Circuit Judge Terence Perkins has denied a motion by 22-year-old Tyrese Patterson’s attorney to exclude a long confession from his upcoming trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in a crossfire in Bunnell two years ago. That confession includes details about what led up to the killing, and how Patterson described his relationship with Smith as “best friends” who hung out together frequently. Startlingly, he also said the killing had not changed him.
Main Content
Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, March 18, 2024
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Superintendent ‘Would Be Surprised or Shocked’ By County’s Move Away from School Deputy Support
Dampening the county’s hopes to reduce the $1 million it contributes to the School Board to pay for sheriff’s deputies in every school–and more in other “legacy” contributions, as the county calls them–Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore says she does not see how the community would accept a retreat from the combined commitment by the School Board and the County Commission.
Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless and Others Opens Tuesday Evening
The Sheltering Tree will open the Flagler County cold-weather shelter Tuesday night–March 19–at Church on the Rock in Bunnell. The shelter is run entirely by a corps of Sheltering Tree volunteers, who operate in teams.
Florida Spring Break: Come for the Sunshine, Stay for the Measles.
Too many dunderheads are buying what dangerous anti-vaxxers like Ron DeSantis and his pet quack Joseph Ladapo are selling, so the measles virus is roaring back in Florida as the governor basks in a series of retro-reactionary new laws, from the end of the DEI movement in state universities to the ban on local governments’ attempts to treat their workers humanely in the face of climate change–a pair of words disallowed in the governor’s administration.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Shooting in Bunnell Leaves a 20-Year-Old Man in Critical Condition
A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after suffering gunshot wounds in Bunnell late Saturday night, according to Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon.
Paul Renner Vaunts His Tenure as Speaker and the Millions He Steered to Flagler, But Evades Saying What’s Next
House Speaker Paul Renner, the Republican who has represented Palm Coast at the Legislature for the last eight years, spoke for the first time at length about the record $150 million in appropriations he helped steer toward Flagler County while boasting of a successful session that increased money “across the board” for roads, schools, health care and green spaces. But he remained mum about his future as his term-limited tenure ends this year.
Flagler Beach Commission Authorizes Up to $22 Million in Loans for Pier Demolition and Reconstruction
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday unanimously approved a measure authorizing the city administration to temporarily borrow money internally for pier demolition, design and reconstruction costs now estimated to be $18 million. The debt would be repaid by a tax-exempt financing note, itself to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency dollars.
City Rep Theatre’s ‘Vinegar Tom’ Explores the Psychology of Witch-Finding
“ ‘Vinegar Tom’ uses the hunt for witches in the 17th century as a tool to investigate the subjugation of women in a male-dominated society,” says City Rep director John Sbordone. “The lessons of the past are reflected in many aspects of our own society.”
Census Bureau: Flagler County’s Population Was 131,500 Last July, an Increase of 16,000 in Three Years
Flagler County is again among the faster-growing counties in the nation, but not among the fastest. The county added 16,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, a 14 percent increase beginning to resemble the population surge of the early 2000s that was halted by the housing crash. Put another way: the county has grown by a population equivalent to more than three times the size of Flagler Beach in that brief span. Just since 2010, the county has grown by 40,000 people.
Houston Had a Problem. Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Solved It: Suspected Armed Robber Arrested in Palm Coast
Asdrubal Rios Rodriguez, 35, was arrested amid a swarm of deputies, Glocks and rifles drawn, Tuesday on Palm Coast Parkway after authorities received an advisory from Houston police that the Tahoe Rodriguez was driving was connected with an armed robbery at a jewelry store. Some $79,000 in cash and several pieces of gold jewelry were found in the Tahoe.
After Torrent of Drainage Complaints, Only 2 Have Applied for Palm Coast’s New Advisory Committee So Far
Considering the throngs of complaints about drainage problems caused by new construction and the way they upended city priorities, it would not have been unreasonable for the council to expect that there’d be a flood of applicants to serve on the newly created Residential Drainage Citizens Advisory Committee meant to explore solutions. Three weeks into the application process, it hasn’t happened yet. Only two people have applied.
Wrongfully Arrested Migrant To Be Freed on Immigration Bond as Civil Rights Suit Is Filed Against St. Johns Sheriff
Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, the Guatemalan migrant who had been wrongfully arrested outside his motel in St. Johns County last May and charged with manslaughter after the sudden death by heart attack of his arresting deputy, is to be released from federal custody on an immigration bond this week. On Tuesday, one of his attorneys filed an amended federal lawsuit accusing St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick of violating Mendez’s civil rights.
Thieving Trio Leads Cops on Chase From Target Shopping Center Before Crashing into Retention Pond
A thieving trio wanted on numerous warrants from other counties or on probation allegedly got away with $1,837 worth of merchandise from two Palm Coast businesses before leading police on a chase along State Road 100 and crashing into a retention pond near the intersection with I-95 Tuesday afternoon.
Imagine 2050: Residents Fear Small-Town Tranquility Is History as City Plans for Its Long-Term Future
Preserve the city’s greenery, temper growth, manage roads, bring in more businesses and arts and culture choices: those are some of the major themes gathered from thousands of interactions with Palm Coast residents and synthesized for the Palm Coast City Council today as it heard a mid-point update in its year-long rewrite of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, the long-term blueprint for growth and how the city imagines itself at half century.
Rights-Of-Way Ban on Realtor or Any Signs Will Remain as Palm Coast Moves to Adopt New Ordinance
Nine years after its attorney said it would have to change its sign ordinance to comply with a new Supreme Court ruling, the Palm Coast City Council appears ready to adopt those new rules and maintain a long-standing ban on Realtor or other signs in rights-of-way, except for government signs.
The Conversation
Why Are Chinese Migrants At the Southern Border?
In many cases those attempting to make the crossing are small-business owners who saw irreparable damage to their primary or sole source of income due to China’s “zero COVID” policies. The migrants are women, men and, in some cases, children accompanying parents from all over China. The dramatic uptick is the result of a confluence of factors that range from a slowing Chinese economy and tightening political control by President Xi Jinping.
Florida and Beyond
Yes, GOP Sexism Helped Defeat Haley
Research confirms that individuals who supported Trump display much higher levels of sexism than those who favored Haley. In her challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, Haley, like female candidates across the partisan divide, contended with the familiar foe of sexism in the electorate.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, March 17, 2024
Caryl Churchill’s ‘Vinegar Tom,’ at City Repertory Theatre, the farmer’s market at European Village, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and not just “The Yellow Wall-Paper.”
The National Guard Is Not a Solution to School Violence
School violence and disruptions are serious problems that can harm students. Unfortunately, schools and educators have increasingly viewed student misbehavior as a problem to be dealt with through suspensions and policing. While a National Guard presence may address misbehavior temporarily, their presence could similarly result in students experiencing punitive or exclusionary responses to behavior.
Briefs and Releases
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Is Here: Tips to Be Caring
Egg’Stravaganza 2024: A Celebration of Spring in Palm Coast
St. Johns County Commits to Keeping IMAX Theater Open
AdventHealth Foundation Leads Community Business Drive to Donate 4 Defibrillators to Bunnell Police
Vice President Kamala Harris Will Visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on March 23
More Florida and Beyond
The Truth About St. Patrick’s Day
The Festival of St. Patrick began in the 17th century as a religious and cultural commemoration of the bishop who brought Christianity to Ireland. In Ireland, there’s still an important religious and cultural component to the holiday, even as it has simply become an excuse to wear green and heavily drink in the rest of the world.
Cash Bail: Unfair, and a Violation of Due Process
When arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, everyone in the United States has the right to due process and to defend themselves in court. But in a cash bail system, when judges set bail amounts, those who cannot pay the full amount remain jailed indefinitely — a clear violation of their due process rights — while the rich can pay their way out of jail.
DeSantis Says Undocumented Immigrants Will ‘Regret’ Coming to Florida as He Signs Harsher Penalties Into Law
One bill doesn’t mention migrants specifically but imposes a mandatory 10-day jail sentence for a third or subsequent conviction for driving without a license or with a license that has been suspended, cancelled, or revoked. Another bumps criminal penalties for people who commit felonies after having been deported and returning to the United States.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Food Truck Palooza, Kick-off for the annual Food-A-Thon at FPC, Caryl Churchill’s ‘Vinegar Tom,’ at City Repertory Theatre, Live From the Waterworks, and You’ve Got Mail: how long it took letters to travel 500 years ago.
The Anthropocene: How the Human Era of Planet-Desecration Got Its Controversial Name
When people talk about the “Anthropocene,” they typically picture the vast impact human societies are having on the planet, from rapid declines in biodiversity to increases in Earth’s temperature by burning fossil fuels. Such massive planetary changes did not begin all at once at any single place or time.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 15, 2024
“Vinegar Tom,” at City Repertory Theatre, The Blue 24 Forum, still-going early voting for the non-election, how Disney priced out Floridians, and how Saddam Hussein rebuilt Babylon.
A New Moon Shot. Sort Of.
The recent Odysseus landing stands out for two reasons. For starters, this is the first time a US-built spacecraft has landed – not crashed – on the Moon for over 50 years. Secondly, and far more significantly, this is the first time a private company has pulled off a successful delivery of cargo to the Moon’s surface.
Watchdog Groups Call on Gov. DeSantis to Veto Ethics Bill Restricting Investigations of Corruption
A coalition of state watchdog groups have sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling on him to veto an ethics bill that prohibits ethics commissions from pursuing any investigation of public officials or candidates for public office unless it comes from an individual “based on personal knowledge or information other than hearsay.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 14, 2024
Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series: “Fish Ecology in a Rapidly Changing World,” the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, George Templeton Strong exults about the 1864 election, who is really voting in this early voting window and why is anyone bothering?
Ramadan Finds Greater Recognition in America’s Public Schools
Ramadan – the Islamic month of fasting – began at sunset on March 10 and the first day of fasting was Monday. Amaarah DeCuir, who researches Muslim student experiences, offers insights into how public schools can move toward greater recognition of the sacred Islamic month.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Early voting, but who really cares, the 2024 Health and Human Services Summit at the Ocean Center, Separation Chat, drilling down into the intellectual dishonesty of claims of double standards in reporting about Israel.
Commentary
Betty Smith’s ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ at 80
The New York in the 1940s, the setting for Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” was not the city we know today. The Empire State Building had not reached its full height, nor had the statue of “Alice in Wonderland” taken up residence in Central Park. Brooklyn, too, was still becoming itself – and no other 20th-century American novel did quite so much for the borough’s reputation.
Big Night at the Oscars. But ‘Oppenheimer’ Is a Disappointment and a Lost Opportunity
“Oppenheimer”‘s narrative has long informed how Hollywood and the U.S. media have addressed nuclear weapons. It paints the bombs’ creation as a morally fraught but necessary project. There is something that strikes me as so inward-looking to this narrative – it is so focused on the stress over losing an arms race, on fears of making a mistake, on anxiety over what would happen if bombs were to one day be dropped on the U.S. – that it drowns out what actually did happen after the bombs were detonated.
Legal Or Not, Only Immigrants Can Save America
The United States avoided a recession largely because of a surge in immigration, and its economic output is expected to be $7 trillion higher over the next 10 years largely because of immigration–legal or not: the Congressional Budget Office doesn’t distinguish between the two. As native-born fertility declines and Americans age, the country cannot afford to close its borders. Those immigrants at the border aren’t an invasion. They’re not a crisis. They’re a lifeline: theirs and ours.