To include your event in the Briefing and Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Weather: Mostly clear. Highs in the mid 80s. Lows in the upper 60s.
- 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:
General Election Early Voting is available today in Bunnell, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at five locations. Any registered and qualified voter who is eligible to vote in a county-wide election may vote in person at any of the early voting site, regardless of assigned precinct. According to Florida law, every voter must present a Florida driver’s license, a Florida identification card or another form of acceptable picture and signature identification in order to vote. If you do not present the required identification or if your eligibility cannot be determined, you will only be permitted to vote a provisional ballot. Don’t forget your ID. A couple of secure drop boxes that Ron DeSantis and the GOP legislature haven’t yet banned (also known as Secure Ballot Intake Stations) are available at the entrance of the Elections Office and at any early voting site during voting hours. The locations are as follows:
- Flagler County Elections Supervisor’s Office, Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell.
- Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast.
- Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE.
- Palm Coast’s Southern Recreation Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway.
- Flagler Beach United Methodist Church, 1520 South Daytona Avenue, Flagler Beach.
See a sample ballot here. See the Live Interviews with all local candidates below.
In Court: Lawsuit over Palm Coast’s debt referendum: Circuit Judge Chris France hears lawyers’ arguments in a motion for a temporary injunction that would require the removal from the ballot, or the prevention of ballots results from being counted, in Palm Coast government’s referendum asking voters about changing the city charter to remove limits on the city’s borrowing and leasing authority. The hearing is at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 403 at the Flagler County Courthouse. See:
Daisy Henry Street Renaming: Bunnell government renames a portion of East Drain Street in the south part of the city after Daisy Henry, the long-time city commissioner and a local icon who was all but synonymous with life around and beyond Drain Street. The street will be called Daisy Henry Street. The ceremony is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of East Drain Street and South Pine St. in Bunnell, with ample parking near Carver Gym.
Free For All Fridays with Host David Ayres, an hour-long public affairs radio show featuring local newsmakers, personalities, public health updates and the occasional surprise guest, starts a little after 9 a.m. after FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam’s Reality Check. Today’s guest: Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri. See previous podcasts here. On WNZF at 94.9 FM and 1550 AM.
First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, 6400 North Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast, 10 a.m. Join a Ranger the First Friday of every month for a garden walk. Learn about the history of Washington Oaks while exploring the formal gardens. The walk is approximately one hour. No registration required. Walk included with park entry fee. Participants meet in the Garden parking lot. The event is free with paid admission fee to the state park: $5 per vehicle. (Limit 2-8 people per vehicle) $4 per single-occupant vehicle. Call (386) 446-6783 for more information or by email: [email protected].
Jake’s Women, By Neil Simon, at City Rep Theatre, 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday, at City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway (City Marketplace, Suite B207), Palm Coast. $25 for adults, $15 for students. Dive into the intricate world of Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women, where writer Jake’s troubled marriage to Maggie intertwines with his vivid conversations with his deceased wife Julie, his daughter Molly, his sister Karen, and his psychiatrist Edith. This captivating performance is packed with laughs and emotional depth.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s National Night Out is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. at Flagler Palm Coast High School, 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast. It’s free. Join the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League, and community partners for a night of fun, food, and safety information. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
The Blue 24 Forum, a discussion group organized by local Democrats, meets at 12:15 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE. Come and add your voice to local, state and national political issues.
Maze Days at Cowart Ranch, Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Cowart Ranch and Farms, 8185 West Highway 100, Bunnell. $15 per person, children 2 and under free. Get lost on a 5 acre walk through maze (approximately 30-60 minute adventure). Pick the perfect carver or edible pumpkin at our Pumpkin Patch with lots of sunflowers and of picture opportunities! Some pumpkins grown right here on the farm. Try to spot the cattle herd on the Tractor driven Hayrides (approximately 15 minutes). Get up close and friendly with farm animals. (Chickens, goats, calves, pigs and more!) Pony Rides! (Not included with entry- $8 or 2 for $15 & legal guardian must sign waiver). Challenge your friends and family at our hand pumped water driven Ducky Dash game. Roll and Race down our NEW Rat Race game that’s a Ratatoullie blast. And plenty more.
First Friday in Flagler Beach, the monthly festival of music, food and leisure, is scheduled for this evening at Downtown’s Veterans Park, 105 South 2nd Street, from 5 to 9 p.m. The event is overseen by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and run by Laverne M. Shank Jr. and Surf 97.3.
Free Family Art Night: “Textured Turtles”, Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, 78 East Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach. All art supplies are provided. No art experience is needed, and all ages are welcome. Free Family Art Night is a popular, monthly program typically scheduled on the first Friday of each month to coordinate with the free, family-friendly movie shown outdoors at Rockefeller Gardens. The two programs offer a stimulating evening for families, at no charge, in the heart of downtown Ormond Beach. Our art program takes place in the OMAM Classroom, rain or shine, but the City’s outdoor movies are weather dependent. Movie information can be found here or call The Casements at 386-676-3216.
| In Coming Days: Oct. 30-31: The Halloween Hall of Terror is back at Palm Coast Fire Station 21, 9 Corporate Drive in Palm Coast. Monday, Oct. 30 and Tuesday, Oct.31 from 7 to 10 p.m. This year’s event promises to be better than ever with a ‘Greatest Slashers’ theme, incorporating some of the horror genres biggest icons of the past 50 years. And new for 2024, visitors can indulge in a variety of delicious offerings from food trucks as they await their turn to tour the spine-chilling haunted house. Parking is available in the lot adjacent to the firehouse on corporate drive, with overflow parking available in the Kohl’s parking lot. This year, the City of Palm Coast is offering a limited number of ‘RIP’ fast pass tickets again, giving winners front-of-the-line access. To enter, follow the City of Palm Coast’s Facebook page during the week of October 21-25 and answer daily horror film trivia questions. Winners will be announced each day, so don’t miss your chance to skip the line and dive straight into the horror. Last year’s Hall of Terror set a new attendance record with nearly 5,000 visitors over the two-day span, and this year is expected to draw an even larger crowd. As always, the event is free and open to all ages, though adult supervision is recommended for attendees under 13. Please note that the event features strobe lights, fog, and other special effects. Those with epilepsy or sensory sensitivities are invited to join us for a special sensory-friendly walkthrough of the Hall of Terror from 6-7pm on both nights of the event. |
Notably: This was different. It was an email from YouTube. Subject line: “Need help? You’re not alone.” The email begins: “We’re reaching out because members of the YouTube Community, including fellow creators, viewers, or staff, have expressed concern for your safety or wellbeing after coming across content you posted with topics related to suicide or self-harm.” It then provides a link to a video FlaglerLive posted, from footage by the Sheriff’s Office of an attempted suicide by cop at the county courthouse–in March 2017. The email goes on: “If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thinking or self-harming, know there is help and you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon to turn to suicidal thinking and self-harm as ways to cope with painful emotions. Talking to someone can help you process these emotions, as well as get support through a difficult time.” I appreciate the sentiment, though it’s part of that push by social media companies to fend off litigation as lives are lost to doomscrolling and such. (The New Yorker just ran a long piece on that: “Has Social Media Fuelled a Teen-Suicide Crisis?”) But YouTube’s concern seems a bit late: seven years is a long time to wait before sending a note of concern, even if it’s by a toddler AI utility YouTube just installed. I imagine it’s the first of many. And for all its cynically-minded good intentions, I find it creepily intrusive and no different than if a government agency, the local sheriff or some well-meaning non-profit were to invade my inbox uninvited, because of something I’ve posted somewhere (in this case, it’s FlaglerLive’s work, though it’s unfortunately tied to my account on YouTube). “We care about you,” the email claims. I have my doubts.
—P.T.
Now this:
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.
October 2024
Wednesday, Oct 16
Tourist Development Council Meeting
Government Services Building
November 2024
Friday, Nov 01
Daisy Henry Street Renaming
George Washington Carver Community Center
Friday, Nov 01
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
Friday, Nov 01
General Election Early Voting in Flagler County
Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office
Friday, Nov 01
First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
Friday, Nov 01
Hearing in Lawsuit Over Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum
Flagler County courthouse
Friday, Nov 01
Blue 24 Forum
Palm Coast Community Center
Friday, Nov 01
Maze Days at Cowart Ranch
Friday, Nov 01
Sheriff’s National Night Out at FPC
Flagler Palm Coast High School
Friday, Nov 01
First Friday in Flagler Beach
Friday, Nov 01
Free Family Art Night at Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens
Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
Friday, Nov 01
Jake’s Women, By Neil Simon, at City Rep Theatre
City Repertory Theatre at City Marketplace
Saturday, Nov 02
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Law Office of Scott Spradley
Saturday, Nov 02
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
315 South 7th Street, Flagler Beach
Saturday, Nov 02
Maze Days at Cowart Ranch
No event found!
For the full calendar, go here.
I have conducted dozens of interviews with young survivors of suicide attempts, and few mentioned social media as a factor. They pointed to a sense of impotence and purposelessness; climate change; the brutal language of modern politics; intolerance for their gender, race, or sexuality; bleak financial prospects and diminished social mobility; an inability ever to feel that they had caught up, as though their brains were slower than their lives; and acute loneliness, even among those who appeared not to be lonely. […] A McKinsey Health Institute survey of forty-two thousand people in twenty-six countries found that social-media engagement may facilitate mental-health support and connection. Young people can play games on Discord and catch up with friends on Instagram and Snapchat. Those who are isolated find like-minded people. Immigrants build community with others who share their language and culture. Gina Neff, the Cambridge technology researcher, grew up in the hill country of eastern Kentucky. “Kids who are gay in Appalachia find the Internet and it is a lifesaver,” she said. Smartphones can save lives in other ways. Randy P. Auerbach, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University, has been using phone tracking to monitor suicide risk. He measures changes in sleep patterns (many teens look at their phones right before and after sleep), changes in movement (depressed people move less), and changes in vocabulary and punctuation (people in despair start using personal pronouns more often). Matthew Nock, a clinical psychologist at Harvard and a MacArthur Fellow, has been examining the relationship between text-message frequency and mental vulnerability. Most suicides today, he said, come at the end of a “trail of digital bread crumbs.” Young people who are not responding to their peers—or whose messages no longer receive responses—may be in trouble. Nock’s research team uses cell-phone tracking to determine when people are at highest risk and calls or messages them. “We haven’t equipped the field with the tools to find, predict, and prevent suicide, in the way we’ve done for other medical problems,” he said. “We just haven’t developed the tools, other than to ask people, ‘How are you doing? Are you hopeless? Are you depressed? Do you think you’re going to kill yourself?,’ which is not a very accurate predictor. We should be taking advantage of advances in computing and statistics to do what human brains can’t.”
–From From Andrew Solomon’s “Has Social Media Fuelled a Teen-Suicide Crisis?,” The New Yorker, Sept. 30, 2024.
The Cartoon and Live Briefing Archive.
