Thursday Briefing: Renee Taylor's Life On a Diet, FPC's One-Act Plays at the Bistro, John Irving Talks

theater flagler — It’s curtain time in Flagler County. (Rosmarie Voegtli)

Today: Chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning…then showers and slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent. Tonight: Cooler. Mostly cloudy. Showers in the evening… Then chance of showers after midnight. Lows in the mid 40s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 76.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: perstringe, v..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

In Flagler and Palm Coast
Local News Recap
Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime Reports
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.

Renee Taylor stars in “My Life on a Diet” at the Flagler Auditorium 7:30 p.m. Hollywood legend Renee Taylor takes the audience on a trip through her 60-year career in movies, The Tonight Show, Broadway, her iconic role as “Sylvia,” Fran Drescher’s over-bearing, food loving mother on the hit TV series The Nanny, and “Ted Mosby”’s neighbor “Mrs. Matsen” on How I Met Your Mother. Adults, $39, children $28.

Flagler Palm Coast Drama’s Dinner Theater, 7 p.m. at the Bistro at FPC, Thursday and Friday: FPC Thespian Troupe 5023 presents two one-act comedies: “AP Theatre” by Ed Monk and “The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World” by Jonathan Rand. “AP Theatre” will debut the talents of student directors Michael Williams, Justin Iuteri, and Bayley Steinwehr. $10 for adult, $5 for student. Tickets will be available at the door of the bistro. Cash or check to FPC Drama. The Thespians are under the direction of Kelly Rivera.

The USTA’s Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, running through Sunday. 1290 Belle Terre Parkway.

Ribbon-cutting: Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, 4601 E Moody Blvd Unit F1, Bunnell, 4 p.m.

Local News Recap:

Updated jail bookings and day and night shift incident summary reports are available here.

Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte In Dramatic Rescue of Drowning Man Forte was driving through the W Section when he heard the emergency dispatch about a drowning situation at the McGraths’ home, at 29 Whispering Pine Drive. He was first at the scene, jumped in the pool to relieve Aprile, who had strained to keep her husband’s head above water, and pulled him out. McGrath, 71, was later taken to Florida Hospital Flagler.

Palm Coast Council Gives Itself a Few Dollars’ Raise, Thwarting Nobile on Referendum: It was a painful and at times contorted discussion: When the Palm Coast City Council was done debating whether and how to raise its members’ pay, it amounted to little more than a token increase: $228 for the mayor, $228 for council members: essentially, Starbucks money. And there won’t be automatic raises—or “adjustments,” as council members repeatedly, euphemistically put it—in coming years.

How 3-Month Investigation Led to Arrest of Palm Coast Man in Flagler Beach Publix Robbery: Daniel J. Fountain, a 48-year-old Palm Coast resident on drug-offender probation, was charged last week with the armed robbery at the Flagler Beach Publix in October following a three-month investigation—and a lucky break that landed Fountain in jail on an unrelated charge.

In State Government:

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

Health Information Technology: The Agency for Health Care Administration will help host a meeting with industry officials and experts about health information-technology issues. (8 a.m.)

The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments in four cases, including death-penalty cases from Sarasota and Lake counties. The Sarasota County case involves an appeal by Michael King, who was convicted in the 2008 murder of Denise Amber Lee. The Lake County case involves an appeal by Eric Simmons, who was convicted in the 2001 murder of Deborah Tressler. (9 a.m.)

The Florida Supreme Court is expected to release its weekly opinions. (11 a.m.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

Friday, Feb. 5: An open house for 5th and 6th graders only at the Flagler County Youth Center, from 6 to 9 p.m. Dance, play games, get refreshed. For information, call 437-7540, ext. 5101.
Feb. 11, 4 p.m., the Palm Coast Arts Foundation has a ground-breaking for Phase I of its multi-phased cultural arts center in Town Center, on Central Avenue just east of Epic Theaters. The project will consist of an outdoors entertainment venue that will accommodate, among other events, the annual Picnics and Pops concert of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Anyone interested in helping PCAF accelerate the project is asked to contact Nancy Crouch, Executive Director, at 386/263.2991 or [email protected].
Feb. 13: Winter Scholastic Series Chess Tournament (K-12) and Winter Open (G/45;d5), Jacksonville Chess Club, at San Jose Church of Christ, 6233 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, registration onsite starts at 9 a.m. Click on the link for more details.
Feb. 29: Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Strings Around the World Concert, 7 p.m. at the Flagler Auditorium. Adult tickets, $6 and children 17 and under are $1. Visit the website.
April 2: Cheer at the Pier, a fund-raiser for the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, from 3 to 6 p.m. Call Virginia Giaramita for information at 386/299-8892.

