Far from a dud, as these second inaugurals tend to be, Obama’s today was bracing in its realism, and hopeful, ironically, for having finally shed the imagery of hope for hope’s sake, replacing it with an agenda for equality, little heard of since the days of the New Deal and the Great Society.
All Else
Parent at Old Kings Elementary Hires Full-Time Armed Guard at Her $12,000 Expense
Laura Lauria put up $12,000 just for the first two months’ cost of a full-time sheriff’s deputy at Old Kings, an arrangement carried out without the school board’s knowledge and outside normal policy and legal oversight, though school and sheriff’s officials welcome it–with caveats.
The Thanks and Reverence We Owe Undocumented Immigrants
We’ve admitted that these immigrants aren’t going away. Let’s admit our co-dependence, let’s restore their dignity, and America’s, and admit that illegal immigration is as American as apple pie, if not as American as empanadas.
57 Republicans Who Voted for Bush’s Katrina Aid Voted Against Obama’s Sandy Aid
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Congress passed two relief bills almost unanimously. But when it comes to Hurricane Sandy,179 Republicans and one Democrat opposed aid. Signal differences are the occupant in the White House and the states getting help.
Stephen Sondheim Sidles Up to Palm Coast in “Side by Side” at City Repertory Theatre
“Side By Side By Sondheim,” a revue opening at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Friday, is a clever reinvention of Stephen Sondheim’s lyrical genius by way of his classics, from “West Side Story” to “Sweeney Todd.”
After Abuse at Girls’ Lock-Up, Promises of More Oversight from Florida’s Juvenile Justice
In the wake of allegations of abuse by staffers at a girls’ lockup in Milton, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is tightening its oversight of private residential facilities – adding interviews with youths and a partnership with the non-profit Annie E. Casey Foundation to its monitoring procedures.
Preliminary Report on Plane Crash Adds Little New as Homeowner’s Trauma Endures
The federal investigation into the plane crash that killed 3 and demolished a house in Seminole Woods revealed that the plane’s oil pressure was zero just before the crash. Susan Crockett, the home owner, said Friday that she had no plans to return to that neighborhood, and described her traumas since the crash.
Oceanside Co-Owner Lulgjuraj Joins Mealy And Settle in Flagler Beach Commission Race
Flagler Beach City Commission incumbents Jane Mealy and Steve Settle are being challenged by John Lulgjuraj, owner of Flagler Beach’s Oceanside Grill, in the March 5 election. Two of the three candidates will win.
Unemployment Rates in Flagler and Florida Improve Even as 15,300 Fewer Have Jobs
Unemployment in December fell to 8 percent in Florida and 11.2 percent in Flagler County, lowest in four years, yet Florida lost more than 15,000 jobs, and Flagler lost 76, as the weak recovery combines with harsher rules discouraging workers from seeking unemployment benefits or staying in the labor force.
Public Schools Are No Place for Bible-Thumping–Or Any Other Thumping
The World Changers of Florida, Inc. is giving Bibles to students at several dozen high Florida schools. It’s wrong. Students of all faiths and traditions attend public schools and they deserve to be respected. We interfere with an already stressful time by making some of them feel like outsiders.
Colleen Newman of Belle Terre Elementary And Sue McVeigh Are School District Champs
First-grade teacher Colleen Newman of Belle Terre Elementary is the Teacher of the Year, Sue McVeigh, a parent specialist in the district’s Exceptional Student Education administration, is the employee of the year.
Public Employees Lose as Florida Supreme Court Upholds 3% Pension Dip
Last Updated: 12:55 p.m. The Florida Supreme Court, in a much-anticipated but very divided 4-3 ruling, today sided with the Legislature, and against public employees, by upholding a 2011 law that requires all public employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the Florida Retirement System, a pension fund. In a majority opinion by […]
Trayvon Martin’s Mother Calls for Repeal Of Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, said the Stand Your Ground law protected her son’s killer, George Zimmerman, who pursued Martin before a violent confrontation when Zimmerman shot the 17-year-old boy.
Bill Filed to Repeal Florida Prohibition On Doctors Asking Patients About Guns
Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, filed the measure (SB 314) to repeal the 2011 “Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act,” which isn’t currently being enforced because a federal judge threw it out in July. The state, however, is appealing that ruling.
How the Word ‘Retarded’ Hurts The Developmentally Disabled
Americans with developmental disabilities still remain second-class citizens in the eyes of the law and our fellow human beings. There is no greater symbolic gesture of the ridicule they endure than the accepted use of the word “retarded” in day-to-day speech.
Only Mild Opposition as Palm Coast Council Prepares to Raise Utility Rates 22% in 3 Years
To avert a crisis with its creditors, Palm Coast will raise water and sewer rates 22 percent over the next three years, beginning with an 8 percent increase this March. Residents’ rates are increasing to ensure that the city’s debts can be paid.
Senate Committee Approves Drone Ban in Florida Skies, With Some Police Exceptions
The ban on unmanned drones used by police in Florida would include exceptions for use with a search warrant or in certain cases, as when a child in danger. The measure (SB 92) was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
16-Year-Old Matanzas High Student Accused Of Raping 14-Year-Old in School Stairwell
D’Shawn Hosang, who was on probation for burglaries in July, was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl Monday morning after both students had secured hall passes while the rest of the school was in second period.
Citing “Sorry State of Affairs,” Sullen Flagler Library Board Asking for a New Tax to Survive
The Flagler County Library Board of Trustees chairman’s report to the county commission this evening is sullen and frustrated in tone, and at times directly critical of the commission for too stingily supporting the library over the past few years. It will also ask for the creation of a new taxing district to support the library.
State Health Agency Corrects Inflated Costs of Obamacare Scott Had Used to Oppose Reform
Florida’s costs could be as low as $3 billion over 10 years — a huge drop from the nearly $26 billion figure that AHCA produced in a report last month. Even with the changes, it appears that the Scott administration believes that the state’s final tab over 10 years would be higher.
Arming Teachers Isn’t Enough: A Proposal of Modest Caliber
The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre is proposing having an armed guard in every school. That’s insane, because it’s not enough: teachers, principals, librarians, counselors, bus drivers should all be armed, and of course children, too, should be armed.
Richard Resnicoff, 68, of Grand Haven, Is Killed in a Puzzling Incident With His Wife
Richard Resnicoff, 68, was killed two houses down from his own in Grand Haven when he apparently jumped on the trunk of the car driven by his wife, Lucille Horton, and fell to the pavement, dying of severe injuries shortly after, on Saturday afternoon.
Rick Scott’s Lies: How Governor Intentionally Kept Using Wrong Medicaid Estimates
The state’s chief economist has warned the staff of Gov. Rick Scott that his Medicaid cost estimates are wrong, but Scott keeps using them anyway, skewing Florida’s costs under the Affordable Health Act.
Body Found in Marsh in Back of House Where Man Was Reported Missing in December
The body was discovered in the marsh behind 16 Covington Lane in Palm Coast Friday afternoon, when neighbors noticed vultures and had cited a smell emanating from where the body lay.
For Onan’s Sake Gentlemen, Please Keep Your Penises Holstered at Graham Swamp
For the third time in four months, men were arrested at Graham Swamp for acts involving the public display, and public handling, of a penis, this time involving 70-year-old Leslie Colombo and 68-year-old Charles Bitzer, who had separate encounters with men who turned out to be undercover cops.
John Thrasher, Travis Hutson, Plus One: Airing Out Flagler’s Legislative Delegation
The inaugural guests on Milissa Holland Live Friday on WNZF will be Holland’s ex-opponent Rep. Travis Hutson, and Sen. John Thrasher, as Holland hosts an informall follow-up to December’s at-times contentious legislative delegation meeting on short-term rentals and other issues of local concern.
Bill to Repeal “Stand Your Ground” Is Filed In Florida, But May Be Dead on Arrival
Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, filed the measure on Wednesday, but it would have to get past Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who co-sponsored the self-defense law in 2005, though Baxley has often said that the law was never intended to protect those who pursue their victims.
Accused Chilean Murderer Pedro Pablo Barrientos Buys a Home in Deltona
Barrientos was recently accused by an investigating judge in Chile of the murder in September of 1973 of the internationally popular theater director, teacher and folk/protest singer Victor Jara, then 40 years old.
Hit-and-Run Fischer Case Set for March 25 Trial in Flagler, With Upwards of 60 Witnesses
The more than 60 witnesses on the trial list suggest the defense will undermine claims of a first-degree felony hit-and-run charge against Jamesine Fischer by focusing on her character and inconsistencies in witness statements, contrasted with the statements of expert witnesses.
Spying on Grandma: Health Companies Sell Surveillance as a Benefit and a Saving
Health care is joining a national trend toward greater surveillance of everyday life. Whether this costly technology will ultimately prove clinically or economically effective remains uncertain. So, too, is whether a benign health care purpose can help overcome the unsettling “Big Brother” overtones.
The Funky Pelican Finally, Quietly Opens In Place of the Pier Restaurant in Flagler Beach
The Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach, a sister-restaurant of the River Grille in Ormond Beach, replaced–after protracted negotiations with the Flagler Beach City Commission–what had for years been the Pier Restaurant, which had long been in decline.
Florida’s Election System Disgrace: Too Few Precincts or Too Long Ballots?
The ballot was long in part because the Legislature exempted itself from a 75-word limit on ballot summaries that applies to interest groups that put forth proposed amendments. And in some cases, the entire text of the amendment was listed.
Cinderella With a Russian Twist and a Manly Stepmother Before Midnight at Auditorium
There are thousands of variants of Cinderella around the world. The State Theater of Russia brings its own to the Flagler Auditorium Thursday evening at 7:30, with color and surprises to spare.
