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Weather: Sunny, with a high near 79. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
- 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:
Drug Court convenes before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse, Kim C. Hammond Justice Center 1769 E Moody Blvd, Bldg 1, Bunnell. Drug Court is open to the public. See the Drug Court handbook here and the participation agreement here.
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 105 South 2nd Street in Flagler Beach. Watch the meeting at the city’s YouTube channel here. Access meeting agenda and materials here. See a list of commission members and their email addresses here.
FPCHS Starlets Spring Dance at the Fitz, 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.
“The Sound of Music” at Athens Theatre, 7:30 p.m. except Sunday, 2:30 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
The Palm Coast Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast. But it’s a good idea to verify whether the committee is actually meeting this evening, as it tends to be lax.
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, from noon to 2 p.m. in Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave. Join Bill Wells, Bob Rupp and other members of the Palm Coast Model Yacht Club, watch them race or join the races with your own model yacht. No dues to join the club, which meets at the pond in Central Park every Thursday.
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry: Flagler Beach United Methodist Church‘s food pantry is open today from 9:30 a.m. to noon at 1500 S. Daytona Ave, Flagler Beach. The church’s mission is to provide nourishment and support in a welcoming, respectful environment. To find us, please turn at the corner of 15 Street and S. Daytona Ave, pull into the grass parking area and enter the green door.
Readings: On April 18 the New York Times ran a clear and disturbing explanation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s “shadow docket,” which began in 2016 and has turned into a routine end-run around the judicial process. Trump’s authoritarianism alone isn’t the problem. The court’s is: “Just after 6 p.m. on a February evening in 2016, the Supreme Court issued a cryptic, one paragraph ruling that sent both climate policy and the court itself spinning in new directions. For two centuries, the court had generally handled major cases at a stately pace that encouraged care and deliberation, relying on written briefs, oral arguments and in-person discussions. The justices composed detailed opinions that explained their thinking to the public and rendered judgment only after other courts had weighed in. But this time, the justices were sprinting to block a major presidential initiative. By a 5-to-4 vote along partisan lines, the order halted President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, his signature environmental policy. They acted before any other court had addressed the plan’s lawfulness. The decision consisted of only legal boilerplate, without a word of reasoning. At the time, the ruling seemed like a curious one-off. But that single paragraph turned out to be a sharp and lasting break. That night marks the birth, many legal experts believe, of the court’s modern “shadow docket,” the secretive track that the Supreme Court has since used to make many major decisions, including granting President Trump more than 20 key victories on issues from immigration to agency power.” The Times obtained 16 pages of memos that the justices exchanged over that decision. “In public, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has cultivated a reputation for care and caution. The papers reveal a different side of him. At a critical moment for the country and the court, the papers show, he acted as a bulldozer in pushing to stop Mr. Obama’s plan to address the global climate crisis. When colleagues warned the chief justice that he was proposing an unprecedented move, he was dismissive. […] Since that breakneck February 2016 exchange, the emergency docket has swelled into a major part of the court’s business, as the justices have short-circuited the deliberations of lower courts. The decisions are technically temporary, but are often hugely consequential. Rulings with no explanation or reasoning, like the sparse paragraph from that February night, have become routine. The emergency docket is now a central legacy of the court led by Chief Justice Roberts. Read a decade later, the memos suggest that none of the justices fully appreciated what they were doing: embarking on a questionable new way of operating. […] Since then, even as the court’s approval ratings dropped, applications like the one it confronted a decade ago have proliferated, swamping the court’s ordinary work. This is partly a consequence of a gridlocked Congress and presidents willing to push the boundaries of executive power, particularly Mr. Trump. But it is also the result of the justices’ decision to entertain emergency requests like the one in 2016, warping procedures that had developed over centuries.”
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 United Methodist Church Food Pantry
Flagler County Drug Court Convenes
Palm Coast’s Loop Road Groundbreaking
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Town Center
Palm Coast Democratic Club Meeting
Community Preparedness Workshop
Flagler Beach City Commission Meeting
Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series
‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ an FPC Production
‘The Curious Savage” at Daytona Playhouse
“Once on This Island,” At Limelight Theatre
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
Disaster Preparedness Expo
Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3) Meeting
Friday Blue Forum
For the full calendar, go here.
What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience of the ever-growing masses of our century. The merciless process into which totalitarianism drives and organizes the masses looks like a suicidal escape from this reality. The “ice-cold reasoning” and the “mighty tentacle” of dialectics which “seizes you as in a vise” appears like a last support in a world where nobody is reliable and nothing can be relied upon. It is the inner coercion whose only content is the strict avoidance of contradictions that seems to confirm a man’s identity outside all relationships with others. It fits him into the iron band of terror even when he is alone, and totalitarian domination tries never to leave him alone except in the extreme situation of solitary confinement.
