To include your event in the Briefing and Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Weather:
- 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:
River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets at 9 a.m. at the Airline Room at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The TPO’s planning oversight includes all of Volusia County and Flagler County, with board representation those jurisdictions. The committee is responsible for reviewing plans, policies, and procedures and rank priority projects as they relate to bicycle and pedestrian issues within the TPO planning area. See the full agendas here. To join the meeting electronically, go here.
Free Tax Preparation Services in Flagler County: The AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide provides free tax preparation services at six locations in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Flagler County through April 15, but you must make an appointment first and fill out paperwork. To do both, go here.
Separation Chat, Open Discussion: The Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State hosts an open, freewheeling discussion on the topic here in our community, around Florida and throughout the United States, noon to 1 p.m. at Pine Lakes Golf Club Clubhouse Pub & Grillroom (no purchase is necessary), 400 Pine Lakes Pkwy, Palm Coast (0.7 miles from Belle Terre Parkway). Call (386) 445-0852 for best directions. All are welcome! Everyone’s voice is important. For further information email [email protected] or call Merrill at 804-914-4460.
The Circle of Light Course in Miracles study group meets at a private residence in Palm Coast every Wednesday at 1:20 PM. There is a $2 love donation that goes to the store for the use of their room. If you have your own book, please bring it. All students of the Course are welcome. There is also an introductory group at 1:00 PM. The group is facilitated by Aynne McAvoy, who can be reached at [email protected] for location and information.
Notably: Cheryl sent me this. It is as accurate as accuracy comes, as I do the grocery shopping in this house, and I love Aldo, but finding things at Aldi, especially when your wife throws you a curveball (that uncurled yet shapely pasta you’ve never heard of, that colorless spice from southwest Belize).
Now this: Men, dumb, brutish men have no idea.
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.
April 2026
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3) Meeting
Friday Blue Forum
Community Chorus of Palm Coast Free Concerts
“Godspell,” at the Limelight Theatre
“The Sound of Music,” at Athens Theatre
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Democratic Women’s Club
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler Schools Jon Fair for Teachers
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library
“The Sound of Music,” at Athens Theatre
“Godspell,” at the Limelight Theatre
“The Sound of Music,” at Athens Theatre
For the full calendar, go here.
To teach the past simply as a chronicle of indisputable, fragmented, and concrete events is to replicate the bias of Technopoly, which largely denies our youth access to concepts and theories, and to provide them only with a stream of meaningless events. That is why the controversies that develop around what events ought to be included in the “history” curriculum have a somewhat hollow ring to them. Some people urge, for example, that the Holocaust, or Stalin’s bloodbaths, or the trail of Indian tears be taught in school. I agree that our students should know about such things, but we must still address the question, What is it that we want them to “know” about these events? Are they to be explained as the “maniac” theory of history? Are they to be understood as illustrations of the “banality of evil” or the “law of survival”? Are they manifestations of the universal force of economic greed? Are they examples of the workings of human nature?
–From Neil Postman’s Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (1993).
Dennis C Rathsam says
After ICE cleaned up Minn, now the justice dept will press charges, & arrest the folks who stole from our welfare system. Its impossible how Minn top government officials can say they new nothing, & saw nothing. The Dems cant get out of this one, as the thevery of millions grows larger everyday. If Harris was elected this too would have been covered up… The Jackass Party is real good this manuver….We seen & caught them before. Now its on to California, where FRAUDE & COVERUP is NEWSOME,S middle name.
Ray W. says
Do you, Dennis C. Rathsam, not even look up things before you comment?
Minnesota federal prosecutors have been investigating and prosecuting and convicting the fraudulent for years. The already convicted ringleader of the Minnesota welfare fraud at issue is white; she recruited Somalis to work for her. Most of the 98 identified suspects and convicts are Somali, naturalized or not, but 13 are non-Somali Americans.
Every FlaglerLive reader ought to know by now never to take at face value anything submitted by Dennis C. Rathsam. His history of inaccuracies, falsehoods and lie laundering is long.
All 85 Somali criminals associated with the fraud, if deportable, should be deported after serving their time. No one should falsely smear other innocent Somali immigrants in the way that Dennis C. Rathsam consistently falsely smears people. False smearing and lie laundering are not virtues. Such false smearing and lie laundering are a pestilence upon us all.
There is a reason why I argue that our government should not be deporting the many immigrants among us who are better persons than are certain of the several pestilential partisan members of faction who comment to the FlaglerLive community.
Skibum says
Say the quiet part out loud, Dennis.
You support a convicted felon… why? Are you too a criminal?
You support an adjudicated sex abuser… why? Are you too a sex pervert?
You support someone who is doing everything he possibly can to hide, to cover up, to prevent disclosure of the Epstein files, including the names of Epstein’s documented 39 others who were co-conspirators that have not faced arrest and prosecution for their involvement in molesting young girls… why? Are you too a child molester?
