Shirley Chisholm Day, Charles Mingus Always

Today is Shirley Chisholm Day, with an evening celebration in Palm Coast, where the late member of Congress and 1972 presidential contender had retired. See below.

Today: partly cloudy, high in 70s, low in mid-60s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 339.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: adventitious, adj..
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

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.

Shirley Chisholm Day: Last week Shirley Chisholm, the late member of Congress who made history as the first elected black woman to Congress, and who had retired to Palm Coast, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Palm Coast declared Nov. 30, her birthday (she was born in 1924) Shirley Chisholm Day, an occasion that will be celebrated this evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at COWORK by Office Divvy, 20 Airport Rd. Ste B2, in Palm Coast (next to the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce). Admission is $25 in advance, $35 at the door, which includes birthday cake celebration, meet and greet with other supporters, short introductions from organizers, a signed copy of numbered reproduction of an original Shirley Chisholm illustration by artist Ron Bryant, and the viewing of “Unbought & Unbossed ’72,” the critically acclaimed PBS documentary on Chisholm’s Presidential Bid. For more information on the campaign and the event, visit www.ShirleyChisholm.life. Questions? Call 396-445-4153.

Shirley Chisholm, “Part of the Heritage of Palm Coast,” Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Town Center Tree-Lighting Ceremony, at 6 p.m. in Palm Coast’s Town Center, with a visit from Santa, refreshments, and the Rotary’s Fantasy Lights. All free.

Upcoming: On Dec. 5, You’re all invited to a Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club open house and fund-raiser: Come by and enjoy the pool, the sauna, the weight room, live music, a bake sale, plenty of games and fun for the whole family. It’s free admission. The event is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. The Flagler County School Board granted the Swim and Racquet Club an extension to make good on the promise of a new batch of membership to ensure that the venerable club stays open in months and years ahead. But the club needs your support, as the school board is set to reevaluate how the membership drive is going as early as January. This fund-raiser and open house is intended to show the community how much there is at the club, and how inexpensive the memberships are. Admission to the Dec. 5 open house is free.

Is Flagler is headed in the right direction? The Chamber of Commerce wants to hear from you: “Please take the Chamber’s Economic Development survey and share the link with family, friends and colleagues. It’s important for everyone who lives and works here to weigh in on this important topic,” the Chamber says. “You might even win a prize for your effort. We are trying to get 1,000 responses before the end of the year. Click here to access the survey.

Lights are up and running. 37 Belvedere Lane, Palm Coast. 6-9 Sun-Thur, 6-11 Fri/Sat. Knock on the door and let me know how you like 'em.

— The Other Jason Wheeler🥋 (@jwheeler715) November 29, 2015

Local News Recap:

House Fire Claims a Life On Kentucky Avenue in West Flagler: The father of three young boys is believed to be the person authorities found dead in the house after the late-night fire Saturday. The house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, Bennett said. Two of the three children who live at the house took refuge at a neighbor’s house. The 1,700-square foot house belongs to Amy Clayton, according to property appraiser records. Clayton and her third son were not at the house at the time of the fire.

Man Found Dead and Bloodied Outside Drain Street House: Police Investigating Homicide: John Robert Stubbs, a 46-year-old resident of 502 East Drain Street in Bunnell, was found dead on his doorstep Friday morning, soaked in blood from gunshot wounds to the upper torso. No suspects are in custody.

Ex-Deputy Ruddell, Who Filed Wage Suit Against Manfre, Arrested in 3-County Pursuit: Daniel Ruddell, an ex-deputy who in February won a wage dispute with Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre, was arrested in St. Johns County Thursday night after an alleged robbery in Daytona Beach and a pursuit through Volusia and Flagler counties that ended in a wreck on I-95. Deputies fired several shots at Ruddell as he was fleeing, but no one was injured, officials said.

Hurricane Season Ends as Florida Escapes Direct Hit For 10th Straight Year: The current streak is made even more remarkable since Florida, with its 1,260 miles of coastline, has accounted for about 40 percent of hurricane landfalls on U.S. shores in that recorded time period, according to the National Weather Service.

In State Government:

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

Palatka Under State’s Eyes: The Joint Legislature Auditing Committee will consider a request from Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, for an audit of Putnam County and the city of Palatka and a request from Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, for a follow-up audit of the Leon County school district. (4 p.m.)

