FPC Track Team's Big Wins, CR 305 Makeover, Genuflecting to AIPAC

flagler palm coast high school bob hayes track meet winners — Flagler Palm Coast High School’s track team won big at the the Bob Hayes Invitational track meet Saturday. See below for details. From left, Scot Hammond, Slade Cavallari, Mel Cabrera, Nick Thornton, Dominic Green, (back) Michael Peppin, Micah Slicer, Hayden Ore, (back) Coach Steve Collier, Jonathan Ling, Coach David Halliday, Justin Pacifico, (back) Aspen Dillard, Kadeem Wynn, Coach Alex Giorgianni, Mark Bertrand, Coach Virgil Williams. Click on the image for larger view. (Alex Giorgianni )

Today: Cooler, sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Clear. Lows in the lower 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 142.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: morbleu, int. and n..
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
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.

The Flagler County Commission meets at 5 p.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building in Bunnell. The commission is expected to approve a $2.3 million agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to complete the design, rehabilitation and resurfacing of County Road 305. The agenda, as of Sunday, also included two items listed as “reserved,” that is, items yet to be detailed, but that will be up for action at the meeting. Commissioners in the past, most notably Alan Peterson (who is no longer on the commission) spoke critically of such devices, as they deny the public–if not commissioners–a chance to clearly know what will be on the agenda before the meeting.

Upcoming: Motown Madness: A March 26 fund-raiser for the G.W. Carver Community Center in Bunnell. See the flier below for details.

Local News Recap:

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

Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Track Team Win Big in Jacksonville: The Bob Hayes Invitational Track and Field Meet, named after Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes (1942-2002) was established in 1964 and is a leading high school track meet in the Southeast. The meet was held Saturday at Earl Kitchings Stadium, Raines High School, in Jacksonville. Flagler Palm Coast High School’s athletes cleaned up: Justin Pacifico was named performer of the meet, Aspen Dillard won the high jump at 6 feet, Mark Bertrand won the pole vault at 14 feet, Justin Pacifico won the 1600 and 800 races, Kadeem Wynn was 4th in the 800, and Justin Pacifico, Slade Cavallari, Kadeem Wynn and Dominic Green won the 4×800. In addition, Jonathan Ling received the $1,000 James (Coach) Day scholarship presented at the Bob Hayes Invitational. Ling had to write an essay about how participation in high school track & field and experiences gained helps students succeed and achieve career goals. The coaching staff consists of Head Coach David Halliday and Assistant Coaches Virgil Williams, Keenan Hreib, Steve Collier and Alex Giorgianni. (Hayes, who came to the world’s attention in 1964, was the first person to run 100 yards in 9.1 seconds and also held the world record for sixty yards at 5.9 seconds. He was awarded two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, the meet’s webpage notes.)

Sheriff challenges judge’s order over fines for credit-card misuse: Sheriff Jim Manfre is asking the Florida Ethics Commission to reduce the recommended $6,200 fine against him over a series of alleged ethics violations Manfre disputes, the News-Journal reports. (Story paywall-protected.)

Flagler on “Budget-Signing Watch” as 4 Local Items Totaling $3 Million Await Scott Signature: The list includes $536,000 to restore the school district’s Adults with Disabilities program, reported on Wednesday, but also $2 million in unexpected funding for improvements to the troubled Plantation Bay utility, $300,000 for the Malacopmpra drainage system, and $200,000 for improvements to Flagler Beach’s stormwater system.

47-Year-Old Bunnell Man Arrested On 12 Counts of Child Porn Possession: Michael Giachetti, a 47-year-old resident of the Palm Terrace community in Bunnell (Lot 63), is at the Flagler County jail following his arrest on 12 counts of possession of child pornography in computer video files. Each count is a third-degree felony. He is being held on $60,000 bond.

Court Backs New Death Penalty Law But Asks Florida Supremes to Rule on Constitutionality: The 5th District Court of Appeal also decided that a U.S. Supreme Court decision, in a case known as Hurst v. Florida, did not strike down the state’s entire death penalty as unconstitutional, but instead overturned the procedure for imposing death sentences. But because the issues “involve questions of great public importance,” a three-judge panel asked the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether the Hurst decision declared that the state’s death penalty is unconstitutional and if the new law applies to cases already in the pipeline before the new sentencing process went into effect March 7.

