Today at the Editor’s glance: Weather: Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of showers in the morning, then showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent. Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the evening. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
A rally in support of students’ First Amendment rights is scheduled for 7 a.m. in the right of way outside Flagler Palm Coast High School, organized by veterans, who intend to bring Section 93 of the 1.25-mile Key West Sea to Sea flag, reputed as the largest LGBTQ flag ever put together, since the school administration sought to confiscate Pride flags, or suspended student-leader Jack Petocz for carrying and distributing them. See:
- ‘Say Gay! Say Gay! Say Gay!’ FPC Students Chant in Walkout Protesting Bills; Organizer Jack Petocz Is Suspended
- ‘Handful’ of Students Suspended Up to 3 Days Following Thursday ‘Say Gay’ Walkouts and Fight Over Trump Flag
It’s Election Day in Bunnell and Flagler Beach: Two seats are up on each city commission, with three candidates running in each contest. The top two vote-getters will be elected. The two incumbents in Flagler Beach are Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur, with challenger James Sherman running as well. The two incumbents in Bunnell, both of whom had been appointed last year to complete election terms of their predecessors, who had resigned, are Tina-Marie Schultz and Robert Barnes. The challenger is Pete Young, who served on the Bunnell commission two decades ago. Both elections have been civil. All the candidates are qualified, all would serve the commissions and their constituents well as the two cities continue to teach the remaining local governments in the county a lesson in non-ideological, no-drama public service. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. The supervisor of elections will likely have the results within the half-hour or hour. One location only in each city: in Bunnell, at the G.W. CARVER COMMUNITY CENTER (CARVER GYM), 206 E. Drain Street, Bunnell. In Flagler Beach, at the FLAGLER BEACH CITY HALL COMMISSION ROOM, 105 S. 2nd Street, Flagler Beach. Here’s some background:
- Flagler Beach City Commission Election Profile: 2 Incumbents Speak Experience as a Newcomer Promises
- Bunnell Mayor Robinson Re-Elected; Ex-Commissioner, Police Chief and FHP Trooper Pete Young Runs Again
In Court: Circuit Judge Terence Perkins hears pre-trials most of the day in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse.
The Palm Coast City Council is in workshop this morning at 9 a.m. On the agenda: a review of the latest survey of residents’ impressions of their city, with sobering news about how those residents see their bedraggled city council (See: “Council Members’ Boorishness Appears to Take a Toll on Residents’ Confidence in Palm Coast Government”). The council will also hear a presentation on the city’s vision for Town Center. The full agenda is here.
The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board holds its regular monthly meeting at its Palatka headquarters. This is the first meeting of the district board with its new public affairs superstar, Gretchen Smith, who, to Bob Snyder’s great sorrow (if not ours), left the Flagler County Health Department for Palatka’s greener pastures. The public is invited to attend and to offer in-person comment on Board agenda items, or on Smith’s move. A livestream will also be available for members of the public to observe the meeting online. 10 a.m., Governing Board Room, 4049 Reid St., Palatka. Click this link to access the streaming broadcast. The live video feed begins approximately five minutes before the scheduled meeting time. Meeting agendas are available online here.The Flagler County Planning Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. See board documents, including agendas and background materials, here. Watch the meeting or past meetings here.
Russia’s Most Important Oil Export Partners From Statista’s Daily Infographics: “In what would mark a significant new escalation of the sanctions placed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said on Sunday that the United States and its European allies were considering a ban on Russian oil imports. Speaking to CNN, Blinken said: “We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil in world markets…That’s a very active discussion as we speak.” How hard would a ban from these countries hit the Russian economy? As our chart using the latest UN Comtrade data shows, the combined effect of a US-EU import stop would be significant despite China being the largest recipient of Russian oil by a large margin. Even just taking into account the countries included at the top end of this list as displayed here, a ban would remove over 40 percent of Russia’s trade value from oil exports. Counting the imports from all EU countries and the United States, this figure surpasses 48 percent – trade worth $35 billion in 2020.”
Now this:
The irresistible Helene Grimaud plays Bach’s harpsichord concerto BWV 1052:
The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
January 2025
Monday, Jan 13 - Monday, Oct 131:00 pm - 3:00 pmFlagler County Commission Workshop
Government Services BuildingFebruary 2025
Wednesday, Feb 269:00 am - 12:00 pmRiver to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Meeting
Airline Room, Daytona Beach International Airport
Wednesday, Feb 2612:00 pm - 1:00 pmSeparation Chat: Open Discussion
Pine Lakes Golf Club
Wednesday, Feb 261:20 pm - 2:30 pmThe Circle of Light A Course in Miracles Study Group
Contact Aynne McAvoy
Wednesday, Feb 264:00 pm - 5:00 pmWeekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library
Flagler County Public Library
Wednesday, Feb 26 - Wednesday, Mar 267:00 pm - 9:00 pmFlagler Woman’s Club Forum for Flagler Beach City Commission Candidates
Flagler Woman's Club HouseThursday, Feb 2710:00 am - 11:00 amFlagler County Drug Court Convenes
Flagler County courthouse
Thursday, Feb 2712:00 pm - 2:00 pmModel Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Town Center
Central Park in Town Center
Thursday, Feb 275:00 pm - 6:00 pmPalm Coast Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee
Palm Coast City Hall
Thursday, Feb 275:30 pm - 10:30 pmFlagler Beach City Commission Meeting
Flagler Beach City Hall
Thursday, Feb 277:30 pm - 10:00 pm‘One Slight Hitch,’ at Daytona Playhouse
Daytona Playhouse
Thursday, Feb 277:30 pm - 10:00 pm‘The Drowsy Chaperone,’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre
Limelight TheatreNo event found!For the full calendar, go here.
“When we don’t think something through, we think ourselves masters of the world; when we give it a thought, we realize we’re masters of nothing.”
–From Voltaire’s “Questions sur l’Encyclopedie” (1770).
Ray W. says
I am reminded of a quote attributed to Brezhnev, the Soviet leader during the Czech uprising in 1968:
“You thought because you were in power, you can do whatever you please. But that is a great mistake! Even I cannot do what I would like — of all the things I would like to have come true, I can perhaps realize barely a third.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski’s Imperium.
Voltaire hits the nail on the head. Partisans, by definition, are incapable of thinking things through, arguably because they lack the capacity either to consider the strengths of their opponent’s policies or the weaknesses of their own.
I suspect that American presidents, in reality, are capable of realizing even fewer of their policy goals than Brezhnev could in the Soviet system of the late ’60’s.