To include your event in the Briefing and Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- 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:
Flagler Schools Jon Fair for Teachers: The Flagler County school district is holding an instructional job fair for prospective teachers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, with both in-person and virtual interviews. See the flier here.
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on South 2nd Street, right in front of City Hall, 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.
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. All subjects, all interested residents or non-residents welcome. The gatherings usually feature a special guest.
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the library, 315 7th St S, Flagler Beach. It’s free. All ages, all skill levels. Flagler Beach Chess is a community-driven organization dedicated to promoting the game of chess in Flagler Beach, Florida, and surrounding areas. We seek to bring together players of all skill levels and provide opportunities for friendly competition, socialization, and skill development. We believe that chess is more than just a game – it’s a way of life. Our community is built around a shared love of strategy, critical thinking, and intellectual challenge. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, we invite you to join us for a game or two, learn from other players, and share your own knowledge and expertise. Join us today and become a part of our chess community. Every third Saturday of the month.
Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County meeting at 9:30 a.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE.
“The Sound of Music” at Athens Theatre, two shows today, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., 124 North Florida Avenue, DeLand, (386) 736-1500. Cost: Adult $37, Senior $33, Student/Child $17, groups of 8 or more $30 per ticket, all including processing charge. Book here. As the world begins to change, one woman brings something the von Trapp family hasn’t known in a long time—joy. When Maria steps into their lives, she brings laughter, music, and a renewed sense of connection—just as the world outside their home begins to shift in dangerous ways. In a time of rising fear and uncertainty, their bond becomes an anchor—and their courage, a quiet form of resistance. The Sound of Music is a timeless story of love, family, and standing up for what truly matters, brought to life with one of the most beloved scores in musical theatre history. Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Run time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
“Godspell,” Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Avenue, St. Augustine. 7:30 p.m., except Sunday, 2 p.m. Godspell is a vibrant, contemporary musical inspired by the Gospel of Matthew. Framed as a group of strangers who come together to form a joyful community, the show blends storytelling, comedy, and song to explore themes of love, compassion, forgiveness, and faith. Through energetic ensemble numbers and heartfelt moments, the characters share parables that illuminate timeless moral lessons, culminating in a moving portrayal of sacrifice, hope, and the enduring power of unity.
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.
Random Acts of Insanity’s Roundup of Standups from Around Central Florida, 8 p.m. at Cinematique Theater, 242 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach. General admission is $8.50. Every third Saturday RAI hosts Live Standup Comedy with comics from all over Central Florida.
Geminizing: I asked Gemini to provide a full-maga response by Donald Trump to Jesus’s Sermon on the Beatitudes:
THE BEAUTITUDES ARE WEAK—WE NEED WINNERS
I’ve looked at these Beatitudes, and frankly, I’m not impressed. It’s a lot of “blessed are the meek” and “blessed are the poor.” We don’t want to be meek. We want to be strong. We want to be smart. If you’re meek, you’re getting trampled by China and Mexico. I like people who weren’t captured by poverty, okay?
THE PROBLEM WITH THE MEEK
The Sermon says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Wrong. The radical left and the globalists will inherit the earth if you’re meek. We need tough people. We need the best people. We’re going to have so much winning that the meek are going to come to me and say, “Mr. President, please, we can’t take all this winning.”
MOURNING IS FOR LOSERS
It says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” I don’t like mourning. I like building. I like success. We’re going to replace mourning with great jobs and a beautiful border wall. We’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country, and nobody will be mourning because they’ll be too busy making money.
MERCY VS. JUSTICE
“Blessed are the merciful.” Look, I’m a very nice person, maybe the nicest person ever, but we need Law and Order. You can’t have mercy on the people coming across our border or the people burning down our cities. We need 100% strength.
THE TRUMP BEATITUDES
-
Blessed are the Winners, for they shall have the biggest rallies.
-
Blessed are the Founders of MAGA, for they shall see a great country again.