—From Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951).
Dennis C Rathsam says
No where near the 70,s!!!! LBJ lost the war in Viet Nam. Democrats got caught cheating, a comitose Biden, was stabbed in the back by his own party, the GOP has found fraude, stolen monies & cover ups from the Jackass party. Iran is no longer a threat & 3/4 of country lays in rubble. TRUMP has deported millions of invaders, that an emptey headed Democratic president let in, cos they needed voters. Americans have gone farther in space, then any De Lorian could. I lost many friends due to Viet Nam, no children of my friends were lost in the destruction of Iran. Sure we lost a few good men, & I pray for their families. Our president is doing what he thinks is best, right or wrong a country divided where some JACKASSES choose to cheer for the terrorists, that mamed & killed thousands of Americans! Theses folks are the new wing of the Democratic party, trying to kill capitalism, & replace it with socialism/ COMMUNISUM . It has failed around the world & the American people wont be fooled by frre shit that no one can afford!
The dude says
Not one single word of this is true.
Not one.
Sherry says
@ The Dude. . . no one in their right mind pays any attention to anything that poor raving lunatic says anyway.
Keenan Hreib says
Dude, Sherry, thank you both. Dipshit D never presents a shred of evidence for his outlandish bullshit claims.
Pogo says
Today’s cartoon 100%👌
Anytime is the right time to attend Hannah Arendt.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Hannah+Arendt
Complimenting today’s quotation of Arendt:
As stated
https://www.google.com/search?q=social+anomie
Ibid
https://www.google.com/search?q=aliention
Trump’s favorite, indeed, his modus operandi
https://www.google.com/search?q=conflation
Example: “… if you don’t fight like hell, you won’t have a country.” No, you SOB, we will be rid of you.
Good day.
EC: File
Pogo says
From the Inbox:
Dear Veteran,
The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is monitoring ongoing wildfires in the region. All facilities remain open and operational at this time.
Follow local guidance Rely on local emergency management, law enforcement, fire, and public health officials for evacuation orders, road closures, shelters, and air quality alerts. Evacuate immediately if instructed.
Be prepared Conditions can change quickly, be ready to leave if needed.
1. Wildfire preparedness: https://www.ready.gov/wildfires
2. VA disaster support: https://www.va.gov/resources/disaster-help/
3. Weather and fire updates: https://www.weather.gov
Protect your health Wildfire smoke can worsen asthma, COPD, heart disease, and other conditions. Limit outdoor exposure when air quality is poor.
1. Safety guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/safety/how-to-safely-stay-safe-during-a-wildfire.html
Ray W. says
This past Tuesday, first reported in the Washington Post, a defense official advised the House Armed Services Committee that, once the Iran War ended, it could take as many as six months to clear Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
It is being reported that earlier today President Trump asserted to MS NOW that the Iranians themselves do not yet know which person now grasps the immense political power once held by the Ayatollah.
If this is so, then is it reasonable to argue that no one yet knows who holds the political power needed to negotiate terms to end the war? Has political power remained with the religious class? Devolved to the IRGC, which traditionally was the informal armed force controlled by its religious leaders? Transferred to the Iranian President and the formal Iranian government? Taken by the Iranian military, which was the formal armed force controlled by the Iranian government?
Will political power in time come to be held by Iranian moderates? By religious extremists? By military hardliners?
It’s been 55 days since the Ayatollah was killed. If the reporting is accurate, our president is telling the world that he doesn’t yet know who, if anyone, has emerged in the vacuum of power created in the first moments of outbreak of war to take control of the Iranian government, or even to negotiate an end to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times reports that military hardliners now wield power in Iran.
Ray W. says
Axios is reporting that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval force has resumed minelaying activities, using small vessels disguised to look like dhows, the types of boats used by Iranian fishermen. Each boat can carry two to four mines.
Earlier reporting has Iran having as many as one thousand of these disguised fishing boats in its minelaying fleet.
Make of this what you will.
Pogo says
Resolvable
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+30+mm+cannon+rounds+to+sink+a+dhow
Ray W. says
Thank you, Pogo.
Due to the arid climate in the Gulf state region, much of the foods consumed by the inhabitants has to be imported.
Traditionally, wooden-hulled dhows have been used to transport fresh foods across the Persian Gulf, such as fruits and vegetables and grains, and to deliver other goods, from Iran and Iraq to Gulf state ports. Also, dhows are used for deepwater fishing. There are thousands of such boats in Iran, small and big. Iraqis use dhows, too, as do families operating out of Gulf state ports.
Do American pilots indiscriminately fire on all dhows crisscrossing regional waters, regardless of nationality or purpose? Are there to be rules of engagement?