You keep talking about “fraude” even though your multiple comments over many days show you are incapable of even the simple assignment of spelling that word correctly. Obviously, you have a burr up your rear end about the issue of fraud, yet you completely IGNORE the fact that the convicted felon in the WH who you support has been found GUILTY of fraud, the very same crime you appear so opposed to! Why… are you too guilty of the crime of fraud?
I ask these questions of you because, in my experience, those who are so vociferous in their undying support of criminals have an underlying reason for doing so. And that reason is often times that they too have committed the same or similar criminal offenses. If this doesn’t apply to you, then I must ask… why in the world would YOU continue to support and advocate for a man who is a convicted felon. Who is a sex abuser. Who is known to be a close friend of a convicted child molester. Who himself protects other men who are involved in the trafficking of underage girls for sex. Who has been convicted of corporate fraud.
Why are you supporting such a despicable man???
Skibum says
And, of course, Dennis Rathsam apparently has no answers for any of my legitimate questions I posed to him. Probably due to the fact that he cannot offer any justification for why he continues to support a convicted felon, an adjudicated sex abuser of women, a racist, a con man, and lastly, a man who is doing everything he possibly can to cover for those who have sexually molested underage girls. Wow, such a role model!
Pogo says
The Golden Rule
https://www.google.com/search?q=billionaire+GOP+donor+list+2026
Excuse their mess, and remain on the line for a liar to assist you.
Ray W. says
I agree with Neil Postman’s idea that all Americans ought know certain theories and concepts.
All Americans ought know that the original intent of our founding fathers was to accept into our country as many immigrants as wanted to come, of all classes, of all ethnicities, of all nations, of all religions.
All Americans ought know that our federal legislature, in order to encourage immigrants to register at our border, fixed by law the offense of improper entry punishable as a most minor of misdemeanor offense.
All Americans ought know that, had our federal legislature actually thought improper entry equivalent to invasion, it would have made the punishment for the crime much more serious than a minor misdemeanor.
All Americans ought know that the political value to be gained by lying about immigration is far greater than the legal value attached to the crime of improper entry. Nude sunbathing in certain federal parks, when last I checked, carried as recently as 2012 a higher potential fine as a penalty than does improper entry carry as a potential fine.
All Floridians ought know that disorderly conduct carries a maximum fine of $500, double the highest possible fine set by the federal legislature for the crime of improper entry. Yes, the maximum jail time for disorderly conduct is 60 days, much less than that for improper entry, which is six months, but go to any first appearance in Volusia County during a time when hundreds of thousands of tourists invade the county and you will watch judges impose many time served sentences with no adjudication of guilt and no fine, only court costs, for offenses similar in punishment to improper entry. Ask about Fort Crow of 30 years ago, placed behind the Civic Center to process each day hundreds of accused criminals committing more serious offenses than improper entry. They received deferred prosecution offers. Pay your fine and costs and go away.
All Americans ought to know when they are being lied to, but way too many either can’t or don’t.
All Americans ought to know that we are hiring many of the most vengeful and hateful persons among us in order to deport immigrants, many of whom are persons better than those we hired to deport them.
Yes, some 80% of detained immigrants since January of last year either have no criminal history or the only history they have is a pending charge of improper entry or obstruction during seizure.
And, finally, all Americans ought know that the Cato Institute studied immigration records kept by President Trump’s first administration; it found that the Trump administration released into the American countryside over 300 convicted murderers in order to make space available to detain immigrants who were seeking asylum.
Yes, President Trump issued an administrative order reversing an Obama executive order that had focused on deporting the most serious immigrant criminal offenders, so that Trump’s first administration could focus on mass detention of immigrants seeking asylum.
All told, the Trump administration released some 8,000 immigrants convicted of violent crimes to make space for asylum seekers, and it released nearly 60,000 immigrants who had been convicted of committing all types of crimes.
President Biden reinstated the Obama order focusing on deporting the most serious immigrant criminals, but President Trump reversed it again on his first day back in office.
Yes, by new executive order our current administration no longer places primary focus on deporting violent criminal immigrants; these are now of lesser focus. Asylum seekers are the new “worst of the worst”.
Yes, the average undocumented immigrant contributes more to our Treasury than does the average native-born. A new Cato Institute study spanning 30 years establishes that. Every American ought know that!
We are wasting tens of billions of dollars to deport fiscally positive immigrants who contribute on average more to the Treasury than does on average the native-born.
Ray W says
Wisconsin-based QPS Employment Group is a 50-year-old workforce agency with more than 50 locations spread mainly across Midwestern states.
Scott Mayer, founder of the company, submitted an opinion piece to Real Clear Politics about a coming labor shortage and the perceptions needed to better understand what is coming.
He wrote that in August 2025, per Bureau of Labor Statistics, posted open jobs totaled 7.2 million, a comparatively low figure, given an unemployment rate of 4.4%. The number constituted 4.3% of the overall jobs market.
He then wrote of images that cannot be denied. Unplanted fields, produce rotting unpicked. 25% of crops in Washington state simply thrown away.
16% of nurses are immigrants. 55% of workers who grade and sort produce are immigrants. 25% of construction workers are immigrants.
