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Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Windy. Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Breezy.
- 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 three-member East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets at 10 a.m. at District Headquarters, 210 Airport Executive Drive, Palm Coast. Agendas are available here. District staff, commissioners and email addresses are here. The meetings are open to the public.
The Flagler County Commission meets at 5 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell. Access meeting agendas and materials here. The five county commissioners and their email addresses are listed here.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Spring Concert, 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center (Flagler Auditorium), 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast. Call the box office at (386) 437-7547 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or book online here. $7 to $12.
Nar-Anon Family Groups offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts through a 12-step program, 6 p.m. at St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. Find virtual meetings here.
Notably: Whenever I read Red Smith, the greatest sports columnist of the last century (he died in 1981), I am reminded of what hacks the rest of us are, managing maybe a sentence a month of the kind he pulled off in every paragraph: “It was opening day in Ebbets Field, but not just an ordinary opening day, assuming any ballgame in Brooklyn can be ordinary. This was a Dodgers-Giants opener, which is like crepe suzette for breakfast, or, a circus opening with the tigers uncaged.” Or this description of Babe Ruth in a 1938 piece: “It has something to do with a mature man so much a kid in spirit that he could deliberately exile himself from the world he loved because his boss wouldn’t let him go to a party. For Ruth, you remember, quit the Braves and baseball in a huff when his employer refused to give him a day off to go down and see the Normandie dock. It has something to do with his squat homeliness, his overwhelming good nature, his buoyant friendliness, his vocabulary that would make a mule-skinner pale with awe, his immeasurable, boundless vanity. Strangely, there’s nothing offensive about his conceit. No more than about the conceit of a small boy who, turning somersaults with playmates, repeatedly shrieks, ‘Look at me! Watch how I do it!'” The other day I was reading a 1943 column that included this line: “Generally speaking, baseball is a gruesome career for a fellow who can’t hope to reach the top. It’s a dead – end street. Night games followed by long bus jumps. Cheap hotels and boarding houses and one-armed hash houses.” I had no idea what one-armed hash houses are. Looked it up: “A one-armed hash house (or “one-arm joint”) was an early 20th-century American fast-food establishment characterized by its specialized seating: chairs with a single, oversized wooden armrest designed to hold a meal.
These eateries were the predecessors to modern fast food, built for efficiency, high turnover, and solitary dining in busy urban centers.” A place to pick up a 1943 broadsheet and read Red Smith. At least we have the Library of America to fill in the void.
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
Nar-Anon Family Group
Bunnell City Commission Meeting
Palm Coast City Council Workshop
Community Traffic Safety Team Meeting
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry
St. Johns River Water Management District Meeting
Flagler County School Board Workshop: Agenda Items
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 10-18, at the Flagler County Public Library
Tuesday Book Talk at Flagler Beach Public Library
Flagler County Planning Board Meeting
Random Acts of Insanity Standup Comedy
For the full calendar, go here.
Half an hour before the people giving on a No-September 24,1059 McDermott threw out the first polysyllable, amplifiers outside Yankee Stadium were warning the crowds that all reserved seats were exhausted. This was erroneous. During the first game of the itsybitsy World Series between the Yankees and the Red Sox, the seat reserved for Casey Stengel remained unoccupied. It was Casey that got exhausted. Before the game, the doughty field marshal of the Yankees did deign to sit down, if you can call his posture sitting. While the players warmed up he assumed a characteristic pose, in which the only part of him in contact with the bench was a spot on the back of his neck about the size of a silver dollar. Disposed thus in defiance of all natural laws, he plaited his legs into a long braid and, folding his arms, hugged himself tightly, as though wrapping himself up in himself against the afternoon’s gray chill.
It was Yogi Berra who called attention to the weather. His comely features were unshaven and somebody remarked about the thick shrubbery on his jaw.
” I’m wearin ‘ it to keep warm, ” Yogi explained sensibly. ” I got a little cold. ”
–From Red Smith’s “The Vacant Chair,” a September 24, 1950 column.
Jim says
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on April 14 that he is proud of Washington cutting off funding to Ukraine amid Russian aggression, listing it among the Trump administration’s top achievements. So, now, America is “proud” to stop supporting a country trying to remain a democracy that was attacked by Russia for no reason other than an attempted land grab. I look at Zelenskyy and Trump and just can’t believe how one is doing all he can to lead his country through an unjust war while the other stumble from one battle to another.
This week, the vice-president really told a Maga-faithful conference: “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Well spoken. God knows the Pope is not the guy to speak of theology. Certainly not in the league of Trump and Vance. (What did DJT say on Easter Sunday? Something elevating and presidential as I recall.)
I’m no fan of Donald J. Trump but I have to admit, JD Vance has given Trump a run for the money regarding detestable behavior and comments. Did I mention Vance went to Hungary to voice support for Viktor Orbán, ex-president of that country? Orban ran Hungary into the ground, now being the poorest EU country and full of corruption. Hungarians got fed up with his lies and booted him. Poor JD and DJT couldn’t bail him out.
How these people can still believe they are “American First” is beyond me.
Well, JD and Trump are in for a tough November. It’s being said that gas will not come down before then. It’s being reported that prices are going up on everything because of the fuel costs. I guess Trump didn’t do enough damage with tariffs so why not start a war with no plan, no end game and more damage to the world’s economy?
