Vigilantism, Money Growing on Trees
Entertainers of the year are listed, the Flagler Education Foundation celebrates 25 years, forests have become a rich investment, the Baiata Bird Sanctuary wants your vote to win a $25,000 prize, and Harley the lost dog has been found.
In Breakthrough, Lawmakers Agree on Health Budget and “Significant” Increase for Education
Florida House and the Senate reached tentative agreements Saturday on money to hospitals and providers for the poor, and a $207-per-pupil increase in education funding.
Stupid Pot Busts
The conviction for pot smoking of a Palm Coast resident who’d never had so much as a traffic ticket illustrates the sickness of a police and judicial system’s wrongheaded marijuana fixation.
Palm Coast Resident Accused of Operating A Crack-and-Pot Operation in Bunnell
Tyrone Patterson, a 37-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R-section who was charged with child abuse in March, is being held on $720,000 bond for trafficking cocaine and growing pot near Carver Gym in Bunnell.
Judge William Parsons Is Resigning to Join Cobb Cole Firm in Daytona
Circuit Judge William Parsons, twice the chief judge in the judicial district that includes Flagler, will end 17 years on the bench to return to private practice next January.
When LOL Means Loss of Life: Flagler Students Rap Texting-and-Driving In Video
A coalition of local agencies initiated by Chiumento Selis Dwyer led to a student video project at Matanzas High School and a 150-second public service announcement video warning of the dangers of texting and driving, which premiered Wednesday.
Weekend Briefing: Matanzas Has a New Principal, Leadership Flagler Wants You, Ferris Bueller at 30
Earl Johnson of Volusia County Schools Selected New Principal for Matanzas High School, the Chamber’s Leadership Flagler Class of 2015 wants applicants, First Friday in Flagler Beach.
Opelka’s Fabulous Run in Paris Ends in Quarterfinal Defeat, But He’s Warming Up for Wimbledon
The 17-year-old Palm Coaster lost to fellow-American and friend Michael Mmoh, but he will be climbing the world’s junior rankings as he heads for two grass-court tournaments in England.
Thursday Briefing: Talent Show Night at the Auditorium, Varn Park Reopens, Social Media Day Proclaimed
Spotlight on Flagler Youth Variety and Talent Show is at 7 tonight at the auditorium. Varn Park’s half-million renovation is done. Americans want more equality.
At Sea Ray Boats, a $10,000 Gift Marks Millions of Working Hours Without an Accident
Brunswick Corp. CEO Dustan McCoy marked Sea Ray’s safety record while tracing the Flagler Beach plant’s success through the Great Recession, and linking its safety record to its continuing operations.
Flagler Schools Will Settle Civil Rights Lawsuit And Appoint Disciplinary Oversight Council
The lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center had targeted Flagler schools’ disproportionate punishment of black students. The disciplinary oversight coalition will meet quarterly and publicly, reviewing disciplinary data and making recommendations to the superintendent.
Wednesday Briefing: “American Sniper” in Palm Coast, a $15/hr Minimum Wage in LA, Texting and Driving at Matanzas
A local coalition launches a texting-and-driving video PSA at Matanzas this evening, LA passes a $15-an-hour minimum wage, Jerry Seinfeld has coffee with comedians again.
Taxable Values Rise Again–6% in Palm Coast, 7% in Flagler–But So Do Demands on Budgets
With more value comes more revenue for local governments, and more expectations from various agencies and the public–including a $2.4 million budget increase request from the sheriff’s office alone.
Tomoka Eye Foundation Donates $10,000 to the Center for the Visually Impaired
The donation is a result of the foundation’s first annual Tea and Biscuits fundraiser held last month. Funds from the event also went to guide dog support for the visually impaired. The check was presented to the Center for the Visually Impaired at CVI’s Legacy of Light luncheon on May 13.
Tuesday Briefing: School Board Talks Settlement of Discipline Lawsuit, Missing Dog Harley, Morrison’s Nobel
The Flagler school board this evening considers a settlement agreement over a lawsuit charging that black students are disproportionately disciplined, filed in 2012 by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Flagler County Children Through Summer
The Flagler County Schools, Food & Nutrition Services Department is please to announce that free breakfast and lunch meals will be made available at no charge to all children in the community who are 18 years of age and under.
Monday Briefing: Kimberle Weeks Is Arraigned, County Firefighters Get a Contract, Youth Orchestra’s Chamber Players In Concert
Ex-Supervisor of Elections Kim Weeks is arraigned on 12 felony counts in circuit court today, 24 chamber ensembles of the Flagler Youth Orchestra perform in a final concert, the county commission is set to approve a contract with its firefighters.
After Victim Testifies of Being Raped, James McDevitt Is Sentenced To 40 Years in Prison
James McDevitt, the 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to raping a woman in Flagler Beach in June 2013, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison Friday. He will be on probation for 20years, and will be branded a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Brandt Is Crime Stoppers’ Flagler Officer of the Year
Steve Brandt, an 21-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office promoted just two weeks ago to Commander, was named just days later Flagler County Officer of the Year by Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida.
Sheriff’s Office Puts Up Reward in Search for George Contos, 58, Who Disappeared in Suspicious Circumstances May 9
George Contos, a 58-year-old Bunnell resident and a diabetic with a prosthetic leg, went missing on May 9. His car has been recovered. The disappearance is now considered suspicious, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Weekend Briefing: Growing Energy at Belle Terre, McDevitt Rape Sentencing, Spying in Orange County Schools
Teacher of the Year Ed Wolff showcases the Growing Energy garden at Belle Terre Elementary, Orange County public schools begin tracking students’ social media wholesale, James McDevitt is sentenced in court Friday morning for a 2013 rape.
With Florida Overdue for a Hit, Hurricane Season Begins on a Tide of Pessimism
NOAA predicts a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with between six to 11 tropical storms, but Florida’s insurance officials say the state’s nine straight hurricane-free seasons can;t last much longer.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.