Following the Problem Solvers state competition in Cape Canaveral late last month, FPC’s Ryan McDermott filed a complete list of winners from nearly every school in the district. Many qualify for the international competition in Wisconsin in June.
All Else
42-Foot Sailboat Nearly Sinks Between Marineland and St. Augustine, 4 Are Rescued
The four people and a dog on the boat were on their way to a four- to six-month cruise to the Caribbean. A St. Augustine boat police patrolman responded to the distress call and rescued the sailors Wednesday.
Fire At Eagles Nest Storage in Flagler Beach Claims or Damages 8 Units
The fire broke out between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. in a storage unit where tenants had been working on an older Volkswagen all day. Something ignited and they were unable to control the flames.
Video: A Walk Back in Time at the Florida Agriculture Museum
The festival featured re-enactors representing people from various periods of Florida’s history, from Timucuans to moonshiners to union troops. Charlotte Marten reports.
Sex Education In Flagler County Schools: Students’ Comments, Part 1
Complete set of (anonymous) comments by students from grades 6 to 12 in response to a sex education survey by the Flagler County school district. Comments are provided here unedited and uncensored.
Sex Education In Flagler County Schools: Students’ Comments, Part 2
Complete set of (anonymous) comments by students from grades 6 to 12 in response to a sex education survey by the Flagler County school district. Comments are provided here unedited and uncensored.
In Their Words: What Flagler’s Students and Adults Think of Sex, Abstinence and Condoms
More than 2,600 student surveys on sex education and behavior and 34 pages of students’ comments–and fewer by adults–were tallied ahead of Thursday’s public forum on sex education.
Sex Education In Flagler County Schools: Parents’ Comments
Complete set of (anonymous) comments by parents of Flagler County school students in school in response to a sex education survey by the Flagler County school district. Comments are provided here unedited and uncensored.
Sex Education In Flagler County Schools: Community Members’ Comments
Complete set of (anonymous) comments by residents who have no children in school in response to a sex education survey by the Flagler County school district. Comments are provided here unedited and uncensored.
But Should They Be Paid? Flagler School Board Members Defend Their Salaries
A Florida Senate proposal would replace school board members’ salaries with a $100 per-meeting stipend. Retirement and health benefits would be eliminated, too. Savings would exceed $10 million a year.
They Bring Good Schemes to Life:
How GE Pays Little Or No Corporate Taxes
GE’s tax department is a company in itself: some 1,000 people working to minimize GE’s corporate tax liabilities, with huge success. In 2010, GE paid no taxes on $14.2 billion in profits. GE claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.
The Legislature’s Phonies and Pimps, Booing Rick Scott, Soldier Rape, Tips from Kurt Vonnegut: The Live Wire
Carl Hiaasen on the Florida Legislature’s phonies and pimps, writing tips from Kurt Vonnegut, Israel’s crabwalk toward apartheid, the Civil War at 150, a short film on father and daughter, and more.
49th Day Shay-Gu Ceremony for Jigme Norbu, Dalai Lama’s Nephew Killed in the Hammock
Jigme Norbu was killed on Valentine’s Day at the start of his walk for Florida. A ceremony at the crash site Sunday marked the 49th, and last, day of mourning, which releases the soul–and those left behind.
Gainesville’s Rogue Pastor And the Limits of Free Speech: A Dissent
First Amendment rights have their limits, argues Thomas Brown: Gainesville’s Pastor Jones should have been stopped from burning the Koran, which can be viewed as an act of terrorism expressly and imminently inciting violence.
Southeast Museum of Photography’s Summer Photo Camp
Campers will learn the mechanics of digital manipulation, lighting, shooting and editing techniques. No previous photography experience is necessary.
Lobbying for Corruption: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Attacking Anti-Bribery Law
Even as anger over governmental corruption has exploded into protests across the Middle East, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been working to weaken the law that bans companies from bribing foreign officials.
Gainesville’s Terry Jones Did Not Murder 11 UN Workers and Afghans. Muslims Did.
