Monday Briefing: Donuts With Doughney, Pink Gala Set, Ben Carson’s Bigotry, Trump’s Ratings

Today: high in the upper 80s, low in low-70s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is low. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 84.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: mésalliance, 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
• In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
• PR Releases
• In the Press, In the News
• Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
• Local Road and Interstate Construction
• Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section)
• Cultural Coda

In Flagler and Palm Coast:

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 Beach Police Captain Matthew Doughney and 7-Eleven host “Doughnuts with Doughney”: from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 408 South Oceanshore Boulevard.

The Flalger County Commission meets at 5 p.m. On the agenda: The return of the communication tower issue, this time with a second attempt to get approval for a 2320-foot tower at Cody’s Corner. Also: approval of special tax district rates for Daytona North, also known as the Mondex, and the expected routine approval of a series of grants ($30,000 for the Boys and Girls Club, $28,000 for the Children’s Home Society, $58,200 for the Early Leraning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia, $55,500 for the Family Life Center in Bunnell, which serves abused women, $173,300 for the Stewart-Marchman Act Behavioral Health Services). The commission is also expected to approve the long-awaited agreement with Palm Coast for the city to deliver water to the Flagler County Airport. The commission will take up reappointments to the county planning board, entailing the reappointment of Michael Boyd and Robert Dickinson and either the reappointment Russell Reinke or the appointment of either Annette Burgess or Kathleen Pounds. The commission will also formalize its order to declare dangerous a dog involved in a biting incident in July. The agenda is here.

Flagler Youth Orchestra: First day of classes-rehearsals for all students, including new and returning students, classes at 3, 4 and 5 p.m. at Indian Trails Middle School. See the website.

Adults with Disabilities Fundraiser at Sonny’s BarBQ in Palm Coast, 10 percent of all sales will be donated when receipts are deposited in the box, 5 p.m.

Local News Recap:

Flagler County Judge Melissa Moore Stens talks up the county’s pre-trial release program: Moore Stens was the keynote speaker at a Friends of the Library event commemorating the anniversary of the U.S. Constitution Friday, The judge focused on the 8th Amendment and how it applies to the pretrial program. “What is excessive to one person might not be excessive to another,” Moore Stens told a crowd of more than 60 people, the News-Journal’s Tony Holt reported. “There needs to be discretion … There has to be a sliding scale there.” (Strory paywall-protected.)

Video In Suicide-By-Cop Attempt Shows Deputies’ Control of Hairtrigger Confrontation: The video is striking for the controlled and measured manner in which three deputies approached and negotiated with Culotta, even though she appeared uninterested in negotiations, and eventually were able to safely incapacitate her. It is at least the third such incident in the last two and a half years where Flagler deputies have diffused siatuations involving an individual with a weapon looking possibly to harm self or others.

Palm Coast Parkway Pizza Hut Employees Robbed at Gunpoint and Penned in Cooler: The sheriff’s office received a call to respond to a panic alarm at the Pizza Hut at 10:52 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in a release. While responding to the scene, deputies were informed by store employees that they had been robbed, allegedly by three black men who entered the business with their faces covered and armed with handguns.

Golf as Wrestling Match: Only in Flagler Beach as 2 of 3 Proposals for Old Course Bogey: It was an old-time Flagler Beach City Commission meeting Thursday evening: yelling, recriminations, veiled accusations, misunderstandings and frustrations, the sort of flare-ups between commissioners not seen since the endless search for a manager five years ago. The fuse this time was the disused 34-acre Ocean Palm Gold Club the city bought in 2013, and the search since for a company to revive the club as a nine-hole golf course.

Home in Palm Coast, Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Is Celebrated, With Craned Necks: Opelka, accompanied by his mother Lynne—she and her husband George live in Grand Haven—stopped in at WNZF for David Ayres’ Free For All Friday show just after 9 before heading to the Palm Coast Tennis Center, where Opelka accepted a congratulatory sign bearing the signatures of innumerable local supporters.

Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Republicans: Don’t Associate Us With Palm Coast Charter Review: In an OpEd, RRR President Mike McElroy distances his organization from Palm Coast City Council member Steven Nobile.

