Tuesday Briefing: Landon’s Raise, School Board’s Toil, Texting and Driving, Eubie Blake, Philip Roth on Death

Today: Partly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 80. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 5 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. Details here.
Drought Index is at 402.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: ice worm, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

• First Light
• In Flagler and Palm Coast
• 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
• 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.

Daily incident reports and jail bookings are posted here.

The Flagler County School Board holds a workshop at 5 p.m. in Training Room 3B, third floor, at the Government Services Building. This is the board’s new meetings format: there will be no regular meeting afterward, but the workshop will run as long as necessary. The meetings in Training Room 3B are generally not accessible by audio or video.

The Palm Coast City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Town Center. The council will consider awarding City Manager Jim Landon a raise, possibly of 4 percent, or around $6,500, to $175,600, and an automatic annual 2 percent raise in subsequent years. The majority of the council has never evaluated Landon.

Travis Hutson and Redistricting: The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up a proposal (SB 352), filed by Sen. Travis Hutson, whose district includes all of Flagler County, that could speed up redistricting court cases and set new guidelines for determining which districts would be used when disputes are pending. (2 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

Flagler County Centennial Committee meeting, 1:30 p.m., Emergency Operations Center, Executive Conference Room

Lunch and Learn: How to get your web page on the first search Google page: In this one-hour, hands-on class, we will cover the most important dimensions of SEO so you can learn what it takes to get a website or a particular webpage in the first page results of google search. Noon to 1 p.m., $39, at Office Divvy, 20 Airport Road Ste B2, Palm Coast.

Mostly useless information: “America’s Most Wanted,” the television series and homage to America’s prosecutorial vigilantism, premiers on television on this date in 1988. It would run for 25 years and lead to the arrest of 1,203 fugitives, but was cancelled in 2013, to the chagrin of host John Walsh. More interestingly, the great Eubie Blake, piano composer of some 1,000 songs, among them “I’m Just Mad About Harry,” was born on this date in 1883. He would live to be 100 before his death shortly thereafter, in Brooklyn. (See the video below). Two years later, in 1885, Sinclair Lewis, best known for “Main Street,” “Babbitt” and “Elmer Gantry,” is born in Sauk Center, Minn., which would revile him for much of his life, because of “Main Street,” a merciless indictment of provincial, small-minded America (otherwise known as “the heartland”). These days Lewis, who won the Nobel Prize in 1930 without entirely deserving it–his novels can be formulaic and lack art–is enjoying a revival for his 1935 novel, “It Can’t Happen Here,” an imagining of a fascist becoming president of the United States in 1936.

In Florida and in State Government:

Note: Some proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel. Most legislative proceedings can be followed through the Senate or House websites.

The Volusia County legislative delegation, made up of Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, Rep. Patrick Henry, D-Daytona Beach, Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Rep. David Santiago, R-Deltona, is scheduled to meet. (8 a.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

Attorneys’ fees: The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee will take up a bill (SB 80), filed by Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, that would give judges discretion in deciding whether to award attorney fees in public-records lawsuits. Under current law, government agencies are required to pay attorney fees when they are found to have improperly withheld public records. (10 a.m.)

Domestic security: The Senate Military and Veteran Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee will receive a presentation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Division of Emergency Management about federal domestic-security funding. (10 a.m.)

Texting while driving: The Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee will take up a proposal (SB 144), filed by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, that would make texting while driving a “primary” offense for motorists age 18 or younger. Under current law, texting while driving is a “secondary” offense, meaning motorists can only be cited if they are pulled over for other reasons. Under Garcia’s bill, police could pull over young drivers for texting while driving. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., 301 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

Red-light cameras: The Senate Transportation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee will consider bills (SB 178 and HB 6007), filed by Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah, and Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, that would prevent the use of red-light traffic cameras. (Senate committee at 2 p.m., 401 Senate Office Building, the Capitol. Also, House committee at 3 p.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet will take up a series of issues, including receiving a presentation from Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier on a controversial insurance practice known as “assignment of benefits.” (9 a.m.)

Baker Act Hearings: The Florida Supreme Court will take up three cases, including a dispute about “Baker Act” involuntary commitment hearings in Lee County. Public defenders have challenged a practice of judges holding the hearings through videoconference technology rather than appearing in person at mental-health facilities. (9 a.m., Florida Supreme Court, 500 South Duval St., Tallahassee.)

FPL storm costs: The state Public Service Commission will consider a request by Florida Power & Light to collect $318.5 million from customers to recoup costs from Hurricane Matthew and to replenish a storm reserve. The FPL issue will be taken up during a regular commission meeting that will follow an internal-affairs meeting and a hearing about a proposed settlement agreement involving Peoples Gas System. (Internal affairs at 9:30 a.m., Peoples Gas hearing at 11 a.m., immediately followed by the regular meeting, Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)

Medical pot: The Florida Department of Health’s Office of Compassionate Use will continue a series of workshops about carrying out a November constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in the state. (10 a.m., Broward County Health Department, 780 S.W. 24th St., Fort Lauderdale.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

 

