Tuesday Briefing: Flagler Firefighters Head West, PalmCoast Talks Code Enforcement, Ann Beattie ReturnsAnnBeattie is back with a new collection of stories. See below.Today: high in low 90s, low in mid 70s. Details here.Today's fire danger is moderate. Flagler County's Drought Index is at 426.The weather in Port Elizabeth, South Africa: high65, low 42. Details.Today's document from the National Archives.The OED's Word of the Day: Sret, n.The Live Community CalendarToday's jail bookings.Today's Briefing: Quick LinksIn Flagler and Palm Coast:Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwiseindicated. Many can be heard or seen live through each agency's website.The meeting of the Flagler County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, scheduled for 8:30 thismorning, was cancelled.The Palm Coast City Council meets for a workshop at 9 a.m. at city offices, City Marketplace. Themeeting starts with what ought to be an interesting discussion on the at-times controversial-becausesubjective-code-enforcement process. The council will also hear another budget presentation, thisone focused on the capital fund, special revenue and proprietary funds.The Flagler County Planning and Development Board meets at 6 p.m. in board chambers at theGovernment Services Building. It's all cell towers tonight: Topping the agenda are applications forthree variances from NexTower Development Group, the cell tower builder, which is looking to putup towers but in each case needs a waiver from certain existing rules. NexTower has a fourthapplication as well. The agenda is here.The Flagler Beach City Commission meets for a budget workshop at 9 a.m. at city hall, in a sessionscheduled for the entire day.The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, whose taxing district includes allof Flagler County, meets at 11:15 a.m. or upon completion of earlier committee meetings at OrlandoCity Hall, 400 South Orange Ave.Local News Recap:Sunburned Child at Flagler Camp Exposes a Florida Paradox: Paddling Is OK. Applying Sunscreen IsNot.: No state law, state Board of Education regulation or local school board policy actually statesexplicitly that school employees may not put sun-screen on a child, hug a child or even spank orpaddle a child. In fact, Florida law does not ban corporal punishment, but provides for it explicitly,and some school boards around the state still apply it. They don't even need parental permission(though some school districts ask for permission first anyway.). Flagler County is not among thosedistricts. Nevertheless, the district cites an odd administrative-code regulation as its own protectionagainst having to apply sunscreen to students. According to the "Principles of Professional Conductfor the Education Profession in Florida,", no adult "shall unreasonably restrain a student fromindependent action in pursuit of learning."Report shows Flagler deputy Benjamin Jurec breached 2 regulations: Jurec, following an internalaffairs investigation, got only a required "oral consultation" following a traffic stop that triggered theinternal affairs investigation. He had faced an allegation of propositioning a driver for sex."Investigators found that he was not wearing his body camera during the stop, and also discoveredseveral state-issued driver's licenses and IDs in his patrol vehicle that he failed to turn over afterseizing them during other stops," the News-Journal's Matt Bruce reports. (Story paywall-protected)1-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Dies From Fall Into Exposed Septic Tank While Visiting Ocala: BiancaClayton, a 34-year-old resident of the same apartment complex where the boy was visiting with hismother, had pulled the child-not from a sink hole or a mere hole, as early media reports and asheriff's news release had indicated, but from a septic tank. The breach was measured at 23 by 30inches. The child was unresponsive, the sheriff's report states.HIV on the rise in Flagler: The News-Journal reports six new cases in Flagler in 2015, compared tonone by this time last year. "While not on the same scale as other parts of Florida, Volusia andFlagler counties are in line with a rising tide of new HIV cases across the state," Jim Haug reports.