The tea party is helping Democrats hold on to the U.S. Senate, Jon Stewart with Bill O’Reilly and Chris Wallace, an undercover cop in a Clay County charter elementary school, bombing Beirut, and the Flagler County jail bookings.
All Else
State Ethics Commission Finds Sheriff Fleming in Violation Over Hammock Gift Membership
The Florida Commission on Ethics today found probable cause that Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming violated the state code of ethics when he accepted a free, gift membership to the Hammock Beach Resort since 2005, a finding that may seriously damage Fleming’s chances of re-election in less than three weeks.
Gov. Scott Joins Florida Cattlemen Asking For Suspension of Ethanol Content in Gas
Gov. Rick Scott joined several other governors from both parties this week in asking the federal government to suspend the requirement for putting a certain amount of ethanol into America’s gas tanks, saying it’s causing a shortage of cattle feed for Florida ranchers.
The Orlando Sentinel Endorses Romney
Right-wingers’ elation at the Romney endorsement aside, to call the Orlando Sentinel liberal of course is to seriously misread the house organ of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, central Florida edition.
Another Major Blow to Palm Coast Data as Newsweek, a Major Account, Ends Print
Newsweek, with 1.5 million subscribers, is one of Palm Coast Data’s largest accounts. The company landed it less than two years ago, helping it stanch the loss of other titles. Newsweek will end its print publication in December, a move that will again hurt Palm Coast Data’s bottom line.
The Ron DeSantis-Heather Beaven Debate: Little Substance, Many Lies and Inventions
Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Heather Beaven, congressional candidates for District 6, which includes all of Flagler, squared off in an hour debate at DeLand High School Wednesday, revealing more flair for snark, falsehoods, mis-chracterizations and generalities than substantive ideas or solutions.
Amendment 6: Narrowing Down Florida’s Abortion and Privacy Rights
Sandwiched within a long list of issues on a crowded ballot, Amendment 6 is emerging as a multi-million dollar fight touching abortion, parental rights and privacy protections now guaranteed in the Florida Constitution.
For Flagler Beach Manager Bruce Campbell, An Evaluation Only a Few Stars Shy of Glowing
Bruce Campbell, who was at the center of an 18-month controversy that finally ended in October 2011 with his permanent appointment as manager, came through his first full job evaluation as “outstanding,” assuring him of solid job security even from his two strongest critics on the commission.
Obama Wins Romney’s Binders Full of Women: Five Reads Wednesday
Obama wins the second one but not overwhelmingly, the lame rules of corporate debates, Romney’s binders of women, the Cuban missile crisis’s eyeball-to-eyeball myth, half your facts are wrong, a polarized electorate, Flagler jail bookings.
I-4 Corridor, Rife with Legislative Battles, Is Florida’s Electoral Ground Zero Again
The I-4 corridor is almost a mythical place in presidential politics, with Republicans and Democrats seeing it as a ticket to the White House. But down the ballot, the vast stretch of Central Florida also is the biggest battleground this year in state House and Senate races.
Environmentalist Lawyer Clay Henderson Is Stetson’s George and Mary Hood Award Recipient
Clay Henderson, the New Smyrna Beach lawyer and environmentalist who’s leaving his mark on Florida’s geography, is the 2012 recipient of Stetson University’s George and Mary Hood Award, one of the university’s most prestigious honors.
Military Dollars Vote Obama, Early Voting Wins in Ohio: Five Reads Tuesday
Obama is outraising Romney by almost 2-to-1 from military donors, the U.S. Supreme Court rejects a GOP attempt to limit early voting in Ohio, a video on why debates matter, torture at the Chicago police, humans at their fittest ever, plus Flagler jail bookings.
As Whitaker-Hanns Feud Boils Over “Creepy” Comments, an Apology from the Incumbent
Flagler County Commissioner George Hanns called his challenger, Herb Whitaker, “creepy” at a recent forum, and ridiculed his late-blooming college education, promoting embarrassment from fellow-Democrats and a public apology from Hanns Monday evening.
