Flagler County School Board Vice Chair Will Furry ended a policy workshop discussion abruptly, overruling requests from board members Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez to continue deliberating proposed insurance requirements for school support organizations. Despite board attorney Ryan Hudak suggesting a five-minute extension, Furry forced the board to move on. Ruddy and Ramirez expressed sharp concerns over Furry’s manner.
All Else
Cathy Moon, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Cathy Moon is one of two candidates for the Flagler County School Board, District 1, running against Jill Woolbright, who has declined to participate in the Live Interview. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
Jill Woolbright, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Jill Woolbright is one of two candidates for Flagler County School Board, District 1, running against Cathy Moon. Woolbright, a former School Board member defeated in 2022, declined to participate, as she did in 2022. It is a non-partisan race: all registered voters regardless of party affiliation or non-party status may vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide the winner, who will be sworn-in in November.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 20, 2026
The three-member East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets, Republicans’ identity crises through the ages, Robert Ingersoll on Democrats, Saint levant’s Sabah el Ward.
Franco’s Fascist Regime’s Lessons for Today’s America
Comparisons between Trump’s and Hitler’s fascist regime are becoming common, but it may be even more fitting to compare the present moment to a less-remembered but longer-lasting fascist regime: that of Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975.
The Wild West of Unregulated Private Schools in Florida and Elsewhere That Collect Taxpayer Dollars
An average of 100 new private schools have launched in Florida each of the last five school years. Florida and other states are taking a hands-off approach to regulating private schools that receive public money. School founders — in one case, a Florida woman prosecuted for sexual abuse who lost her license — often aren’t screened. Some states can’t even say how many of these schools exist.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Story Time on the Farm at the Florida Agriculture, a happy 75th for Bob Cuff–or as happy as the torturing gods allow–and a few words from Thomas Mann’s story time about those condemned to buy the farm.
The Demise of Experimental Liberal Colleges
Hampshire College announced its upcoming closure in December 2026 due to insurmountable debt and declining enrollment numbers. The decision reflects a broader trend of consolidation in higher education where wealthy, traditional institutions thrive. Experimental schools focused on student-led learning struggle against a growing preference for transactional, vocational degrees. The loss of such institutions diminishes the diversity of creative educational paths available to students.
Compass Hotel Is Flagler Beach’s Inaugural Winner of Monthly Downtown Beauty Contest
Flagler Beach government named the Compass Hotel by Margaritaville as the first recipient of a monthly beauty contest for its downtown district, an initiative cooked up by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board to pat local businesses and residents on the back for keeping up appearances. The hotel, whose owner sits on the advisory board, is the July 2026 recipient.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 18, 2026
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library, Democratic Women’s Club meeting, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, wrapping up a grim week.
DeSantis’ Latest Death Warrants Slate Two Executions on the Same Day, a First For Florida in 62 Years
James Aren Duckett, 68, and Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, are scheduled to be executed on June 28. Occhicone will be the oldest inmate killed by the state since modern records of executions have been kept starting in 1924. The last time Florida executed two inmates on the same day was on May 12, 1964.
Trump Seesaws Strait Back to War
Renewed warfare between the United States and Iran threatens global energy corridors after a fragile ceasefire collapsed over waterway management disputes. Trump proposed shipping levies to counter Tehran’s unilateral transit tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s uncertainties and political divisions in both nations prevent diplomatic progress, risking global economic recession and a prolonged war of attrition that neither side can easily win.
Jeani Duarte, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Jeani Duarte is one of three candidates for the Palm Coast City Council, District 2, an open seat. She faces Tony Amaral Jr. and Jimmy Hengy. This is a non-partisan race. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot in the Aug. 18 primary.