Kathleen Lusby, who specializes in fine art and portrait paintings, is a new addition to the Salvo Art Project: “She recalled an incident, at the age of 9, when her mother uncovered a nude portrait of a man and woman she had drawn,” the Observer reports. “Although her mother chastised Lusby for drawing graphic and inappropriate subject matter, the scolding did not sway her interest in the human figure.”

In Court:

Circuit Judge J. David Walsh does not have public court sessions today. Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger is in a non-jury trial at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 301 followed by a series of hearings. County Judge Melissa Moore Stens is in hearings all day starting at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 404.

In State Government:

Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.

The State Board of Education meets in South Florida and take up performance-funding improvement plans for Daytona State College, Pensacola State College, College of Central Florida, Pasco-Hernando State College and Northwest Florida State College. (9 a.m., The SEED School of Miami, 15800 N.W. 42nd Ave., FIU/FMU Auditorium, Miami Gardens.)

The Controlled Substances Standards Subcommittee of the Florida Board of Pharmacy will discuss issues related to dispensing pain medications. Many patients say they are having difficulties filling prescriptions for controlled substances that help them cope with pain. (10 a.m., Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee.)

Fruit fly infestation: Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam provides an update about an Oriental fruit fly infestation in Miami-Dade County. (10 a.m., Incident Command, 13601 Old Cutler Road, Miami.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

• Sept. 22: Flagler County NAACP Meeting: Cassandra Stephenson of Chi Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. addressing voter registration; Renny Roker, actor/producer/promoter, will unveil his book, “Positivity, Your Key to Success,” speaking truth to power for today’s youth; and Student and Community Engagement Director Lynette Shott will bring plans from the Flagler school district for the year 2015-16. A question and answer session will follow each presentation. (6 p.m., African American Cultural Society, 4422  U.S. 1 North, Palm Coast.)
• Sept. 24: Joint Town Hall Meeting with School Board Member Andy Dance and County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin at Hidden Trails Community Center, 4:30 p.m.
• Sept. 26: Drug Take-Back Day in Palm Coast on Sept. 26, No Questions Asked, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at four locations across the county. Click for details.
• Sept. 26: 4th Annual CTK Invitational Golf Tournament to benefit Christ the King School, at the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach. Registration at 12:30 p.m., start at 1 p.m. The K-8 school serves 250 students. Registration starts at $125 per single player, up to $1,000 for a gold sponsor. Click here for details.
• Sept. 28: The Flagler County Free Clinic holds a fund-raiser at the Turtle Shack in Flagler Beach from 6 to 8 p.m. Enjoy drinks, the shack’s yummy signature appetizers, live music, a silent auction, and a “wine grab” with great values. The Turtle Shack will also be serving a special drink and dinner menu. The free clinic provides medical care to our Flagler County neighbors in need. It relies on community support. $15 at the door.
• 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.
• Sept. 30: The Heritage Crossroads: Miles of History CME will meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Flagler County Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Building 2. Plans for the coming year’s activities will be discussed, and all are invited to participate. For information call 386-439-5003.
• Oct. 5: Pink Army 5k Run/Walk for Breast Cancer, 7:45 am at Florida Hospital Flagler. Gather your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and run or walk in honor of those who have battled and continue their battle against breast cancer. Proceeds from the Pink Army Run/Walk go to the Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation to educate and support women of Flagler County.
• Oct. 6: The Flagler County School Board holds a town hall meeting at the Government Services Building.

 

PR Releases:

