Today: high in mid-80s, low in upper 60s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 370.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: neophobia, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.
Today’s Briefing: Quick Links
- In Flagler and Palm Coast
- Local News Recap
- In State Government
- In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
- PR Releases
- In the Press, In the News
- Fact-Checking the Knaves
- Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
- Local Road and Interstate Construction
- 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 Commission: A workshop meeting originally scheduled for 1 p.m., then 9 a.m., was cancelled.
The Flagler County Land Acquisition Committee meets at 3:30 p.m. at the Government Services Building, First Floor Conference Room, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell, to discuss a property on Lake Disston.
The Flagler County Public Library‘s Board of Trustees meets at 4:30 p.m. in the Doug Cisney Room at the public library on Palm Coast Parkway.
The Flagler County Public Library holds a ‘White Table Ceremony’ to honor service men and women who are Prisoners of War or Missing in Action, at 11:30 a.m. at the library on Palm Coast Parkway.
The Bunnell City Commission meets at 7 p.m. to discuss how to proceed in light of Manager Larry Williams’s announced resignation, and to discuss his proposed reorganization of the city administration
The Garden Club at Palm Coast holds its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. at the Flagler County Extension Service, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell. The Arrangers’ Guild of the Garden Club will demonstrate several techniques of floral design. There will be a raffle for a floral design, door prizes and a plant sale as well as light refreshments. Visitors are welcome. For more information call Jane at 386-446-0341.
Shots Fired: The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Sunday published a 10-page special report, “Shots Fired,” investigating and analyzing the murky, often intractable world of police-involved shootings in Florida, where, at best, individual departments will often investigate themselves, while no state or federal agency tracks the shootings. Police shot at least 249 people in 2013 and 2014, the paper reports, with 162 of those fatal. The report explores the “troubling trend” of black men accounting for 40 percent of the victims of police shootings, even though they make up just 7.7 percent of the population. It also explores the risks to the mentally ill, the extremely slow pace of investigation of police shootings, and police agencies’ resistance to civilian review boards. The investigation reveals to what extent police agencies will go to scuttle news organizations’ attempts to document such shootings, manipulating the state’s public records laws, charging unreasonable fees or simply not responding to requests (and thus breaking the law). And it provides an officer-involved shootings database. The special report is the work of Frank Fernandez, formerly a reporter in Flagler, Skyler Swisher, who left the News-Journal last week, and Dinah Voyles Pulver, a 24-year veteran of the paper. The special report is all available online.
How many officer-involved shootings occur in Florida? We found out, but it wasn't easy. https://t.co/lY9ifEflkz pic.twitter.com/xoZitv3w7A
— Daytona Beach News-Journal (@dbnewsjournal) November 9, 2015
In Flagler Beach, City Manager’s Choice is Down to “Old Shoe” and “Shiny New Pair”: Joe Gerrity and Larry Newsom are the final two candidates for the job. The only thing commissioners agreed on Friday, beside declaring both candidates qualified for the job, is that they want their final vote to be unanimous. To get there, they’ve given each other–or whichever commissioners need it–the time to do their own further research, including having one-on-one (and non-public) conversations with each candidate.
Flagler Schools’ 1-to-1 Laptop Initiative Termed a Success, But Replacement Costs at $100,000 a Year: a total of $154,000 was budget for replacement costs in the first year, and $165,000 was budget for the second year, to cover costs for the 7,900 machines given out in 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, for a two-year total of $319,000. But the actual replacement costs for the two years combined were $194,565.00, Deising said, which is $124,435 less than projected.
Bunnell manager proposes reorganization plan: “Under the plan, which the City Commission is expected to discuss during Monday night’s meeting, Mick Cuthbertson, the community development director, and Gary Northrip, the public works director, would be laid off and their duties shifted to other departments,” the News-Journal reports, saving $88,000 annually.
Annual fundraiser celebrates and remembers the life of Josh Crews, an avid reader and storyteller: Joe Rizzo, co-owner of the Island Grille, said 180 tickets were sold, an increase of 100 from the 2014 event. “Josh was best man at our wedding and tomorrow is our 16th anniversary,” Teresa Rizzo told the Observer. “He was an amazing story teller and this event brings together children’s literature and storytelling, and gives everyone a chance to dress up, have a good time and reminisce.”
Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.
Solar amendment: The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will hold a workshop about a proposed solar-energy ballot initiative backed by a group called Consumers for Smart Solar. (9 a.m.)
