Today: high of 90, low 72 Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 401.
The weather in Culiacán, Mexico: high 98, low 76. Details.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: plutography, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.
Today’s Briefing: Quick Links
- In Flagler and Palm Coast
- Local News Recap
- In Court
- In State Government
- Beyond
- Police Notes
- PR Releases
- Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
- Local Road and Interstate Construction
- In the Press
- In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
- Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section)
- Cultural Coda
Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Many can be heard or seen live through each agency’s website.
Flagler County’s Economic Opportunity Advisory Council meets at 9 a.m. in the board chambers of the Government Services Building, with a presentation by Jane Fifer, president of VMA, a manufacturers’ trade association in Flagler and Volusia counties.
Regional Surf Lifesaving Championships, hosted by Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue, begins its first of two days of competition in Flagler Beach (three, including juniors on Saturday) just south of the pier, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participation is $20 per competitor. Competition site is on south side of pier. Drop off trailers at police station, at 204 S. Flagler Ave. No vehicles on the beach. No exceptions. See a full schedule of events here. Contact Tom Gillin, the director of parks and recreation in Flagler Beach, for additional information, at [email protected].
Palm Coast’s Utility Standards Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Utility Office, 2 Utility Drive, Palm Coast.
Giuseppe Verdone Is Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Carjacking of Chinese Restaurant Owner: Verdone, 24, will not see another day’s freedom. Circuit Judge J. David Walsh sentenced him to life without parole on two counts each, and to 30 years each on two other counts. Verdone declined to address the court before sentence. Other than a steely look, he would show no emotions.
Public Art Soars Increasingly Into View, Part of Gargiulo Foundation’s Gifts to Palm Coast: This Saturday (July 18), the Gargiulo Art Foundation is also sponsoring a panel discussion featuring Gargiulo and two other local artists the foundation invited to create new art inspired by pieces currently exhibited in public places around Palm Coast. On July 25, the foundation dedicates two more sculptures in the continuously soaring installation of great blue heron sculptures in the “Flight of Life” series at Waterfront Park in Palm Coast.
Against Protest, Walton County in Panhandle Joins Marion to Let Confederate Flag Fly For Now: After a heated public hearing, the Walton County Commission on Tuesday voted to postpone for two weeks a vote on whether to take down the Confederate flag at the county courthouse in DeFuniak Springs.
Longtime Florida Scenic Highway coordinator Garry Balogh retires: Balogh dedicated 19 years to the program and is known as its godfather. Health reasons compelled him to retire, the News-Journal reports. More than 40 people attended Balogh’s retirement celebration. (Story paywall-protected.)
Circuit Court Judge Michael Orfinger hears injunctions starting at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 101, then foreclosure hearings at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 402 followed by non-jury trials. Judge J. David Walsh holds drug court starting at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 401. In the afternoon, starting at 1:30 p.m., he holds docket soundings and hears pleas. County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens hears pleas starting at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 404.
The Florida Supreme Court releases opinions at 11 a.m.
Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.
The Revenue Estimating Conference will look at data about tobacco taxes and the state’s legal settlement with the tobacco industry. (9 a.m.)
The Florida Defense Support Task Force, which works to protect Florida’s military installations and missions, meets. (9 a.m., Westin Tampa Harbour Island, 725 South Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa.)
Kidcare analyzed: The Social Services Estimating Conference will discuss caseloads in the KidCare subsidized health-insurance program. (1:30 p.m.)
–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive
The U.S. Senate is expected to pass education legislation that repeals most of the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind law.
House Republicans plan an investigation of Planned Parenthood following an anti-abortion activist’s secret video of a Planned Parenthood official explaining how the organization provides fetal tissue to researchers, a practice the organization says it conducts with patients’ consent.
Television’s Emmy Awards nominations are announced at 11:30 a.m. live here.
Tour de France: Stage 12 today takes the cyclists 195 km from Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille in the third of three days of climbs in the Pyrenees. The live feed here.