2nd Annual Pink Gala for Breast Cancer Screenings Set for October 9: The 2nd Annual Pink Gala, hosted by Nancy Gibbs, is set for October 9th at 6:30pm at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast located at 55 Town Center Blvd. “We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support last year at our inaugural Pink Gala,” said Nancy. “This year is shaping up to be even bigger and better,” she added. Nancy said she feels blessed and wants to do what she can to help someone else feel fortunate and potentially give them a second chance at life. Tom Gibbs Chevy has participated in the Pink Army 5k since its inception in 2010, and has even had the largest team of runners and walkers. Nancy Gibbs helped organize the team and recruit participants. She said that being involved acted as a reminder to her to perform a breast self-exam. In 2012 she did and found a lump. Her breast cancer was hiding and needed additional diagnostic testing. The steps included an ultrasound, MRI, then finally a biopsy. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. During her experience, she asked herself what she could do to encourage other women get tested and encourage early detection. She decided to have a big party for a fundraiser and things started to fall into place. Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Photography and Graphic Design instructor Ed Beckett’s class designed the event flyer and tickets. Nancy approached Florida Hospital Flagler and they agreed to partner on the event. They also agreed that all proceeds from the event would go to benefit women in Flagler County. Last year, sponsors included Tom Gibbs Chevy, Hilton Garden Inn, Hammock Garden Nursery & Landscaping, Radiology Associates, Intracoastal Bank, Spherion, Dolphin Printing & Design and the Flagler County Corvette Club. The event had 65 attendees and raised $6,327. The event proceeds will go to support Florida Hospital Flagler’s Pink Army that provides breast cancer awareness and screening for women in Flagler County that could not otherwise afford screenings. The Pink Army invites participants to join, schedule a mammogram, donate and more at https://jointhepinkarmy.com. Tickets are $50 per person and include lite fare, a reception, and live music by Stan Alston of The Alston Experience. Other activities include photo opportunities, a silent auction, a wine toss, raffle, and a cash bar. Attendees are encouraged to wear pink to the gala. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Florida Hospital Flagler’s website at https://foundation.floridahospitalflagler.com/events/pink-gala, or stopping by Tom Gibbs Chevrolet located at 5850 East Hwy 100 in Palm Coast, FL, or Flagler Hospital Flagler, located at 60 Memorial Medical Parkway, Palm Coast, FL. For more information, email [email protected], or call 386-437-3318.

Grand Haven’s Community Development District and its Homeowner’s Association conducted a Tree Symposium to discuss tree issues within their community. Those present for a panel discussion included four Palm Coast city staff members, a certified arborist, Grand Haven’s consulting horticulturist, a realtor, attorney and one of the southeast foremost expert on tree pruning and root behavior, Dr. Edward Gilman, professor from the University of Florida. Some of the issues discussed included sidewalk and utility damage, acceptable and unacceptable tree pruning methods, leaf litter, removal or replacement options for trees, density of trees required, street trees and their responsibility for maintenance. These issues are more difficult in that the property lines for the lots end at the back of the curb, so property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the street trees. The two-day event was very beneficial and educational to all attendees. The entire community was invited to listen to the discussion and were afforded the opportunity to ask questions that had been submitted prior to the meeting. These questions were then answered by the appropriate panel members. No definite resolution to all these issues were finalized, but Grand Haven now has adequate information to make their decisions in a more educated way. A lot of myths related to trees and regulations were dispelled or clarified.

In the Press, In the News:

ACLU to Appeal Decision in Federal Lawsuit over Lake County, Florida Middle School Gay-Straight Alliance: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida has filed a notice with a federal district court that it will continue the legal fight over Lake County, Florida school officials’ refusal to allow students at Carver Middle School to form a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club on campus. The appeal comes in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Florida in December 2013 on behalf of a group of students at Carver Middle School challenging the Lake County School Board’s refusal to allow the club to form. It was the second lawsuit filed in less than a year challenging efforts by Lake County school administrators to thwart students’ attempts to establish the GSA. The club seeks review by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of a decision by U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges stating that the denial of the club did not violate the students’ rights. “This effort is far from over,” stated ACLU of Florida LGBT rights staff attorney Daniel Tilley. “For years, these students have been trying to show the grown-ups at Lake County Schools that there is a bullying problem at Carver Middle School and that they have a solution. GSAs exist in schools all across Florida, and students at Carver have a right to establish one and have it be treated the same as any other student club. These young people are determined to have their club recognized and make their school a safer and more welcoming place, and we are determined to stand by them in that effort.” GSAs are student organizations made up of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their allies that advocate for an end to bullying, harassment, and discrimination against all students. LGBT students are far more likely than their fellow students to face harassment and discrimination in schools. LGBT students in schools with GSAs are significantly less likely to experience victimization related to their sexual orientation and gender expression, and are less likely to feel unsafe, than students without access a GSA. In the lawsuit, attorneys for the ACLU of Florida and the ACLU’s LGBT Project argue that the Lake County School Board’s efforts to stop the GSA from being formed violate federal law. A copy of the notice of appeal is available here.
More information about the lawsuit, including a link to the original December 2013 complaint, is available here.

