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Weather: Mostly clear. Highs in the upper 50s. Lows in the upper 30s.
- Daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
- Drought conditions here. (What is the Keetch-Byram drought index?).
- Check today’s tides in Daytona Beach (a few minutes off from Flagler Beach) here.
- Tropical cyclone activity here, and even more details here.
Today at a Glance:
The Cold-Weather Shelter known as the Sheltering Tree will open tonight: The shelter opens at Church on the Rock at 2200 North State Street in Bunnell as the overnight temperature is expected to fall to 40 or below. It will open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. The shelter is open to the homeless and to the nearly-homeless: anyone who is struggling to pay a utility bill or lacks heat or shelter and needs a safe, secure place for the night. The shelter will serve dinner and breakfast. Call 386-437-3258, extension 105 for more information. Flagler County Transportation offers free bus rides from pick up points in the county, starting at 3 p.m., at the following locations and times:
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center, 3:30 p.m.
- Near the McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree by Carrabba’s and Walmart, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, 4:45 p.m.
Also: - Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 4:30 p.m.
- First United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 4:30 p.m.
The shelter is run by volunteers of the Sheltering Tree, a non-profit under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center, is a non-denominational civic organization. The Sheltering Tree is in need of donations. See the most needed items here, and to contribute cash, donate here or go to the Donate button at this page.
Coffee With Commissioner Scott Spradley: Flagler Beach Commission Chairman Scott Spradley hosts his weekly informal town hall with coffee and doughnuts at 9 a.m. at his law office at 301 South Central Avenue, Flagler Beach.
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Wickline Park, 315 South 7th Street, featuring prepared food, fruit, vegetables , handmade products and local arts from more than 30 local merchants. The market is hosted by Flagler Strong, a non-profit.
‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway (City Marketplace, Suite B207), Palm Coast. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday. $25 for adults, $15 for students. Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan is a heart-wrenching yet hilarious story about a young child who creates a list of all the brilliant things in the world to help their struggling mother. From ice cream to construction cranes, this life-affirming play celebrates the beauty in everyday moments. Both touching and funny, it explores themes of hope, love, and resilience, making it an unforgettable theatrical experience. See Rick De Yampert’s preview here.
Gamble Jam: Musicians of all ages can bring instruments and chairs and join in the jam session, 2 to 5 p.m. The program is free with park admission! Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach, FL. Call the Ranger Station at (386) 517-2086 for more information. The Gamble Jam is a family-friendly event that occurs every second and fourth Saturday of the month. The park hosts this acoustic jam session at one of the pavilions along the river to honor the memory of James Gamble Rogers IV, the Florida folk musician who lost his life in 1991 while trying to rescue a swimmer in the rough surf.
‘Crimes of the Heart’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Avenue, St. Augustine. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $25. Book here. The three MaGrath sisters are back together in their hometown of Hazelhurst for the first time in a decade. Under the scorching heat of the Mississippi sun, past resentments bubble to the surface and each sister must come to terms with the consequences of her own “crimes of the heart.”
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition, at Athens Theatre, 124 North Florida Avenue, DeLand. Tickets range from $12 for students and children to $35 for preferred seating. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., with an extra 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 1. Explore the enchanting world of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition, where the magic isn’t just in the ball gown! This reimagined fairy tale is a magical musical filled with charm, laughter, and timeless life lessons. Follow the journey of a passionate Cinderella as she navigates the challenges of self-discovery, love, and unexpected adventures. With beloved characters, unforgettable tunes, and a plot that sparkles with warmth and hilarity, it’s a must-see for anyone seeking an escape into a world where dreams unfold, lessons are embraced, and enchantment reigns supreme. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of youthful exuberance and pure fun–Cinderella awaits with open arms, ready to cast its spell on hearts of all ages.
Grace Community Food Pantry, 245 Education Way, Bunnell, drive-thru open today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The food pantry is organized by Pastor Charles Silano and Grace Community Food Pantry, a Disaster Relief Agency in Flagler County. Feeding Northeast Florida helps local children and families, seniors and active and retired military members who struggle to put food on the table. Working with local grocery stores, manufacturers, and farms we rescue high-quality food that would normally be wasted and transform it into meals for those in need. The Flagler County School District provides space for much of the food pantry storage and operations. Call 386-586-2653 to help, volunteer or donate.