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

♦ Feb. 8: Jonathan Canales, the man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the neck and leaving her to bleed in a bathtub for hours in their Mondex trailer in Nov. 2014, is scheduled for a pre-trial at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County Courthouse. Canales had been judged incompetent to stand trial previously.
♦ Feb. 8: Superwash Express, the car wash on 110 Cypress Point Parkway, marks its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. at the new business. The public is invited.
♦ Feb. 8: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer is scheduled in St. Johns County.
♦ Feb. 10: The Flagler County School Board holds a special meeting to discuss the selection process of the next superintendent, 8 a.m. in Board Chambers at the Government Services Building in Bunnell.
♦ Feb. 16: Business After Hours, sponsored by the Flagler Chamber, combined with a grand opening at CenterState Bank, 175 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 5:30 p.m. This event is designed to bring together members of the business community in a fun filled atmosphere, to encourage networking and interaction, while enjoying delectable food and drink. Contact: Tiffany Edwards, 386-206-0955.
♦ Feb. 23: County Administrator Craig Coffey is the speaker at the Flagler Chamber’s Common Ground Breakfast Series at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Palm Coast. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m., breakfast is at 8 a.m. $20 for members in advance. Email [email protected] or go here for more information. Details here and here.
♦ March 4: First of two kayaking trips organized by Flagler County’s Centennial Committee, this one, the Haw Creek paddle, is scheduled for launch at 9 a.m. from Russell Landing County Park. Registrations are needed in advance and registrations for the trip close on February 20th. The registration is $15 and each person registering will get a competition style tee shirt commemorating the County’s Centennial. When kayakers arrive at Bull Creek Park a special lunch will be offered for participants who opt for the $11 lunch. Registration for both trips, instructions and detailed directions can be found on the www.flaglercounty.org website or on facebook at www.facebook.com/FlaglerCountyCentennial. Interested kayakers can contact the committee at [email protected]. The second trip is planned for a 9 a.m. launch Saturday April 22 from Longs Landing City Park.
♦ March 7: Bunnell and Flagler Beach hold their municipal elections.
♦ March 22: The boy Scouts Council holds its Golden Eagle Dinner at 6 p.m. at Hammock Beach Resort, honoring Bob Cuff, now a Palm coast City council member.

The Day’s Best Reads:

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

The following is an update of ongoing permitting, construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through Jan. 13 (the city administration’s full week in review is here):

Click to access developments-jan-2017.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction:

• Florida Department of Transportation Road Project List

Cultural Coda:

Eubie Blake in Berlin, 1972, Plays Charleston Rag

Previous Codas:

• John Eliot Gardiner Conducts Three Bach Cantatas: BWV 113, BWV 179 and BWV 199
• David Letterman: The First Show, Feb. 1, 1982
• Roy Eldridge, 1957
• Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers: A Night In Tunisia (1958)
• T. Paige: Put The God Things First (sic.)
• Dick Cavett Interviews Janis Joplin, Gloria Swanson, Margot Kidder, Dave Meggyesy
• Theodor Adorno and the Critique of Capitalism: An Introduction
• Narciso Yepes in Concert, 1979, 10-string Guitar
• Keith Jarrett: Solo Concert, Tokyo, 1984
• What Is Woman?
• Poem Op.41, No.4 by Zdenek Fibich
• Watch a Performance of a Scarlatti Sonata on the Oldest Surviving Piano
• Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir
• Thirty Minutes of Bud Powell
• The Exquisite Billy Evans Plays My Foolish Heart
• Buxtehude’s Toccata in D, BuxWV 155, Performed By (the Slightly Mannered) Nathan Laube
• What Will Humans Look Like in 100 Years? A Ted Talk
• Hillary Hahn Performs Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor
• J.S. Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243, Conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
• Between The Lines: Speaking With Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Mendelssohn’s Violin Sonata in F Minor, Performed by Shunske Sato, violin, and Shuann Chai, piano
• Pinchas Zukerman Plays the Polonaise in D Major by Henryk Wieniawski
• Mendelssohn Piano Trio No 1, Lang Lang at the Piano
• Bohuslav Martinu: Symphony nº 4, Performed by the Spanish RTV Orchestra, Walter Weller, cond.
• Ferdinand David’s Concertino for Trombone, Performed by Joe Alessi
• Boris Berezovsky plays Medtner’s Piano Sonata No.1
• Medieval Music: Les Compagnons du Gras Jambon
• Robert Caro on Robert Moses
• Leonidas Kavakos Discusses the Beethoven Violin Sonatas
• Palestrina: Missa Brevis
• D.H. Lawrence: Coldness in Love
• S.L. Weiss: A Presto, Bernhard Hofstötter, lute
• Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto, Mitsuko Uchida, Piano
• Josquin des Prez: La déploration sur la mort de Johannes Ockeghem, Performed by Vox Luminis
• The Life and Times of Donald J. Trump: A Feature Film Set to Pink Floyd’s The Wall
• A Year By Year Animated History of Europe, in 10 minutes
• Bob Dylan: Don’t Think Twice‘
• Alexis Weissenberg Performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto in E flat, K 271, Second Mvt.
• Marshall McLuhan, W.H. Auden and Buckminster Fuller Debate Modern Technology and Media (1971)
• Christoph Graupner’s Entrata, GWV 453
• Bach and Vivaldi: Concertos for flute and strings, Anna Fusek & Capella Anna
• 1966 Junior Wells sings live the 1959 classic “What’d I Say”
• Vittorio Monti’s Czardas played by The Kanneh-Masons Children
• Paolo Restani plays Mendelssohn’s Capriccio Brillante op. 22 for piano and orchestra
• Pentatonix and Dolly Parton: Jolene
• J.S. Bach: St John Passion, BWV 245, Performed by Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, dir.
• Martha Argerich Performs Bach’s Partita No 2, BWV 826
• Su Meng: Paganini’s Caprice no 24 on Guitar