Weekend Briefing: Flagler Beach’s 90th Birthday Bash, a Murderer Returns, Millennials’ Hookup Culture

Today’s weather: sunny, high of 85, low of 66. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is Moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 287
The weather in Montero, Bolivia: High of 81, low of 71. Details.
The OED’s Word of the Day: pathography, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

 

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

• In Flagler and Palm Coast
• In Court
• In State Government
• Beyond
• In the Press
• Local Road and Interstate Construction
• PR Releases
• Blood Donations Needed
• In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast

In Flagler and Palm Coast:

Note: all meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

No government meetings scheduled until next week.

Friday Ribbon-cutting: at Atmosphere Reinvented Salon, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, City Market Place, 4 to 6 p.m.

Saturday: Flagler Beach’s 90th Birthday Bash and Cheer at the Pier, presented by the Flagler Beach Museum. A celebration of Flagler Beach’s 90th anniversary with food and drink sponsored by several of Flagler Beach’s finest restaurants. The event stretches to Veterans Park, where food vendors, a kid zone and various displays will begin at 11 a.m. There’s a doggie parade on South 2nd and Central Avenue, also at 11 a.m. Mayor Linda Provencher will deliver a speech at 1 p.m. Poet Laureate Stanley Drescher will offer up a poem at 3 p.m. Cheer at the Pier from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or online.

Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Garden Club at Palm Coast’s Third Annual Plant Sale, Bake Sale and Treasures from the Attic Sale to benefit its high school scholarship program. Also nature-related vendors, plant growers, arts & crafts, children’s activities, floral demonstrations, food, music and much more. (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 156 Florida Park Drive, Palm Coast.)

Saturday in Daytona Beach, Kritters Jam: There’s a great need for homes and care for creatures great and small in Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties. To alleviate this situation, rescue and adoption groups are bringing their animals to Main Street Station in Daytona Beach, Saturday, April 11 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 to find homes with loving families from the tri-county area. The MSS is located at 316 Main Street and the corner of S. Hollywood. More than 200 people are expected to attend Kritters Jam. Kritters Incorporated of Flagler County, a not-for-profit corporation, is sponsoring and hosting the event whose aim is to promote pet adoptions and fostering and to create a greater awareness of the need for safe and secure homes for animals who otherwise would live on the streets or worse, be euthanized. “Our long-term vision for Krittersville, designed by us, will be developed on a 25-acre tract in Flagler County,” said David Palmes, CEO, “Our concept will provide a peaceful environment where safety and security are assured for all our ‘residents’.” The designer said a mock-up of the development will be on display on the Krittersville check-in table along with collaterals and other information about the refuge’s features. Kritters Incorporated is a not for profit corporation 501 (c) 3 public charity. Your donation is tax deductible. For additional information on Kritters Jam, call Jo Ann Smerdon 386.225.3358 or David Palmes at 386.225.3345.

Online Auction for George Washington Carver Foundation: The annual auction, raising money for the Carver Center in Bunnell, is on through April 27. Make your bids here. The auction is the primary fundraising event for the Carver Center. In the past, money raised has been used for big-ticket items like ceiling insulation, furniture for the library, a scoreboard, bleachers, as well as money for scholarships and summer camp. “At this point, we are gearing up to assist the county with an addition to the center,” said Flagler County Commissioner Barbara Revels. “Flagler County is applying for a community development block grant to build additional classrooms and meeting space. If that happens, we’d like to be ready to help with what we can to furnish it.” Revels is a member of the George Washington Foundation and was part of a team instrumental in bringing the center up to sustainable level, saving the center from an uncertain fate. The Carver Center is a recreational facility that also offers tutoring, after school study, internet access and also serves the community with GED classes, employment counseling and other services.

Culture and the Arts:A traveling, interactive sculpture was installed Monday at the Flagler County Library in Palm Coast. “IMAG NE” comes to Palm Coast through the efforts of and co-sponsorship of the Gargiulo Arts Foundation and Friends of the Library, with a $1,500 grant from Palm Coast. The sculpture will remain at the Library for a month and will then be moved to a site to be determined at Town Center. Its creator, Emma Ann, says her goal “is for the viewer to interact with the sculpture.” She encourages people to snap pictures of themselves interacting with the work and post it on social media.

