PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 7, NO. 2
FREE
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PACIFICO: 800 KING 15 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016
IS JAIL TOO HIGH A PRICE? Three counties in Florida — Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach — have already decriminalized possession of under 20 grams of marijuana, meaning suspects risk a $100 citation, instead of arrest. Should Flagler County join them? Sheriff James Manfre wants the county to consider it, and each city would have to agree. PAGE 4
INSIDE MANFRE DENIES WRONGDOING A report to the Ethics Commission recommends fining Sheriff James Manfre $19,000 for violating ethics. He says he’s innocent. PAGE 2
Support your troops The National Guard unit based out of the Flagler County Executive Airport has been deployed to Afghanistan. Can you spot your soldier?
Local gun store owners give opposing points of view on the future of gun sales: One has doubled in size, the other closed.
WHERE ARE THE 18 MOST VULNERABLE BUS STOPS?
A group of elected officials and staff members have identified 18 bus stops that need to be reviewed, based on bus driver feedback and other data. PAGE 3
ANASTASIA PAGELLO STAFF WRITER
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INSIDE THE FAMILY LIFE CENTER Trish Giaccone and company receive certification as a Rape Crisis Center. PAGE 9
MARDI GRAS!
Educators raise funds for students by “gambling” at Halifax. PAGE 19
A TALE OF TWO GUN SHOPS
ome of your neighbors have been deployed and are now in Afghanistan. According to the “US Forces Afghanistan” Facebook page, 22 men and women were officially inducted as noncommissioned officers at a ceremony Feb. 6, at Bagram Airfield’s Clamshell Facility, in Afghanistan. The officers were assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment’s “Task Force Iron Shield.” The ceremony, officiated by battalion senior noncommissioned officer leadership, featured the ceremonial “wetting” of each NCO’s rank, and a formal “Soldier’s Request” presented by Spc.
Osvaldo Rivera. The Florida Army National Guard unit is deployed to Bagram from Palm Coast, and is responsible for air defense of Afghanistan’s largest installation. — JACQUE ESTES
HOW FAR AWAY IS BAGRAM? The Bagram Airfield is located near Bagram, Afghanistan, which 7,590 miles, or a 28-hour flight, from Palm Coast.
Photos of the ceremony were sent by Kevin Walston, public affairs for the U.S. Forces.
While HSDS Guns owner Steve Nobile may not share his counterpart’s optimism, Larry Beighle, owner of Larry’s Guns and Ammo in Bunnell, is riding the wave of Flagler County residents’ unease as the presidential election time nears and gun sales rise. “Firearm and ammunition sales tend to rise and remain strong during the months that lead up to an election,” Beighle said. “Residents fear more firearm restrictions with the election of a new president. From my experiences, sales tend to subside once the elections conclude.” Beighle, a Flagler Beach resident, has owned several businesses over the years, and has operated Larry’s Guns and Ammo for the last seven years. In November 2015, the location underwent an expansion, and the store doubled in size. The store, combined with its neighboring unit, previously known as Dee’s Donuts, was owned and operated by Larry’s wife, Denice Beighle. The combined units reach a square footage of 1,200 feet. “Guns sell much better than doughnuts,” said Larry Beighle when asked about phasing out the doughnut shop. The Beighles decided to expand the store in order to offer NRA pistol classes. Participants will receive a certification in which SEE LARRY’S GUNS PAGE 2