The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Florida and six other states could not ban inmates from growing beards for religious reasons. The case originated in Arkansas.
All Else
Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run Raises $13,152 for Florida Hospital Flagler’s Breast Cancer Fund
After an event that drew upwards of 1,000 runners, a record, Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run last October netted $13,152, money that will help defray the cost of mammograms and other breast-cancer diagnoses or treatments.
Missing From Salamander Hotel Proposal: Community Consensus and Respect for Past Agreements
Chris Goodfellow, a resident of the Hammock, argues that Salamander Hotels’ proposed 198-room re-development requires a precedent-setting change the county commission should avoid absent clearer consensus from the Hammock community.
Palm Coast Fire Department Unveils New $360,000 Truck and Logo on Jan. 27
The public can see Palm Coast’s new fire truck and its new logo on Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Marketplace parking lot.
Tuesday Evening Memorial Set for Elisa Homen, Victim of School Bus Crash on Whiteview
A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old Palm Coast resident who succumbed to her injuries four days after a collision with a school bus on Whiteview Parkway on Jan. 9.
When Bigots Hide Behind Religious Freedom
Kelvin Cochran, the former Atlanta fire chief, and his supporters, are using the veil of religious freedom to justify homophobic and bigoted views that have no place in the workplace.
At Salvo Art Project:
Jan Geyer, Artist of the Year
In Palm Coast less than three years, artist Jan Geyer has made her impact on the local arts community through her own studio at City Marketplace and her associations with Hollingsworth-Salvo Art Project and the Flagler County Art League.
Death Becomes Them: In CRT’s “Grace and Glorie,” An Odd Couple Does Hospice (and Velveeta)
In Tom Ziegler’s “Grace and Glorie,” opening at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Friday, two women are brought together in an unlikely friendship as one prepares the other for death.
Florida Ban on Judges’ Campaign Cash Teeters as Supreme Court Takes On The Case
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ultimate decision in the Florida case could have far-reaching ramifications, as 30 of the 39 states that elect judges have some kind of restriction on judicial candidates making personal pitches for campaign money.
Flagler Humane Society Ends Year With 50% Fewer Euthanized Animals, Among Other Milestones
The Flagler Humane Society saw a 25 percent increase in adoptions and a 12 percent increase in lost animals being returned to their owners in 2014, netting an 88 percent save rate for all animals entering the shelter.
Flagler Commissioner Revels Faces $2,500 Fine Over Ethics Violations as Investigation Points To Discrepancies
Though she was the swing vote, County Commissioner Barbara Revels now concedes that she should have abstained from voting to buy the old Memorial hospital in Bunnell in 2013, and that she should have filed a conflict-of-interest form.
Palm Coast Staples Store’s General Manager Is Arrested Over Refund Fraud Scheme
Robert M. Harper, the general manager of the Staples store on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, was arrested Tuesday after confessing to defrauding the store of at least $3,000 by creating fake refunds to himself since last April. Customers were not involved.
Flagler County Government’s Citizens Academy Taking Applications Before Jan. 30 Start
Seats are still available for Flagler County’s popular Citizens Academy program, a free nine week course designed to introduce participants to the day-to-day operations of Flagler County government.
Candidates In Special House and Senate Election Strain to Distinguish Themselves
Five Republican candidates in the Jan. 27 special primary for House and Senate fielded questions from three Flagler County business groups in an open forum with few surprises Tuesday evening at the Hilton Garden Inn.
A Muslim Cartoonist on the Charlie Hebdo Massacre: Shame, Fear, But Mostly Hope
Cartoonist Khalil Bendib, an American Muslim and native of Algeria who’s known his share of censorship and death threats, writes of grief and human solidarity in the wake of the attack.
Big Names, Big Numbers and Zombies Animate 2nd Flagler Film Festival at Hilton
Organizers of the three-day Flagler Film Festival, which concluded Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, say attendance was up about 25 percent despite inclement weather.
Rick Scott Proposing to Raise Per-Student Funding Back to Nominal High of 2007
The proposal would mark an increase of roughly $261 from the current budget year, which ends June 30. But it still has to survive a legislative process in which lawmakers will be eager to fulfill their own priorities.
Rain and Pair of Wrecks Snarl Traffic on I-95 in Both Directions From SR100
A pair of wrecks involving up to four vehicles but with relatively minor injuries snarled traffic on I-95 Monday afternoon as rain fell heavily in the area of State Road 100. Both wrecks took place around mile marker 284.