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., will speak at an event in Palm Beach County marking the fifth anniversary of Veterans’ Court, which provides an alternative approach to handling criminal offenders who have served in the military. (Noon, Criminal Justice Complex, 3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach.)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will take public comment about a draft plan for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. Freshwater flows to Apalachicola Bay have been a matter of contention for decades, and Florida is suing Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court about whether Georgia is keeping too much water upstream to serve the needs of metro Atlanta. (4 p.m., Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Environmental Education and Training Center, 108 Island Dr., Eastpoint.)
–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive
In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:
Click on the links for more details:
- Nov. 12: Free ‘storm spotters’ class at 6 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center located behind the Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell.
- Nov. 13: To Raise the Roof for Palm Coast Arts Foundation, A Bimbo Is “Born Yesterday”: City Repertory Theatre will present a staged reading of the surprisingly still-relevant — and surprisingly gritty — romantic comedy as a benefit for arts foundation’s Raise the Roof campaign. The organization is raising money to build an arts and cultural pavilion in Palm Coast’s Town Center. That would be just the first segment of a multi-phase, multi-staged arts facility. The benefit performance will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Lohman Auditorium in Marineland–a one-night only engagement, with tickets priced at $75 and $85.
- Nov. 13: The Flagler County Legislative Delegation will hear public testimony on general issues, legislation, local bills and appropriations. Anyone wishing information on procedures to file a local bill or to be placed on the November 13, 2015 agenda must contact Danielle Curbow with Senator Travis Hutson’s office at 386-446-7610, prior to November 9, 2015. The session takes place at Board Chambers, Government Services Building, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Click on the link for more details.
Rotary Club of Flagler Beach Seeks Volunteers to Pack 10,000 meals again for Stop Hunger Now
Stewart Marchman-Act Foundation Launches Bouquets of Hope Campaign for Thanksgiving
Preferred Management Services adds Two Associations to their management portfolio
Palm Coast Data Hires Andrea Kenney as VP of Sales, Memberships and Associations
David I. Alfin graduates from Florida Realtors Eighth Annual Leadership Academy
Rotary Club of Flagler Beach Seeks Volunteers to Pack 10,000 meals again for Stop Hunger Now: The Rotary Clubs of Flagler Beach, Flagler County and Palm Coast along with the Interact Clubs of Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High Schools invites anyone interested in volunteering to package 10,000 meals with the Stop Hunger Now program to join us on Sunday, November 15 at the Flagler Beach United Methodist Church, 1520 Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach. The event will be held from 1-4pm. Stop Hunger Now meals are highly nutritious, dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables, flavoring and 21 essential vitamins and minerals. Each package provides a reasonable serving for six and each serving costs approximately .29 cents to make. The Stop Hunger Now program partners with Rotarians all over the world to provide these nutritional meals where they are needed. “I love Stop Hunger Now rice a lot…I can’t have enough of this rice. When my parents send me to school without anything to eat, they don’t worry because they know I will eat at school. I pray every day for the people who send the rice,” said Jean Kendy, a 2nd grade student from Cite Soleil School in Haiti. The funding for this project will be from the Rotary Clubs, the Interact Clubs and donations from the community. For those that cannot attend the event, they can donate on line www.flaglerbeachrotary.org. There will also be a food and frozen turkey drive. The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach through their service project, Project Share, will provide Thanksgiving meals to 75 families. Attendees are asked to bring a donation of non-perishable food and a frozen turkey for local families. This is a Rotary Days event. Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang launched Rotary Days to urge all Rotary members to ‘Light Up Rotary’ by organizing a Rotary Day in 2014-15. The concept is simple: hold a fun, informal event in the community to introduce the public to your club and Rotary. Children are invited to participate and videos will be shown so attendees can see what Rotary is doing around the world and in our local community. “You will be uplifted and touched when you experience how two hours and 10,000 meals can change lives,” said Rotary Club of Flagler Beach President Kim Carney. For more information please contact: Kim Carney at 386.846.5493, or [email protected].
Preferred Management Services adds Two Associations to their management portfolio. Halifax Plantation Phase I and Palm Pointe Condominium Association have both contracted with PMSI for HOA management services. Halifax Plantation Phase I is a single family home community located within the master association of Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach, Florida. Palm Pointe Condominium Association is a commercial condominium consisting of six units located within the Northlake Master Association in Palm Coast. Lea Stokes opened PMSI in 1995 with 246 units in St. Augustine Beach, and currently manages over 4000 residential units and thirteen commercial parks.