Dennis C Rathsam says
I must agree, with todays cartoon.as a life long member of the Catholic church, I find it disturbing, that the Pope does not condem Iran & their butchers. 47 yrs of Irainian rage of terror, millions killed, millions mutilated . Catholic,s are being slaughtered in parts of Africa, & the pontiff remains silent! He,d rather inject himself, where he,s not needed.
Tony Mack says
Despite President Trump’s claims that Pope Leo XIV supports Iran having a nuclear weapon, there is no evidence to support this assertion. In fact, the pope has made clear statements against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, emphasizing the need for peace and dialogue instead of armed conflict.
Pope Leo XIV’s Stance on Violence and Terrorism
Emphasis on Dialogue and Peace
Pope Leo XIV has consistently advocated for dialogue and peace as alternatives to violence in the context of the Iran conflict. His calls for an immediate ceasefire highlight the humanitarian consequences of war, emphasizing that military actions often lead to suffering and instability.
Condemnation of Military Force
The Pope’s remarks reflect a strong moral opposition to the use of military force, which he views as a catalyst for further violence and chaos. He argues that violence cannot lead to justice or stability, and instead, it exacerbates existing conflicts. This perspective suggests that addressing terrorism requires non-violent solutions and diplomatic efforts rather than military interventions.
Humanitarian Concerns
Pope Leo XIV’s focus on the humanitarian impact of war underscores the moral responsibility of leaders to protect civilians. His statements indicate that terrorism and violence should be countered with compassion and understanding, rather than aggression. This approach calls for a reevaluation of how nations respond to threats, advocating for strategies that prioritize human rights and dignity.
Jim says
It must be hard to be Catholic and hate the leader of the church.
Are you sure you’re just a member of the MAGA faith? I’ll bet you even spent money on the Trump Bible!
Dennis C Rathsam says
The word HATE ….is your word not mine
Laurel says
Yes, hate is used too much these days. Basically, you wrote that the Pope should stay in his lane. Think about this: The Pope deals with your spirit; Trump deals with your wallet. Which can you take with you after all is said and done?
Skibum says
Sigh… today’s political cartoon makes fun of one of the pontiff’s own flock, who not only doesn’t know to stay in HIS own lane, he believes there are no lanes at all!
And apparently what Dennis takes away from looking at what we all see… is that the Pope “does not condemn Iran and their Butchers”???????
Hmmm. Just shaking my head in wonderment of the maga mentality that dismisses reality, but edifies fantasy.
Keenan Hreib says
Agreed. There is never a takeaway for someone like Dennis. Poor guy has to take the up hill walk as well as the upstream paddle to try to once again prove the Earth is flat.
Pogo says
Mr. T
… you’re in fine company today. Thank you sir, for a great start of the day.
“Tell me with whom you associate, and I will tell you who you are”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe/Proverb
Lynne says
JD should REALLY not try to argue theology with an Augustinian!
Laurel says
So, he’s the next idiot in line.
Ray W. says
A Euronews reporter looked for possible changes in energy production after onset of the Iran War.
Not all countries provide real-time energy data, but many do. The reporter accessed real-time energy data from the U.S., China, and many of the EU nations, among others, and compared the data to reported 2025 energy production.
Here are some of the reporter’s findings:
– Chinese coal-fired electricity generation rose by 2% in March 2026, compared to March 2025. For the other studied countries, coal-fired electricity generation figures were down 3.5%.
– Seaborne transport quantities of coal, year-over-year, fell by 3%.
– Overall fossil fuel electricity generation fell by 1%, year-over-year.
– Solar power output rose by 14%, compared to March 2025, and wind farm output rose by 8%.
Make of this what you will.
Sherry says
vance. . . what an egotistical Thiel sock puppet!
Maga complains constantly about George Soros’ contributions to liberal causes, while completely ignoring the evil of Peter Thiel.
Political Influence & Ideology: Thiel is a major donor to far-right political causes and candidates. He has expressed doubts about the benefits of “WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE” and has argued that “freedom and democracy” are no longer compatible.
Surveillance Technology: Thiel co-founded Palantir, a data-mining company that works closely with intelligence and defense agencies, including providing technology used for immigration enforcement (ICE).
Destruction of Gawker: Thiel secretly funded a lawsuit that led to the bankruptcy of Gawker Media after they outed him, leading to concerns about a billionaire using his wealth to crush media outlets.
Contrarian Views: His public lectures have touched on topics like “the antichrist,” which critics interpret as a dangerous obsession with apocalyptic and authoritarian themes.
Perspectives on the “Evil” Label
Critique of Power: Critics like tech author Cory Doctorow argue that Thiel isn’t an “evil genius” but a wealthy individual who uses his resources to disrupt systems and indifferent to the harm caused by his actions.
Peter Thiel promoted JD Vance as Vice President by providing critical early career mentorship, financing his political ascent, and facilitating crucial relationships with Donald Trump. Thiel contributed $15 million to a super PAC for Vance’s 2022 Senate race and helped smooth over Vance’s past “Never Trump” stance, elevating him as a reliable, tech-focused alternative within the GOP.
Key ways Thiel supported Vance’s rise:
Massive Financial Backing: Thiel invested in Vance’s venture capital firm Narya and provided record-setting funds through the Protect Ohio Values super PAC to build Vance’s profile.
Access to Donor Networks: Thiel bridged the gap between Vance and his Silicon Valley network, including facilitating support from tech investor David Sacks, who helped raise funds for Trump and supported Vance.