Babylonian Craptivity Day 5: I miss the days when looking at the front page of newspapers wasn’t a Pavlovian experience, an immediate trigger of heaves and despair. I spent days, perhaps a couple of weeks, not looking at the papers in the aftermath of the Nov. 5 American Nabka, but I can’t very well do my job without at least marginally keeping up with current affairs (though most journalists are happily ignorant and half are illiterate). I’m writing this after dark. I’ve managed to go the entire day, busy as it was with local assignments, without looking at the press, but I know that before long, whether it’s while I’m brushing my teeth or touching the wrong app, the day’s headlines will sulfur up, and there it’ll be, the day’s examples of the reign of terror. Tonight, I miss 1909 and what was today’s front page of the Times, with this kind of headline, above the fold: “Robbed and Tied in His Taxicab” on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. Or: “Convict Refuses Parole,” and this subhead as if tentacled to the recent pardons: “Physician in for murder says only a full pardon will do any good.” Or: “$10,000 a Week for Caruso,” the famous tenor of the time. $10,000 in 1909 is somewhere close to $350,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Or the lead story: “Japanese War Talk Derided in House,” as the House approves spending the necessary money to build two battleships. Or this, about then-President Elect Taft: “Taft Meets a ‘Possum.” The possum was “served alive on table” to the president, by mistake: the animal had clung to the inside of a food cover. Taft was not amused by the animal’s snarl, though it is surprising that, considering the president-elect’s rotundity, he did not sink his own teeth into it. Or this, also above the fold: “Bernard Shaw Is Ill,” and this delicious quote from Shaw himself, who is reported to have said: “Inform the public that I am dead. It will save a great deal of trouble.” Like I said: I miss those front pages.
—P.T.
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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.
Flagler County Commission Workshop
Flagler County’s Cold-Weather Shelter Opens
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
‘Crimes of the Heart’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition, at Athens Theatre
Al-Anon Family Groups
‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre
East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board Meeting
Nar-Anon Family Group
Flagler County Beekeepers Association Meeting
Bunnell City Commission Meeting
For the full calendar, go here.
It is this rise of fearful parenting in the 1990s that led to the evaporation of unsupervised children from public spaces in the Anglosphere by the year 2000. By almost any measure, children were safer in public than they had been in a very long time in terms of risks from crime, sex offenders, and even drunk drivers, all of which had been present at much higher levels in previous decades.45 And once unsupervised children became a rarity, the occasional sighting of one was enough to cause some neighbors to call 911, bringing down the police, Child Protective Ser-vices, and occasionally jail time for anyone who dared to give their child the independence they themselves had enjoyed 30 years earlier. This is the world in which Gen Z was raised. It was a world in which adults, schools, and other institutions worked together to teach children that the world is dangerous, and to prevent them from experiencing the risks, conflicts, and thrills that their experience-expectant brains needed to overcome anxiety and set their default mental state to discover mode.
–From Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation (2024).
Jim says
Come on, MAGAtes, explain to all of us why these people were pardoned. And in that explanation, include how this falls in line with “Back the Blue” that is one of your war cries!
MAGA is not interested in the Constitution or the rule of law. All MAGA is interested in is power and revenge. Trump and his cronies are destroying our national intelligence and defense structure as we watch. Now Hegseth has been confirmed as Secretary of Defense. So now we have an incompetent drunk, woman abuser and former talk show host running our military. Watch as the Warrior Board comes into effect and qualified generals and other officers are demoted, transferred or just plain fired just because they support equality and the rule of law. MAGA baby!
Everything Trump does is directly in contradiction to making America great again. But, if your in to revenge and punishment, well, MAGA is the place for you.
He’s going to do away with FEMA and let the states handle disasters. When hurricane season hits Florida this fall, it’s going to be great to know that Ron DeSantis will lead the effort to clean up and rebuild. More state infrastructure that won’t work when needed.
But back to the J6! How long before some of these low lives are involved in more attacks and maybe even murders? They’ve been exonerated for attacking and injuring capitol police! You MAGAtes are blind to reality and it’s impossible to understand how or why you can’t see what’s going on. Of course, few of you probably know history but if you ever get a curious bone in your body, review German history in the ’30’s (that’s just prior to WW2) and Stalin’s purge of the generals in that same time period. Change the names and dates and it’s hard to tell the difference between then and current ‘Merica.