There is no comparison between Terry Jones of Gainesville’s Dove World Outreach burning the Koran and Muslim fanatics murdering 11 people in retaliation. Jones is a fanatic. He’s no murderer. And he deserves First Amendment protection.
Flagler’s Quality of Health Ranks It 17th in the State; Smoking and Obesity a Problems
Department of Health Administrator Patrick Johnson cautions that Flagler’s health rankings should not be overdramatized–for good or ill–but that they still point to trends that should clarify where the county’s health priorities should be.
Florida Legislators’ Creepy Uterus Obsession
Florida lawmakers want to force women seeking an abortion in the second trimester to watch an ultrasound of their fetus first. It’s a back-alley assault on women’s privacy and abortion rights.
March Unemployment Falls to 8.8% as Improving Economy Adds 216,000 Jobs
March unemployment: Almost 1 million net new jobs have been created since October 2010, most of them powered by the private sector, as the economy continues to improve.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 32
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 32: Still and Sunday-like; Mistaken Identity; Up a Stump; In a Dilemma; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Volusia Schools Joining Flagler in Protecting LGBT Sexual Identity Against Bullying
The policy change in Volusia was prompted by the case of an 8-year-old Deltona girl being raised as a boy. It follows on the heels of a similar move in Flagler County to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT) students.
Flagler Palm Coast YMCA Closing After 9 Years At Florida Hospital; Stand-Alone Y a Goal
The Palm Coast-Flagler Family YMCA was losing $50,000 a year for the past three years despite a membership of 900. The location was constraining. Local organizers hope to launch plans for a stand-alone Y in the future.
Happy Anniversary: News-Journal Owner Wants News Crew Selling Subscriptions & Ads
At the 1-year mark of his ownership, News-Journal publisher Michael Redding is offering $25 to staffers who secure a 3-month subscription, $40 to those who get 6-month deal, and $50 to those who land $100 in advertising. Newsroom staffers are “insulted.”
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 31
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 31: Ominous Plans; News from Jim; Old Recollections; A Sheep Story; Valuable Information; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 30
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 30: The King Went for Him; A Royal Row; Powerful Mellow; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Timely Boost: Feed Flagler Nets 2 Pantries $7,680, Enough to Buy 40 Tons of Food
The money is what’s left, after expenses, of Feed Flagler’s fund-raising that provided 2,000 free meals at 10 locations the day before Thanksgiving. It’s timely help as pantries begin to run dry.
July 4th Twice Over Again As Flagler Beach And Palm Coast Will Each Launch Fireworks
The Tourist Development Council would grant each city $15,000. Flagler Beach will have the July 4 display this time, while Palm Coast will launch on July 3rd, at Town Center. Last year, they did it in reverse.
Circuit Judge Julianne Piggotte, in Daytona Beach, Retiring After 21 Years
Piggotte has been a judge since 1990, and was chief judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler County, from 2003 to 2005.
15-Year-Old Faces Charges Over a .40-Caliber Gun at Indian Trails Middle School Campus
The gun never made it into the school building, nor was it found during school hours. But Travis Williams was already serving a 10-day suspension from school when he allegedly walked with the gun on school property.
Gov. Scott Vows to End “Oxycontin Express,” Yet Legislature Weakens Pill Mill Regulations
Gov. Rick Scott gave no details on his assault on the “Oxycontin Express,” and a Senate committee approved eliminating a ban on doctors dispensing more than a three-day supply of drugs to patients who pay with cash or credit cards.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 29
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 29: Contested Relationship; The King Explains the Loss; A Question of Handwriting; Digging up the Corpse; Huck Escapes; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Flagler Firefighters Battling 2-Day, 300-Acre Brush Fire on Old Brick Road
The fire started Saturday, at the same time that firefighters were responding to the plane crash and ensuing brush fire at the Flagler County airport. The brush fire was 30 percent contained by Monday afternoon.
As the School District Agonizes Over Cuts, Imagine Prepares to Almost Double in Size
Imagine School at Town Center is expanding to accommodate 910 students even as the rest of the district’s enrollment stalls and its budgets are being slashed. A video report of Imagine’s expansion plans.