For Opponents of Amendment 8, “Religious Freedom” Has Never Been Under Threat
The so-called “religious freedom” proposal to amend the Florida constitution would create a government bureaucracy to channel tax dollars to religious organizations, its opponents say, jeopardizing the very religious freedoms it claims to be protecting.
A 75-Year-Old Man Is Tasered After a Car Crash, Break-Ins at Waterfront Park: Flagler 911
A 75-year-old man crashes his car at Plantation Bay only to get into an argument with another man and get Tasered before his arrest; Several cars are vandalized and burglarized at Waterfront Park, and one at Belle Terre Elementary just as the school day began, plus too many fights and battery arrests to mention.
Board of Governors’ Power Over Universities Would Grow While Curtailing Legislature’s
A higher education task force is moving toward a recommendation that would significantly increase the power of the Florida Board of Governors, allowing the panel to set the budgets for each of the state’s 12 universities.
Save Your Teeth: Flagler Dentists Drill Halloween With $1-a-Pound Candy Buy-Back
Like the sheriff’s office’s gun buy-back and the DEA’s drug give-back, Flagler Dental, a group of dentists, is offering a $1-a-pound candy buy-back from Nov. 1 to Nov. 10 at its two locations, with the candy–or sugary drugs, if you prefer–being shipped off to troops overseas.
Farrakhan to Obama: Be A Little Black, Flipping Houses Booms Again: Five Reads Monday
Farrakhan suggests to Obama to “be a little black” at his next debate, Mitt Romney’s weird idea of tax studies, flipping houses booms again, Stephen Fry on swearing, the HPV vaccine and teen girls’ promiscuity (no connection), Lloyd Shapley and Alvin Roth’s Nobel, and Flagler County jail bookings.
A Radio Voice of America from Palm Coast: Mario Jr. Alive and Green, and National
Palm Coast’s 14-year-old Mario Ridgley has been hosting “Mario Jr. Alive and Green,” a radio show on Voice of America Kids, since he was 10. Columnist Frank Gromling was a guest on his show, and relates the tale.
Florida Republicans’ Poll Tax Nostalgia
Hoping to minimize Democrats’ turnout, the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature is going out of its way to make voting more of a privilege than an absolute right. There are a few ways to get around the voter-suppression schemes.
Flagler Beach Kills Discussion on Amendment 4 as Property Tax Measure Divides Politicians
The quick death of the discussion item is a reflection of the polarizing effects of Amendment 4, which has ardent anti-tax advocates–including politicians elected on limited government platforms–rallying around it while some local government representatives strain to explain how it would short-change revenue.
Big Bird Debate: How Much Does
Federal Funding Matter to PBS Anyway?
The amount of tax dollars PBS receives is roughly .012 percent of the $3.8 trillion federal budget – or about $1.35 per person per year, compared to $22.48 in Canada and $80.36 in Britain. Public broadcasting is a popular target among conservatives, who’ve long portrayed it as an example of wasteful government spending.
Biden Bites Back, Drones Kill, Pot Gains: Five Reads Friday
Joe Biden restores order in the Democratic universe, Obama’s drone war, the police’s embrace of legalized marijuana, the European Union wins the Nobel peace prize, the psychology of big-wave surfing, and the usual Flagler jail bookings.
Live, “Loud” Music Again Riles Flagler Beach Residents, Who Demand a Rule Rewrite
Two years ago it was Hurricane Patty’s. This time it’s Johnny D’s whose live music is that’s drawing the ire of residents. One Johnny D’s neighbor is asking the Flagler Beach City Commission to more strictly rewrite its noise ordinance. A workshop is scheduled for November to consider the request.
In Palm Coast, the End of a 90% Building Permit Discount Will Affect Thousands
The 90 percent discount on all permits–from replacing AC units to replacing roofs or water heaters to installing pools and fences–began in 2009, because the city was collecting too much money. The discount ends Oct. 31, resulting in much steeper fees for more than 5,000 such permits a year.
