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Weather: Sunny, with a high near 80. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.
- 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:
In Court: Kristopher Henriqson’s trial is in its third and final day. 8:45 a.m. before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols. Henriqson is representing himself. A 48-year-old state and federal felon and Palm Coast resident, he faces accusations of having routinely raped and abused his stepdaughter since she was 9. See: “Facing Life in Prison, Man Wants to Represent Himself and Depose Step-Daughter Accusing Him of Rape.”
The Flagler County Tourist Development Council meets at 9 a.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. See details and agendas here.
Flagler County’s Technical Review Committee Meeting at 9 a.m., first floor Conference Room, at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. The Technical Review Committee (TRC) is a quality control committee that provides technical review of project plans. Staff Liaison is Simone Kenny, 386-313-4067.
The Flagler County Contractor Review Board meets at 5 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. Staff liaison is Bo Snowden, Chief Building Official, who may be reached at (386) 313-4027. For agendas and details go here.
The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The Flagler County Industrial Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell.
Conversations in Democracy: An open, freewheeling discussion on topics 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.
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.
Notably: The image above was the cover of L’Orient-Le Jour, Lebanon’s French-language daily, on April 10, two days after Israel’s massacre of 300 Lebanese on a day that saw 100 air raids in 10 minutes and left areas of the country more leveled than through almost a dozen Israeli invasions going back to 1978 and the 1975-1990 civil war, and that sent Lebanon’s civilian death toll since March 2 to around 2,000, soon to be twice the number of Israelis massacred by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel called the April 8 assault “Eternal Darkness.” As if it were a video game. Because that’s what the Lebanese are to Israel, as are the Palestinians, the Iranians: not even subhuman, but shadows on a screen to be erased, vaporized. That Israel is committing war crimes is beyond dispute. So is a world of indifference that makes it complicit. “Les autres signent et le Liban saigne,” went the lead headline of the April 9–“Others sign and Lebanon bleeds,” though the word “bleeds” doesn’t rhyme with the pun of the original French. Here is the translation of the caption below the front page on April 10, putting names and lives to some of the faces: “Poet, radio host or volunteer… Simultaneous Israeli bombardments on Lebanon on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, killed more than 300 people, in an attack of unprecedented violence. The Israeli army said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, but the overwhelming majority of people killed were civilians, according to a Lebanese military source. Here are the names and faces of some of the victims killed on this “black Wednesday” (from left to right, top to bottom): Fatima Amhaz, Fouad el-Berzali, Ghada Dweish, Hamun and her husband, Jamil Jrah, the sisters Rayane and Rahmé Haidar Cheaih, Nader Khalil, Ola Attar, the four soldiers Hussein Khaled Yassine, Mohammad Bassam Chheitli, Ali Hassan Kamem and Ali Nassereddine; Rana Molaeb, Said el-Khansa, seven members of the Nassereddine family, Suzanne Khalil, Toline Ahmad Hamzé and Yasmine Hussein Alam, and finally Yasmine Alam with her parents Hussein and Fatima Alam.”
Now this: Israel’s application of the “Gaza Model” in South Lebanon, systematically razing villages:
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.
May 2026
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Palm Coast Spring Arts Festival
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
Caleb Hathaway on Antebellum Flagler: A Palm Coast Historical Society Lecture
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Meeting
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
‘The Curious Savage” at Daytona Playhouse
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
‘The Curious Savage” at Daytona Playhouse
Al-Anon Family Groups
For the full calendar, go here.
“Ten minutes, fifty planes, one hundred and sixty missiles, one hundred targets, hundreds of victims, both dead and wounded. There are certainly Hezbollah “martyrs” among these ordinary people who were simply living their lives. […] From experience, the Lebanese knew, since the start of the Israeli offensive following the nighttime rockets fired by Hezbollah at northern Israel, that the bombings would not be limited to the south of the country or the southern suburbs of Beirut. For several days, since a missile struck the quiet hill of Ain Saadeh and killed an anti-Hezbollah couple, they had felt the flames of hell drawing closer. Yesterday, these flames did not fail to devour areas unrelated to the conflict, setting a record for destruction and loss of life in broad daylight. A vast cloud of black smoke blanketed the horizon of Beirut, and acrid particles suffocated the inhabitants. Unlike other countries caught against their will in this sprawling war, Lebanon has no missile defense system. Only the ships of the anti-Iranian coalition stationed offshore occasionally react by intercepting a projectile to protect some American interest in Lebanon, be it an embassy or a military base. Lebanon should have benefited from the two-week truce concluded between the Trumps (not to mention the United States) and Iran. It was included in the agreement. Israel extracted its exclusion from the American president: he feared losing ground during this period of non-aggression. Is this the reason why the IDF accelerated its operations yesterday? Out of fear of being forced to suspend operations, which would cause it to lose its targets? Out of a desire to eliminate Naim Qassem, the leader of Hezbollah, following in the footsteps of his leader Khamenei? Nevertheless, while the war against Iran is being waged under the banner of “Operation Roaring Lion,” this new chapter in the IDF’s war against Hezbollah, and with it all of Lebanon, is dubbed “Eternal Darkness.” Gamers will recognize the title of this online game, known for its pervasive atmosphere of dread and its ability to disorient the player. Darkness is a force in this game, seeping into minds and altering the perception of reality. Transposed to military language, this title suggests less a simple operation of destruction than a desire for the profound, almost mental, disorganization of the adversary. Apt!
–From Fifi Abou Dib’s “Eternal Darkness,” L’Orient-Le Jour, April 8, 2026.
Pogo says
Elsewhere, and otherwise
“Jose Javier Rodriguez raises objections to some of James Uthmeier’s campaign contributions
By:Mitch Perry April 14, 2026 6:25 pm
First-quarter fundraising totals for state candidates have now been reported, and Florida Democratic attorney general candidate José Javier Rodríguez is taking issue with a couple of financial contributions received by the man he hopes to replace in November, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Among the donations Uthmeier’s political action committee drew was $50,000 from gun manufacturer Sig Sauer. That company showered hundreds of thousands of dollars to Florida Republicans this year as it attempted to get the Legislature to pass a measure (HB 1551) shielding it from liability lawsuits. The bill passed in the Florida House but died in committee in the Florida Senate.
Friends of James Uthmeier also reported a $100,000 contribution from RAI Services Co., a tobacco manufacturer and subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc.
“While Florida families are struggling to keep up with rising costs, James Uthmeier is bankrolling his campaign with checks from Big Tobacco and a gun manufacturer looking to avoid accountability. That tells you everything you need to know about who he’s working for, and why Floridians aren’t seeing relief,” said Rodríguez in a written statement…”
https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/javier-rodriguez-takes-aim-at-james-uthmeiers-campaign-contributions/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Every once in a while, do something that actually might be beneficial to the people where you live — live. The windmills will still be there tomorrow.
Whatever.
Ray W. says
This from a John Adams letter to the Massachusetts Militia, dated October 11, 1798:
“… Because we have no Government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by … morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition … Revenge or Gallantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and Religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Make of this what you will.
Ray W. says
In a story dated April 15th, Windward, a maritime tracking news source, five ships transited the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. 14 exited the Strait into the Gulf of Oman.
Make of this what you will.
Bob says
I’ve never seen as many sick pups who have nothing to do better than call people names and be negative towards everything. I don’t see the difference between n being a so called maga person than what u all are whom I find disgusting