In Court:

Circuit Judge J. David Walsh holds a status hearing in the case of Enoch Hall, 44, who is on death row for the murder of Donna Fitzgerald, a 14-year veteran prison guard at Tomoka prison in Volusia County, in 2008. Hall was serving two life sentences for the rape and kidnapping of a 66-year-old woman in 1992. He’d stayed behind in an area of the prison that had been vacated of prisoners. Fitzgerald went to look for him–without her radio. She was later found dead, stabbed 22 times with a knife made of sheet metal, and possibly raped: the rape accusation was not pursued in court. “I freaked out. I snapped. I killed her,” Hall said, according to court documents. Hall pleaded not guilty to murder but was found guilty, with a 12-0 jury recommendation for the death penalty. Walsh presided over the trial in Volusia County at the time, and is continuing to hear subsequent motions. Hall filed one of several motions citing improper counsel, a standard procedure in death row cases. Friday’s is the first of two hearings involving Hall, with another such hearing scheduled in early May before Walsh. The Florida Supreme Court upheld Hall’s conviction in 2012. That decision is here. (Status hearing at 9 a.m., Courtroom 401, Justice Center, Bunnell.)

County Judget Melissa Moore-Stens holds pre-trial hearings in 49 cases Friday morning.

 

In State Government:

The Florida College System Council of Presidents meet at 8:30 a.m., followed by Council of Presidents meeting, Tallahassee Community College Capitol Center.)

Campaign finance reports due: State political candidates, committees and parties face a Friday deadline for filing reports showing their campaign-finance activities through March 31.

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida

Beyond:

Hillary Clinton announces her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on Sunday.

President Obama may remove Cuba from the State Department’s list of four countries that support terrorism, which also includes Iran, Sudan and Syria. Cuba’s addition dates back to a decision by the Reagan administration in 1982.

The National Rifle Association holds its 144th annual meeting in Nashville starting today and through the weekend. Many prominent Republicans are expected to pay tribute to the association.

In the Press:

Chile harvests first marijuana plants in project to help ease the pain of cancer sufferers: Cameras were allowed in to see the first harvested marijuana plants being picked at the heavily guarded growing facility in the La Florida district of Chile’s capital Santiago. The 850 cannabis seeds from the Netherlands, were first planted in October following a decision by Chilean health authorities to allow marijuana to be grown for medicinal purposes. The pilot that is co-run by La Florida municipality and pain-relieving therapy charity the Daya Foundation, will see cannabis oil extracted from the plants and given to 200 selected cancer sufferers. […] The planting, selling and transporting of marijuana is still illegal in Chile and can see offenders jailed for up to 15 years if caught.” From the UK Independent. Watch a video.

California Deputies Are Taped Beating Man in Chase: “A group of San Bernardino sheriff’s deputies were captured on videotape Thursday repeatedly pummeling and kicking a suspect after he fell off his horse at the end of a bizarre chase through rough California desert. The county sheriff, John McMahon, called the video “disturbing” and said he had ordered an investigation into the episode, in which deputies chased the man by foot, helicopter and off-road vehicles. They shot him with a Taser when he fell off the horse. Video taken from a television station’s helicopter shows about a dozen deputies swarming the man as he sprawled on the ground. The video shows a blur of kicks and pounding fists that appeared to continue after the suspect’s hands were tied behind his back, and lasted close to two minutes. The suspect was identified as Francis Pusok, 30, of Apple Valley, a community on the edge of the Mojave Desert about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. He was taken to a hospital with undisclosed injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. […] The emergence of the videotape, recorded by a news helicopter operated by KNBC-TV, came at a time of heightened scrutiny of the nation’s police officers, after the arrest of an officer in North Charleston, S.C., for fatally shooting a fleeing man in the back.” From The Times.

The Nonreligious Kids Are All Right: New Study Reveals What Millennials Think about Sex: “Despite frequent handwringing about all of the casual sex that millennials are having and the perils of hook-up culture, a recently released survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) reveals that millennials actually are more willing to engage in critical thinking concerning the ethics of sexual situations. Compared to previous generations, the report finds that millennials overall are less judgmental about the sexual choices of others, more likely to be accepting of same-sex couples and marriages, more willing to recognize the discrimination faced by transgender individuals, and more in favor of making contraception readily available. However, on the issues of sexual education and abortion, the attitudes of millennials vary widely between different religious groups. As the PRRI survey notes, millennials are more likely than previous generations to identify as nonreligious. One-third of millennials in the US, as compared to 21 percent of the general population, are not affiliated with any religious tradition. […] [T]he vast majority (75 percent) of millennials favor comprehensive sex education in schools, though 23 percent also reported that they themselves received no sexed in schools. (Not so startling, however, is that nearly a third of young adults who had no sex-ed attended religious schools.) Millennials, in general, are also likely to see the inefficacy of abstinence-only “education.” Sixty-seven percent told PRRI that they support classes emphasizing safe sex practices and birth control. The only demographic group that differed significantly in this assessment of sexual education was evangelical Protestants. Of millennials who were classified as evangelical Protestants, 40 percent thought that sex-ed should only teach abstinence, and 8 percent reported that sex-ed classes should teach about both abstinence and safe sex. Clearly, there is a wide disparity in attitudes concerning sexual education between millennials in general and millennials who identify as evangelical Protestants.” From The Humanist.