(Story paywall-protected.)GOP Opens Special Session With Complaints That Fair Districts Infringe on Free Speech: The specialsession will mark the third time the Legislature will attempt to craft a map for the state's U.S. Housedelegation under the anti-gerrymandering "Fair Districts" constitutional amendments approved byvoters in 2010. The lines were initially drawn in 2012 as part of the state's once-a-decaderedistricting process, then again last year after a lower court struck down the first map.And 'Go Set a Watchman' begat Mockingbird. (FlaglerLive)Scout's Dishonors: Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman," Chapter 9: In the continuing project to blogHarper Lee's "new" novel chapter by chapter, we come to Jean Louise's backstory, a summary ofhow and when her mother died, of a heart attack on the porch of the family house, bringing to thefamily "the heart that killed her son twenty-two years later on the sidewalk in front of his father'soffice," as well as Mockingbird echoes from Scout's upbringing.In Court:Circuit Judges Judge J. David Walsh hears motions to dismiss and motions to suppress in drug casesstarting at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 401. County Judge Melissa Moore Stens holds arraignments inmisdemeanor cases starting at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 404. Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger is not insession today.In State Government:Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.Special session on redistricting starts today to redraw congressional districts. The session comesafter the Florida Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers violated a 2010 constitutional amendmentaimed at preventing gerrymandering. (9 a.m.)The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology meets. (9 a.m.)Beyond:Japan restarts a nuclear reactor for the first time since the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.Watts riots: today is the 50th anniversary.Ann Beattie releases her first book, a 224-page collection of 10 short stories, in more than 10 years:"The State We're In" (Scribner). "These stories are best savored in the summertime in a small NewEngland town, somewhere close to crashing waves, away from the big-box sameness of life in citiesand suburbs. If you can't make it bodily to a place like that, just open the book. Beattie will take youthere," Laura Collins-Hughes wrote in a Times review.President Obama is on vacation on Martha's Vineyard.PR Releases:Flagler firefighter deployed to battle California wildfires: A member of the Flagler County FireRescue wildfire mitigation team was deployed to California to battle wildfires raging in Hayfork. "Itis an 18-day deployment," Fire Rescue Chief Don Petito said. "This is the third time in his four yearswith us that he has gone out west to fight wildfires." Ronald Titus, 30, was deployed with a team offirefighters from the Florida Forest Service to work the Fork Complex Wildfires. "Many of the fireswithin the Fork Complex are challenging because of extremely steep and rugged terrain, whichmakes access difficult in certain areas for direct attack strategies," Petito said. "The fork complexfire has grown to 15,184 acres and is only 9% contained." Currently there are 30 major wildfiresburning in California. Some 1,349 firefighters have been assigned to the Fork Complex Wildfires.Titus, who lives in Palm Coast with his wife and two young children, has also been deployed to fightfires in Idaho and in the state of Washington. He was hired by Flagler County in January 2011.Palm Coast Physical Therapy Center Offering Free Seminar on Lumbar Spine & Sacroiliac JointHealth September 3rd: Continuing their "Preserve and Conserve" series, Palm Coast PhysicalTherapy Center is pleased to announce that they will be hosting a free seminar on Lumbar Spine &Sacroiliac Joint Health from 12:00pm to 1:00pm on Thursday, September 3rd at their Palm Coastlocation. "It seems you can't go a day without hearing someone talk about their back aches," statedEm Dinopol, owner of Palm Coast Physical Therapy Center. "This seminar is designed to educate andpossibly pinpoint the causes of back pain for attendees." The seminar will include topics such as;Anatomy and Physiology of the Lumbar Spine, Degenerative Disorders of the Lumbar Spine, Thecauses and treatments of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and how it affects the lower back, buttocks, andlegs, Pelvic symmetry, and Sacrum being the center of balance. Anyone that suffers from back pain,including just sitting or standing too long, or that has difficulty sleeping because of back pain isencouraged to attend. Seating is limited and anyone that would like to attend is asked to reserve aseat by calling 386-447-7824. Palm Coast Physical Therapy Center is a privately owned physicaltherapy clinic that has proudly served the community since 2001, while providing a compassionateand trusting environment for anyone in need of physical therapy. Their mission is to enhance theoverall health and quality of life for each patient by treating them with high quality, personalizedphysical therapy. They have done this while also establishing a solid and trusting relationship withtheir referring physicians, ensuring that they stay informed on the patients' progress.In the Press, In the News:Florida bill aims to "shield" churches from gay marriage: A Central Florida Republican filed a billMonday that would shield churches and clergy members from liability if they refuse to performmarriages that violate their beliefs. The bill, filed by Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, comes after theU.