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Weather: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 2pm and 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 107. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
- 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: Jury selection in the first day of the trial of Jermaine Williams Sr. begins at 8:30 a.m. before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse. Williams, 52, faces the death penalty for the stabbing death of his wife, Yolonda Williams, in the driveway of the couple’s Bunnell house in August 2024. See:
- Judge Bars Heat Of Passion Defense In Husband’s Killing of Yolonda Williams On Eve of Death Penalty Trial
- Flagler’s 1st Death Penalty Trial in 2 Decades Begins Monday For Man Accused Of Stabbing His Wife To Death
- Jermaine Williams Loses Two Dozen Motions Contesting His Death-Penalty Trial for Killing of Wife Yolonda
- No Plea Offers in Jermaine Williams’s Death-Penalty Trial for Murder of His Wife, Yolonda Williams, in Bunnell
- Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty For Jermaine Williams, Who Stabbed Wife to Death in Bunnell
- The Arrest Report
- Yolonda Williams, 50, Is Stabbed and Killed by Husband, Jermaine Williams; He Is Charged with 1st Degree Murder
The Flagler County Commission meets at 5 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell.
The Bunnell City Commission meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall on Commerce Parkway. To access meeting agendas, materials and minutes, go here.
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.
| The Latest Jail Bookings |
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| j-260807 |
| Source: Flagler County Sheriff's Office. Note: the Sheriff's Office redacts or censors the names of migrants arrested under authority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The federal agency requires the redactions, according to the Sheriff's Office. |
Notably: The trial of Jermaine Williams Sr. begins this morning. I’ll be covering it, gavel to gavel. His wife, his victim, Yolonda Williams, was a colleague of my wife’s at Flagler Cares where, among the ironies that may never be told in this trial, Yolonda cared for victims of domestic abuse, among others. She had been one going back to her mid-teens, at Jermaine’s hands. I have covered death penalty proceedings before, but most of them were during that brief window when the state Supreme Court had ruled Florida’s death penalty sentencing method unconstitutional, back when non-unanimous juries could recommend death, even though only unanimous juries may convict anyone of any offense, from stealing a piece of pizza to mass killings. For a time many individuals condemned to die had their sentences commuted, including three in Flagler County. Every time it happened, I cheered inwardly–not for the murderers. The commutation did not change their crime or their guilt. But for the state: each time it took a step back from barbarism, from being a murderer itself, in our name. Williams faces the death penalty. He’ll be tried by Jason Lewis, the assistant state attorney who does not lose. I won;t be cheering for the defense. No one will. Not after they see the video of the stabbing. Eighteen, nineteen stabs. Not after they hear–if they hear–about Jermaine’s torture of Yolonda from the time before they married. Why did she stay with him? Not for us to ask. Not even concerning a woman who took care of domestic violence victims, the question being the first step toward victimizing her all over again. Jermaine is on trial, not Yolonda. I’ll be rooting for Lewis during the trial phase. I have no doubt. I have no doubt about Jermaine’s guilt. It is written in his smug smirk every time he appears in court. I will not be cheering for Lewis during the penalty phase. Nor will I be cheering if and when I ravel to the state prison the day Williams is murdered in turn, in our name, if that day comes before my own death, considering the length of the appeals ahead. Jermaine is in his early 50s. He can run out the clock until his 70s, especially since DeSantis, that mass killer, will soon be out of the governor’s mansion. Something tells me Byron Donalds will not be as inclined to serially kill what’s left of death row. So there Jermaine will linger, where he should linger, since none of us knows whether killing him wouldn’t be a favor. What we know is prison. What we know is that our prisons are barbaric enough. Revenge makes barbarians of us all, it degrades us and the victim’s survivors, and does nothing to punish the murderer but for that moment of glee for some of the rest of us, a moment that vanishes anyway, no sooner than that morbid van drives out of the prison at Starke with the victim of the executed, on its way to the autopsy. That other irony. As if we needed know why he died. As if the medical examiner’s report could put a sheen of science on inhumanity.
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.
August 2026
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Primary Election Early Voting in Flagler County
Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Meeting
Randy Fine Press Conference/Campaign Stop at Beverly Beach Town Hall
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Primary Election Early Voting in Flagler County
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
Al-Anon Family Groups
For the full calendar, go here.
The machinery crushed everything: you were killed discreetly, with a little shame and a lot of precision. (“La mécanique écrasait tout: on était tué discrète-ment, avec un peu de honte et beaucoup de précision.”)
–From Camus’ Stranger (1942).
Jim says
Donald Trump reacted to the passing of former special counsel Robert Mueller by posting on Truth Social. He wrote: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
Lindsey Graham just died. For once, I agree with Donald Trump’s words as being appropriate.
Skibum says
I too, am among the many who do not mourn Graham’s dead corpse. He was a powerful politician with the means and opportunity to do good for the American people. He had the ability to be a courageous example to all. To take a principled, ethical and moral stance in Congress against a convicted felon con artist president who was becoming more unhinged, more corrupt, and attempting to undermine our nation’s democracy and overturn a presidential election result.
Lindsey Graham’s legacy will be to show exactly what a lack of conscience, what a lack of moral character looks like. He belittled himself by unzipping his outer skin to reveal his inner most unprincipled being. Before the current pedophile protecting con man was even elected the first time, Graham saw what kind of man he truly was and called him out, condemning him. After the Jan. 6 insurrection, Graham stood in front of his senate colleges and again strongly condemned the corrupt, undemocratic president for orchestrating, then prolonging and not stopping the riotous maga mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and hundreds of police officers.