Bulldozing Mecca For Luxury Condos: “Were he to visit Mecca today, the Prophet may find new resonance in the old truism that you can never go home again. Writing in First Things, Stephen Schwartz, declares that “Mecca is threatened.” With the exception of the holy Kaaba, the majority of the city’s historical buildings and landmarks have been bulldozed, replaced with luxurious hotels, condominiums and shopping malls. “The merchandizing of Mecca,” writes Schwartz, “reflects fundamentalist Wahhabi doctrine that promotes cultural vandalism, revealing how comfortable the Saudis are with consumer values of the West.” Many of these now-desecrated locations possessed religious ties and served as important points for prayer. The ancestral residences of Muhammad’s descendants have nearly all been demolished, and replaced with modern centers of commerce and tourism. The onetime home of Abu Bakr — remembered as the Prophet’s close advisor and, upon Muhammad’s death, the first caliph — was razed. In its stead sits a Hilton Hotel. The stated motives behind such destruction can be found in religious doctrine. According to Wahhabi clerics, the existence of these Islamic sites provides temptation to worship these sites, distracting Muslims from worshiping only Allah.” The Wilson Quarterly.

The Sad Prescience of “Birth of a Nation”: “A century after its première, “Birth of a Nation” tends to be seen as a cornerstone of technical achievement tethered to the abominable racialist thinking of the era in which it was produced. It tells the tale of the Stonemans and the Camerons, two families divided by regional animus after the Civil War but ultimately united by the threat posed by emancipated blacks. Delivered on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Civil War, the power of the film lay not only in Griffith’s effectively inventing cinematography but also in the metaphorical reconciliation its protagonists, offered to a nation still deeply scarred by fratricidal conflict. We think less about its prescience. “Birth of a Nation” envisioned a United States where common racial identity trumped regional affiliation, at least among white people. The war in Europe simultaneously choked off the supply of immigrant labor that had transformed American demographics in the preceding three decades and inspired black migration out of the South and into the labor markets of northern and Midwestern cities. Billie Holiday’s classic protest song decried Southern trees that bore strange fruit, but by the twentieth century they had spread far beyond the former Confederacy. Lynchings took place in Oklahoma, Illinois, and California. The Ku Klux Klan, all but resurrected by Griffith’s heroic depiction in his film, developed strongholds in Michigan and Indiana, and northern race riots pockmarked the period immediately following the First World War.” From the New Yorker.

Road and Interstate Construction:

Flagler County: County Road 305 between CR 2006 and Tangerine. IMPACTS: Closure in force 3/17/2015 for the 2nd box culvert replacement. Detours detour via CR 110 to CR 95 to CR 2006. Truck Detour via Bunnell (SR 100 – SR 11)

Palm Coast: Palm Coast Parkway between Cypress Point Parkway and Florida Park Drive. IMPACTS: Lane shifts and closures will occur and this may cause traffic congestion on this already busy roadway. Most construction work will occur between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. though weather and unforeseen issues may adjust the schedules. This project will be complete by December 2015.

Volusia: I-4 Widening from SR 44 to east of I-95, Monday and Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Eastbound/Westbound shoulder closing. Monday through Friday, Eastbound and Westbound lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Motorists should be aware of traffic shifts near Canal St./SR 44.

• Palm Coast Parkway Project Website
• Florida Department of Transportation Road Project List
• County Road 304 Project Map and Description

PR Releases:

Daytona State College alumnus Dr. Barry Cates has been awarded the institution’s prestigious 2015 Margaret Crumley Award for Distinguished Achievement in Science. “Dr. Cates truly represents the qualities we seek in our Crumley Award recipients. He not only has dedicated his life to science, but also to humanity itself through his deep commitment to serving others,” said Dr. Tom Swain, chair of a committee of DSC science faculty who selected Cates for the annual award. First presented in 2001, the Crumley Award honors outstanding alumni who achieved an associate degree from the College of Science at Daytona State, have used their scientific knowledge to improve their community and have distinguished themselves while working in their field. Mrs. Crumley established the award to honor her son, John, and husband, Thomas. Dr. Cates was starting his junior year at Warner-Christian Academy when he transferred to Spruce Creek High School to avoid doing a required science project. Little did he know, he was required to do the project at Spruce Creek as well, and even more surprising to him, his research on sclerology landed him second place in a statewide competition. He was awarded a scholarship for his work, which paid his tuition and books at DSC and helped him begin his academic journey to dentistry. “At DSC, my interest in science blossomed under the guidance of my professors,” he noted. “They were excellent.” In 1991 he completed his residency (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) at University Hospital in Jacksonville. He was a sole practitioner for nearly 20 years, mentoring DSC dental assisting students in clinical training in his Daytona Beach office, until 2009, when he sold his practice and joined the practice of Dr. John Sloane in South Daytona, where he is an associate and sole treating dentist. But perhaps even more noteworthy is Dr. Cates’ record of community service.