-
Blessed are the Builders, for they shall see their names in gold.
-
Blessed are the Tough, for they shall never be intimidated by the Fake News Media.
We’re going to take these Beatitudes and we’re going to make them great again. We’re going to put America first, and we’re going to win, win, win. It’s going to be beautiful.
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.
From this perspective, the New Testament may be regarded as an attempt to answer—in advance—all the Cains of the world, by softening the figure of God and by raising up an intercessor between Him and man. Christ came to resolve two principal problems: evil and death—precisely those problems that confront the rebel. His solution consisted, first and foremost, in taking them upon Himself. The God-man, too, suffers—and suffers with patience. Neither evil nor death can any longer be absolutely imputed to Him, for He is torn apart and dies. The night of Golgotha holds such significance in human history only because, within those very shadows, the Divine—ostentatiously casting aside its traditional privileges—lived through the anguish of death to the very end, despair included. This explains the Lama sabactani—and the terrible doubt that assailed Christ in His agony. That agony would be light indeed were it sustained by eternal hope. For God to be truly man, He must know despair.
–From Camus’ The Rebel (L’homme révolté), 1951 .
Ed P says
Perceptions rarely perfectly align with reality.
How long is a minute?
Depends on which side of the bathroom door your stand.
Skibum says
Are you changing your name to Plato? Socrates, perhaps? Your latest schtick seems to suggest you envision yourself as a philosopher, yet one with your head deeply buried in the sand to insulate yourself from reality.
In truth, no matter how deep of a hole you kneel into in order to see no evil or hear no evil, that will not make it go away. There is REAL evil in the current WH and corrupt administration, and it is completely disingenuous to attempt to philosophize it away as mere opinion of thought, as if there are good and bad points to either side. Those who supported Hitler and the Nazi movement undoubtably used that same tactic, but in the end, good prevailed over evil and one of the most evil humans in history and his evil empire was totally destroyed.
I firmly believe that same outcome will end up being America’s victory over our own, horrible evil maniac. And those who philosophized away all of the evil that he created will be revealed as fools, not intellectuals.
Choose your destiny wisely!
Ed P says
Hello Skibum,
Your vapid responses are revealing. You are incapable of processing any view other than yours. Period.
Moving through life in lockstep with like minded people is easy, unchallenging and uninformative.
I suspect another proverb:
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The Hitler diatribe is too much.
Ps. I will admit, I once thought of you as formidable opposition to keep me on track. I was wrong.but always willing to debate policies and listen to logical alternatives.
Even John Morgan of the “famed “ Morgan and Morgan is speaking out against the faltering opposition of the Democratic Party.
Skibum says
In my defense, it is getting more and more difficult for me to give serious thought to, or garner significance from opinions that offer inane excuses for one man’s contempt for the rule of law, his bullying of our allies, his threats and actions to get the U.S. into unnecessary wars, his abject failure to adhere to his oath of office and put the people’s interests above his own prurient desires.
I guess I must apologize for my inadequacies.
Laurel says
Trump said “I’m all about the gospel.” The Vice President of the United States (Vance, unfortunately) warned the Pope, THE POPE, to be careful about what he says about religion.
Okay, who here believes in the lies they tell us? Raise your hands.
Now, what other crap do they have to sell us? That Trump sits on the right hand of God while Vance sits on the left hand of God?
My question is: Why are you so desperate to believe anything told to you by professional con men?
Sherry says
Excellent questions Laurel! I often ask similar ones, with ZERO response. I can only assume that many Maga members don’t know themselves why in the world they voted for such a criminal con artist. Such is the power of a “CULT”. There is simply no other explanation for it!