As Lenhart Replaces Weeks, A Canvassing Meeting Where The Biggest News Is No News
Gov. Rick Scott appointed Kaiti Lenhart Interim Flagler County Supervisor of Elections, and the county canvassing board met for the first time today in the post-Kimberle Weeks era, and in a radically different atmosphere.
Palm Coast Street Superintendent Tony Capela Resigns Abruptly After 8 Years
Tony Capela, the sometimes embattled, often lauded Palm Coast street superintendent, resigned unexpectedly late Friday, without giving a reason, after eight years with the city.
Light Up Again: John Morgan Files Medical Pot Amendment Language For 2016 Ballot
The revamped measure clarifies that doctors cannot order medical marijuana for children without their parents’ approval and clears up ambiguity about what diseases would make patients eligible for medical-marijuana treatment.
Florida Lawmakers Seek Secrecy For College and University Searches and Vetting of Candidates
Pointing to the possibility of a “chilling effect” if word gets out, a House bill filed Friday would allow information to be kept confidential about people applying to become presidents, provosts or deans of state universities or colleges.
As Showdown Looms Over Salamander’s Hammock Beach Hotel, County Asks For Delay
A hearing before the Flagler County Commission Monday evening was to decide the fate of a proposed 198-room hotel at Hammock Beach Resort. The county administration is asking for a delay until February.
Standing With Charlie Hebdo:
The Right and Duty to Offend
We should celebrate differences of opinion. We have no duty to embrace differences of principles, and in many cases—and this is one of them—we must oppose them, angrily and militantly if need be.
28 Killed on Flagler Roads Last Year, Most Since 2008; Total Crashes 2nd-Highest Ever
The spike in fatalities and 876 total crashes (only 2013 had more total crashes) has police and safety officials puzzled, though they say distracted driving is likely the leading cause.
Hearing Voters’ Demand for Conservation, Florida Senate Begins Money Game
Since the amendment was approved, concerns have been expressed about issues such as how lawmakers will define land-preservation or water-conservation projects, how the state will determine which of its “impaired” water bodies is most critical and how to approach the reduction of stormwater runoff and agriculture fertilizer use.
Men’s Futures Tennis Tourney Returns to Palm Coast For 6th Year, Jan. 23-Feb. 1
Up to 128 touring professionals will compete at Palm Coast’s clay court facility for a $10,000 purse and ATP ranking points. Most days’ events are free to the public.
As Swing States Go, Florida Is Still the Gate to the White House
The state’s central position on the road to the White House remains the state’s great revenge for all of the fun the rest of the country gets from reading about Florida Man, writes Steven Schale.
Flu Visits to Flagler ER Spike 33% Over Last Season, But Officials Aren’t Calling It an Epidemic
Flu visits to the ER were especially pronounced in November. They leveled off a bit in December. But the first week of January saw the numbers spike again, especially compared to last year,
Four Gay Couples Get Marriage Licenses at Flagler Courthouse in Quietly Momentous End to Long-Standing Prejudice
It was a quiet but significantly historic day at the Flagler County Courthouse as Florida’s ban on marriage equality ended across the state Tuesday and couples celebrated the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses ahead of marriage ceremonies after the three-day waiting period.
First Gay Marriages in Florida Are Celebrated as Miami-Dade Recognizes Two Couples
With same-sex marriages ready to start Tuesday across the state, a circuit judge allowed gay couples to go ahead and begin getting married Monday in Miami-Dade County.
Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks Resigns
Six years into her tenure, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks has resigned. Weeks announced her resignation in a letter to her poll workers this morning, citing family and health concerns.
The Gifted Chemistry of Mentorship: Remembering FPC’s Sylvia Brady
Sylvia Brady, the long-time and popular chemistry teacher at Flagler Palm Coast High School and 1984 Teacher of the Year, died on Friday, age 73. Inna Hardison, former editor of Palm Coast Lifestyles Magazine and current co-owner of Ha Media in Palm Coast, wrote the following profile of Brady in 2009, when Brady was on the verge of retirement.
Education or Exploitation? When a Patient’s Death is Broadcast Without Permission
Ethicists say medical reality shows exploit patients’ pain for public consumption, but their makers argue that they educate viewers and inspire people to choose careers in medicine.
