Clearly, the few evolutionary changes the domestic cat has made have been the right ones to wangle their way into people’s hearts and homes. It started in the Middle East. The boldest cats entered huts and perhaps allowed themselves to be petted – kittens are adorable! – and, voilà, the domestic cat was born.
All Else
Unprecedented $1 Billion Available in Grants to Prevent Wildfires. Most Towns Don’t Know About It.
There’s a huge pot of federal money available to communities across the country — an unprecedented amount that would allow towns to quickly tackle work that otherwise would take decades.
Flagler County Jail Wins National Innovation Award for Initiatives Preparing Inmates’ Re-Integration
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s jail has been awarded the 2023 Innovation Award for medium-sized facilities by the American Jail Association. Sheriff Staly, Court and Detention Services Chief Dan Engert, and other Detention Services members accepted the award at AJA’s 42nd Conference and Jail Expo in Omaha, Nebraska during the awards banquet.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 19, 2023
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Grace Community Food Pantry, Bill Clinton’s 77th, with rewinds to Clinton on Letterman and Michiko Kakutani on Clinton.
Georgia’s Trump Indictment Is a GOP Dream of States’ Rights
Donald Trump is now experiencing the full weight of a system of government in which criminal law is produced and enforced by law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across 50 states–the “federalism” Ronald Reagan preached–and by one powerful central government.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate, While Still Low, Hits 18-Month High as Workforce Surges
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July was 3.7 percent, still very low by historical standards and still considered full employment by economist’s standards. But it was the highest rate in 18 months, going back to January 2022, when unemployment was at 4.1 percent.
Waterfront Park Finds Its Latest ‘Paddle Straight to Paradise’ as $1.2 Million Boat Pad and Launch Open
The new boat ramp at the very popular Waterfront Park is part of a $1.2 million project adding access for non-motorized boats to the Intracoastal Waterway, which the city celebrated with a ribbon-cutting today. The next phase of the project is construction of an 80-space parking adjacent to the launch.
Collin Calvert, 21, Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Over Armed Robbery of Palm Coast Store for Strip Joint Money
Colin Calvert, the 21-year-old man who stole a rifle, robbed a Palm Coast convenience store of nearly 5,000 in cash, which he put in a Happy Meal box, spent all the money at a strip joint, then burglarized a gun store, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday, followed by five years on probation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 18, 2023
Waterfront Park Ribbon Cutting, Pete Davidson and Friends in Ponte Vedra Beach, Midnight Mayhem at One Daytona, E.B. Sledge and With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.
Atlantic Currents At Risk of Collapse, with Catastrophic Implications
New findings suggest the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, or Amoc, could collapse within the next few decades – maybe even within the next few years – driving European weather to even greater extremes.
Jacob Oliva, as Arkansas Secretary of Education, Defends Removal of AP African American Studies
Former Flagler County Superintendent Jacob Oliva, now the secretary of education in Arkansas, sought to defend the removal of an AP African American Studies class from the state’s approved course list late last week, but anger persisted from education advocates, state lawmakers, students and the NAACP.
Charlie Ericksen Jr. Is Laid to Rest With Military Honors and Solemn Salutes at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery
Charlie Frederick Ericksen Jr., the former Flagler County commissioner, U.S. Army Lieutenant and father of three who died on July 31 in Celebration, was laid to rest at Cape Canaveral National cemetery with military honors this afternoon following a solemn ceremony attended by family, a few friends, and a few Flagler County officials past and present.
Intracoastal Bank Announces Jacqueline Yantis as Business Relationship Manager
Bruce Page, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, this week announced the addition of Jacqueline Yantis to the Intracoastal Bank team as Senior Vice President/Business Relationship Manager for the Bank. In this capacity she will be responsible for developing and servicing business banking relationships.
300-Unit Apartment Complex Going Up Next to Imagine School at Town Center, One of 2 Planned There
A high-end, gated, 300-unit apartment complex is going up on the 27-acre squarish parcel across the street from Imagine School at Town Center. It is to be the first of two such apartment complexes in that area. The complex is to be called The Legacy at Palm Coast Town Center.
Man Found Shot and Roped with Weights in Intracoastal in 1997 Is Identified as Robert Bruce McPhail
It took 26 years, but the man found murdered and floating in the Intracoastal Waterway in September 1997 has finally been identified as Robert Bruce McPhail, a 58-year-old boater originally from Kenora-Winnipeg area of Manitoba in Canada, who’d moved to South Florida in the mid-1990s. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Unit’s detective Sarah Scalia cracked the case with Othram, a forensic sequencing laboratory.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 17, 2023
Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s fifth annual Wine Tasting Meet and big reveal, Creative Writing for Adults at the Public Library, Democratic Women’s Club meeting, “Florida Soul” at the African American Cultural Society, the futility of beach renourishment.
Montana Kids’ Climate Lawsuit Victory Could Set a Powerful Precedent
The case, Held v. State of Montana, was based on allegations that state energy policies violate the young plaintiffs’ constitutional right to “a clean and healthful environment” – a right that has been enshrined in the Montana Constitution since the 1970s.