The author argues that we must deport the criminal immigrant, but we must find a way to keep the “vital” immigrant, regardless of documentation status.
Two things can be true at the same time. We can support a robust migrant worker program that uplifts the American economy and our local industries, and we can uphold policies like closing the border, sending criminal illegal aliens back to their home countries, and ensuring our country is protected.”
He added:
“If we want to grow our economy and prevent the next labor shortage, we need policies that recognize and maintain the economic contributions of hardworking immigrants. We need to focus on people power and find ways to control and allow illegal immigrants to stay in our country through guest worker programs.”
Make of this what you will.
Ray W says
Population Reference Bureau projections have the number of Americans aged 65 and over rising from today’s 58 million to 82 million by 2050. That’s 24 million more senior citizens in 24 years, a more than 40% rise.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
It is no secret that American women have been year after year birthing fewer and fewer babies, at a rate now well below replacement rate. With each passing new year, proportionally fewer native-born workers are going to be entering the workforce. The ever-increasing social security and medical fiscal outlay needed to service our elderly will be born by an ever-shrinking workforce.
These are simple fiscal and demographic facts.
The recently released CATO Institute study on the fiscal benefits of the undocumented immigrants who live and work among us point to two main reasons why they are so fiscally vital to our Treasury, compared to the native-born.
First, the average age of immigrant arrival is just over 25, meaning that the native-born pay comparatively little to educate immigrant children. American-born children cost far more on average to educate.
Second, because the undocumented immigrant gets an ITIN number in order to work, the taxes they pay go into the Treasury. But they cannot receive benefits based on those tax payments unless by some chance they can become eligible to receive the benefits, an eligibility that under the law requires them to self-deport with no assurance that they will ever be let back into the country. So they simply don’t leave and never become eligible for benefits.
For decades, the Treasury has been burnished by our immigrants to the tune of $14.5 trillion more in taxes paid than they received in benefits disbursed.
Just how is a dwindling and aging workforce going to continue to pay for the retirement and medical needs of an ever growing senior community without the influx of millions of new immigrants?
Again, these are simple fiscal and demographic realities. Senior citizens are not going to stop qualifying for benefits and women aren’t going to start having more babies. Our children and grandchildren are going to be increasingly burdened as time passes.
I am old enough to remember when Colorado’s governor announced in the late 70’s that this was coming. We delayed the impact by adding tens of millions of immigrants to our workforce. No longer, if the current administration has its way.
Land of no turn signals says says
The carton definitely depicts the IQ of the ICE agitators.
Ray W says
According to The Independent, two days ago, TotalEnergy’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanne, announced that the company, one of the giants of the energy industry, would not be investing in Venezuelan oil fields. Weeks earlier, Exxon Mobile announced that it, too, would not invest in Venezuela, citing to an estimated cost of $100 billion to dramatically raise crude oil output.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
From what I can gather, much of Venezuelan crude is defined as heavy sour, not medium sour, and certainly not light sweet.
Heavy sour crude is high in sulphur content and too thick to easily pump through pipelines. If this is so, with worldwide crude oil at quite low market prices, the cost of fixing long-neglected Venezuelan infrastructure may simply be too high to accept. Should a long-term significant rise in market prices develop, both companies’s leaders might change positions.
Make of this what you will.
Ray W says
I have long considered The Wall Street Journal quality reporting on business news. If I have two similar articles from two news outlets, I often choose the Journal to share with the FlaglerLive community.
Here is just another story I think worth sharing.
In 2021, the EU was heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. The U.S. provided 28% of the bloc’s natural gas needs.
After Russia invaded the Ukraine, it cut off flows of natural gas. The EU pivoted. Now, American natural gas fills 60% of EU demand.
EU leaders assumed the pivot safe because of perceptions of American reliability.
After Davos, though, amid Trump’s claims on Greenland and insults to EU leaders, questions about over reliance on America have come to the fore.
The new question, per the reporter, is whether the EU should pivot again, this time toward China and its dominance in the fields of solar panels and wind turbines.
Renewable energy could, in time, help free the EU from fossil fuel dependency, but it might come at a different political price.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
An EU return to reliance on Russian natural gas is out of the question.
Should EU leaders continue to gamble on American policy reliability?
Per the reporter, many EU nations promised to buy even greater quantities of American LNG in exchange for lower tariffs, but does a now less stable trading partner justify keeping the agreements? Is investing billions in natural gas infrastructure and long-term LNG contracts a wise long-term decision?
President Trump just said in an interview that he raised tariffs on Switzerland from 30% to 39% because he didn’t like the way its female leader talked to him during a telephone conversation. He later reduced the Swiss tariffs to 15%.
Is a whipsaw a stable trading partner? I don’t claim to know, but I recently commented that just after Davos, a consortium of European countries signed a long-negotiated pact to spend tens of billions of dollars to develop on off-shore wind farm that will generate 100 gigawatts of electricity.
Has the EU reached an energy dependency tipping point? Should it?