Solar initiative: The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will discuss a proposed solar-energy ballot initiative backed by a group called Consumers for Smart Solar. (9 a.m.)

The Florida League of Cities will hold a roundtable discussion with reporters about issues facing municipalities during the 2016 legislative session. (10 a.m., Florida League of Cities, 301 South Bronough St., Suite 300, Tallahasssee.)

Houston Mayor Annise Parker will be the keynote speaker during the Duval County Democratic Party’s “Blue Duval Gala.” (6 p.m., Hilton DoubleTree, 1201 Riverplace Blvd., Jacksonville.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

Dec. 3: Leadership Flagler Graduation and Eggs & Issues Breakfast: Join the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce in celebrating its 23rd year of Leadership Flagler Graduates. This special Eggs & Issues networking breakfast will honor the Chamber’s largest leadership class and welcome back program alumni. Hilton Garden Inn, Palm Coast, 8 a.m.
Dec. 1: ERAU’s Honors Series welcomes Dr. Bruce Jakosky, presenting Water, Climate, and the Potential for Life on Mars.
Dec. 4 and 5: Blowout book sale at the Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast, all books in the Friends book shop will be priced at 25 cents. The sale will be held during normal business hours: Friday, 9 to 6 and Saturday 9 to 5. Shop for yourself or, stock up for your holiday gift giving. 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW. Call 446-6705 with any questions.
Dec. 5: Flagler Beach Christmas Parade, starting at 1 p.m. down A1A. Click to get an entry form.
Dec. 19 and 20: Performance of Handel’s Messiah at First Church of Palm Coast, 91 Old Kings Road North, 4 p.m. each day: The Edward Waters Alumni Choir, along with the First Church Choir, will give performances of the oratorio, and feature Nathaniel Shropshire, III, bass; Francesca Scott, alto; Irma Marria Adams, soprano; and Drickus Horne, tenor. Tickets are $20 per person. To order call the church at 386-446-5759.

PR Releases:

Click on the link for more details.

In the Press, In the News:

Why small farms may answer big problems https://t.co/QZybhiS3vT pic.twitter.com/b6r0ZMGp6p

— The Christian Science Monitor (@csmonitor) November 30, 2015

Owe taxes to Uncle Sam and you could soon lose your passport https://t.co/RCbtt9ViCE pic.twitter.com/bHsCi5Vovy

— Newser (@Newser) November 30, 2015

After Paris, the war on terror wages in cyberspace https://t.co/hEiC49MTTR pic.twitter.com/VarG2eNBiP

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) November 30, 2015

Opinion: Despite Netanyahu's cries of anti-Semitism, Israel no longer a victim https://t.co/4dcvGswdOY pic.twitter.com/xvVbLjITgC

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) November 30, 2015

Look-at-me-don’t-look-at-me stunts have become a rite for modern celebrities https://t.co/kLK97FYrn4 pic.twitter.com/bE5toM1uza

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 30, 2015

Fact-Checking the Knaves:

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through Nov. 5:

Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 97 percent done: (Not updated this week.)

Holland Park, 37 percent done: Perimeter sidewalk continues to be formed and poured. The new 8″ water main was installed across Florida Park Drive and the water tap was made. Electrical trenching and conduit installation continues. 8″ water main and 2 hydrants being re-installed per plan. New irrigation system installation continues.

County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 76 percent done: Retention ponds are being excavated and fill continues for the ramps.

Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 32 percent done: The City Fiber Optic cable was removed to allow the demucking to continue north on Forest Grove. The Fiber Optic cable will be replaced when the new force main is installed. Installation of stormwater pipe continues.

Colechester Bridge, 90 percent done: Bridge Deck has been paved and striped and has been reopened. Pedestrian railings are installed, demolition of slope pavement continues. Directional bore of water main almost complete.

North Old Kings Road Extension to Matanzas Woods Parkway, 19 percent done: Asphalt was installed on the new section of roadway adjacent to the old roadway at the intersection of Old Kings Road and Forest Grove.

Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 93 percent done: Water mains behind the Island Doctor and Bealls have been chlorinated for 2nd day bacteriological samples.

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: