The prosecution in the trial of Benjamin Allen, 18, who is accused of murdering Elijah Rizvan in Palm Coast’s W-Section in 2019, had a bad day Tuesday as its witnesses proved more helpful to the defense, undermining the claim that Allen was the shooter.
All Else
Gambling Deal With Seminole Tribe Could Open the Way for More Gambling Behemoths in Florida
The proposed compact with the Seminole Tribe — now awaiting DeSantis’ signature — could set the stage to allow casinos in other regions of the state, not just in South Florida.
Fox News is Must-Watch for White Evangelicals, a Turnoff for Atheists; Hindus and Muslims Really Like CNN
Given the vast number of news options that people of faith have and the increase in political polarization in the United States, the pressure for networks to deliver the news that people want to hear will only increase as time passes.
Jury Seated in Trial of Benjamin Allen, Now 18, in 1st-Degree Murder of Elijah Rizvan in W-Section 2 Years Ago
Benjamin Allen was 16 when he was accused of shooting dead Elijah Rizvan outside a house in the W Section in July 2019. He is being tried as an adult and faces life in prison if convicted. An all-white jury was empaneled today.
After Holland
The resignation of Milissa Holland and the coming special election for mayor puts Palm Coast at a forking path between the course Holland set and a more radical change in a different direction. The two views seem to be represented by Alan Lowe and David Alfin, the leading contenders for the seat.
Half of Flagler County’s Population Is Vaccinated, But Only 31% Are Younger Than 65
If the 15,000 or so people who are younger than 15 are excluded, the proportion with vaccines in those between 15 and 65 rises to 38 percent in Flagler–still less than half the proportion considered in the range of herd or community immunity.
Covid-19: Risk after Vaccination, Masks, and CDC Missteps
Many are concerned about starting “normal activities” after vaccination, the possibility of breakthrough infections, and the recent CDC guidance that fully vaccinated persons can go “maskless” in most situations. Here are answers to anxious questions from the Infectious Pharmacist.
Rays of Promise: Boston Whaler Marks Reopening of Boating Plant, Projecting 400 Jobs and Orders Into 2023
Brunswick Corp. and Boston Whaler executives today formally reopened the former Sea Ray plant that shut down three years ago, projecting to ramp up over the next 12 to 24 months back to 400 jobs, and likely more beyond that: boat-buying is brisk and demand for Boston Whaler is back-ordered well into 2023, the executives say, ensuring the stability of the plant for years to come.
Flagler Vaccination Sites for May 22 through May 29
The Flagler County Health Department (DOH-Flagler) has modified its COVID-19 vaccination sites for the next week.
This Year Floridians Get 3 Tax ‘Holidays’–for Hurricane Preparedness, Culture and Recreation, and School
The disaster-preparedness tax holiday will run from May 28 through June 6, the recreation-tax holiday runs for a week starting July 1, and the back-to-school holiday runs for 10 days in August.
Survey Experts Have Yet To Figure Out What Caused the Most Significant Polling Error in 40 Years in Trump-Biden Race
Lingering questions about the misfire in 2020, in which voter support for then-President Donald Trump was understated in final pre-election polls, suggest that troubles in accurately surveying presidential elections could be deeper and more profound than previously recognized.
The Bigger Picture In Israel-Palestine
The story I heard at my synagogue growing up is that Israel is the Jews’ historic homeland, writes Jill Richardson. We never discussed Palestinians’ rights in Sunday school. Instead, our lessons gave the general impressions that Palestinians were all terrorists who did not deserve rights.
NOAA Predicts Up to 10 Hurricanes and 20 Named Storms as Flagler Emergency Chief Cautions Against Assumptions
For all the predictions, Flagler County Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord cautions that the numbers and forecasts may all be irrelevant, since a single storm can end up severely impacting the community in the quietest–or worst–season, making all else forgettable.
Palm Coast Council Approves Manager Morton’s $9,000 Raise With No Discussion, and With Morton Nemesis’ Vote
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday quietly approved a $9,135 raise for City Manager Matt Morton on the heels of his second-year anniversary with the city and a performance evaluation that netted him strong and slightly better marks than last year despite a blistering set of numbers from Council Member Victor Barbosa.
Flagler County Celebrates Emergency Medical Services Staff for EMS Week
Nothing shed light on the important role that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff undertake in “Caring for Our Communities” – the theme of the 2021 EMS Week – like the coronavirus pandemic did.
Palm Coast Historical Society’s Inaugural Electric-Bike Tour of Palm Coast Set for May 23
Palm Coast resident and local FLEBIKE store owner Frank Paccilli is sponsoring and guiding the E-bike Tour of the “Core Area” of Palm Coast on Sunday, May 23 from 2 – 4:30 pm (weather permitting) to benefit the Palm Coast Historical Society and Museum.
Florida Education Department Wants History Classes Strictly Sanitized of Content Critical of the United States
A proposed rule that will be weighed by the State Board of Education aims to control the way history is taught in Florida classrooms and not allow teachers to “indoctrinate” students, as part of what state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran called a “constant, vigilant fight.”
Texas Governor Signs Into Law One of Nation’s Strictest Abortion Measures, Effecting Ban as Early as 6 Weeks Into a Pregnancy
The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions intended to make the law harder to challenge are poised to be tested in the courts.
Palestinian Lives Matter
Just as Black Lives Matter, so do Palestinian Lives Matter. We cannot campaign for racial healing and justice on stolen land in our own country while simultaneously backing a campaign to occupy and displace people abroad, argues Tracey Rogers.
Consortium of Local Ham Radio Clubs to Test Emergency Capabilities June 26 and 27
Ham radio operators will gather at Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra Road, Palm Coast, to operate multiple Ham Radio stations for 24 hours beginning at 2 pm. Saturday, June 26th.
Flagler Fire Rescue and Others Set WaterSafe 2021 Event at Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club June 5
WaterSafe 2021 will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 5, at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, 73 Patricia Lane, Palm Coast. The typically annual event was not held in 2020 because of Covid, and this year’s event will be socially-distanced and masks will be required as a precaution.
School Board Wades Into Selling Belle Terre Swim Club, Or Closing It to All But District Students
The Flagler County School Board is considering selling the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club it’s owned since 1997, or closing its membership-driven club functions and restricting its use to students, whose high school teams depend on its 25-yard pool.
Palm Coast Council Sets Special Election for Mayor on July 27, Requiring Petitions or Fee to Qualify
The council agreed unanimously to require candidates to qualify for the election either by gathering 497 signed and certified petition or by paying a $1,140 fee. Petitions may be gathered between May 24 and May 28. Qualifying is set between June 1 and June 7.
David Alfin and Alan Lowe Announce for Mayor as Palm Coast Council Readies to Set July 27 Special Election
David Alfin and Alan Lowe, both Republicans who ran unsuccessful campaigns last November–Lowe for mayor, Alfin for a council seat–said they would run in the special election to replace Mayor Milissa Holland the Palm Coast City Council is expected to schedule at a hurriedly-called special meeting this morning. The proposed date for the election is July 27.
Palm Coast Government Sets Special Meeting for Wednesday at 9 a.m., With Little Notice
Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton Tuesday evening set a special meeting of the City Council for Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in the wake of Milissa Holland’s resignation as mayor Tuesday evening. The meeting was noticed exclusively on the city’s webpage.
Milissa Holland Resigns, Adding to Palm Coast Council’s Convulsions and Uncertain Future; Special Election Will Be Set
Milissa Holland today resigned her seat as mayor of Palm Coast just six months into her second term, shaking up a city council convulsed for months by unruly meetings and restive public and setting up a special election that could shift the council–and the city–in a direction unrecognizable with the last 22 years.
County Authorizes Eminent Domain Action Against Second Property Owner in Quest for Dune Easements
Flagler County authorized its attorney to begin eminent domain proceedings against Leonard Surles, the homeowner at 2732 South Ocean Shore Boulevard in Flagler Breach, to secure an easement that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with a long-awaited dunes-rebuilding project.
Judge Orders 6 Dogs Permanently Seized from Bunnell Owner After They ‘Languished’ in Deplorable Conditions
The Flagler Humane Society seized eight dogs from a Booe Street home in early April as their owner was in jail for weeks in another county and had left the dogs with little or no care. One dog died. The owner abjured another, saying the dog had never belonged to her. The judge may ban the owner from ever owning dogs again.
Attention Coastal Florida: Antarctica Is Headed for 2060 Tipping Point, with Catastrophic Melting Absent Carbon Cuts
If emissions continue at their current pace, by about 2060 the Antarctic ice sheet will have crossed a critical threshold and committed the world to sea level rise that is not reversible on human timescales. Pulling carbon dioxide out of the air at that point won’t stop the ice loss, and by 2100, sea level could be rising more than 10 times faster than today.
At County Memorial for Lives Lost to Covid, a Solidarity of Grief Near and Far, and Thankfulness for Essential Workers
Eulogies personal and universal were among seven invocations that seven clergy members delivered in the county’s–or any local government’s–first memorial devoted to the losses of the 15-month-long covid-19 pandemic this afternoon in front of the Government Services Building in Bunnell.
In Josh Crews’ Memory, a Student Anthology of Writings That Keep Adding to Education Foundation’s Storied Legacy
The Josh Crews Writing Project, now in its 10th year, this week holds the annual launch of the anthology of stories and poems that bears the late bartender and writer’s name. The anthology of writings by students from every Flagler public school is a production of the Flagler County Education Foundation.
Flagler County’s Memorial Day Service Features Vietnam War Retired Army Veteran Sgt. Melvin Morris
Morris was one of the first Soldiers to don the “green beret” at the command of President John F. Kennedy while at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on October 12, 1961. In the United States armed forces, the green beret may be worn only by soldiers awarded the Special Forces Tab, signifying they have been qualified as Special Forces soldiers.
Tabling Tonight’s Hearing, Whispering Meadows Ranch and County ‘Very Close to an Agreement’ as Talks Continue
Prompted by an outpouring of support for Whispering Meadows Ranch and talks started this weekend, the county is delaying for at least a month the hearing that had been scheduled for this evening’s County Commission meeting, where the commission was to decide whether to grant the ranch a permit to keep its operation on John Anderson Highway or force it to end operations there.
Israel Is Having Its Own Black Lives Matter Moment as the Palestinian Minority Takes to the Streets
An unprecedented conflict is taking place on the streets of Jerusalem, Haifa, Lod and elsewhere, pitting elements of Israel’s Jewish population against elements of Israel’s Palestinian population who have had enough and have taken to the streets.
Employers: If You Want Workers, Pay a Living Wage
Across the country, local media coverage has been filled with stories of business owners lamenting that they are unable to fill positions as economies reopen. But it’s not that people don’t want to work — it’s that they don’t want to work for so little.
John Fischer, Ex-School Board Member and Omnipresent Booster of All Things Flagler, Dies at 76
John Fischer, who served on the Flagler County School Board from 2011 to 2014 and was a ubiquitous presence throughout the community for years, died in the aftermath of complications from an infection and surgery on Friday.
Reilly Opelka Battles Hard But Falls to Nadal in Rome Semifinals, 6-4, 6-4
For Opelka, now up to No. 35 in the world rankings, the match was a huge opportunity to measure himself against the 12-time French Open champ and a man likely to break a tie with Roger Federer at 20 Slam titles at the upcoming French championships in two weeks.
