Tourism Budget, New Voting Laws, Hospital Deaths, Veterans Court, Symphonie Fantastique

fort sumter — The shelling of Fort Sumter that started a long siege began on this day in 1863, more than two years after it had been the site of the first shots of the Civil War. (John Hilliard)

Today: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index readings 102 to 106. Tonight: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 363.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: nare, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

First Light
In Flagler and Palm Coast
Local News Recap
Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime Reports
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
The Day’s Best Reads
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
Local Road and Interstate Construction
Cultural Coda

“Lovely, dirty, naughty New York… Oh, that great big New York up there! Thank God, I’ve got those memories… most of the time I can’t get New York out of my head.”

–Former Mayor William O’Dwyer, remembering New York while retired in Mexico City

2016 Election Interviews

Supervisor of Elections

Kaiti Lenhart
Kimble Medley
Abra Seay

Sheriff

Jim Manfre (D)
Don Fleming (R)
Larry Jones (D)
John Lamb (R)
Jerry O'Gara(R)
Rick Staly (R)
Mark Whisenant (R)
Chris Yates (R)
Thomas Dougherty (I)

Palm Coast City Council

Robert Cuff (Dist. 1)
Troy DuBose (Dist. 1)
Sims Jones (Dist. 1)
Art McGovern Jr. (Dist. 1)
Nick Klufas (Dist. 3)
Anita Moeder (Dist. 3)
Pam Richardson (Dist. 3)
John Brady (Mayor)
Milissa Holland (Mayor)
Dennis McDonald (Mayor)
Ron Radford (Mayor)

Flagler School Board

Colleen Conklin (Dist. 3)
Jason Sands (Dist. 3)
Paul Anderson (Dist. 5)
Maria Barbosa (Dist. 5)
Sharon Demers (Dist. 5)
Myra Middleton-Valentine (Dist. 5)

Flagler County Commission

Charlie Ericksen (Dist. 1)
Ken Mazzie (Dist. 1)
Daniel Potter (Dist. 1)
Jason France (Dist. 3)
Dave Sullivan (Dist. 3)
Denise Calderwood (Dis. 5)
Donald O'Brien (Dist. 5)

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.

Ongoing Early Voting in Flagler County for a slew of local, state and federal offices leading up to the Aug. 30 primary. Early voting is mandated from Aug. 20 through Aug. 27, but county supervisors of election have the discretion to begin sooner. Flagler’s is among 24 counties choosing to do so. Though it is a primary, numerous races appear on the ballot in which all registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot, regardless of party affiliation, including for Palm Coast City Council (if you’re a Palm Coast resident), for judges, for school board and for Supervisor of Elections. Early voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day through Saturday, August 27, at the following locations:

1. Flagler County Public Library
At the corner of Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway.
2500 Palm Coast Parkway N.W. Palm Coast
View this location on a map

2. Palm Coast Community Center
At the corner of Clubhouse Drive and Palm Coast Parkway.
305 Palm Coast Parkway NE Palm Coast
View this location on a map

3. Supervisor of Elections Office
Located in the Government Services Building.
1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Suite 101 Bunnell
View this location on a map

All the information you need is at the Supervisor of Elections’ website.

Wednesday and Thursday: Navy training schedules indicate live bombing will take place at the Pinecastle Range Complex in the Ocala National Forest using live ordinance, each afternoon starting at 1:30 p.m. until either 3:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. 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.

The Flagler County Technical Review Committee meets at 9 a.m. in the 1st Floor Conference Room at the Government Services Building.

The Flagler County Tourist Development Council meets at 10 a.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building. It will review the proposed budget for the tourism office for the coming year.

The Flagler County Contractor Review Board meets at 5 p.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building.

The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in Town Center. Among the discussion items is the proposed rest room facility for users of the Lehigh Trail. The facility would be located on state land.