Yes, Stetson Kennedy Is Still Alive: Labor and Civil Rights Legend at Stetson Wednesday
Stetson Kennedy, who unmasked the Ku Klux Klan after infiltrating it and remains a prominent voice for unions, labor and civil rights, gives a free lecture at Stetson University. He is 94.
Our Legislature for Sale, Breastfeeding Stupidity, End of High School Sports: The Live Wire
Rick Scott’s sunshine problems, developers’ Florida free-for-all, return of the pythons in the Everglades, nuclear accidents, cave art, Hunter S. Thompson interviews Keith Richards, and more.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 28
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 28: The Trip to England; “The Brute!”; Mary Jane Decides to Leave; Huck Parting with Mary Jane; Mumps; The Opposition Line; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 27
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 27: The Funeral; Satisfying Curiosity; Suspicious of Huck; Quick Sales and Small; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Blue Skies, Wild Bill: Wings Over Flagler Bids Fallen Pilot Farewell
Wild Bill Walker, a veteran of Alabama’s Red Thunder Air Show Team, was 58 when his plane crashed Saturday. Fellow pilots paid tribute to him today at the Wings Over Flagler air show, which ended on a sober, sunny roar of flights into the blue.
Video: The Crash Scene Shortly After the Yak-52 Went Down at Wings Over Flagler
This video from the crash scene at the Flagler/Palm Coast Wings Over Flagler air show was provided by Robert Kilroy, and taken within an hour of the accident.
Palm Coast’s Shaklyia Chess, 16-Year-Old FPC Student, Killed in Wreck South of Bunnell
Shaklyia Chess was a 16-year-old junior at Flagler Palm Coast High School. She was driving south late Saturday night on US1 when she lost control of her car.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 26
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 26: A Pious King; The King’s Clergy; She Asked His Pardon; Hiding in the Room; Huck Takes the Money; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Single-Engine Yak 52 Crashes at Wings Over Flagler; One Pilot Is Dead; Tribute on Sunday
The Yak 52 went down at 4:27 p.m. while in the middle of a maneuver with another plane. The pilot was killed.
Wings Over Flagler: Warbirds, Yakrobatics and Tributes This Weekend at the County Airport
Wings Over Flagler, the second annual fly-in at the Flagler County Airport, features several dozen vintage warbirds, choppers and other attractions. Visitors can chat with pilots and mingle with history. With a photo gallery.
Flagler Reads Together: Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 25
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Flagler Reads Together, FlaglerLive is serializing Huckleberry Finn, this year’s book. Here’s Chapter 25: Is It Them?; Singing the “Doxologer”; Awful Square; Funeral Orgies; A Bad Investment; With E.W. Kemble’s original illustrations.
Flagler Sex Survey: Most Students and Parents OK Better Sex-Ed and Condoms in Schools
Preliminary results from the broadest sex survey every conducted in Flagler schools point to sexual activity among 30 percent of middle school,teens and broad approval for more than abstinence-only education.
FPL, Progress Energy, Florida’s Nuclear Fraud
Florida taxpayers and ratepayers are footing the bill of Florida Power & Light’s and Progress Energy’s risk-free, $40-billion plan to build nuclear reactors, a fraud enabled by the Legislature and Congress.
Flagler Beach Dog Lovers: “If We Wanted More Rules We’d Go To Palm Coast”
More enforcement of existing rules and more self-policing, but no change in Flagler Beach’s dogs-on-the-beach ordinance, city commissioners decided after hearing from 38 people over 90 minutes Thursday evening.
She Trusted Them, Put Them Up, They Robbed Her of $50,000: Marsha Fingland’s Story
Local Realtor Marsha Fingland trusted John and Joanne Johnson when they claimed to be inheritors of millions looking for a church to tithe, and places to stay before they could tap their money. She turned out to be their scam’s latest victim.
States’ Buck-Passing, NASA Waste, Your Ignorance, Google’s Gaga: The Live Wire
How states pass the buck to cities, how Nasa wastes $1.4 million a day, health care reform’s many liars, living with nukes, Israel’s goodbye to peace, the winter of our lesbian content, Julian Schnabel and more.