Women United Flagler Chapter Grant Applications Now Being Accepted
Women United Flagler, an affiliate of the Community Foundation/United Way of Volusia-Flagler, is pleased to announce that the group’s annual grants program to help empower women and children throughout the region is now open.
From Pier to Walkovers to Sea Walls to Paving and Dunes, an Update on A1A’s Numerous Projects Ahead
As the Florida Department of Transportation, Volusia County, Flagler County and the City of Flagler Beach continue to move forward with several projects along State Road A1A, the transportation department today issued the following update on the numerous projects ahead, with relevant links to each project details.
Congestion Ahead: Palm Coast Approves 4-Laning of Old Kings North and 7 Safety Projects on Belle Terre Parkway
Get ready for some new traffic disruptions around some of Palm Coast’s busiest arteries: Old Kings Road North, just past Kings Way, and along Belle Terre Parkway from south of Buddy Taylor Middle School to Royal Palms Parkway as construction crews take on a series of critical road improvements that, once done, will make traveling safer and swifter.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, August 16, 2023
The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board takes on the Cascades development in Seminole Woods, Separation Chat, Open Discussion, George Carlin at the National Press Club, E.B. Sledge’s portrait of Sgt. Haney.
Israeli Colonists’ Terrorism Worsens Relations Already at Low Ebb with U.S.
There has been a change in the Biden’s administration’s overall attitude toward Israel, as with the pointed use of the term “terrorism” against Israel by the state department in response to the killing of a young Palestinian, 19-year old Qusai Jamal Maatan, near Ramallah by settlers on August 4.
Kaley Cook Is Palm Coast Government’s New City Clerk
Kaley Cook has been appointed to the role of the City Clerk for the City of Palm Coast, which was announced at the August 15, 2023, City Council meeting. Ms. Cook has served as the Deputy City Clerk since 2022 and brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role.
Challenged by Staffer, Palm Coast Council Awards $8.2 Million to Same Firm Dragging Belle Terre Bridge Project
Carmelo Morales, a rank-and-file city engineer, charged city council members with “micromanaging” an $8.2 million stormwater contract with the same firm building the Belle Terre Parkway/Buddy Taylor walkway and storm pipe, and risking leaving the city begging for contractors. But in the end, the council approved the contract and conceded Morales’s point, with caveats.
Flagler School Board Suspends Search and Prepares to Hire LaShakia Moore as Permanent Superintendent
The Flagler County School Board this afternoon agreed to suspend its search for a new superintendent and instead set in motion several steps that would lead to the appointment of Interim LaShakia Moore as the permanent district superintendent come September or October.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Food Truck Tuesdays, The Flagler County School Board has its monthly pair of meetings, the Palm Coast City Council meets, the Barbie movie is banned in Lebanon and is celebrated on SNL.
33% Increase in Flagler’s Population, 0% Increase in District’s 9 Public Schools’ Enrollment Over Past 17 Years
Flagler County schools’ nine traditional campuses are again enrolling almost as many students as they did last year, and as many as they have each year for the past 17 years, as charter, private, parochial, online and home school enrollment continues to encroach on the district’s numbers. The figures have big implications for funding, school impact fees and school construction.
How Florida’s Academic Standards Distort Enslaved Americans’ Contributions to American Society
Whereas Florida would have students believe that enslaved Black people “benefited” by developing skills during slavery, the reality is that enslaved Africans contributed to the nation’s social, cultural and economic well-being by using skills they had already developed before captivity.
Homeowner, 85, Arrested on Murder Charge in Shooting Death of Mark Ruschmeier, 36, in Long-Running Dispute
Charles Kidd Jr., 85, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge this afternoon following the early morning shooting death of 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier, who has lived with Kidd at Kidd’s Blare Drive home in Palm Coast’s Woodlands for at least a decade.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 14, 2023
“Summer of Soul,” part of AACS’s film presentations of classic Black cinema, this afternoon, the Bunnell City Commission meets, Ian McEwan on civilization, on Bach, and on Ian McEwan.
Re-Imagining Democracy for the 21st Century
Imagine that we’ve all – all of us, all of society – landed on some alien planet, and we have to form a government: clean slate. We don’t have any legacy systems from the U.S. or any other country. We don’t have any special or unique interests to perturb our thinking. How would we govern ourselves?
The GOP’s Death Cult Is Holding Us Hostage to Climate Ignorance
The Earth is being held hostage by the party of ignorance, “conservatives” who no longer want to conserve anything other than white privilege. They’ve become a death cult, denying what’s obvious to rational, literate people. Who cares if the seas are boiling? As long as they “own the libs.”
Time for Flagler County Government To Appoint a Citizen Advisory Group
As Flagler County government appears to flail between budget shortfalls and a call for a new tax, it may be time for the county to do what St. Lucie County has been doing for years: appoint a citizen advisory group of resident volunteers with business experience to review future budgets and advise the commissioners.