Jury Finds Jermaine Williams Guilty of Wife’s Premeditated Murder in 22 Minutes; He Now Faces Death Penalty Phase
A Flagler County jury convicted 54-year-old Jermaine Williams Sr. of first-degree premeditated murder today for the August 2, 2024, stabbing death of his 50-year-old wife, Yolonda Williams, in Bunnell. The prosecution successfully leveraged explicit home surveillance footage to prove premeditation. The trial now moves into the penalty phase on Monday, where prosecutors intend to pursue a death sentence for the defendant.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 17, 2026
Jermaine Williams Sr. trial Day Five, trial notes on witnessing one’s own murder act, the Flagler County Cultural Council meets, “Let those who wish to do so withdraw from the world,” writes Camus.
Powerful Evidence of Premeditation in Jermaine Williams Death Penalty Case as Family Testifies
The fourth day of the Jermaine Williams Sr. death penalty trial featured graphic surveillance videos and emotional family testimony as the defendant’s son and father recounted the fatal August 2024 stabbing in Bunnell. Further testimony revealed Williams intentionally disabled his wife’s car before the attack.
Jimmy Hengy, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Jimmy Hengy is one of two candidates for the Palm Coast City Council, District 2. This is a non-partisan race. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot in the Aug. 18 primary.
Palm Coast Planning Board Unanimously Rejects 22,000-Home Western Expansion Over Unanswered Questions
The Palm Coast Planning Board unanimously voted down land use and rezoning changes for a 22,000-home western expansion by Raydient Wednesday evening as board members cited inadequate information on infrastructure, school capacity, tax base diversification and other issues. They expressed concern over the loss of regulatory control to future developers. The non-binding denial moves the requests to the City Council for a decision.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Opening arguments on Day 4 of the Jermaine Williams death penalty trial, Town of Marineland Commission Meeting, scenes from a courtroom, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Dictator, David Foster Wallace’s Neon.
Facing Death Penalty for Wife’s Killing, Jermaine Williams’ Fate Rests With a Nearly All-Women Jury
Jermaine Williams Sr. will face a jury of 12 women and three men, including the alternates, in his death penalty trial for the stabbing death of his wife Yolonda Williams in Bunnell in 2024. The jury is almost all white, Williams is Black (one of the jurors is olive-skinned Mediterranean or possibly south Asian), but color is less relevant than gender in this trial: the jury’s lopsided make-up is a victory for the prosecution.
Tony Amaral Jr., Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Tony Amaral Jr. is one of three candidates for the Palm Coast City Council, District 2. He faces Jeani Duarte and Jimmy Hengy. This is a non-partisan race. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot in the Aug. 18 primary.
Palm Coast Council Struggling to Match Budget Needs, Including Cops, With Deepening Revenue Crunch
The Palm Coast City Council set a higher tentative maximum tax rate for next year that nevertheless does not close a $3.3 million gap between needs and projected revenue, including nine additional sheriff’s deputies. A slowing economy and a proposed constitutional amendment could severely reduce municipal revenues by 2028. Officials are struggling to balance funding for essential public safety agreements with cost-of-living increases and recurring operating costs amid declining local property valuations.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday July 15, 2026
Heat index of 103, the Jermaine Williams trial enters day three, the Palm Coast Planning Board takes on the Westward expansion’s plans, Tale of Anushirvan, Exemplary King.
Restoring Voting Rights To Released Felons Could Provide A Decisive Two Percent Swing In Elections
Mass incarceration has created a massive “shadow electorate” of 20 million Americans with felony records. Due to legal barriers and decreased political trust, millions are unable or unwilling to vote. Research suggests this group skews Democratic, meaning disenfranchisement likely shifted the outcomes of the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections. Restoring these rights could create a decisive 2% swing in future competitive statewide races.
Angling for Life in Prison in Williams Trial, Defense All But Concedes Murder in Jury Selection Strategy
In the second full day of jury selection in the capital murder trial of Jermaine Williams for the driveway stabbing of his wife in 2024, Defense attorney Junior Barrett focused heavily on anchoring potential jurors to their individual moral authority to reject execution. Peremptory strikes depleted the initial pool down to 11 members, prompting Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols to summon 60 additional prospects to complete the final panel Wednesday.