Skibum says
I’d rather not even try to hear more stumbling, oafish and pathetic attempts by any GOP cult politicians or his supporters who, while mouthing robotically how they “back the blue”, they kept their mouths shut and dreamed up horrible rationalizations for the Jan. 6 pardons of violent rioters who attacked and beat 140 law enforcement officers who stood their ground and successfully held off the insurrectionists who were trying to get to many of those same elected politicians, including the vice president, who they wanted to drag out of the U.S. Capitol in a lynching and hang him in public. No, I don’t want to hear any more from those who would defend the indefensible. I want to hear loud and clear from law enforcement officers nationwide, how outraged, disgusted demoralized they are that presidential pardons would be granted to violent, convicted felons who beat police officers within an inch of their lives, resulting in many serious injuries that day as well as being the reason that a handful of officers took their own lives afterward! Trump could not have disrespected law enforcement officers nationwide more if he had stood at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C. and defecated on the nameplates of officers who served honorably and heroically, giving their lives to protect others and in service to their communities… something that our current dishonorable and cowardly president has no respect for! After serving in law enforcement my entire career, I still take a peek at my retirement badge from time to time and recall what my badge and my oath of office symbolized, and what I had dedicated myself to. I know there are many, many others out there who are still serving or retired, and America needs to hear loud and clear from them about how they feel the slap in the face by the most powerful elected position in the U.S., when he chose to give leniency to other convicted felons like himself, and at the same time give his middle finger to law enforcement officers everywhere simply because the convicted insurrectionist felons were attacking and beating the cops at his bequest, to stop the certification of another person after he lost the presidential election, and lost all of his court actions, including at the Supreme Court, who ruled against him as well. This is a man who deserves NO RESPECT from anyone in law enforcement, whether it is local, state or federal, because he is a lawless man, a convicted felon, and a deeply unethical and dishonest police hater when the crooks are attacking police in his name.
Butch Naylor says
Most are not happy with either the President Trump or President Biden pardons.
So, I beg your pardon.
Can we look forward and try to learn from our mistakes?
History shows that the political pendulum swings back and forth. Let’s work together towards a plum position.
Pogo says
@What could go wrong
…with honest djt at the helm?
Wall Street Enters Darker Age With Most Stock Trading Hidden
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wall-street-enters-darker-age-110003632.html
Ed P says
Question. What if the Trump administration proves these bold moves to be actually courageous, the ship is righted, and Trump is proven correct? If the economy rebounds and the world turmoil lessens, will the left admit Trump is right or will the resistance continue?
What if DOGE is successful? If his Cabinet picks prevail and the federal bureaucracy is slimmed down and actually works for the people?
Watching the first week, I know I would not have had the “right stuff” to make the all the changes, bold speeches, sign all the EOs, or demonstrate the resolve of President Trump. I have never witnessed anything in any setting, private or public, where everyday a complete sea change occurs.
Even Trumps biggest critics must be astonished and possibly shell shocked. Can they look beyond his unorthodoxy?
Lee Iacocca ( former CEO of Ford), said it best. “We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.” In other words, lead, follow, or get out of the way.(General Patton)
Skibum says
I don’t know about you, but I think most people are familiar with the saying “when someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them.” Trump has a very, very long public history for his entire sorry adult life. Has he ever, even once, been referred to or known as “courageous? The terminology you use referencing him in your comment is laughable and pathetic. Have you been hiding under a rock and have no knowledge whatsoever about one of the least courageous, least ethical, least honest, least patriotic, and most self consumed human beings our country has ever known? For you to assume that, despite his abhorrent history as prez version 1.0 four short years ago that he will somehow morph into someone akin to Superman, making “bold moves” to save and strengthen America rather than continue the well known grift and self-enrichment for him, his family and his billionaire friends is patently ridiculous. Quite frankly, Most of us in America knew more about him than we cared to a long time ago, and we certainly do know him now and what he is up to while he defiles the oval office for the next four years in even worse version 2.0!
Jim says
You call pardoning all J6 defendants and convicts as “bold moves”? Or did you mean the 17 Inspector Generals he fired on a Friday night? Is that what you call a “bold move”? Or both?
To characterize either or both as “bold moves” is quite a stretch. What someone just looking at the facts might conclude is that both are violations of common decency and the law and clearly show a disdain for following any legal requirements. I guess you’re saying the end justifies the means.
I hope you’re right about the economy rebounding, world turmoil lessoning and federal bureaucracy is reduced. That would be great. But it’s quite a stretch to believe any of those things are possible while watching this clown show.
I’m expecting our security to be greatly compromised by Trump’s “bold moves”. I think sending all the NSA people home (by Waltz until he decides if they are “aligned with Trump”) might now show the right priorities. Maybe add in there putting Hegseth in as SecDef doesn’t inspire any confidence that our armed forces are being lead by someone who even has a clue and, once he puts in the “Warrior Boards” to get rid of “woke” generals, I’m sure it’ll get worse. And, in closing, Tulsi Gabbard running the NSA is another “bold move” that’ll surely result in a world turmoil lessoning – but I could be wrong. One thing for sure is that our allies absolutely don’t trust her so sharing intelligence may suffer as a result.
