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.
All Else
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.
Thursday Briefing: FPC Graduates, FCC Wants Broadband for the Poor, FAO Schwartz Closes
FPC’s graduation is at the Ocean Center tonight at 7 p.m., NOAA predicts six to 11 named storms this hurricane season, and how the GOP is miscalculating in Florida.
In Split Decision, Sheriff’s Sergeant Fired 2 Years Ago Ordered Reinstated, With 9 Months’ Back Pay
Sheriff Manfre fired Sgt. Chris Ragazzo 2 years ago for accessing police databases for personal business. An arbitrator today ruled the firing was disproportionate to the offense and did not follow due process.
Forget Its Cause. Fighting Global Warming Is Good For Your Health. Period.
Governments often see climate change as too costly to address. In fact, it is too costly to ignore, with the prevention of disastrous climate change tied to immediate health benefits and health cost savings from the reduction of air pollution.
Wednesday Briefing: Salvo’s JJ and Petra Call It a Match, Construction Updates, Nebraska Kills Death
Salvo Art’s JJ Graham capped a show opening with a wedding proposal, Flagler schools’ mentor program marks 10 years, the Nebraska Legislature may override a veto and end the death penalty.
Tuesday Briefing: Murderer David Snelgrove Back in Flagler, De Niro’s Warning to Graduating Actors, Paving Old Kings
Murderer David Snelgrove, sentenced in the double-murder in Flagler in 2000 of two elderly people, is back in court before Judge Walsh today. Rober De Niro tells it like it is to graduating actors.
The Fundamentalists Next Door
It is up to the citizens of Flagler County–no matter your political persuasion or your party affiliation, your social views and religious beliefs–not to allow the voices of ignorance and intolerance decide what information you are permitted to consume.
Assisted Suicide In Your Back Yard: More Prevalent Than You Think
People don’t talk about it, but assisted suicide happens in states where it’s not legal. Just over 3 percent of U.S. doctors said they have written a prescription for life-ending medication, and almost 5 percent reported giving a patient a lethal injection.
Kimberle Weeks Secret Recordings Tapped Into Her Personal Life, Including a Funeral Director
FDLE investigation details revealed today show Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor, obsessively recording officials, at least one reporter, and others in her personal life, and editing the results.
R.J. Larizza Says No Charges Against Sheriff’s Deputy in Second Fatal Shooting in 2 Years
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said today no charges will be filed against Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy Joel Hernandez, who shot and killed a man who was allegedly reaching for a gun while sitting in his car at a towing yard in Daytona Beach in September 2014.
Weekend Briefing: Memorial Day Commemorations, Losing Iraq, Gay Eire, Keurig Horrors, Teens Fly
Memorial Day commemorations in Palm Coast, Flagler and Flagler Beach on Monday, Ireland votes on gay marriage, ISIS clobbers Ramadi, Milan Kundera raises questions.
Milissa Holland, Now a Republican, Files to Run for Palm Coast Mayor to Succeed Netts
Milissa Holland, the two-time Flagler County Commissioner who narrowly lost a bid for the state House in 2012, filed today to run for Palm Coast mayor in 2016.
In LL-Section Fire, Puppy Rescue Gets All the Attention as a Father of 6 Struggles in ICU
Tuesday’s fire in the LL-Section left a 37-year-old father of 6 in the ICU since and split his children to relatives’ homes, but all the attention–and an award–has gone to firefighters’ rescue of two puppies and four older dogs.
Reagan Republican Richter Sends Sexually Offensive Email to Local Media, and Warning to FlaglerLive
Mark Richter, a member of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies of Flagler County, narrowly lost in the Republican primary for Flagler County Commission in 2014.
Thursday Briefing: A Science Expo at Belle Terre Elementary, Tracking Employees 24/7, Death Penalty’s Death in Nebraska
Belle Terre Elementary holds its public science expo at 4:40 this afternoon. Buddy Taylor’s band is in concert at the Auditorium. Employers tracking their employees 24/7 draws a lawsuit.
From “Sustainable Tourism” to Full Employment: Right and Wrong of Smart Development
The UN’s 169 priorities for sustainable development are too many and are like having none at all, argues Bjorn Lomborg. So he asked leading economists to evaluate which targets would do the most good for every dollar.
Flagler’s Next Congressman? Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford Announces for DeSantis Seat
Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, term-limited after 12 years, will seek to replace Rep. Ron DeSantis in the 6th Congressional District, which includes all of Flagler County. The open seat is expected to draw numerous candidates.
Wednesday Briefing: State Education Board in Bunnell, Letterman Ends, Digital Journalism Stalls
The state Board of Education holds its meeting in Bunnell Wednesday morning, with the education commissioner in tow. Tonight Dave Letterman ends his 35 years as the king of late night. Michael Massing explores the future of digital journalism.
Flagler Beach Confrontation Sends Man to Hospital and Splash Car Wash Owner to Jail
The fight at the he Shell gas station on State Road 100 in Flagler Beach sent Ricardo Mercado of Palm Coast to jail on an aggravated assault charge, and Roman Miroshnik to the hospital.
Tuesday Briefing: City Council Braced, Man Booker Prize Announced, Ericksen Flocked, Food Truck Tuesday
It’s Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Britain’s Man Booker Prize is announced at 4:30 p.m., the Palm Coast City Council and Flagler School Boards are in action, 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Commissioner Charlie Ericksen was flocked.
Florida’s Smallest Police Department Gets a Mine-Resistant Armored Vehicle
The Pentagon put more than 12,000 MRAPs into service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Now many of those MRAPs are being unloaded to 780 domestic civilian law enforcement agencies.
Monday Briefing: Carver Gym Fund-Raiser Breaks 4-Year Record, Less Military Hardware For Cops, New Airport Tenants
The Carver Gym auction topped the $7,000 mark, Obama tires of sending military hardware to police departments, an investigation reveals the lack of black cops on Florida streets.
Florida Leads Nation in Boating Accidents With 70 Deaths; Coast Guard Releases Safety App
Features of the app include state boating information, a safety equipment checklist, free boating safety check requests, navigation rules, float plans, and calling features to report pollution or suspicious activity.
One Way to Lessen That Pain: Insurers May Not Charge for Anesthesia in Colonoscopies
Although the ACA health law made it clear that the colonoscopy itself must be free for patients, it didn’t spell out how anesthesia or other charges should be handled.
Adam W. Ryone, 43, Is Killed on SR100 In One of 4 Flagler Wrecks in Less Than 24 Hours
Adam Wade Ryone, 43, who lived on Mahogany Boulevard in Daytona North, was killed on his motorcycle when a woman rear-ended him in a moment of inattention on State Road 100 Saturday afternoon.
The Bunnell Festival Rises Phoenix-Like From Its Spuds to Celebrate Flagler’s Earthy Culture
The Bunnell Festival revives what used to be the Potato Festival with a broader emphasis on Flagler’s agricultural and industrial heritage as it takes over the grounds at City Hall Saturday, May 16.