Flagler Reads Together: In Search of Wilderness Along the Appalachian Trail: Flagler Reads Together, the annual celebration of books that falls in March, focuses this year on Ben Montgomery’s “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk,” the account of Emma Gatewood’s hike of the entire Appalachian Trail in 1955, when she was 67. She was the first woman to complete the trail alone. She would do so two more times. In 1999, FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam was on assignment across the country, reporting and writing essays on each of the 50 states. He devoted his Virginia installment to the Appalachian Trail. A version of the essay, revised especially to reflect more current facts about the trail, appears as part of Flagler Reads Together.

In State Government:

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

Human trafficking: The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi, will meet in Hillsborough County. (1 p.m., Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Law Center, 1700 North Tampa St., Tampa.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

♦ March 22-27: Navy training schedules indicate live and inert bombing will take place at the Pinecastle Range Complex in the Ocala National Forest every day from March 22 through March 27, from noon to midnight. The telephone number for noise complaints is 1-800-874-5059, Fleet Air Control and Surveillance Facility, Jacksonville. For additional information, call (904) 542-2415/5588.
♦ March 23: Flagler Reads Together featured event: Library Book Club discussion of “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk,” the book by Ben Montgomery, at the Flagler County Library at 3:30 p.m., in the library meeting room. Flagler Reads Together’s focus this year is the biography of Emma Gatewood who, in 1955, was the first woman to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail solo. She was 67.
♦ March 23: “The Young Irelanders,” at the Flagler Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Eight sensational performers have Irish traditional music, song and dance running through their veins. They have performed at Radio City Music Hall, the Great Hall of the People in China, Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, the US Capitol Building, and toured as lead performers with Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Adultrs $29, youth $18, But mention Promo Code IRISH and get 10 percent off by calling the Flagler Auditorium Box Office, 386-437-7547 or 866-352-4537 or get your tickets here.
♦ March 23: Palm Coast City Council member Jason DeLorenzo kicks off his campaign for county commission at 5:30 p.m. at Europa Lounge, European Village, Palm Coast.
♦ March 24: Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare and the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation at 5 p.m. will dedicate the playground at WARM at the Vince Carter Sanctuary in memory of Joan M. Kelly, a longtime Daytona Beach resident and WARM supporter on March 24. Kelly passed away on July 31, 2015. Refreshments will be provided by the WARM Culinary Arts Program. WARM is a long-term residential treatment program for women exhibiting symptoms of drug and alcohol dependence, with slots designated for those women who are pregnant, post-partum, or parenting young children. The women live on campus in a therapeutic and supportive environment. Those with children are able to have their children (under the age of six) in residence with them. Older children can visit overnight with their mothers on site on weekends.
♦ March 24: Eggs & Issues Breakfast featuring County Administrator Craig Coffey and three county department heads involved in economic development: Airport Director Roy Sieger, Economic Development Director Helga van Eckert, and Tourism Director Matt Dunn. The breakfast is sponsored by the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce. The cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Grand Haven Golf Club, 500 Riverfront Dr., Palm Coast. Seating is limited; reservations are requested by March 21. For reservations, email Jaclyn Miklos or call 386/206-0953.
♦ March 26: Motown Madness, a fund-raiser concert for Carver Gym and the George Washington Carver Foundation,, featuring the band Traces of Gold. Tickets are $50, includes dinner and music, 6 to 10 p.m. at the the G.W. Carver Community Center, 201 East Draine Street, Bunnell. Tickets and information: Cheryl Massaro, 386-437-7540, extension 5101. See the flier below.
♦ March 29: Museum curator Christina Katsolis, photographer A.J. Neste and architect Sean Palmer speak to students at Flagler Palm Coast High School starting at 11:50 a.m. at the Flagler Auditorium as part of Art Works, a Flagler County Art League-sponsored program for high school students interested in a career in the arts. The art league worked with the art department faculty to bring this new program to FPC students to learn about a variety of careers from artists, all former FPC students, who have turned their love of the arts into successful careers. Following formal presentations by each artist, students will have the opportunity to meet with the artists in small groups. Parents, city and county government leaders and school board members have been invited to attend the program.
♦ March 30-April 2: Florida Future Problem Solvers State Competition, to be attended by four to five Flagler County schools, at Doubletree Orlando Seaworld, 10100 International Drive, Orlando.
♦ April 1: The Friends of the Library of Flagler County celebrate the annual April Poetry Month by acknowledging the 2016 presidential election year. Poems by presidents or about presidents of the United States, from Washington to Obama, will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Doug Cisney Room and appropriate refreshments–that is, alas, no booze, no matter how drunk Nixon could get–will be provided by the Hospitality Staff of the Friends.
♦ 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.
♦ April 6: Moody Boat Launch to close April 6 through May 20 for improvements. Click for details.
♦ April 6: The Flagler County Republican Club hosts three speakers: U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, running for U.S. Senate (to replace Marco Rubio), State Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Representative Paul Renner, who are running for re-election. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast. Registered Republicans, club members and their guests are invited to attend. A Q&A session will follow providing an opportunity for in-depth discussion. For more information, email Flagler County Republican Club President, Wes Priest, [email protected] or call 386-986-0317.
♦ April 12: Anjali Anabel Tomerlin, a third grader at Imagine School at Town Center in Palm Coast who’s written and illustrated her first book, will hold a book-signing at the Flagler Beach Public library from 4 to 6 p.m.
♦ April 13: Public Safety Coordinating Council meeting at 8:45 a.m., Emergency Operations Center, Bunnell.
♦ April 15: The Florida Ethics Commission will take up an administrative law judge’s recommendation in the ethics case against Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre. 9 a.m.
♦ April 16: Flagler Beach will hold a victims’ rights memorial at sunrise. The memorial ceremony honors victims and their advocates. It will be held at the end of the iconic pier. Please contact Victim Advocate Donna Kearney with any questions about the memorial at 517-2020.