Quoting—and Misquoting—Jefferson, Sheriff Vows Agency Will Breathe Air of Integrity
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre’s swearing-in featured a large-tent invitation and sharp contrasts of style and intentions with the eight years of Don Fleming, but also a reminder from Manfre that imperfection is universal.
New Sheriff In Town: Jim Manfre Wastes No Time Firing, Demoting and Reorganizing
Even before he was to be sworn in at noon Tuesday, Sheriff Jim Manfre had radically reorganized the sheriff’s office in a manner bound to stir a mixture of resentment and approval, signaling an aggressively ambitious agenda.
Flagler Beach Fire Chief and 3 Others On Leave as Drinking Allegations Trigger Investigation
Fire Chief Martin Roberts, Assistant fire Chief Shane Wood, firefighter Jacob Bissonette and Fire Police Captain Steve Wood have been placed on leave following now-acting fire chief Robert Pace’s allegations that they had drank at the station or answered a fire call under the influence.
One-Fifth of Florida’s Nursing Homes Are On the State’s Watch List for Violations
Twelve of the homes have been on the the state Agency for Health Care Administration’s watch list for more than 100 days. The best way to pick a home for a loved one is to simply visit it, or to check a nursing home inspection database (link included).
Showing Cops the Middle Finger
When John Swartz was arrested for flipping off a cop, he sued, and appears headed for a win–as he should: rude expression is not a crime, and the obscenity is far surpassed by that of cops exercising arbitrary authority over bruised egos.
Put God Back in Public Schools?
If we’re going to put God back in schools, which God are we talking about? Adam Hamilton, founding pastor of a United Methodist Church, calmly argues against the notion that God has ever left the public schools, and need not be forced back in.
Bill Filed in Florida to Repeal Red-Light Cameras as State Report Points to Fewer Crashes
A South Florida lawmaker filed legislation Friday to repeal the law allowing the use of red light cameras, following a report earlier this week that says intersections where they’re used have seen drops in crashes in most places.
Obama Rule Gives 1 Million Undocumented Immigrants Clearer Path to Legal Status
Many of Florida’s 700,000 undocumented immigrants would be eligible for the new path to the permanent residency status that is also a step toward citizenship as the Obama administration recalibrates the immigration issue.
Economy Unimpressively Adds 155,000 Jobs in Holiday Month as Unemployment Rises to 7.8%
The American economy cannot shake its anemia, adding 155,000 jobs in December–not quite good enough to keep up with normal growth in the labor force, as unemployment edged back up to 7.8 percent.
Questions and Costs Abound as Flagler Moves to Acquire Troubled Plantation Bay Utility
Flagler County commissioners had more questions than answers even as they approved going ahead with a $5 million acquisition of the deteriorated Plantation Bay water and sewer plant, and throwing the county, in a hazy partnership with Bunnell, in the utility business for the first time.
Mondex’s Kenneth Morrow Is Shot and Killed in a Suicidal Confrontation With Volusia Cops
Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies attempting to negotiate with a suicidal man armed with a handgun opened fire and killed 52-year-old Kenneth Morrow of Daytona North Wednesday evening in Ormond Beach after Morrow “advanced” on deputies while brandishing a gun, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
On the Road 47 Years, Florence LaRue and The 5th Dimension Land at Flagler Auditorium
The Flagler Auditorium Friday evening kicks off 2013 with Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension, one of the most popular groups of the late 1960s and early 70s, though only LaRue remains from the original group.
Quality Concerns as Florida Medicaid Moves Millions of Poor and Elderly to Managed Care
Senior said much of the state’s negotiations with federal officials have focused on safeguards to make sure that Medicaid’s new Florida version would be based on providing services in people’s homes and communities and would not be a “nursing home light” system..
From Poughkeepsie to WNZF: The Evolution Of a Campaigner for Flagler County
In her debut column for FlaglerLive, Milissa Holland traces the journey that brought her from New York to Palm Coast and her father’s influence, in life and death, on a career still defined–as it will be in writings and on her radio talk show–by her passion for Flagler County.
In Prenup Haggling, County and Bunnell Agree to Split Old Courthouse, With Sheriff in Annex
In an at-times tense joint meeting between the Flagler County Commission and Bunnell’s commission, the two sides agreed to cede the old courthouse to Bunnell for a city hall, but the courthouse annex would remain in county ownership, and be turned over to the sheriff as a new headquarters.
Fiscal Deal Delays Big Cuts in Food Stamps For Florida’s Poor, and Farm Reform
The nine-month extension would ignore comprehensive packages by the agriculture committees of both chambers, including provisions for dairy industry reform, disaster relief and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
A Hop and a Cliff, Killing the Death Penalty, Betraying Veterans: Five Reads Wednesday
Demolishing evidence of death penalty’s effectiveness, a tax increase for 77 percent of households, Stephen Colbert on the greatness we never weren’t, genocide in Syria, how Cosmo ruins sex, Flagler jail bookings.