Then, after considering his own future and self-interests over that of America, he abruptly turned tail and ran down to Mar-A-Pedo and prostrated himself at the cankled legs of his corrupt leader, begging for forgiveness and kissing the ring so he could redeem himself and retain the power he once enjoyed. D.C. police officer Michael Fanone scheduled a meeting with Graham in Graham’s capitol office, and showed him his body cam footage of the maga rioters beating and injuring multitudes of police officers. Fanone was trying to get Graham’s support for all of the more than 100 officers who were injured in the insurrection, and Graham turned away from him and refused to condemn what every American witnessed on live TV that day in Graham’s ultimate betrayal.
No, people should not mourn Graham’s death. I actually applaud it, and thank Graham for finally doing something positive for America. I hope there are other maga GOP members of Congress who do the same to help our faltering democracy before it is too late.
Sherry says
Dear Skibum,
Yes, Lindsey Graham was in a very powerful position. One where he “could” have do so much to make the “average” US citizen’s life much better. However, he chose the dark side of completely “caving” to trump’s demands. I saw a glimmer of hope after Lindsey announced public ally that he was “done with trump”, after trump’s “insurrection” on Jan. 6th. However, shortly after that, Lindsey put his “puppet strings” back on, “kissed the ring” and returned to his Maga sycophant position. . . kneeling at the altar of fascism and trumpism. . . no matter what!
Personally, I am happy to see that Lindsey’s constituents “may” have an opening for a new “future” thinking, inclusive, moral person to represent them. That is if the perpetually weak and flummoxed Democratic party can get their act together.
Me, I’m all for term limits for Congress members, and a decent mandatory retirement age for the Supreme Court justices. “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”!!!
Laurel says
Public funding of public education is in the Florida Constitution. Private schooling, religious schooling and home schooling is not.
Sherry says
But remember Laurel, DeSantis and the Maga legislature care nothing for any constitution! And the fascist divide between the rich and the poor/the white and people of color just gets wider and wider! This is NOT the “American Way”!
Mrs. Crabtree says
How is allowing any child regardless of race, creed, financial means, the ability to go to the very best school of their choice for their education facist? I would argue the facists are the ones arguing for public schools as the only option. Freedom of choice?
Skibum says
Mrs. Crabtree, you confuse allowing the parents of a child to choose to attend the best school of their choice with forcing all of the public to fund their private education decision. Especially when being forced to do so also further eviscerates our public education institutions.
Public taxpayer money should ONLY go towards public education, period. If parents wish, and have the means to send their child to another type of private, usually religious sponsored school, fine, but we the public should not be forced to fund their choice. By doing so we are bankrupting our public schools, which is just what the maga republi-cons intended when they set this mess into operation years ago, and it has only made it that much worse for public schools.
Mrs. Crabtree says
How is allowing any child regardless of race, creed, financial means, the ability to go to the very best school of their choice for their education facist? I would argue the facists are the ones arguing for public schools as the only option. Freedom of choice?
Laurel says
Mrs Crabtree: I’ll tell you how. The voucher system started out as you say, but it no longer works that way.
The voucher pays only for a portion of the tuition; the family pays for the rest. How many poor people, black or white, can afford that?
For home schooling, someone has to stay home to teach the kids. How many families can afford that? Middle class folks need two jobs to barely get by.
The wealthy are allowed to receive vouchers. Do you see a balance here, where the wealthy, who can already afford private education have vouchers available to them whereas the poor cannot really afford to participate?
Private schools can turn away children where public schools cannot. That eliminates more children, who are unlikely to be wealthy.
The voucher system drains the public system, leaving those kids you seem to be worried about, with even less resources.
Why not improve the public system. You can, can’t you?
Sherry says
Right On Laurel! Thank you so much for doing your best to educate people about how school voucher actually work! Unfortunately, the indoctrinated really do not want to let “fact” get in the way of their dedication to “trumpism”!
Kenji says
Only people whining are the teacher unions. Several democrat governors have also opted into the program including NY, CO, VA. Have a nice day.
Laurel says
Only people whining?
That’s a false statement. Try again.
Sherry says
@mrs. crabtree and kenji. . . please get educated:
New York traditionally has no state-funded private school voucher or direct tuition assistance program. Instead, the primary difference is that Florida offers broad, state-funded private school voucher and education savings account (ESA) programs, while New York relies strictly on public charter schools and public school choice.
The fundamental distinctions between their approaches include: Scope and Universality: Florida offers universal, state-funded school choice and tax-credit scholarships that are accessible to virtually all K-12 students, regardless of family income. New York provides $0 in direct state tuition assistance for private education.
Funding Mechanisms: Florida directly routes public per-pupil funds or state tax credits into voucher accounts for private school tuition or educational expenses.
The New Federal Component: While NY lacks state-level vouchers, Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to opt into the federal Educational Choice for Children Act. This federal program uses dollar-for-dollar tax credits to route private donations into scholarships.
Perspectives from Florida and New York Educators:
Florida’s expansive programs have been highly controversial. Proponents argue that the competition drives systemic public school improvement, while critics and teachers’ unions contend the vouchers lack oversight and disproportionately benefit already affluent families. The evidence shows voucher programs tend to increase school segregation rather than reduce it. Affluent families are the likeliest to leave public schools and take per-pupil funding with them.