Leonard Nimoy will forever be remembered for his “Live long, and prosper” line, which he seems to have borrowed from Voltaire in a pre-interstellar day.
All Else
Palm Coast Will Borrow $30 Million to Build New Sewer Plant, Pledging No Rate Increase For 5 Years
The new plant would be financed with a 20-year loan at less than 1 percent interest, and the city’s total debt load would rise to around $200 million. It also depends on steady growth in coming years.
Pot. Beer Wars. Gambling. Even Pension Reform. Sen. Rob Bradley Says Bring ‘Em On
Many of this Florida legislative session’s thorniest issues — and more — rest in the hands of Sen. Rob Bradley, a laid-back junior legislator and chairman of a committee dubbed by Senate President Andy Gardiner as the “Thunderdome.”
1.6 Million Floridians, 6,000 in Flagler, May Lose Health Subsidies: Supreme Court Decides
Subsidies may be lost for 90 percent of ACA participants if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that residents of states like Florida, which have no health marketplace of their own, may not qualify for federal subsidies. The Supreme Court hears arguments in the case next week.
FPC’s William Gibbs and Alex Lull Will Represent Flagler at Boys State in June
William Gibbs and Alex Lull, with Devin Ritter as an alternate, were chosen Thursday from a field of five applicants by American Legion Flagler Post 115 representative George Stockley.
Rudy Giuliani Loses It
Donald Kaul has been trying to make up his mind about Rudy Giuliani: “I can’t decide whether he’s a nutball or a sleazeball,” he writes. “For now I’m going with a sleazy nutball, but I’m open to suggestions.”
Palm Coast’s Public Access TV Changing Name and Bright House Channel, To 495
Palm Coast Municipal Access is moving from Channel 199 to Channel 495 for Bright House subscribers, and changing its name to Palm Coast Television.
Special Election Candidates Slog Through Only Local Forum, Except When Talk Turns to Guns
The largely plodding Q&A forum organized by three Flagler business groups held few surprises and featured Senate candidates David Cox and Travis Hutson and House candidates Adam Morley and Paul Renner.
City Hall Rising: Walls Go Up at Palm Coast’s Future Home
Walls built in place went up Tuesday morning on the site of the future Palm Coast City Hall in Town Center, marking a significant visual advance in the nearly $10 million project as it moves toward completion by fall.
Palm Coast May Reduce Red-Light Cameras to 5, But Won’t Scrap Program For Fear of ATS
Fearful of a lawsuit from ATS, its red-light camera provider. the Palm Coast City Council says it would reduce the cameras from 43 to five, but not eliminate them, even if it means ending all its revenue from the cameras but preserving that of ATS.
Flagler Jail Inmates Charged With Lewdness For Masturbating During GED Class
James Simmons, a 40-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P-Section, is facing a series of felonies in other incidents, and now faces an additional third-degree felony.
County Attorney Al Hadeed Responds to “Extreme Allegations” in Ex-Supervisor Weeks’s Florida Bar Complaint
The Florida Bar complaint against Hadeed by Kimberle Weeks, never made public until the county administration released it Monday, was part of a series of similar maneuvers Weeks and an ally filed with the state ethics commission and the state elections commission.
As FAA Issues Rules, New Palm Coast Drone Company Beguiles Realtors and Others
CAVU Aerial Photography, a drone company in Palm Coast since August, has been showing Realtors, communications companies and others the many uses of drone technology, which is expected to boom with the FAA’s new, more permissive rules.
Obamacare Enrollment Will Re-Open From March 15 to April 30 For Penalized Tax Filers
The Obama administration will allow a special health law enrollment period from March 15 to April 30 for consumers who realize while filling out their taxes that they owe a fee for not signing up for coverage last year.
Special Election’s Final Four: Cox, Hutson, Morley and Renner in Tuesday Forum
This time the forum, at the Realtors building on SR100, will feature audience questions. All four candidates are scheduled to appear at the 6 p.m. event.
Dancing, Archery, History: Native American Festival at Princess Place Saturday and Sunday
In a first, Flagler County is hosting a Native American Festival at Princess Place Preserve Saturday, February 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday March 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $5 per carload, up to four, and $1 for each additional passenger.
FPC’s Dustin Sims Is One of Three Finalist For State Assistant Principal of the Year
The Assistant Principal of the Year receives a cash prize of $2,500 and a weekend resort stay at the Walt Disney World Resort and theme park admission also courtesy of Disney Youth Programs.
When Your Armed Neighbor Comes
Knocking: Guns and Muslims in Chapel Hill
What kind of country do we live in, where it’s legal for a man to bring a weapon to a noise complaint? Or a parking dispute? Mitchell Zimmerman confronts the Chapel Hill killings of three Muslims.
Lily Sara, Humanitarian and Founder of
La Voix de La Femme Libanaise, 1929-2014
Lily Sara, one of Lebanon’s leading humanitarians and founder of La Voix de La Femme Libanaise–the Voice of the Lebanese Woman–died in Beirut on Dec. 10, 2014. Testimonies and eulogies were offered on Dec. 13.
From His Flagler Beach Home Base: Ray Black Jr.’s Road to NASCAR’s Truck Series
Ray Black Jr., competing tonight in NASCAR’s Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, tells of his joujrney from Alabama to Flagler Beach, and the wisdom in not wrecking.
Southwest Palm Coast Records a Low of 25 as Cold Snaps Power for Over 800 Customers
The lowest temperature in the county was reported at Eagle Rock, sinking to 24. Despite a cloudless sun, temperatures were still around 40 in Palm Coast at mid-morning, with winds strong enough to make it feel more like in the lower 30s.
Ending Long Fight, County Approves Short-Term Rental Regulations–With Grandfather Clause
New rules limit short-term rental homes to 10 overnight occupants, and require inspections and a certification process, ending a three-year effort by the county to change state law and enable the commission to regulate the industry.
FHP Launches “Operation Race to Safety” on I-95, Targeting Aggressive Drivers
Coinciding with races and the traffic they bring at the International Speedway, FHP will be conducting Operation Race to Safety between Thursday, February 19 and Sunday February 22, 2015.
Why Journalism Should Be Addicted to David Carr
Unlike many aging baby boomers, the New York Times’s David Carr, who died last week, had no fear of new technology and no contempt for young people who did not equate the survival of newspapers with the survival of journalism.
Publix Doesn’t Want You To Buy Liquor In Grocery Stores. Wal-Mart and Target Do.
A proposed law to end Florida’s 80-year-old prohibition on liquor in any but stand-alone stores cleared a House committee over the objections of Publix, some sheriffs and liquor store owners.
Appeal Court Upholds Florida’s Ban on Open-Carry, But Case Appears Headed For Supremes
Dale Norman, a resident of St. Lucie County, was arrested at gunpoint for carrying an openly visible handgun in a holster, on his hip. Florida Carry Inc. took his case and has been fighting his conviction since.
Sheriff Manfre Agrees to $183,000 Settlement Over Wage Dispute With 155 Deputies
The settlement will award an average of $487 in back pay to 104 current and former road deputies, and an average of $1,670 to current and former corrections deputies, ending one of three major legal matters burdening the sheriff’s office.
Ex-Cop Is Charged With Torture of Daughter, 14
Stanley Wykretowicz, 38, and a 33-year-old woman, residents of Palm Coast, were jailed on a charge of willfully torturing Wykretowicz’s daughter. He faces an additional charge of battery by strangulation.
Florida Justices Halt Execution Until U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Lethal Injection
Saying it must “err on the side of extreme caution” or risk threatening the “viability of Florida’s entire death penalty scheme,” the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday halted the Feb. 26 execution of a convicted killer until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a lethal injection drug.
Freeze Watch Issued for Flagler-Palm Coast From Wednesday Night to Thursday Morning
The cold front will remain in place until Friday, bringing overnight lows below freezing and daytime highs of only 50 Thursday and Friday. Warmer weather will return Thursday.
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann Thanks Responders After Car Wreck
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann was involved in a two-vehicle crash at Palm Coast Parkway and Clubhouse Drive on Feb. 3, as he was driving to a city council meeting.
On Flagler Roads, Cyclists Share Some Blame For Wrecks; Legislator Files Protective Bill
A proposed bill to strengthen protections for cyclists drew mixed reviews from a Flagler County commissioner and a Florida Highway Patrol homicide investigator, who both pointed at cyclists’ responsibilities on the road.