Whispering Meadows Ranch’s Fate Hangs on a County Commission Vote Monday After 14 Years of Serene Service
On Monday, the Flagler County Commission will decide whether to allow Whispering Meadows Ranch to continue operating as it has for nearly 14 years, as an equine therapy retreat for disabled children and veterans, or whether it will be shut down. But none of the commissioners have visited the ranch. Here’s a profile of Whispering Meadows.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Is Having Career Week in Rome, and Faces Rafael Nadal Saturday Morning
The former Indian Trails Middle School student is in the midst of a career week at the Italian Open in Rome, reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event (the biggest tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams) for the first time.
At Holland Park, Lush $5.1 Million Splash Pad Erupts Amid Cheers for Latest Free-Access Amenity
Some 75 people gathered for the opening of Holland Park’s 10,000-square foot splash pad Friday morning, the latest enhancement to Palm Coast’s marquee and most popular public park.
With a Nod to the Memory of a Special Agent, Sheriff Marks Fallen Officers Ceremony After a Year of Heavy Losses
Community members and law enforcement gathered to create a sea of blue-lit candles in memory of those lost in the line of duty at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s annual fallen officers memorial Thursday evening in front of the county courthouse.
Palm Coast Resident Takes Issue With Councilman’s Code Enforcement Vigilantism on Social Media
After Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa posted pictures and a video of a Seminole Woods property Barbosa considered unseemly, the property owner wrote the council to complain of Barbosa’s “abusive, conniving, and hypocritical” tactics.
You May Get Rid of Masks and Social Distancing If You’re Fully Vaccinated, CDC Says in Landmark Shift
Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations Thursday that marks a major turning point in the pandemic.
Flagler County Airport Will Restrict Operations in May and Close For a Few Days in June to Accommodate Runway Work
A full closure at the Flagler Executive Airport will be required from 7 a.m. Friday, June 4 to no later than 7 p.m. Monday, June 7. The scope of work for this phase includes milling, paving, and airfield electrical work within the intersection of Runway 11-29 and Runway 6-24.
Countering Disinformation, AdventHealth Physicians Say Covid Vaccine ‘Highly’ Recommended for Children 12 and Up
As the Flagler Health Department prepares to order a batch of Pfizer vaccines, now that it’s been approved for children as young as 12, AdventHealth physicians today spoke of the importance of vaccinating children and the rarely spoken-of and unnerving complications from covid complications in infected children.
Flagler County Hosts Candlelight Vigil in Remembrance of 111 Residents Lost to Covid-19
Flagler County is hosting a candlelight vigil at 4 p.m. Monday (May 17) to remember those residents who lost their lives to Covid-19. The ceremony will take place in front of the Government Services. It is the first such commemoration by a local government in Flagler.
‘Precipitous’ Drop Down to Just 129 Vaccinations a Day in Flagler Raises Concerns About Hesitancy and Immunity
Average daily covid vaccinations have fallen from 480 in late February to 413 in the first two weeks of April to just 129 a day for the past two weeks from all locations, public or private, in Flagler County, while the proportion of the population that’s had at least one shot is at 46 percent, well short of herd immunity.
‘No One Is Alone’: FPC’s Thespians Return to Stage With Upended Fairy Tale World of ‘Into the Woods’
Flagler Palm Coast’s Thespians return to the stage with exuberant defiance this week, with Stephen Sondheim’s musical, “Into the Woods.” The production in many ways parallels the challenges and sorrows the students have endured in the year of covid.
Planning Board Refuses to Call 240-Boat Storage Facility in Hammock a “Marina” But Will Seek to Define the Word
The 240-boat storage facility proposed for a 4-acre parcel on the Intracoastal in the Hammock two years ago ran into its latest setback tonight as the county planning board refused to define the facility as a marina, as its developer wants to do–not yet, anyway. The board wants to craft an ordinance that would define the word “marina,” potentially reopening the door to the boat-storage facility.
DeSantis Signs Into Law Florida’s Largest Shift of Public Dollars to Private or Parochial Schools
The bill increases an income threshold to 375 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning a family of four making nearly $100,000 a year could qualify for vouchers. Also, it strips away current restrictions, such as a requirement of previous enrollment in public schools before students can receive vouchers.