Slashing Taxes, Fighting Vouchers, Expanding Medicaid (or Not): What’s Ahead in 2015
With Gov. Rick Scott set to be sworn in for his second term and legislative committee meetings beginning this week, the topics that will dominate discussion in the Capitol in the coming year are shaping up. Here’s a rundown.
In a Reversal, Florida Court Clerks’ Lawyers Say Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Must Be Issued
The reversal from the association’s lawyers should remove the last roadblock to gay marriage starting in Florida, though some clerks say they’ll refuse to perform ceremonies.
Federal Judge Orders Florida Clerks to Issue Gay-Marriage Licenses Across Florida Starting Tuesday
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle warned that clerks of court who refuse to comply with the ruling expose themselves to be a party to the suit, allowing successful plaintiffs to recover costs and attorneys’ fees.
Lower Fuel Costs Will Bring FPL Power Bills Down $2 a Month Starting in 2015
Like all utility companies, Florida Power & Light Company, which services almost all of Flagler County, is required by law to pass on fuel savings to customers.
Craig Coffey’s $15,000 Raise Request: An Insult to Public Employees at Taxpayers’ Expense
The insult wasn’t just Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey’s Christmas tithing to himself. It was the way he and his administration went about it, and the way three county commissioners played along.
Chiumento Law Firm’s Ron Hertel Is Named 2015 President of Flagler Bar Association
Ron Hertel of Palm Coast’s Chiumento Selis Dwyer replaces Doug Williams as president of the Flagler County Bar Association, with Vincent Lyon, an attorney at the same law firm, as president-elect.
St. Augustine’s A1A Ale Works: Curb Your Enthusiasm
A1A Ale Works in St. Augustine, nearing its 20th anniversary, can learn a few things about customer service if it doesn’t want to make Larry Davids of its local clientele.
Medicare Penalties Hit 31 Florida Hospitals Over High Infection Rates; FHF Spared
In its toughest crackdown yet on medical errors, the federal government is cutting payments to 721 hospitals – including 31 in Florida — for having high rates of infections and other patient injuries.
2014 In Review: For Florida, A Year of Same-Olds More Than Change
State government from the governor on down is virtually unchanged, with all major figures and almost all incumbent senators winning reelection, but gay marriage and some legalized marijuana suggest some change for the state.
Deadly Force, In Black and White: Analysis of Killings by Police Shows Outsize Risk for Young Blacks
Young black males in recent years were at a far greater risk of being shot dead by police than their white counterparts – 21 times greater, according to an analysis of federally collected data on fatal police shootings.
Woman In “Catholic Warrior” Shirt Vandalizes Satanic Temple Display at Florida Capitol
Susan Hemeryck, 54, of Tallahassee, entered the Capitol at 11:23 a.m. and told an on-duty police officer that “she was sorry and had to take the Satanic display,” according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement charging affidavit.
Florida Legislature Tells Supreme Court That Fair District Amendment Is “Unenforceable”
Lawyers for the Legislature told the Florida Supreme Court in a brief filed late Friday that part of a state ban on political gerrymandering violates the U.S. Constitution.
Gay Marriage Begins in Florida Jan. 6 as U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Bondi’s Plea For Stay
It’s no longer a maybe, an if or a pending: clerks of court in Florida must begin issuing gay-marriage licenses on Jan. 6 as the U.S. Supreme Court Friday evening denied Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s request that a stay on the matter be extended.
Flagler Film Festival, the Sequel: Zombies and Star Power Flick In Jan. 9-11
The second edition of the Flagler Film Festival, at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn Jan. 9-11, features Florida-themed and Palm Coast based productions among numerous entries from around the world.
Four Palm Coast Employees Pull Off Poetic Doe Rescue Trapped in Grand Haven Pond
In Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon’s words (happy-face emoticon not included), “Santa will have all his reindeer this year,” thanks to four city employees who saved a doe from drowning in a coldish pond at Grand Haven Wednesday morning.
Mulling Nuisances, Palm Coast Putters Closer to Trap, Neuter and Release of Feral Cats
With two new supporters of TNR on the council, Palm Coast is slowly moving toward adoption of a trap and release system that still preserves the city’s authority to declare some cats nuisances, and have them removed from public spaces or exterminated.