PR Releases:

Click on the link for more details.

In the Press, In the News:

Echoes of Vietnam in the Middle East: America's War on Terror could drag on for decades https://t.co/PnqWLnPFNs pic.twitter.com/8cKwA3TpLo

— Salon (@Salon) February 3, 2016

John Irving on Donald Trump, Caitlyn Jenner – and the right way to wrestle an angry bear https://t.co/ELclpl4IRO

— The Guardian (@guardian) February 3, 2016

https://twitter.com/TheFix/status/694955289079083008

President Obama to young Muslim Americans: You are not alone. https://t.co/BaO0apJzNf pic.twitter.com/MMX5k0i5bo

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 3, 2016

Americans reject by a wide margin idea of holding U.S. Muslims to increased scrutiny because of their religion https://t.co/Kuf2DRgo7Y

— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) February 3, 2016

UN group recommends 'reparatory justice' for African Americans https://t.co/fHj7yEfvRd @jacksonmollye1 pic.twitter.com/yJwLEwrJui

— The Christian Science Monitor (@csmonitor) February 3, 2016

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 Jan. 27:

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, 1 percent done: Located at 5625 North US Highway 1, the school received a Development Order for a new 13,794 sq. ft. early learning center to be located on the south side of their 8.6-acre site. The architecture of the new one-story building will be very similar to the existing church and school facilities that are located just north of the proposed new building.

Holland Park, 50 percent done: Grading and installation of sidewalks continues. Rough grading of Playground area. Restroom slab has been poured. Electrical conduit installation continues. Pavilion lighting being installed. Stormwater piping installation continues in Playground area.

County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 76 percent done: Retention ponds are being excavated and fill continues for the ramps. (Not in the Dec. 15 update.)

Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 47 percent done: January 25, 2016 the new 10″ water main and 6″ force main
on the east end between the Conservatory and Old Kings Road were tied into existing mains on Forest Grove.

Colechester Bridge, 94 percent done: Sea walls have been completed and forming of the western abutment almost complete.

Palm Harbor Extension, 45 percent done: Met on site with contractor to discuss water and sewer testing and construction meter placement.

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. (Not in the Dec. 4 update.)

Old Kings Road Force Main 90 percent done:: The contractor has tied the 8″ force main to the 16″ force main in front of the new Master Pump Station on South Old Kings Road. On January 13, 2016 the contractor installed a 16″ X 8″ wye and an 8″ valve in front of the existing lift station on Old Kings Road South. An 8″ wye and an 8″ 45 elbow fitting was installed to complete the connection from the existing 8″ force main to the new 16″ future force main.

Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 2, 25 percent done: A substantial walk thru for punch list was done January 22,
2016. Chlorination of new section of water main in Phase 2 was completed January 27, 2016.

Road and Interstate Construction:

Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway to be closed starting Dec. 18: Effective Friday, Dec. 18, the City of Palm Coast will be closing the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway. This road closure is required as part of construction operations for the Palm Harbor Parkway extension, which is currently under construction. Palm Harbor is being realigned and extended to connect directly with Matanzas Woods Parkway where it intersects with Old Kings Road. Message boards will be placed to advise motorists and other travelers of the upcoming change, and a public meeting has already been held for residents living in that area. Both the Palm Harbor extension and a separate extension of Old Kings Road are being built in preparation for the new Interstate 95 interchange to open next June at Matanzas Woods Parkway. As part of the projects, traffic patterns around Matanzas High School will be changing. One goal is to turn Forest Grove Drive back into a residential street as it was originally intended to be. The upcoming road closure of the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway is part of that project. Forest Grove will be turned into a cul de sac on that end. Once the separate Old Kings Road extension is completed, in June 2016, the Forest Grove Drive access to the high school will be closed because it will no longer be needed. Instead, motorists and other travelers will get to Matanzas High School via the new signalized intersection at Matanzas Woods, Palm Harbor and Old Kings. For more information, please contact Palm Coast Communications Manager Cindi Lane at 386-986-3708 or [email protected].