In Coming Days:

April 14: Property Appraiser and Tax Collector present: Flagler County Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston and Property Appraiser Jay Gardner give a presentation on the functions of their respective offices at the Palm Coast Community Center Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.

Lunch ‘n Lecture With Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon, April 15: Landon will update the public on the new City Hall, Holland Park renovations, road projects, what the City is seeing in private development and more. Landon’s talk is titled, “Making Our Future Together,” and will focus on Palm Coast’s future in terms of the economy, growth, projects and progress. The Lunch n’ Lecture will be 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE. The Lunch n’ Lecture is free, but pre-registration is required by 11 a.m. April 13 (while space is available). Landon has been Palm Coast’s City Manager for eight years. In 2013, he received the Florida City/County Management Association’s Award for Career Excellence. Sign up online here or call the Community Center at 386-986-2323 for more information on registering.

Traffic Ticket Collections Free Amnesty on Friday, April 17: Operation Green Light is a one-day amnesty giving drivers the chance to pay overdue fines, without having to pay the 40 percent collection feel. Hours at the Flagler County Courthouse will be extended for the occasion, stretching between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Clerk of Court Gail Wadsworth says her office has tabulated 7,793 cases that have gone to a collection agency. Of those, 4,507 are civil traffic cases. The total amount in collections for Flagler County is—to be precise–$1,872,973.91. Most people with such cases are driving on suspended driver’s licenses. You may get your driver’s license restored if you pay the overdue fine. (April 17)

April 23: Sheriff Jim Manfre will be the guest speaker for the Flagler County Chamber upcoming Eggs & Issues breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Grand Haven Golf Club, 500 Riverfront Drive in Palm Coast. The chamber hosts Eggs & Issues breakfasts five times a year to bring local and business-related issues and topics to light. Guest speakers include elected officials, thought leaders and high profile executives/business professionals. Cost to attend is $15 with advance payment for members or $20 at the door. Future members pay $20 with advance reservations or $25 the day of the event. Seating is limited; reservations are requested by Friday, April 17 at 5 PM.

Flagler County Job Fair on April 24: A limited number of spaces are still open for businesses interested in reserving a free booth at the second annual Flagler County Job Fair. The event will take place on Friday, April 24, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Palm Coast Campus of Daytona State College, 3000 Palm Coast Pkwy SE, Building 3. Last year nearly 400 jobseekers attended the inaugural fair, which was hosted by the Flagler County Department of Economic Opportunity and CareerSource Flagler Volusia. This year Daytona State College and the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce joined the effort to positively impact Flagler County’s economic vitality. Among the businesses that have already registered are CoastalCloud, Edwards Jones Financial Service, Beutlich Pharmaceuticals and Target. A complete list of attending companies is available here. Businesses wishing to secure a place at the fair and job seekers interested in registering for preparation workshops should visit the job fair website. For additional information about the fair, please contact Casey Scott at 386-313-4098 or by email here.

Matanzas Inlet Beach Clean-up: In celebration of Earth Day, Fort Matanzas National Monument is hosting a beach clean-up on Saturday, April 25, from 9am to 12pm. Join us in removing not only man-made trash but invasive plant life. The event will begin with a safety briefing and an introduction to the park at the ocean-side parking lot on the east side of A1A, just north of the Inlet bridge. Trash bags, gloves, and water will be provided. Please bring sunscreen, appropriate beach wear (including a hat), and your own reusable water bottle. If you would like to participate, please call 904-829-6506 ext. 233 or email [email protected] by April 23.