Newly Acquired Telescope Gives Embry-Riddle and Partner Institutions Unique Opportunity to Collaborate on Research in Canary Islands: A joint international effort including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently transformed a decommissioned telescope in the Canary Islands off the coast of Northern Africa into a remotely accessible instrument for research, education and outreach. An agreement between the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) outlines how the groups will jointly operate the telescope, which has been inactive for a decade, after upgrades funded by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Led by Embry-Riddle, SARA is a consortium of colleges and universities in the United States that includes Florida Institute of Technology, East Tennessee State University, Valdosta State University, Florida International University, Clemson University, Ball State University, Agnes Scott College, University of Alabama, Valparaiso University, Butler University, Texas A&M Commerce, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and now the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. Dr. Terry Oswalt, SARA Chairman, hosted the commissioning ceremony for SARA on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, along with members of the SARA Board of Directors, Dr. Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, local authorities and scientists related to the project. “The commissioning of the SARA-JKT telescope represents a major milestone in the 25-year history of the SARA consortium,” said Oswalt, who is also Chair of the Physical Sciences Department at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus in Florida. “The telescope is better than new and will be accessible from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. We are especially excited about this new international partnership with the IAC and look forward to many years of scientific collaboration involving faculty, staff and students at all our partner institutions.” The 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT) was originally constructed by the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands more than 30 years ago as part of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory to take advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions afforded by this high-altitude volcanic island. It was decommissioned in 2003. In 2012 it was transferred to the IAC, and in 2014 an operating agreement for the telescope was reached between SARA and the IAC. “The addition of the JKT to the network of telescopes operated by SARA allows an extraordinary temporal coverage in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Rebolo during the dedication. “Adding a telescope in the Southern Hemisphere will help us all to do better science.” IAC staff will have access to time on the JKT as well as setting up collaborative projects with other SARA scientists using the other consortium telescopes, located at Kitt Peak in Arizona and Cerro Tololo in Chile. Since 1995, SARA has operated a 1-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory under an agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The SARA 0.6-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo has been operated in partnership with the NSF, the Chilean astronomical community and Lowell Observatory since 2010. SARA astronomers have been using these facilities to pursue research ranging from asteroids to quasars; they are also used by students in the classroom and for public outreach events. Thousands of miles separate the three SARA telescopes. “Just as having two eyes gives depth perception, the SARA telescopes give us the ability to quickly measure distances and orbits for objects like potentially hazardous asteroids,” said Oswalt. “Because they are at different longitudes, we can stay focused on an object longer and we have a hedge against inclement weather at any given site. That’s hugely important to the study of objects that vary in brightness, such as pulsating stars like white dwarfs or transiting exoplanets.” Oswalt’s main area of study is white dwarf stars, the dense small cores of dead stars that no longer burn hydrogen. Learn more about the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy at http://saraobservatory.org.
Larry David yells "Trump's a racist" during "SNL" monologue: https://t.co/fjJPFBI3y5 pic.twitter.com/vkvdEuZAOP
— The Hill (@thehill) November 9, 2015
A Good American review: fascinating revelations about the NSA's role in 9/11 https://t.co/9gqOlUoEkz
— The Guardian (@guardian) November 9, 2015
Why black football players at University of Missouri are boycotting https://t.co/3eWTey6ikS
— The Christian Science Monitor (@csmonitor) November 9, 2015
Ben Carson has already proven to be a massive liar. Conservatives don't seem to care https://t.co/P5HO1W3KJg
— Salon (@Salon) November 9, 2015
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through Oct. 30:
Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 98 percent done: Final lift of paving continues. Landscaping irrigation is ongoing.
Holland Park, 36 percent done: 110 cubic yards of sidewalks formed compacted and poured this week. Vertego has begun installation of new irrigation system. Preparations for 2 taps on City water mains 11-5-15. All unsuitable materials have been removed from site. Electrical trenching and conduit installation continues. Sign boards were placed for road closure planned for 11/5/15 for
open cut and placement of new water main across Florida Park Drive.
County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 80 percent done: Work continues on fill for ramps and digging retention ponds.
Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 31 percent done: De-mucking continues thru wet areas for new roadway. Contractor is placing storm and moving fill to the section of road in front of the Conservatory subdivision. Intersection at Old Kings road was reconstructed.
North Old Kings Road Extension to Matanzas Woods Parkway, 18 percent done: Road base is being installed and compaction test are being conducted. Some concrete curb and gutter has been installed from Forest Grove to the South on Old Kings Road
Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 96 percent done: Utility Substantial Inspection has been scheduled.
Old Kings Road Force Main 50 percent done:: Contractor is working on Force main at the entrance north of spray field.
Road and Interstate Construction:
Sviatoslav Richter Performs 1st Movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.5
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