Wildfires: The Florida Highway Patrol continues to monitor a wildfire in the area of US1 and Big Oaks Road which may affect roadways in St Johns County. Motorists are encouraged to use caution when traveling in these areas. Visibility may deteriorate quickly due to smoke/fog type conditions, especially during the night time and early morning hours. Motorists are reminded to reduce their speed as necessary to avoid a collision and utilize their low beam headlights in order to adapt to changing weather conditions.
Florida Sen. Brandes wants an investigation of red-light camera contracts: State Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, asked Wednesday for a Florida Department Law Enforcement investigation of contracts between local governments and a red-light camera company implicated in bribery schemes in other parts of the country. Brandes, an outspoken critic of red-light cameras, asked for the investigation into contracts involving RedFlex Traffic Systems. The Chicago Tribune reported June 19 that the former CEO of the firm had pleaded guilty in a federal bribery investigation in Ohio. Also, a Tribune investigation uncovered wrongdoing in a Chicago contract that involved allegations of bribes paid to a politically connected former city official, according to the newspaper. “State law enforcement should take a look into all contracts that exist in Florida with RedFlex to determine if this type of corruption occurred in our state, and to bring those to justice who violated public trust,” Brandes said in a prepared statement Wednesday.–News Service of Florida.
Texas conspiracy nuts: a Military Exercise Is Met by Some With Suspicion: “Despite the Internet chatter about trains with shackles and Walmart stores being closed to be used as detention camps, this small West Texas town on Wednesday seemed to be surviving the start of Jade Helm 15, the military exercise that some people fear is actually a ruse for a federal takeover of the state. No military equipment or personnel were visible. No tanks were rumbling past the beige-metal community center on Main Street next door to the fire station here, the scene of 4-H Club meetings and family reunions. But that did not mean that people were not on the alert. “I’ve been looking,” said Jack Campbell, 61, who was picking up his mail at the post office. Dr. Campbell said that he had concerns about the exercise, and that he purchased extra ammunition for the weapons he keeps in his home. “Just in case,” added Dr. Campbell, an emergency physician in San Angelo, 20 miles away. “People are just vigilant. Not vigilantes, but vigilant. They don’t want to be caught off guard.” […] According to some right-wing bloggers and activists, the exercise is part of a secret plot by the Obama administration to impose martial law, confiscate firearms, invade red-state Texas or prepare for instituting “total population control.” A report on Infowars, a website operated by Alex Jones, a libertarian-leaning talk radio host from Texas, suggested Helm was an acronym for Homeland Eradication of Local Militants.” From The Times.
Sisters hold party to pay for mother’s Dignitas suicide: “Two sisters are selling tickets for a party to raise money to enable their mother to commit suicide at a Swiss clinic. Jackie Baker, 59, wants to travel to the Dignitas euthanasia clinic after developing motor neurone disease in February. Her daughters Tara O’Reilly and Rose Baker are desperately trying to raise £8,000 so their mother can “die with dignity” in Switzerland. Hairdresser Tara, 40, is selling tickets for a girls night out with drag artist and playboy waiters to raise the funds for her mother. Tara said: “It’s what she wants. We were very upset at the beginning but I think we have come around to it now. Jackie, of Morriston, Swansea, developed motor neurone disease in February but has deteriorated rapidly and is wheelchair-bound. The former keen amateur photographer is also unable to use her arms to lift a camera and her speech is fading.” From the UK Telegraph.
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports:
The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through July 10:
Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 82 percent done: Widening on the north side of the parkway continues and some paving and concrete curbing was completed. Landscape irrigation work continues. Utility connection tie-ins continues. Signage installation has begun. All the new water mains have now been installed and flushed. All pressure testing has passed and is ready for chlorination. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has accepted and has placed into service the 193 feet of new 12″ water main connecting to the new 16″ water main just west of Wendy’s.
Royal Palms Parkway Improvements: Completed.
Holland Park, 22 percent done: Installation of storm water pipe continues.
Palm Coast City Hall at Town Center, 70 percent done: Installation of drywall on interior walls, mechanical duct work and VAV damper installation, electrical conduit rough-in and fire sprinkler piping are all 95% complete. Painting of exterior
walls continues. Paving of parking area started. Installation of wall tile in bathrooms is complete and floor tile in bathrooms
has begun. The sewer system has been televised and the concrete slab under the 4″ water meter and 6″ fire backflow assemblies has been placed.See ongoing images of construction here.