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry. Afterthe ruling, Plakon went on Facebook and said he and Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, wouldfile what was dubbed the "Pastor Protection Act" to safeguard clergy members from being forced toperform marriages contrary to their principles. The bill filed Monday (HB 43) would go beyondclergy members, applying to churches, religious organizations and their employees. It also would gobeyond solemnizing marriages, applying to such things as providing services and facilities. Clergyand others in the bill would not be required to take part in marriages or related activities "if such anaction would cause the church, organization, or individual to violate a sincerely held religious beliefof the entity or individual," the bill said. The proposal, which will be considered during the 2016legislative session, would provide a shield from criminal or civil liability and also would provideprotections for religious organizations' tax exemptions, government contracts, grants and licenses.Nadine Smith, executive director of the advocacy group Equality Florida, criticized such proposalslast month after Plakon posted the information of Facebook. She called the issue an "inventedproblem" and said ministers already can refuse to marry couples. News Service of Florida.Dear White America: I know it's hard, but you have to acknowledge what's happening in thiscountry: "First of all, I've seen people angry about the moniker "white privilege" in and of itself,bemoaning the very existence of this annoying two-word phrase (and even more so the three words"check your privilege") as nothing more than the verbal folly of the Outrage Committee and SocialJustice Warriors who want to ruin the Confederate flag and gay jokes and everything good aboutAmerica. I can understand the fatigue at the sheer amount of times we say the phrase--I even gettired of saying/typing it. But can you allow for the possibility that we're saying it so much becauseyou haven't heard us yet and it's crucial that you accept it as reality? Some of you say we're theconfused ones; that when we speak of "white privilege" we actually mean discrimination orprejudice, that we should focus on the specific bad stuff happening to us instead of the good stuff wethink you possess. Well, we've been trying that, and some of us think it's not been working out sowell. Besides, white privilege and racial discrimination are neither interchangeable terms normutually exclusive ideas, and it helps to understand that so much "specific bad stuff" might not behappening specifically and disproportionately to black people without systemic privilege asAmerica's societal foundation. Semantics work against us in this fight, because the word "privilege"has a traditionally positive meaning, conjuring up images of champagne wishes and caviar dreams,and the biggest obstacle for so many is that you feel you can't experience white privilege becauseyour own life is not "privileged." Poor white people, and the rich white people who don't care aboutthem but seek to use them to bolster their argument, simply point to Appalachia and think theconversation is over." Pia Glen in Salon.Scott Walker, the "fiscal conservative," is giving $450 million to wealthy sports owners: "Tomorrow,Scott Walker will stand on a stage at State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and betray virtuallyevery conservative economic principle there is by handing out up to $450 million in taxpayer moneyto wealthy sports owners to pay for private infrastructure at a time when public infrastructure iscrumbling. The massive sum will go toward the building of a new sports arena for the MilwaukeeBucks basketball franchise, pleasing the team's billionaire hedge-fund-manager owners, whothreatened to move the team if they weren't given taxpayer tribute. Conservatives in recent yearshave feigned concern about corporate welfare, and this deal is really the ultimate expression of it:hundreds of millions of dollars from teachers, waitresses, factory workers and shop owners funneledto pay for an aristocrat's show palace rather than needed public service. Of all the thingsdesperately wrong with this, perhaps the most salient is the fact that the "old" arena, the BMOHarris Bradley Center, is only 27 years old, inaugurated in 1988. Incredibly, this makes it the 3rd-oldest arena housing a professional basketball franchise, behind only Madison Square Garden inNew York and the Oracle Arena in Oakland, both of which have been substantially renovated overthe years." From Salon.Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad Diets: "Coca-Cola, theworld's largest producer of sugary beverages, is backing a new "science-based" solution to theobesity crisis: To maintain a healthy weight, get more exercise and worry less about cutting calories.[...] Health experts say this message is misleading and part of an effort by Coke to deflect criticismabout the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They contendthat the company is using the new group to convince the public that physical activity can offset abad diet despite evidence that exercise has only minimal impact on weight compared with whatpeople consume. This clash over the science of obesity comes in a period of rising efforts to taxsugary drinks, remove them from schools and stop companies from marketing them to children. Inthe last two decades, consumption of full-calorie sodas by the average American has dropped by 25percent." From The Times.Today's Mass Shooting(s):Kansas City, Houston, Gaston County, N.C., Blytheville, Ark., andBerlin, Vt. Total Killed: 15. Total wounded: 20.Houston, 6 killed: "A Texas man broke into his ex's home, handcuffed her alongside her husband andher six young children -- including his own son -- and fatally shot each victim in the head, authoritiessaid. David Ray Conley admitted to the grisly murders after Harris County deputies found the eightfamily members dead inside their Houston home Saturday, authorities said. Victim Valerie Jacksononce dubbed the 49-year-old the "best father in the whole world" before their relationship soured,forcing her to kick Conley out of her house and change the locks, fearing her ex. It's not clear if thetwo were ever married."Berlin, Vt., 4 killed: "Three women found dead in a rural Vermont home Saturday morning werekilled by a relative before she gunned down a state social worker, officials said. [...] Investigatorshave determined that the three victims are relatives of Jody Herring, 40, who has been charged withfirst-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Lara Sobel, a social worker with theVermont Department for Children and Families, according to state police. Sobel was shot twice inbroad daylight Friday outside of a state office building in Barre, about 7 miles east of Berlin,Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement. Multiple witnesses described Herring as the personwho shot Sobel, according to Barre police."Blytheville, Ark., 1 killed, 13 wounded: Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson confirmed the victimis 20-year-old Adeline King of Blytheville. Reports indicate that several people were shot onAnderson Street, but their conditions are unknown at this time. A law enforcement official reportedthat 13 were injured and one killed.Gaston County, N.C., 2 killed, 3 wounded: "Gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and officers.During the exchange, two officers were wounded and the suspect was fatally wounded. Officers alsofound a victim of a fatal shooting at a second location in the neighborhood, according to police. Theidentity of that victim has not been released. A third shooting victim was found at another home. Shewas taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both the officers were also taken to thehospital with non-life threatening injuries."Kansas City, 4 wounded: "Investigators said four people were injured during a gun battle earlySunday. Police said they have recovered three guns."From Mass Shooting Tracker. See the full lists for 2015, 2014, 2013.Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports:The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, throughJuly 31:Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 85 percent done: Widening on the north side of the parkwayalmost complete. Landscape irrigation work continues. Signage installation is complete. Milling andResurfacing of Roadway has begun. FPL completed installation of light poles and fixtures along thesouth side of the roadway.Holland Park, 25 percent done: Installation of new underground sanitary piping and structures.Continuation of installation of new water main.Palm Coast City Hall at Town Center, 80 percent done: Installation of drywall on interior walls,mechanical duct work& VAV damper installation, electrical conduit rough-in and fire sprinkler piping are all 98%complete. Painting of interior and exterior walls continues. Floor tile in bathrooms continues. FP&Lset meter. Mechanical system being prepped for startup next week. Exterior trellis and clockinstalled. 2 of the 4 glass entry door systems have been installed. See ongoing images ofconstruction here.Colechester Drive Bridge, 30 percent done: Bridge deck is being removed.County's I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 25 percent done: Contractor hasinstalled approximately 1,000 ft. of reclaim water main total installed 5,000 ft. to date.Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 6 percent done: Contractor working on submittals andcoordinating utility work with FPL & ATT.Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 90 percent done: An 8? insert a valve was installed on thewater main behind the north west corner of the old Bealls store to isolated water main and adjustwhere storm water conflicts with the 8? water main location.Shops at Pine Lakes Convenience Store, 90 percent done: The Pump Station panel has been set andis ready for startup testing.Walmart Addition, project completed.Old Kings Road Utilities Work, 85 percent done: Pressure testing of new water main has passed.Old Kings Road Force Main - Master Pump Station, 4 percent done: Contractor clearing crewremoving trees from site.Road and Interstate Construction:Palm Coast:Road Closure Note: The northbound lane of S. Old Kings Road from Town Center Boulevard goingnorth approximately 2.5 miles will have a moving lane closure starting Monday, July 27. The laneclosure will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and will continue for approximately three weeks. Aflagman will direct traffic.Lane closures to begin July 27 on South Old Kings Road in Palm Coast: The northbound lane of S.Old Kings Road from Town Center Boulevard going north approximately 2.5 miles will have a movinglane closure starting Monday, July 27. The lane closure will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays andwill continue for approximately three weeks. A flagman will direct traffic. This lane closure is neededto allow a City contractor to clear the right-of-way along the roadway in preparation for an upcomingwastewater system project.Lane closure planned for Palm Coast Parkway July 26 through August 7: Beginning Sunday, July 26,motorists and other travelers should expect a lane closure along Palm Coast Parkway betweenFlorida Park Drive to just west of Cypress Point Parkway. The lane closure will occur in two phases.From 7 p.m. Sunday, July 26 through 7 a.m. Friday, July 31 one eastbound lane will be closed, andone eastbound lane will remain open. From 7 p.m. Sunday, August 2 through 7 a.m. Friday, August 7one westbound lane will be closed and one westbound lane will remain open. Motorists areencouraged to watch for flaggers and work zone signs. The lane closures are required in order forthe contractor to perform milling and paving operations. Weather conditions and other unforeseencircumstances could alter work schedules.Matanzas Woods Parkway closed: Matanzas Woods Parkway is closed until early August forconstruction of the Interstate 95 interchange. The portion of Matanzas Woods Parkway that spans I-95 will be reconstructed to accommodate four single-lane ramps for on and off access to theinterstate. Other improvements include the widening of the interstate to accommodate newacceleration and deceleration lanes, wet detention ponds adjacent to the roadway, sidewalks,lighting, overhead signs and landscaping. Project details are available and regularly updated athttp://www.matanzas95interchange.com. The detour map is available here.Palm Coast Parkway between Cypress Point Parkway and Florida Park Drive. IMPACTS: Lane shiftsand closures will occur and this may cause traffic congestion on this already busy roadway. Mostconstruction work will occur between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. though weather and unforeseen issues mayadjust the schedules. This project will be complete by December 2015.Flagler County Road 302 is Closed to all but local traffic as repaving began on June 7 and theroadway will be closed to all but local traffic. Others will be required to detour around County Road302 using State Road 100. The roadway will be closed for 90 days, or until early September.Palm Coast's Colechester Lane bridge to be closed July 7 through Sept. 4:A detour will beestablished taking travelers over the Colorado Drive bridge instead. Signs will be posted directingmotorists to the Colorado Drive bridge. The City of Palm Coast strives for safe construction zones.The City asks for the cooperation and patience of residents as this important bridge improvementproject is completed. For more information, contact Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360.Volusia: I-4 Widening from SR 44 to east of I-95, Monday and Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,Eastbound/Westbound shoulder closing. Sunday through Thursday, Eastbound and Westbound laneclosures as needed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, 9:00 p.m. - 5:30 a.m. EB road closure betweenCanal St./SR 44 and I-95 with detour at US 92 exit ramp.Motorists should be aware of traffic shiftsnear Canal St./SR 44.In Coming