In the Press, In the News:

We talk too much about Reagan Dems. Mondale Republicans and the old liberal Reps are far more interesting pic.twitter.com/ws9wYQCwlA

— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 20, 2016

Worth remembering how few Americans vote in primaries, even when there's "strong" turnout. pic.twitter.com/VUOpzkAa8T

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 20, 2016

Even George Will thinks the GOP’s wall of opposition to Merrick Garland is nuts https://t.co/KYS73ZFvdc https://t.co/NHBoJ6EI1B

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) March 20, 2016

Annual #AIPAC meeting starts Sunday. A look at views of US & Israeli Jews on key issues https://t.co/pVm527gM7V htt… pic.twitter.com/ZN33A3fIhD

— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) March 20, 2016

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/711554828535730177

Fact-Checking the Knaves:

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

The following is an update of ongoing permitting, construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through March 9:

Click to access permits-construction-march-11-2016.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction:

Moody Boat Launch to close April 6 through May 20 for improvements: Flagler County’s Moody Boat Launch will be closed April 6 through May 20 for improvements. “The scheduled upgrade will enhance the launch’s usability in a number of ways,” said Heidi Petito, Director of General Services. “The new system provides for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, minimizes docking difficulties caused by fluctuating tides, and new lighting will promote boater safety and security.” The closure includes the Moody Boat Launch– located at 825 Moody Lane in Flagler Beach– the parking area, restroom, and dockage on the Matanzas River. It does not affect Betty Steflik Preserve and boardwalk. The scope of work includes dredging 1,650 yards of silt from the launch basin, thus improving navigability. The adjacent wooden docks will be replaced with an aluminum floating dock and gangway system. Additionally, the existing restroom will be replaced with an ADA compliant facility. Moody Boat Launch provides public access to the Intracoastal on the east shore, just south of SR100. The closest alternative boat launches are located at Herschel King Park on the west side of the river at 1000 Grady Prather Jr. Cove, Palm Coast, and Bing’s Landing on the east shore at 5862 N. Oceanshore Blvd. in Palm Coast.

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].