Ben Carson: A Muslim Should Not Be President of the United States: “In what is becoming a dismayingly familiar conflation of church and state by Republicans in this campaign, Carson said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would officially not support the notion of a Muslim commander in chief (via BBC): “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that,” he told NBC’s Meet The Press. […] He said he believed the president’s faith should be consistent with the US constitution. Asked if he considered Islam to be consistent, he said: “No, I do not.” Mr Trump faced mounting criticism last week for failing to challenge a comment by one of his supporters, who said President Obama “was a Muslim” and “not even American.” When “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd asked Carson, who in a recent poll had dropped to third place behind Trump and former Hewlett-Packard boss Carly Fiorina, whether Carson might back a Muslim congressperson, Carson replied that “Congress is a different story … it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are.” From Truthdig.

Donald Trump’s brutal and accurate explanation for why cable news is so obsessed with him: “During a campaign rally in Dallas on Monday, Trump was similarly blunt about what’s driving the massive coverage he’s getting on TV news. Here’s what he said, according to MSNBC’s transcript (and flagged by the Daily Howler’s Bob Somerby): “You know, on television, on FOX and CNN, they call it all Trump all the time. Can you believe it? All Trump all the time. And by the way, their ratings are through the roof. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t put me on. I`ll be honest with you. It’s a simple formula in entertainment and television. If you get good ratings — if you get good ratings — and these aren`t good, these are monster — then you’ll be on all the time, even if you have nothing to say. If you come up with a cure for a major, major horrendous disease and if you don`t get ratings, they won`t bother even reporting it. It`s very simple business. Very simple.” From Vox.

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports:

The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through Sept. 11:

Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 92 percent done: Contractor has placed the new 6″ reuse main into service and has prepared the old line to grout filled. Work in median continues and landscape along project continues.

Holland Park, 30 percent done: Installation of conduits for future ball field lighting continues. Excavation continues for sidewalks in the ball field areas.

Palm Coast City Hall at Town Center, 90 percent done: Floor tile installation continues; ceiling tile installation continues; millwork installation continues; landscape work continues; carpet tile installation has begun. See ongoing images of construction here.

Colechester Drive Bridge, 40 percent done: Seawall Caps being formed, work has begun on the bridge deck, South traffic barrier poured, North traffic barrier being formed, demolition of slope pavement continues.

County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 25 percent done: Contractor has installed approximately 1,000 ft. of reclaim water main total installed 5,000 ft. to date.

Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 6 percent done: The stormwater pipe installation at the intersection of Old Kings Road and Matanzas Parkway has started.

North Old Kings Road Extension to Matanzas Woods Parkway, 12 percent done: Site clearing continues at 85 percent.

Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 93 percent done: A substantial inspection for the first stage was completed and a punch list was generated for contractor.

Shops at Pine Lakes Convenience Store, 99 percent done: As-builts for Utility have been approved.

Old Kings Road Force Main – Master Pump Station, 22 percent done: Jack and Bore casing has been placed under Old Kings Road at south entrance to spray field. The 16″ Force main piping installation has started.

Grand Haven Sales Center on Colbert Lane, 35 percent done: Water and Sewer services have been installed on site.

Road and Interstate Construction:

Palm Coast:

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:  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.

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

Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section):

Nancy N., in “8.8 Million More People Got Health Insurance Last Year, Largely Due to Obamacare“: Almost everyone in this country takes out more than they put into the system in benefits, since the top 1% pays about half the federal budget. Glass houses…Stop whining about who is or is not paying for their healthcare until you start paying the full bill for your share of the highways you drive on and the military that protects you. There’s an underlying assumption in some of the comments that needs to be called out – a seeming belief that if you can’t pay for it yourself that you are unworthy of the basic right of healthcare. Several commenters here seem to believe that how much money a person has should determine who lives and who dies in this country. That is a sadistic mindset. What happened to concern for others?” Reply to Nancy N. Here.

Cultural Coda:

Copland’s The Red Pony Suite: Morning on the Ranch