Ray W. says
Barron’s draws from a Wall Street Journal article to report that the Department of Justice is close to filing a civil antitrust case against major American egg producers who allegedly shared their pricing information on a third-party internet site in order to manipulate egg prices.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
Does every FlaglerLive reader remember the several gullibly stupid commenters who repeatedly laundered lies to the FlaglerLive community about the cause of rising egg prices, lies that had been first promulgated by certain members of the professional lying class that sits atop one of our two political parties? You know, the same gullibly stupid lie launderers who blamed the Biden administration for the rise in gasoline prices that in truth first increased after OPEC voted to close their spigots on crude oil and increased even more after Russia invaded the Ukraine and the West imposed sanctions on the export of Russian crude oil.
Today, the only honest argument about the rise in egg prices is that millions of wild migratory birds infected with a novel highly virulent strain of the endemic avian flu virus flew over America each time they migrated north or south. Egg farmers had to slaughter hundreds of millions of birds, chickens, ducks, turkeys, etc., to quell the spread of disease. Today, no one can dispute that these events occurred.
So here we all are. It is being reported that federal prosecutors will soon allege in a civil complaint that major egg producers used the chaos caused by disease and not by policy to manipulate egg prices for their profit at our expense. Is it possible that civil settlements with no acceptance of culpability will be announced? One or several or many such settlements?
Ed P says
Hello Ray W,
From personal business experience, pricing collusion amongst industry leaders in any business is factual. Proving it is nearly impossible.
Industry, political, and even casual functions amongst Captains of Industries provides plenty of opportunities for price setting. It’s real.
However, smaller competitors, or upstart firms entering the market place normally have just one tool to gain market share. Price.
The scale of economies allows these smaller competitors to be market disrupters via price, keeping the industry leaders honest. These smaller firms do not have the fixed overhead or R&D burdens plaguing the giants.
Eggs are an agricultural commodity and 90% are sold on long term contracts. Over 100 billion eggs are sold annually in the United States.
Ray W. says
Hello Ed P.
Thank you.
Kroger sought to merge with another grocery chain. During a routine FTC investigation to approve the merger, e-mails between Kroger management came to light that Kroger had intentionally colluded to raise egg prices. The Kroger executive who created the e-mails was brought in for examination under oath. He admitted that Kroger had intentionally manipulated egg prices for profit.
The hunt for evidence expanded out of that routine merger investigation.
Cal-Maine, by far the nations biggest egg producer and distributor, had garnered a profit increase by a multiple of 8 after onset of the 2022 avian flu virus, compared to profits from similar egg sale figures prior to onset of the outbreak. It wasn’t so much that Cal Maine had had a large profit boost, but that the same type of profit boost had occurred during the avian flu outbreak of around 2014.
I never predict what a jury would do. But there seems to be evidence worthy of consideration. And, every case is unique to its own facts. These cases might be straightforward to prove.
Ray W. says
The BBC just reported that operators of Iranian gunboats just fired on a tanker and, separately, a freighter as the two commercial vessels attempted passage of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the reporter, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then asserted that the Strait will revert “to its previous state” until the end of the war.
About a week or more ago, the Daily Mail published a story built on an assessment of Iran’s lessons learned from a previous naval battle with the United States.
Iran, according to the story, maintains a comparatively small traditional Navy, built on traditional naval roles. But the IRGC over the decades has developed an entirely different seaborne force, based on fast attack boats. The role for that force is to avoid contact with naval forces. Instead, its target is commercial shipping.
According to the reporting, the IRGC possesses between 3,000 and 5,000 armed fast attack boats of various classifications that are hidden in purpose-built tunnels spread all over Iran’s coastline.
Some carry two torpedoes. Others can launch surface to air missiles or surface-to-surface missiles. One class of fast attack boats can launch both airborne drones and underwater drones. Some are designed for minelaying. One class of fast attack boat, said to be copied from a British design, can exceed 80 mph; its hull is fiberglass, a characteristic that enables a measure of radar evasion. All such boats carry heavy automatic guns.
The IRGC fast attack boat tactics include swarming of targets.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
About the only thing that seems certain about the Iran War is that the Ayatollah is dead. No one seems to know to whom supreme political power has migrated. The Iranians say that the son wields final say on political decisions, but reports have him in an incapacitated state.