Days:Click on the links for more details:Flagler County is now accepting applications for the Fall 2015 Citizens Academy. Classes will beheld on Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. beginning September 10 for nine weeks. For moreinformation, click this link or go to flaglercounty.org/academy.Nominate Your Veteran of the Year: Flagler County government is taking nominations from Aug. 1through Sept. 30 for the veteran of the year. Nominations must be mailed in to the county. Clickhere for details.Back to School Immunization, required by schools, available at the Flagler County HealthDepartment from August 10 through August 21, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on a walk-in basis. For further information, please call: 386-437-7350 ext. 2224.All Summer: Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Flagler County Children Through Seamless SummerFreedingRegistration opens for 2015 Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games.August 15-16: Softball tournament fund-raiser for the Casey-Dixon family who suffered a house firein May in the LL-section. Games will begin at 8 a.m. at the Flagler Fairgrounds Softball Field.Saturday, Aug. 15: Daytona Beach's 3rd Annual Community Unity Festival, from 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Thisfree event, which will include activities for all ages, will be held at Daisy Stocking Park, 555 MaryMcLeod Bethune Blvd. in Daytona Beach.Sept. 28: Bunnell's State of the Art Water Treatment Facility Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting at100 Utility Drive (directly across the street from the Flagler County Government Services Building),from 4 to 6 p.m.Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section):(April Killingsworth)Jenn K in "Sunburned Child at Flagler Camp Exposes a Florida Paradox: Paddling Is OK. ApplyingSunscreen Is Not.": "I experienced the exact same problem with my child at the Flagler CountySchools Summer Camp when they took my son to the beach. He is also very fair skinned and Islathered him from head to toe and made him wear a protective sunscreen shirt to prevent him fromburning. I also packed his sunscreen for him to re-apply himself as I was told that the counselorscould not apply it. The counselors could have easily taken five minutes to gather all of the kids at thebeach and have each child re-apply sunscreen throughout the day, but not only did they not do this,they allowed my son to take his swim shirt off. When I picked him up from camp that afternoon, hehad such a severe sunburn on his ears, face, neck, shoulders and back that by that evening, they hadbecome huge yellow blisters. My son could not sleep because he was in so much pain. He had 3rddegree burns on his shoulders and ears, and after it healed about a week later, he had permanentscarring on his shoulders from the burns. The day after it happened I went to the director and wastold the same thing, that they aren't responsible for it and a lot of kids got burned. In my opinion, if Iam entrusting you with my child's well being and PAYING YOU to take care of him, then it is indeedyour responsibility to ensure my child is not permanently scarred by your negligence. I too pulled myson and daughter from the program due to this problem. They should not be taking kids out in thisscorching Florida summer sun without being able to ensure that they are well protected fromsunburn." Reply to jenn K here.Cultural Coda:Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813 - 1888) Etude op. 39, no. 12 'Le Festin d'sope'From the Grove dictionary: "Alkan soon came under the spell of Chopin, whose close friendship heenjoyed and whose music he much admired. He was friendly too with George Sand and others oftheir circle. Yet there soon appeared the strain of shyness and misanthropy that was later to becomeAlkan's dominant characteristic. His life is undocumented for long periods when he withdrew fromthe concert platform; his publications appeared only at intervals; and he seems more and more tohave avoided company. [...] Alkan's enigmatic character, reflected in his music, has been welldescribed by Marmontel and de Bertha. He dressed in a severe, old-fashioned, somewhat clericalmanner, discouraged visitors and went out rarely. He felt he had lived beyond his time. Niecksdescribed how Alkan became warm-hearted and almost convivial once the outer reserve had beenpenetrated. He had few friends, though he particularly enjoyed the patronage of Russian aristocraticladies, 'des dames trs parfumes et froufroutantes', as Isidore Philipp described them. He wasnervous in public and pathologically worried about his health, even though it was good. He remaineda strict member of the Jewish faith in which he had been brought up, and was widely read inclassical and biblical lore."