DeSantis’s Terrorist Designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Is On Hold
Nearly two weeks after Gov. DeSantis announced a recommendation from the state’s chief’s chief of domestic security to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa domestic terrorist organizations, that recommendation has yet to go into effect, and there is no clear timetable when it will be, according to a filing in federal court on Monday.
Theresa Pontieri, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Theresa Pontieri is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 2 in the Aug. 18 primary, running against Greg Feldman. Only registered Republicans may cast a ballot in this race.
Found! Mosquito Control’s John Dunlop Discovers Stolen Turtle Patrol ATV Hidden In Woods Near Marineland
John Dunlop, an East Flagler Mosquito Control District technician, found the stolen Volusia-Flagler Turtle Patrol ATV hidden in the woods near Marineland on Monday. Thieves had stolen the vehicle from a nearby shed last month.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Jermaine Williams Sr. trial day two, the Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop as does the School Board, France marks Bastille Day in a semifinal match with Spain.
Uses and Mis-Uses of National Memory From Bastille Day To July 4
France and the United States base their national identities on universal political principles rather than common ancestry. Both countries use their primary national holidays to periodically recreate and reinforce their foundational narratives. But political factions in both nations increasingly contest these celebrations to claim authority over the national identity, a growing conflict that reveals a very profound shift regarding exactly who can legitimately embody the nation today.
‘Hardships’ and Anxious Reactions to Death Penalty Prolong Jury Selection in Williams Murder Trial
What is expected to be three days of jury selection started today in the death penalty trial of Jermaine Williams for the stabbing murder of his wife in Bunnell in 2024. All but 28 of the 75 potential jurors in the first pool were excused due to personal hardships, prior media exposure or issues with capital punishment. Judge Dawn Nichols is summoning 100 additional potential jurors Tuesday.
Gas Prices Rise Again as Peace Deal Collapses
Gas prices in Florida inched up over the past week after President Donald Trump declared a tentative peace deal with Iran as “over.” In Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, prices for unleaded regular are ranging between $3.77 and $3.89 at most stations.
Greg Feldman, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Greg Feldman is one of two Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 2, an open seat this year: Greg Hansen has opted not to run again. In the primary, Feldman is running against Theresa Pontieri, who is completing her first term as a Palm Coast City Council member.
Ignite the Night! Fundraiser for Flagler Beach Fire Department at Tortugas July 18
On July 18, 2026, local non-profit Flagler Strong will host a community event & fundraising concert dedicated to supporting the Flagler Beach Fire Department (FBFD) and Ocean Rescue teams—doubling as the official 10th Anniversary Celebration for Tortugas Florida Kitchen & Bar.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 13, 2026
Jury selection in the first day of the trial of Jermaine Williams Sr. begins. He faces the death penalty for the murder of his wife in Bunnell in 2024. The County Commission meets. Reflections on the death penalty.
A Rare Bipartisan Housing Bill Will Help But Won’t Solve Affordability Crisis
The Road to Housing Act recently became official law. The legislation focuses heavily on regulatory changes to address the national housing crisis. Reforms restrict institutional investors from purchasing standalone properties and reduce construction costs for builders. Housing policy experts warn these modest adjustments fail to resolve the fundamental affordability crisis because millions of Americans still lack sufficient income to secure housing in the current market.
Failing Seawall at Castillo de San Marcos Gets 18-Month Reconstruction
On July 27, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument will begin mobilizing for construction to replace, raise and rehabilitate the park’s failing seawalls and protect the historic fort and the broader St. Augustine community. Visitor access to the historic fort will be maintained throughout this project, which is expected to take approximately 18 months.
Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law Without Trump’s Signature
President Donald Trump said Friday morning he would not sign federal legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing, but the bipartisan package became law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday anyway.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday July 12, 2026
Clay Jones on Trump’s flying bribe of a 747 he can’t even fly, heat index values as high as 107, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, if you can brave the heat, Eudora Welty’s “Powerhouse” tribute to Fats Waller.
Pulling a Trump, Convicted Felon and Extremist Marine LePen Will Run for French Presidency
Marine Le Pen has confirmed she intends to run in next year’s presidential election in France, despite her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement of EU funds being rejected. This may well prove to be a missed opportunity for RN to fight the election under the leadership of Le Pen’s deputy, the youthful and charismatic Jordan Bardella. Bardella was slated to run if Le Pen had been barred from the election.
DeSantis Blames Court for Calling Out His Overreach on Woke Act
Gov. Ron DeSantis called the 11th Circuit’s blocking of the “Stop WOKE Act” a “clear and unfortunate example of judicial overreach,” reacting to the second ruling this week against his anti “woke” agenda.
29th Inmate to Be Executed in 19 Months in Florida Wants DeSantis to Attend His Killing
Dennis Michael Sochor, convicted of strangling an 18-year-old woman he met at a New Year’s celebration in a Broward County bar 44 years ago, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison. His last wish? To have Gov. Ron DeSantis personally observe his execution up close and personal.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 11, 2026
American Association of University Women (AAUW) monthly meeting, Gamble Jam, Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, AI errors, Bowie is afraid of Americans.
Justice Jackson’s Birthright Citizenship Opinion Was Grounded in Black History, Thomas’s In Distortion
The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara, invalidating an executive order targeting children of undocumented immigrants. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a historic concurrence highlighting the intellectual scaffolding built by Black Americans through historic colored conventions. Her inclusive originalist interpretation directly challenged Justice Clarence Thomas’ narrow historical narrative, reframing the Fourteenth Amendment as a collective achievement born of Black patriotic resistance.
Liz Ryan Is Flagler Broadcasting’s New Regional News Director
Liz Ryan, who joined Flagler Broadcasting four years ago as a street reporter, has been promoted to regional news director for the company’s Palm Coast and St. Augustine operations.
Judge Bars Heat Of Passion Defense In Husband’s Killing of Yolonda Williams On Eve of Death Penalty Trial
A Flagler County judge restricted the defense from arguing a crime of passion without first establishing legal provocation in the trial of Jermaine Williams Sr., who faces the death penalty for the August 2024 stabbing death of his wife, Yolonda Williams. The ruling blocks expert psychological testimony in the trial that begins Monday. Consequently, the defense may have to call Williams to testify to attempt to prove he was provoked.
Florida Intentionally Keeping SNAP Error Rate High to Slash Eligibility and Reduce Beneficiaries, Democrats Say
If Florida doesn’t lower its SNAP error rates, the state could have to pay as much as $1 billion to continue to participate in the federal food security program. Florida Democratic Party Chair Chair Nikki Fried says the high error rate might not be due to mundane mistakes but rather a tactic to limit participation in the federal benefit, formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 10, 2026
The Flagler Democratic Party’s Janet Sullivan on Free For All, Coffee and Conversation with Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin, Food Truck Friday at the Farm, Agriculture Museum, a Declaration of the Rights of Trees.
The Bayeux Tapestry’s Norman Propaganda Silenced Voices of Grief and Resistance Now Uncovered
The Bayeux Tapestry celebrates the Norman Conquest of 1066 from the perspective of the victors, but contemporary English documents preserve the story of the side of the conquered. The Life of King Edward conveys the silent trauma and grief of the English ruling class as later Anglo-Saxon Chronicles explicitly condemned Norman oppression. These native sources prove history belongs to more than just winning armies’ propaganda.
Water Shortage Restrictions Continue As Drought Recovery Continues
While many areas across northeast and central Florida have received frequent rainfall in recent weeks, the St. Johns River Water Management District (District) is reminding residents, businesses and large water users that drought recovery takes time and continued water conservation remains crucial.