Volunteers needed for invasive plant removal at Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve, April 29: Bring a friend, bring a kid, bring gloves and a water bottle to Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve on April 29 to help rid it of invasive species like the Brazilian pepper trees along the entrance road. The entrance road will be closed from dawn to 1 p.m. as Land Management and Parks and Recreation staff, with the help of volunteers, remove the plants. Normal park access will be available after 1 p.m. “We appreciate the help,” said Mike Lagasse, land manager. “Non-native plants are displacing the native plants.” Flagler County has a dedicated group of volunteers who have worked at other preserves, like the River to Sea Preserve, protect the native ecosystem. Laura Ostapko is one of those volunteers and a member of “The Pepper Pickers,” a group that started at Gamble Rogers and has recently expanded its scope of work. “We have a sign that says, ‘Restoring paradise one tree at a time,’ because that’s what we are doing,” Ostapko said. “It’s very rewarding when you see what you have done.” Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve is situated on 217 acres along the eastern side of the Intracoastal Waterway south of State Road 100. Those interested in volunteering are asked to contact Lagasse at 386-313-4064 or at [email protected].

Arbor Day 5K Root Run/Walk and Free Fun Run May 2 in Palm Coast’s Town Center: Register now for the Arbor Day 5K Root Run/Walk, which starts at 8 a.m. May 2, followed by the Free Fun Run at 9 a.m. The run/walks will start and finish on Lake Avenue in Central Park at Town Center, 975 Central Ave. in Palm Coast. Awards will be given out at Central Park Main Stage after the race. This race will close out the 2014-2015 season in the Palm Coast Running Series. Register for the 5K Root Run/Walk at www.palmcoastgov.com/ArborDay. (Pre-registration is not required for the children’s Fun Run.) Participants of the 5K Root Run/Walk are guaranteed a race T-shirt and goody bag if they register by April 24. Entry fees and pre-registration deadlines are as follows:

· $25 Online registration closes at 5 p.m. April 30 at www.palmcoastgov.com/ArborDay.
· $25 Mail-in registration closes April 24 (Mail-in registration is available through April 24. Mail registration form available online with check or money order made out to City of Palm Coast to: City of Palm Coast, c/o Arbor Day Race Pre-registration, Attn: Carol Mini, 160 Cypress Point Parkway Suite B106, Palm Coast, FL 32164.)
· $25 In-person registration closes May 1. Register in-person 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway, NE. Checks, money orders, cash and credit cards accepted.
· $30 Race day entry fee – cash or checks only – at Central Park (along Lake Avenue).
· Veterans with military ID receive free entry

Packet Pick Up will be held at the Community Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 1, or at 7 a.m. on race day at Central Park (on Lake Avenue). Prizes will be awarded to the overall male and female runners, as well as the top three men and women in 15 age groups. The race will be chip-timed. Children participating in the Fun Run will receive a ribbon. A ceremony honoring the overall winners for the Palm Coast Running Series will immediately follow the 5K Root Run awards. After the races, enjoy the free Arbor Day celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central Park. Bring canned food or pet food items and exchange them for a three-gallon native hardwood tree (while supplies last). Feed a Mouth, Get a Tree, Grow a Community is the theme. The event will also feature a butterfly tent, zoo exhibits, green vendors, a fire prevention activity, entertainment and kite flying/building. The popular Native Butterfly release is set for 11 a.m. Complete details are available here. For more information, contact City of Palm Coast Urban Forester Carol Mini at 386-986-3722.

Blood Donations Needed

Blood donations are urgently needed. Patients in our local hospitals are in need of blood transfusions, and the need for blood does not take a holiday. That’s why OneBlood is asking people to donate immediately.

Big Red Bus schedule in Flagler-Palm Coast:

Friday April 10th 12:00PM – 5:00PM McDonald’s Restaurant, 5190 East Highway 100, Palm Coast
Saturday April 11th 12:00PM -5:00PM Walmart Supercenter, 174 Cypress Point Pkwy Palm Coast
Monday April 13th 2:00PM – 6:00PM CVS Pharmacy, 5151 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast
Thursday April 16th 10:30AM -2:00PM Kangaroo Express, 890 Palm Coast Parkway SW, Palm Coast
Friday April 17th 1:00PM – 6:00PM Epic Theatre, 1185 Central Ave, Palm Coast
Saturday April 18th 8:00AM – 1:00PM St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Heath Fair
Monday April 20th & Tuesday April 21st 9:00AM -2:00PM Daytona State College- Flagler/Palm Coast Campus, 3000 Palm Coast Parkway, Palm Coast
Saturday April 25th 1:00PM – 6:00PM Epic Theatre, 1185 Central Ave, Palm Coast
Monday April 27th 11:30AM – 4:00PM Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway
Tuesday April 28th 11:00AM – 3:00PM Knights of Columbus Council 7845, 51 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast
Wednesday April 29th 1:00PM – 5:30PM CVS Pharmacy, 1 Old Kings Road South, Palm Coast