Counties Begin Push-Back Against State’s Prohibition of Stronger Gun-Control
Circuit Judge John Cooper said during a hearing that the counties can continue suing Gov. Scott over part of the law that would give the governor the power to remove local officials for violations — a provision that Palm Beach and Broward say exceeds the governor’s constitutional authority.
Seniors Are Overspending on Medicare’s Prescription Drug Plan
Seniors spent on average $368 more than they needed to on drug coverage through Medicare Part D plans, their decisions complicated by the sheer volume of plans available–1,736 in all–and difficulties involved in determining what makes a plan a good choice, a Health Affairs study finds.
Mo Yan, China’s Rabelais, Wins Literature Nobel: Five Reads Thursday
A Deepwater Horizon-type slick forms in the Gulf, Florida wants to double charter school enrollment, Florida tops the foreclosure charts again, Gail Collins explains Democrats’ bipolar disorder, Mo Yan tells the story of modern China, and Flagler’s jail bookings.
Lance Armstrong Called Ringleader of “Most Sophisticated” Doping Program in Sports History
United States Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart says Lance Armstrong was the ringleader of the most extensive doping operation in sports history, and that sworn testimony from 26 people, including 15 of Armstrong’s fellow-riders, underscore the “overwhelming” evidence the agency is publishing today.
Obama Sends Liberals on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: Five Reads Wednesday
Liberals are panicking about Obama, Afghanistan’s enduring failures, the National Book Award finalists are announced, Google’s new cultural video library, Americans Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka’s chemistry Nobel, plus Flagler County jail bookings.
Flagler Beach Fire Takes 1st Place in 5th Annual Flagler County Fire/EMS Competition
Twelve teams competed in 24-hour, round-the clock scenarios this weekend in an event hosted by Flagler County Fire Rescue. The Flagler Beach Fire Department won the basic life support division. Boca Raton Fire Rescue won the advanced life support division.
Ballot Up: Today Is Your Last Chance To Register to Vote in the Nov. 6 Election
Beyond registering, voters this election cycle are urged to know their sample ballot and fill it out ahead of time, because it’s the longest in memory. Early voting, beginning on Oct. 27, or absentee voting, is encouraged.
Drugging Kids for Performance, “No Religion”‘s Gains: Five Reads Tuesday
Romney is now up by 4 in one poll, Protestants are no longer the majority in the United States, fewer people ascribe to religion, drugging elementary school kids for better school performance, a Floridian dies from eating roaches, and the physics Nobel goes to Serge Haroche of France and David J. Wineland of the United States, with the Flagler jail bookings.
Holland-Hutson Money Race Still Lopsided; Manfre Doubles Take, Closing Fleming Gap
The last two weeks of September saw Travis Hutson add almost as much money to his treasure chest–$13,000–as Milissa Holland raised in the entire election cycle ($15,502). Sheriff Candidate Jim Manfre has raised $19,000 to incumbent Don Fleming’s $24,000.
A Teacher Down to Her Last Cells, a Cancer Patient Hands Her Case to UF’s Med Students
Always the teacher, cancer patient Jo Ann Nahirny–now with 26 of her 42 radiation sessions out of the way–takes satisfaction from knowing that even though she’s unable to stand in front of her students at Matanzas High School, she’s still doing my part as in educator as medical students learn from her case at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.
A Palm Coast Man Is Jailed for Sexually Battering His Wife in the Presence of a Child
Caldwell was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, sexual battery, and domestic assault. He remained at the Flagler County jail, Monday afternoon on $52,000 bond.
Reported Abduction Trails Up I-95 Before Getaway Near Flagler Border
Ormond Beach Police were called this morning by a man who reported that he was abducted early today in Boynton Beach, Fla., and forced to drive some 220 miles north on I-95, to Ormond Beach, where the man executed a getaway. Police are looking for a suspect in the area.