Are the Iranians assigned to the task of negotiating with us actually able to compel the government to honor any agreement they make? Are they part of a faction that is struggling to gain governmental power? Is the IRGC really the entity in charge?
I don’t claim to know.
We have been hearing for just short of seven weeks now that the Iran War has already been won; that it was won on the first day, yet reportedly Iran still has thousands of missiles and drones, plus a number of combat capable submarines, and, reportedly, thousands of fast attack boats capable of many types of asymmetrical combat.
The Strait had opened up for just a short while, but I just watched a ship tracker report. The Strait is closed to commercial shipping again.
Sherry says
This from Jerome Powell the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. . . a “Must Watch” Video:
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20260111a.htm
Ray W. says
Seeking Alpha reports that Exxon Mobil is experiencing difficulty with bringing its new natural gas liquefaction plant up to full production quantities. At design capacity, the plant should be liquefying 800 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, but the plant has been averaging since its March startup liquefying around 287 million cubic feet per day.
Exxon Mobil holds a 30% stake in the $10 billion project. Qatar Energy holds the other 70% share. According to the reporter, since project construction began in 2019, it has been plagued with problems. The original general contractor, wrote the reporter, declared bankruptcy and had to be replaced.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
Prior to Cheniere Energy exporting its first LNG cargo out of its Sabine Pass LNG plant in 2016, there was zero LNG export capability in the United States. It may be that there exists a shortage of institutional expertise in LNG plant construction techniques in the United States.
Ray W. says
Oil Price US reports that Rystad Energy recently increased its Iran War damage estimate to Gulf state energy infrastructure from $34 billion to $58 billion. And, some of the damaged equipment may take years to repair or replace. This means, per the reporter, that full restoration of international energy supply chains may delay any potential return to normal.
Make of this what you will.
Ray W. says
Reuters reports that the last time that America was a “net crude oil exporter”, based on annual reported figures, was 1943. Data collection of average daily crude oil export-import figures, reported weekly, did not begin until 2001. Since 2001, the closest that the U.S got to being a net crude oil exporter, based on the new weekly reported figures, occurred in 2023.
But with daily imports of crude oil dropping after outbreak of the Iran War and with daily exports of American crude oil rising after outbreak of the Iran War, last week saw the U.S. nearly become a net crude oil exporter for the first time since 1943, even though the statistical time periods (year vs. week) are dissimilar. Last week, the U.S. exported an average of 66,000 barrels of crude oil per day less than it imported.
Asian and Atlantic Basin buyers have been sourcing as much crude oil as can be secured from wherever it can be found to replace lost Persian Gulf volumes.
But there is more to the issue.
According to the reporting, U.S. pipeline flow rate maximums out of the Permian Basin and the number of available American seaport berths limit the level of American daily crude oil exports to about 6 million barrels per day. According to a Dubai-based energy analyst, the closer the U.S. gets to this theoretical export maximum, the higher the infrastructure logistics and transport costs per barrel. April U.S. crude oil exports are projected to average 5.2 million barrels per day.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
The Biden administration issued permits to build a floating deepwater crude oil transfer station off the coast of Texas. The Trump administration issued permits for a second deepwater transfer station. But that doesn’t mean that the projects have secured the financing necessary for construction of either of the two projects to begin. New crude oil pipelines from the Permian Basin to the ports of Houston and Corpus Christie are being built, as is one natural gas pipeline, but that doesn’t mean that increased actual oil and natural gas flow will soon begin. While crude oil futures now straddle the $100 per barrel rate, spot pricing for physical barrels of crude oil is at $150 per barrel. Hypothetical futures prices can differ greatly from spot prices for actual physical barrels of oil.
Experts and government leaders all over the world are talking about “demand destruction” for crude oil, due to the many economic externalities brought on by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Of what value is actual national energy independence?