Guns on Florida Campuses: University System Says No, Citing Values and Protection
Florida’s university system wants state lawmakers to holster the idea of allowing guns on campus, saying it would jeopardize providing a safe and secure learning environment.
With “Venus in Fur,” Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre Goes Fifty Shades of Dare
John Sbordone’s latest envelope-pushing offering at City Rep Theatre is a play within a play that mixes kinkiness, subtlety, and–as the lead character puts it–a little S&M porn.
Buddy Holly Story at the Flagler Auditorium: The Boundless Influence Of a Rock Legend
“The Buddy Holly Story,” at the Flagler Auditorium Friday, reflects the enduring influence and popularity of a rock-and-roller whose career spanned just 18 months before he died in a plane crash.
Botticelli: The Birth of Venus (1468)
Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” or “Nascita di Venere,” with a video tutorial on the 1468 painting.
Is Your Facebook Account Private After You Die? Senate Bill Says Not So Fast.
Florida Sen. Dorothy Hukill wants to permit online account access after an account holder has died. The Act seeks to open the book on our digital lives, even after we have uploaded to the great cloud in the sky, writes Peter Schorsch.
John Steele Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in Hit-and-Run Death of Sean Lynn Ryan
Sean Lynn Ryan was 25 when he was killed by a vehicle John Steele drove in December 2012 as Ryan walked along U.S. 1 near Plantation Bay. Steele kept going.
Third General Manager in 5 Years Takes Over Palm Coast’s Troubled Golf and Tennis Clubs
Six-figure deficits that taxpayers have subsidized year after year have riddled the budgets of Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Club and its tennis center since they opened.
Net Neutrality’s Biggest Deal: FCC Rules Would Keep Internet Open
If the FCC ignores big cable and communications companies’ pressure and approves the rules, it would be one of the greatest public policy victories in decades, argue Matt Wood and Candace Clement.
Back In Tallahasee, Jeb Bush Gets a Taste of Push-Back Against His Education Legacy
Appearing at an education Summit, Jeb Bush, who is preparing a run for the presidency, saw his common core, school voucher and high-stakes testing ideas challenged, as they would likely be on the campaign trail.
Despite Obamacare Rules, Some Contraceptives May Still Require Co-Pay
Even though an unplanned pregnancy would cost an insurer a lot more than the contraceptives to prevent it, some insurers still try to limit what they cover.
Palm Coast Begins Conversion to LED Street Lights In Latest Push For Conservation
Palm Coast won’t retrofit its 3,000 street lights to LED just yet, but all new installations will be LED, and in a year or 18 months may consider a broader retrofit program if the investment shows solid savings over time.
Palm Coast Close To Suspending Red-Light Camera Program as Legal Challenges Mount
By all appearances from the council’s discussion this morning, the council is ready to end its program as it is now configured, with a final decision to be taken on March 3.
Parents Ask Judge To Disqualify Union From Challenging School Voucher Program
Lawyers for the state and parents whose children use Florida’s de facto school-voucher program argued Monday that groups including the state’s largest teachers union don’t have the right to challenge the program in court.
Jeb Bush’s Behavior in the Terry Schiavo Case: Unworthy of a Governor — Or a President
Schiavo was brain-dead for 10 years. Her Catholic parents prevented her husband from removing a feeding tube, and Jeb Bush intervened, strong-arming the Florida Legislature to circumvent a court ruling.
With Generous County Subsidy, Christian School May Be Next Tenant of Old Courthouse
County government will vote Tuesday on a proposal by First Baptist Christian Academy of Palm Coast to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell for $5,700 a month, and with an interest-free, 30-year tax-funded loan of $360,000.
For Second Time in Five Days, R-Section Houses Are Targets of Several Bullet Shots
A house at 7 Rolland Lane and another at 6 Roxboro Drive were each sprayed with five bullets within five days of each other, and in each case a bullet struck a vehicle inside a garage. No arrests have been made.
Brian Williams and Baghdad Bob
When Brian Williams lied about being shot in a helicopter, it was part of a broader pattern of bogus stories the American media were too happy to broadcast about the war in Iraq as it sped to George W. Bush’s Mission Accomplished moment on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Lest We Get On Our High Horse: Obama’s Caution to Self-Righteous Christians
President Obama’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast cautioned Christians against shutting their eyes to their own brutal past, but was rebuked by Evangelicals and the conservative press, often with flurries of historical inaccuracies.