Colechester at College Waterway Bridge Rehabilitation Construction, 17 percent done: Outside bents and pilings have been repaired & painted. Sheet piles were delivered. Demolition on east side seawall and sidewalk continues.
County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 20 percent done: A storm structure crossing the road was completed on the east side of I-95. Fill dirt continues being hauled in to raise the overpass and ramp areas. The city’s portion of the project is also 20 percent done.
Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 6 percent done: Contractor working on submittals and coordinating utility work with FPL & ATT.
Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 90 percent done: A manhole was installed in front of the Island Doctors building. A 6″ fire line with backflow preventer was installed behind building on west end of project.
Shops at Pine Lakes Convenience Store, 88 percent done: Work on parking and drive thru areas continues. Water meters and backflows have been installed.
Walmart Addition, 30 percent done: A new Grease Interceptor has been installed replacing the old one outside the new building addition.
Old Kings Road Utilities Work, 85 percent done: Pressure testing of new water main has passed.
Road and Interstate Construction:
Palm Coast:
Lane closures planned for Palm Coast Parkway work July 20 – July 24: On Monday, July 20, through Friday, July 24, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., motorists and other travelers should expect eastbound lane closures along Palm Coast Parkway between Cypress Point Parkway and the I-95 bridge.Two lanes will remain open eastbound. From 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 until 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, motorists should expect heavy delays. Eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane on the I-95 bridge.
These lane closures are required for street light pole installations. A uniformed law enforcement officer will be on-site to direct traffic. Motorists are encouraged to watch for flaggers and work zone signs.
Matanzas Woods Parkway closed: Matanzas Woods Parkway is closed until early August for construction of the Interstate 95 interchange. The portion of Matanzas Woods Parkway that spans I-95 will be reconstructed to accommodate four single-lane ramps for on and off access to the interstate. Other improvements include the widening of the interstate to accommodate new acceleration and deceleration lanes, wet detention ponds adjacent to the roadway, sidewalks, lighting, overhead signs and landscaping. Project details are available and regularly updated at http://www.matanzas95interchange.com. The detour map is available here.
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.
Flagler County Road 302 is Closed to all but local traffic as repaving began on June 7 and the roadway will be closed to all but local traffic. Others will be required to detour around County Road 302 using State Road 100. The roadway will be closed for 90 days, or until early September.
Palm Coast’s Colechester Lane bridge to be closed July 7 through Sept. 4: Palm Coast – Motorists and other travelers are advised that the Colechester Lane bridge will be closed to all traffic from July 7 through Sept. 4 while the bridge is rebuilt. A detour will be established taking travelers over the Colorado Drive bridge instead. Signs will be posted directing motorists to the Colorado Drive bridge. The City of Palm Coast strives for safe construction zones. The City asks for the cooperation and patience of residents as this important bridge improvement project is completed. For more information, contact Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360.
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. Sunday through Thursday, Eastbound and Westbound lane closures as needed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, 9:00 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. EB road closure between Canal St./SR 44 and I-95 with detour at US 92 exit ramp.Motorists should be aware of traffic shifts near Canal St./SR 44.
Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission’s Customer Advisory Committee Meeting: A meeting of the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission’s Customer Advisory Committee is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, July 17, 2015 at LYNX Central Station, 455 N. Garland Avenue, Orlando, FL in the second-floor multi-purpose room. Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Ms. Jennifer Smith, FDOT District Five Title VI Coordinator, 719 S. Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, FL 32720, or by phone at 386-943-5367, or by email at [email protected]. Questions? Please contact Steve Olson at [email protected] or 386-943-5479.
- Palm Coast Parkway Project Website
- Florida Department of Transportation Road Project List
- County Road 304 Project Map and Description
Click on the links for more details:
- Back to School Immunization, required by schools, available at the Flagler County Health Department from August 10 through August 21, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on a walk-in basis. For further information, please call: 386-437-7350 ext. 2224.
- All Summer: Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Flagler County Children Through Seamless Summer Freeding
- All Summer: Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) Offers Free Summer Activities for Youth .