Pogo says
Ask the rest of the planet.
Problems with only bad solutions are no rare thing.
Ray W. says
According to The Independent, Ember, an energy think tank, reports that Chinese exports of solar energy panels and parts doubled in March from February totals.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
One month’s data is a blip to an economist. They don’t ignore what the data reveals, but caution is maintained. Quarterly reports carry more weight. Annualized data is even more enlightening.
Ray W. says
Euronews reports that the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo departed from Qatar Energy’s new Sabine Pass, Louisiana, liquefaction plant, which is named Golden Pass. Exxon Mobil holds a 30% interest in the plant.
Make of this what you will.
The dude says
End GoP terror!
Ray W. says
A reporter for The Telegraph premised an article on the difference between definitions for Brent Futures oil prices and definitions for Brent Dated oil prices.
According to the reporter, Brent Dated is the price a refinery owner actually pays for crude oil as it is actually being loaded into a tanker; the price is a function of actual supply and demand. Brent Futures prices rely on a broader set of hedges, assumptions and calculations; futures can fluctuate, often wildly, on a tweet or other proclamation.
On February 27, 2026, the day before the war, a barrel of Brent Dated sold for $70.83, while Brent Futures commanded $72.46 per barrel.
By early April, Brent Dated had reached $144.46 per barrel, while Brent Futures could be had for $109.27 per barrel.
As of the writing of the story, the Brent Futures price was fluctuating at just under $100 per barrel. Brent Dated was selling for around $108 per barrel.
The reporter argues that Brent Futures is the wrong benchmark price to watch in a time of distribution chaos. Right now, traders are assuming that the Strait of Hormuz will open by May 1st. The Brent Dated figure is, in the reporter’s estimation, the more accurate price barometer of actual supply and demand in the crude oil marketplace.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
There is a whole lot of lying by certain FlaglerLive commenters going on right now. The Strait is open. The blockade is working. The war has been won. Indeed, the war was won in the first few hours.
I don’t know whom to believe. People who are buying real barrels of oil are paying higher prices for the oil than are people who are hedging on prices for tomorrow’s oil. Insurance companies are not insuring ships. Ship owners are not risking their vessels and the cargoes they carry.
Unless the Strait opens, all over the world, crude oil reserves stored in tank farms and in floating tankers will continue to be drawn down. Poor Asian countries that could not afford to build large tank farm storage reserves will be the first to physically run out of oil to refine. Absent new supplies of crude oil, refineries will, one by one, begin to shut down. So long as American energy extractors can sell their oil to whichever refinery owner is the highest bidder, we will not be insulated from the international clamor for crude oil.
Is the reporter correct? Should we focus on Brent Dated as the more accurate canary in the coal mine?
Ray W. says
Fortune reports that government officials for each of the four maritime nations located nearby to the Strait of Malacca and two other island passages, after observing Iranian threats of imposing tolls, have opened their own discussion on the merits of charging tolls on freight transiting the region. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have interests at stake.
Thailand’s approach seems the simplest. Bypass Singapore and the Strait of Malacca entirely by building rail and highway infrastructure overland between a port on the coast of the Gulf of Siam and a port on the coast of the Indian Ocean. In shipping industry parlance, this type of infrastructure is called a “dry canal.” Allow shipping companies to choose the most efficient or least costly option, strait or dry canal.
Singapore, for its part, opposes tolls, at least for now.
Make of this what you will.
Ed P says
Hasan Piker justifies the social murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Piker is the lefts answer to Joe Rogan, appealing to young people. He is not endorsed by everyone, but he’s burrowing in and openly describes himself as a socialist, anti-imperialist and a Marxist.
Murder is ok? What’s next?
A satirical play? Billed as a love story for Luigi Mangione?
27% of Americans express moderate sympathy for Luigi.
Ray W. says
The Daily Mail reports that Slovenia has become the first European nation to introduce fuel rationing. And Sweden’s Prime Minister informed Swedes that fuel rationing may soon arrive; he warned that a proposed policy paper was being prepared for May 1, 2026 publication. That didn’t mean that rationing would be introduced in Sweden, only that a policy change was to be proposed.
Make of this what you will.
Sherry says
The latest poll from The Hill:
How favorable or unfavorable is your opinion of President Trump’s current cabinet and other major administration personnel?
Very unfavorable
63%
Very favorable
21%
Somewhat favorable
9%
Somewhat unfavorable
4%
Other / No opinion
3%
Sherry says
Another Poll from “The Hill”:
How would you rank the US economy right now?
It’s in poor shape
68%
It’s in great shape
5%
It’s in good shape
24%
Other / No opinion
3%
Sherry says
Even the Fox Pol has trump’s approval rating in the dumper:
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/approval-rating
Queue the Maga Excuses!