Daniel Ernst RN Wins DAISY Award at Flagler Hospital for End-of-Life Care
Daniel Ernst, RN, a nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at Flagler Hospital, has been honored as the hospital’s DAISY Award recipient for the second quarter of 2023. Ernst was honored for his compassionate care toward an 87-year-old woman as she came to the end of her life.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, August 13, 2023
Sunday Chess Club at Chabad, Jason Mraz at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, your fuel consumption against a plane’s, Google’s AI efforts against contrails, reading a book in public in the United States.
Maui’s Deadly Wildfires’ Reminder: No Community Is Safe Anymore
Fires have become an increasing risk in many areas of the U.S. that people once considered safe. Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 12, 2023
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Gamble Jam, Steve McQueen and Cornel West in Conversation, Spottswood Rice’s letter, a shooting incident on Staten Island.
How Donald Trump is Criminalizing American Politics
Trump and his allies have long created a culture of lies, illusions, cruelty and misrepresentation. He has waged an incessant attack on reason, critical thinking, informed judgment and social responsibility. His distaste for Black people, migrants and others he considers disposable is matched by his support for the financial and corporate elite.
In Palm Coast Sheep, Not Chicken, May Safely Graze
The Palm Coast City Council’s rejection of a pilot program that would have allowed chickens in a handful of backyards is disappointing. But the council since its earliest days has tended to run the city more as a homeowners association bound to conformity and the somnolence of residents out to pasture rather than as a vibrant city welcoming of differences, innovation, young and working people.
NOAA Says Hurricane Season Will Be More Intense Than Originally Predicted
Scientists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have increased their prediction for the ongoing 2023 Atlantic hurricane season from a near-normal level of activity to an above-normal level of activity–for 14 to 21 named storms, up from the originally predicted 12 to 17 named storms.
Florida 101: A Unique Educational Opportunity for Flagler Residents
The UF/IFAS Extension Office of Flagler County is offering a new course, entitled Florida 101, beginning September 26, 2023. Florida 101 is a four week course designed for both new and seasoned residents of Flagler County who are interested in learning about the ecology of Florida and how to best take advantage of our unique climate, flora and fauna.
School District’s Cost for Security at Alternative School with 2 Teachers and 25 Students: $142,500
The Flagler County school district is paying $142,500 a year for security at its relatively new alternative school on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School–an alternative school with just two teachers and an average of 20 students per quarter, some of them virtual, and that operates only four days a week.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 11, 2023
LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, celebrating Britt Hobo Days, also known as the National Hobo Convention, the John T. Davis documentary, Jack London’s The Road.
Forced-Birth Reactionaries Fail to Rig the Game in Ohio
In a red Ohio referendum this week, forced-birth reactionaries got blown out by a whopping margin of 430,000 votes. No word yet on whether Roe v. Wade killer Donald Trump has aspirationally asked Republican election officials to find 430,001 votes.
The Heroic Effort to Save Florida’s Coral Reef from Devastating Record Heat
As water temperatures spiked in the Florida Keys, scientists from universities, coral reef restoration groups and government agencies launched a heroic effort to save the corals. Divers have been in the water every day, collecting thousands of corals from ocean nurseries along the Florida Keys reef tract and moving them to cooler water and into giant tanks on land.
As Heat Peaks, FPL’s House of Savings Returns With More Savings
As the summer heat reaches its peak, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) debuts a revamped version of its interactive, augmented reality (AR) tool, the House of Savings. New this year, each time a customer completes the House of Savings mobile experience, $2 will be donated on their behalf, up to a total of $100,000, toward FPL’s Care To Share.
Palm Coast’s Saltwater Canals in Better Shape Than Feared, Narrowing Debate to ‘Spot Dredging’ and Cost
A long-anticipated analysis of Palm Coast’s 26 miles of saltwater canals, the second since 2005 in the canals’ half-century history, revealed to some surprise that the canals are in better shape than expected. While that diminishes the urgency, breadth and cost of necessary dredging, dredging would still be necessary and expensive regardless.
Flagler Schools Drop AP Psychology as State Sends Conflicted Signals Over Gender and Sexuality Unit
In Flagler County, where students returned to school today, AP Psychology, one of the more popular courses in Flagler Palm Coast High School’s accelerated curriculum, will no longer be taught. Students have been automatically shifted to the IB course in a pre-emptive move against the state’s conflicting messages about whether the AP course was legal to teach in its entirety of not, and a local school board with members eager to fuel the state’s culture wars.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 10, 2023
Flagler County schools are back in session for students today. The Flagler Beach City Commission meets. A few thoughts on going back to school from George Bernard Shaw and John Updike. And Sam Kinison, of course.
DeSantis Ousts State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Black Democrat Elected with 67 Percent of Vote
Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected prosecutor. This time it’s Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, in Orange and Osceola counties, a Democrat who was elected in November 2020 and is the second African American to hold the position.