Question (for you): What if Trump’s “bold moves” result in more world turmoil, economic troubles and irreparable damage to the federal government? Will YOU admit that electing Trump is the most damaging thing that’s ever occurred in regards to democracy becoming a dictatorship?
Ed P says
Another question.
Is it fear/ego that these voluminous radical changes challenging the status quo might in fact work and shatter the left’s belief that their direction was ineffective/wrong? A power struggle of sorts?
It would be pure hyperbole to spout that one fears that Trump will damage the country beyond repair. There are simply too many guard rails, road blocks, and Liberals to allow that to happen in 4 years. Change/truth in any form is unsettling. It normally feels wrong to outsiders. Common sense is elusive.
Would you assume, we the people, really know how dysfunctional
Washington actually is? We can’t know. We have been made outsiders by design and Washington quit working for us long long ago. We work for their existence.
I certainly do not agree with everything done in week one. However, I’m astute enough to know that’s there are many “insider” things that I don’t know. The time for radical surgery has come. Band aides and aspirins have brought us to this crossroads. My thought is that i should fasten my seat belt, continue not to rely on the government and play the cards dealt to me.
No one knows if this social experiment will be successful regardless of their written or spoken opinions. How could they?
Only the gullible pundits will continue to bemoan otherwise.
Laurel says
Party of Law and Order, and Back the Blue, my ass. Y’all voted for this; you are complicit.
Pogo says
@And the news just gets better
…for criminals.
Trump fires 17 independent inspectors general at federal agencies, source says
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-fires-least-12-independent-inspectors-general-washington-post-reports-2025-01-25/
It’s a goddamn shame that preventing this was less than the only priority of voters.
Next year in Hooverville — from the river to the sea. Eat up. There’s plenty, of nothing, to go around.
trump finds the model for a cabinet secretary…
Laurel says
And furthermore…
*President* Trump just put a target on the back of Dr. Fauci.
“Dr. Anthony Fauci is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022 and was the chief medical advisor to the president during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is known for his significant contributions to public health, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases.” – Assist (Generated from Wikipedia and Newsweek
“Fauci has made important scientific observations that contributed to the understanding of the regulation of the human immune response and is recognized for delineating the mechanisms whereby immunosuppressive agents adapt to that response. He developed therapies for formerly fatal diseases such as polyarteritis nodosa, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and lymphomatoid granulomatosis. In a 1985 Stanford University Arthritis Center Survey, members of the American Rheumatism Association ranked Fauci’s work on the treatment of polyarteritis nodosa and granulomatosis with polyangiitis as one of the most important advances in patient management in rheumatology over the previous 20 years.” – Wikipedia
For God’s sake, the man is not political, he’s a scientist who worked for the world’s health for fifty years. It was Trump who badmouthed him, for his personal gain, and caused the most ignorant to threaten Dr. Fauci with death. Simply because Dr. Fauci told us the truth, and not the bullshit, such as injecting bleach, that Trump dissed him. Now, Trump has removed security, placing Dr. Fauci in harm’s way, essentially letting the scum of the Earth to proceed. Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he wouldn’t feel any responsibility if harm befell him.
Oh yeah, Trump’s responsible. He is waaaaay responsible.
I am sick of Trump, his ugly mouth and his ugly spirit. His ugly behavior, and his selfishness, disgust me. This is what y’all voted for. If Dr. Fauci, or anyone else who stands up for truth or to Trump is harmed, you are complicit. You have been duped; you are being used.
Jim says
Now Trump has fired 11 Inspector Generals from the government on a Friday night! Although the law requires him to give 30-days notice to Congress and provide reasons for the firings! Again, ignore the law and promote authoritarians.
Come one, MAGAates, stand up for the Orange god and explain to all of us Americans how this is the American way and how this promotes a better America. And provide some specifics as to why any of the 11 were fired. Good luck, even Trump couldn’t do that and he’s clearly capable of lying about anything and everything all the time.
MAGAtes, you can’t run around screaming “Make America Great Again” and hide your eyes from what your little man is doing. I have no problem with reducing the government or at least improving its’ efficiency. However, removing those who have oversight of wrong doing within the administration does not build any trust in the motives of Trump and team going forward. If you’re doing the right thing, you don’t need to hide it from sight. So explain the wonders of this for all of us so we can see the light like you obviously do…. (P.S. don’t pull your brain muscle in the process…..)
Wow says
And as a “peaceful” protest according to Speaker Johnson.