- All Summer: Swimming lessons and lifeguard classes available at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool.
- Registration opens for 2015 Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games.
- July 17: Daytona Beach Bandshell presents Dustin Seymour’s Birthday Bash: Free family-friendly concert on showcasing Dustin Seymour’s Birthday Bash from 8–9:30 p.m. and Johnny Reed Foley from 7-7:45 p.m.
- July 18: Random Acts of Insanity will, a local comedy troupe, celebrates 10 Years, doing what it’s done since 2005 – making local people laugh. 8 p.m. at Cinematique Theater in Daytona Beach.
- July 18: Gargiulo Art Foundation and Salvo Art presents Art in Public Places: from 7 p.m., with musical guest Jake Cox. Featuring open studios and new works by Andy Sovia, Karlene McDonnell, Vanessa B. Cruz, and Violet Skipp Haffner. Live music, wine and hors d’oeuvres. $10 entry fee. Kiddos free. Salvo Art at Nature Scapes, 313 Old Brick Road, Bunnell. Parking available at Marvin’s Garden in the back right corner with bridge access to the gallery.
- July 22: Emmanuel’s Closet Fund-Raising Dinner and Fashion Show, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Italian American Club at 45 Old Kings Road N. in Palm Coast. Includes dinner, dessert, raffles, a silent auction, dancing, photos and other activities.
- July 23: Pastor Charles Silano will be recognized as Outstanding Community Leader at the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency, a local nonprofit, in a luncheon at noon at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.
- July 27: The River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization Meets in Palm Coast from 5-7 p.m. to receive public input on the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan. The meeting will be held at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town Center Blvd. Specifically, the River to Sea TPO is holding the public meeting to solicit input on the draft Cost Feasible Project List. For more information, contact Pamela Blankenship at [email protected] or 386-226-0422 ext. 20416, or visit http://www.r2cmobility2040.com.
- Sept. 28: Bunnell’s State of the Art Water Treatment Facility Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting at 100 Utility Drive (directly across the street from the Flagler County Government Services Building), from 4 to 6 p.m.
Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section):
Common Sense, in “Good and Bad of the Iran Nuclear Deal: Caution and Selective Cooperation Ahead“: “No one knows the details of the deal but the Republicans are out in force criticizing it already. Never mind that Bush couldn’t get it done when he was in charge. Think about it, what is the alternative? War? This is at least a start and don’t forget the basic premise…we are telling another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do. Would we allow another country to dictate to us? P. S. Trump criticized the deal , on camera, while admitting he knew nothing about it. He said he knew people who knew about it. What a moron.” Respond to Common Sense here.
Cultural Coda:
Allen Ginsberg’s Poem to Bernie Sanders, 1986
From Open Culture: “The Senator from Vermont has unabashedly referred to himself, throughout his long political career, as a democratic socialist or, on occasion, simply a “socialist”—a word that strikes fear into the heart of many an American, and resonates widely with another portion of the electorate. Debates over what this means rage on. George Will calls Sanders’ socialism a “charade.” Thor Benson in the New Republic accuses him of playing “loose with the terminology.” The history and current state of “socialism” is so long and complex that no one definition seems to suit. Its political baggage in American discourse, however, is undeniable. This was just as true in 1986, when Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem in praise of Sanders, then mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Ginsberg playfully draws on the loose associations we have with the word, hammering it home with tongue-in-cheek repetition, then turning reflective. […] Calling it “Burlington Snow,” Ginsberg composed the poem—equal parts goofy and sincere—on a visit to the city, one of many pilgrimages made by left-wing writers and artists after Sanders’ string of attempted foreign policy interventions.
Socialist snow on the streets
Socialist talk in the Maverick bookstore
Socialist kids sucking socialist lollipops
Socialist poetry in socialist mouths
—aren’t the birds frozen socialists?
Aren’t the snowclouds blocking the airfield
Social Democratic Appearances?
Isn’t the socialist sky owned by
the socialist sun?
Earth itself socialist, forests, rivers, lakes
furry mountains, socialist salt
in oceans?
Isn’t this poem socialist? It doesn’t
belong to me anymore.