Should You Keep Paying FPL and PEF For Nukes Plants that May Never Be Built?
The up-front nuclear costs for plant construction have become highly controversial, at least in part because there is no guarantee that FPL and Progress will build the planned reactors and because projected costs have risen to over $40 billion for four reactors. The Supreme Court will decide the matter.
Romney’s Foreign Policy Vacuums
Today’s foreign policy address by Romney, to the Virginia Military Institute, was better suited for the Hoover Historical Center in Canton, Ohio. He spoke for about half an hour. He said absolutely nothing that might have told us what his foreign policy would be–or what he thinks it is today.
Chavez Wins Again, Allan Bloom as the First Neocon: Five Reads Monday
Seizing up Mitt Romney’s and Barack Obama’s foreign policy, re-electing Hugo Chavez, rethinking Alan Bloom and “The Closing of the American Mind,” John B. Gurdon of Britain and Shinya Yamanaka’s nobel prize for medicine, keeping track of hazardous waste zooming around the country.
Higher Ed Subprime: Parent Plus Government College Loans Are Now Crushing Families
Last year the government disbursed $10.6 billion in Parent Plus loans to just under a million families. The loans are both remarkably easy to get and nearly impossible to get out from under for families who’ve overreached.
The Jellyfish: Nearly All Water and Sting, But Neither Jelly Nor Fish
Jellyfish’s 200 species, among the oldest animals on the planet, are among the least understood, their occasional blooms–even in Flagler–drawing particular interests from scientists.
How a Stumble Saddled Palm Coast Water Rate Payers With $500,000 in Additional Costs
Overeager to get going on a $2.6 million wellfield project during the boom years, Palm Coast never secured an agreement between a land company and FPL to power the wells. When talks broke down between the companies, Palm Coast decided to pay an extra $500,000 to power the wells with a different contractor, a cost it will pass down to rate-payers, even though the need for the water is non-existent.
Flagler County PAL Basketball Registration Open from Oct. 8 to Nov. 6
Flagler County’s Police Athletic League (PAL) basketball registration begins Oct. 8 and ends Nov. 6. You may register at the PAL office at 5400 East Highway 100, between the Target Shopping Center and Flagler Palm Coast High School (the old school board building).
Proposed Conservation Amendment: $5 Billion Over 10 Years, Without Raising Taxes
The proposed 2014 constitutional amendment, dubbed the Florida Water and Land Legacy Amendment, would set aside 33 percent of documentary tax collections for 20 years for land and water purchases, leases and restoration efforts. The taxes are collected on real estate and other legal transactions.
Conspiracy Theorists Greet the Jobs Report, Small Business Bunk: Five Reads Friday
The jobs truthers have come out following Friday’s unemployment report, small-business bunk returns, Google settles its copyright war with publishers, a debate on Islam and democracy, longing for Virginia City, and more
Crucial Jobs Report Gives Obama a Boost as Unemployment Falls to 7.8%, Lowest in 4 Years
The national unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September, its lowest level since President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, as the economy added 114,000 jobs in September, and revised figures for the previous two months boosted those totals by 86,000 jobs. In the last three months, the economy has added 434,000 jobs.
The News-Journal’s Predatory Sensationalism On Sex Offenders Near Local Schools
A News-Journal article on 445 registered sex offenders living near Flagler and Volusia elementary schools was dangerously alarming and misleading, argues George Griffin, and perpetuates numerous myths about sex offenders, encouraging bad laws.
Flagler School Board Members Forego $91 Raise and Stick With $30,442 Annual Salary
For the second year in a row, Flagler County School Board members have decided to take neither a raise nor a pay-cut. They were in line for a $91 raise as set by Florida law, though they could have chosen to reduce their salaries.
FDLE Investigating GOP Voter Fraud Case
The FDLE said Wednesday it launched a formal criminal investigation into the activities of Strategic Allied Consulting, a Virginia-based company hired by the Republican Party of Florida to register voters in preparation for the November elections.