Local News Recap:

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

Zika Virus In Flagler: Preparations In Place But Response Limited to Education and Prevention

County considers veterans court diversion program

Armed Robbery at Shell on Old Kings Is 3rd in 2 Months in Palm Coast

Thanks to state money, Bunnell to build 2 new parks

Coby Allan Queen, 16, Missing From Seminole Woods Home Since Aug. 9

Flagler 7th in state for concealed weapon applications

Palm Coast council candidates share similarities

In Florida and in State Government:

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

The Florida Elections Commission is scheduled to conclude a two-day meeting. (8:30 a.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

The Florida Chamber Foundation will hold the Military, Defense & Veterans Opportunities Summit. Speakers are expected to include Gov. Rick Scott; Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam; U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.; state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg; state Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast; state Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness; Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor and Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Executive Director Glenn Sutphin. (9 a.m., Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, 950 Lake Carillon Dr., St. Petersburg.)

The Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council is expected to interview eight applicants for a spot on the state Public Service Commission. The council will nominate finalists to Gov. Rick Scott, who will appoint a successor to outgoing PSC member Lisa Edgar. (10 a.m. Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, 9300 Jeff Fuqua Blvd., Orlando.)

The Florida Child Abuse Death Review Committee, which looks for ways to reduce preventable child-abuse deaths, is scheduled to hold a conference call. (10 a.m. Call-in number: 1-888-670-3525 Code: 702-170-0355)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast, Flagler and the Occasional Beyond:

♦ Aug. 19: The latest pre-trial hearing in the case of Florida v. Kimberle Weeks, continued from July 22, is scheduled for 3 p.m. before Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson in Courtroom 402 at the Flagler County Courthouse. Weeks now faces nine third-degree felony counts, down from 12, stemming from allegations that she illegally recorded various individuals in her capacity as supervisor of elections and in her private life. Weeks resigned that post in January 2015.
♦ Aug. 20: International Homeless Animals Day.
♦ Aug. 25: First of two town hall meeting giving the public a chance to weigh in on the Flagler County school district’s strategic plan, the school district’s goals for the next five years, which the district’s Strategic Plan Steering Committee has been working on for the past few months. 5:30 to 7 p.m., Third Floor main conference or training room 3, Government Services Building, Bunnell.
♦ Sept. 7: The Flagler Youth Orchestra holds its open house for all new or prospective students who’d like to join the county’s largest (and free) music program. The open house is at the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. Any Flagler student, including homes chooled students, in grades 3-12, are eligible to enroll (must be 8 years old by Sept. 1, 2016.) Students may elect to play violin, viola, cello or doublebass. One-hour classes are held at Indian Trails Middle School Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., with students enrolled in the hour block appropriate to their skill level and schedule. The first class for first-time students is Sept. 19. (Auditions for returning students start on Aug. 22, the first class for returning students is Aug. 31.)
♦ Sept. 8: Second of two town hall meeting giving the public a chance to weigh in on the Flagler County school district’s strategic plan, the school district’s goals for the next five years, which the district’s Strategic Plan Steering Committee has been working on for the past few months. 5:30 to 7 p.m., Third Floor main conference or training room 3, Government Services Building, Bunnell.
♦ Sept. 10: African Art: Ancient Egypt to the Contemporary World, a pair of presentations by Bertrand Green, former chairman of African American studies at Lehman College, City University of New York. The first session is from 10 a.m. to noon, the second session from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn, Palm Coast. $20 for PCAF members, $25 for general admission. Call 386/225-4394 or email pcaf@cfl.rr.com to reserve your seat.

The Day’s Best Reads:

Veganism is not the key to sustainable development – natural resources are vital https://t.co/k6HgQzw7BX

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 16, 2016

A real potential problem with Obamacare: how to ensure sufficient competition. A public option would help a lot https://t.co/IKRK5l6h7P

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) August 16, 2016

How do countries compare in what their people view as moral? Explore with our database https://t.co/pp38UZFeWF pic.twitter.com/UIolZ4wRvg

— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) August 16, 2016

Medical errors in hospitals kill more people than guns or cars? Two big problems with that. https://t.co/wXQT8HmJsf pic.twitter.com/XaxrcKQ1If

— The Upshot (@UpshotNYT) August 16, 2016

15 states w/ new voting laws that have never before been used during a presidential election https://t.co/Fisyknq7Vb pic.twitter.com/gzHCXmyAps

— ProPublica (@propublica) August 16, 2016

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 July 15 (the city administration’s full week in review is here):

Click to access week-in-review-july1.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction: