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Weather: Patchy frost in the morning. Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 30s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 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: Docket sounding originally scheduled in the case of Michael Jennelle today has been rescheduled to Feb. 5. Jennelle faces a capital felony, three life felonies and a second degree felony, all related to the alleged abuse of a girl–his granddaughter, whom he adopted as his daughter–from the time she was 7 to when she was about 10. The prosecution is not seeking the death penalty. See: “As Trial Is Set for Man on Charges of Raping His Granddaughter, Judge Asks: “You Want To Put Her Through That?’”
The Cold-Weather Shelter known as the Sheltering Tree will open tonight: The shelter opens at Church on the Rock at 2200 North State Street in Bunnell as the overnight temperature is expected to fall to 40 or below. It will open from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. The shelter is open to the homeless and to the nearly-homeless: anyone who is struggling to pay a utility bill or lacks heat or shelter and needs a safe, secure place for the night. The shelter will serve dinner and breakfast. Call 386-437-3258, extension 105 for more information. Flagler County Transportation offers free bus rides from pick up points in the county, starting at 3 p.m., at the following locations and times:
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center, 3:30 p.m.
- Near the McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree by Carrabba’s and Walmart, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, 4:45 p.m.
Also: - Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 4:30 p.m.
- First United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 4:30 p.m.
The shelter is run by volunteers of the Sheltering Tree, a non-profit under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center, is a non-denominational civic organization. The Sheltering Tree is in need of donations. See the most needed items here, and to contribute cash, donate here or go to the Donate button at this page.
The Public Safety Coordinating Council meets at 8:45 a.m. at the Emergency Operations Center, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. 3, Bunnell. See the agenda here.
Flagler County Legislative Delegation Meeting, 1 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. Representative Sam Greco, Chair of the Flagler County Legislative Delegation, and Sen. Tom Leek will hear legislative requests from local governments, non-profits and citizens. The meeting is open to the public.
The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets at 10 a.m. at City Hall.
River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets at 9 a.m. at the Airline Room at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The TPO’s planning oversight includes all of Volusia County and the developed areas of eastern Flagler County including Beverly Beach and Flagler Beach as well as portions of the cities of Palm Coast and Bunnell, with board member representation from each of those jurisdictions. The committee is responsible for reviewing plans, policies, and procedures and rank priority projects as they relate to bicycle and pedestrian issues within the TPO planning area. See the full agendas here. To join the meeting electronically, go here.
Separation Chat, Open Discussion: The Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State hosts an open, freewheeling discussion on the topic here in our community, around Florida and throughout the United States, noon to 1 p.m. at Pine Lakes Golf Club Clubhouse Pub & Grillroom (no purchase is necessary), 400 Pine Lakes Pkwy, Palm Coast (0.7 miles from Belle Terre Parkway). Call (386) 445-0852 for best directions. All are welcome! Everyone’s voice is important. For further information email [email protected] or call Merrill at 804-914-4460.
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library: Do you enjoy Chess, trying out new moves, or even like some friendly competition? Come visit the Flagler County Public Library at the Teen Spot every Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. for Chess Club. Everyone is welcome, for beginners who want to learn how to play all the way to advanced players. For more information contact the Youth Service department 386-446-6763 ext. 3714 or email us at [email protected]
Notably: Few places in the United States so bluntly signal the decline of this country to second-rate, if not third-world, status than its airports and its airlines–these degrading, dehumanizing funnels of mandatory submission to cauldrons of discomforts, body odors, stench, noise, germs, invaded spaces, delays, curt labor if it’s present, pre-Rosetta Stone signage, Berzhnev-era cues, idiotic protocols–load a plane from front to back? really?–and that supreme American specialty you really don’t see as much in many other cultures, indifference to one’s neighbor. These horrors are particular to the United States: “According to SkyTrax World Airport Awards, an annual set of awards based on passenger satisfaction surveys, the highest rated airport in North America is Vancouver International in Canada at number 24,” the New York Times reported in 2021. “Houston George Bush Intercontinental, at number 25, is the highest-ranking American airport, with Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International next at 42. Only 14 American airports are in the top 100, which is currently led by Hamad International Airport in Qatar.” The Federal Aviation Administration reports that in 2023, some 1.04 billion passengers flew in the United States, an average of 2.86 million per day, just under the 2019 record of 2.9 million. The numbers include small planes. Still. the total is enormous, in an air traffic system built for a fraction of the load. We don’t plan new airports any more than we do new nuclear plants. Something tells me nuclear plants are not as deadly as airports. “But,” the BBC reported in 2015, “the International Air Transport Association projects that 1.4 billion passengers will travel through US airports in 2034 – up from 850 million in 2014.”
—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.
January 2025
Monday, Jan 13
Ribbon-Cutting at the New Tennis Courts at Palm Coast’s Southern Rec Center
Southern Recreation Center
Monday, Jan 13
Daniel Rodriguez Trial
Flagler County courthouse
Monday, Jan 13 – Monday, Oct 13
Flagler County Commission Workshop
Government Services Building
Monday, Jan 13
Flagler County Land Acquisition Committee
Government Services Building, First Floor Conference Room
Monday, Jan 13
Flagler County Library Board of Trustees
Flagler County Public Library
Monday, Jan 13
Flagler County Commission Evening Meeting
Government Services Building
Monday, Jan 13
Nar-Anon Family Group
St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church
Tuesday, Jan 14
Palm Coast City Council Workshop
Tuesday, Jan 14
Community Traffic Safety Team Meeting
Third Floor Conference Room, Government Services Building
Tuesday, Jan 14
St. Johns River Water Management District Meeting
St. Johns River Water Management District
Tuesday, Jan 14
Flagler County School Board Workshop: Agenda Items
Government Services Building
Tuesday, Jan 14
Flagler Beach Library Book Club
315 South 7th Street, Flagler Beach
Tuesday, Jan 14
Flagler County Planning Board Meeting
Tuesday, Jan 14
Random Acts of Insanity Standup Comedy
Cinematique of Daytona Beach
No event found!
For the full calendar, go here.
Fact-checkers had a field day with Donald Trump’s Monday night debate performance, finding fault with his claims on a wide array of subjects, from Barack Obama’s birthplace to whether he has denied climate change. But one statement he made largely evaded scrutiny. “Our airports are like from a third-world country,” he said during a brief exchange on American infrastructure, specifically mentioning New York’s three international airports and Los Angeles International Airport. More Trump hyperbole? Actually, no. This might be a rare Trump understatement. […] [P]art of the answer can be traced to a related trend: the poor performance of American airlines compared with international rivals. While places such as Qatar and Abu Dhabi compete for those flying between Europe, Asia and America, who can choose to make stopovers in any number of midpoints, American cities do not really benefit from such international layover traffic—or feel the need to compete for it. So while both Singapore Changi (the top airport) and Emirates (the top airline) add new amenities to lure international travellers, America’s carriers and hubs are more focused on the dominant domestic market, where there isn’t as much competition or pressure to improve. Likewise, while some governments invest heavily and directly in their flagship airports (and airlines), budgets in America are often controlled by hamstrung airport authorities. […] But America’s airports “like from a third-world country”? It may be some time before they reach those heights.
–From “Donald Trump is right: America’s airports are awful,” The Economist, Sept. 29, 2016.
The Cartoon and Live Briefing Archive.
