Briefs

“Meandering Boardwalk” by Vicki Payne

CASEMENTS CAMERA CLUB’S 28TH ‘EBONY AND IVORY’ SHOW ON DISPLAY

The Casements Camera Club’s 28th Ebony and Ivory show will be on display at The Casements through March 30.

The exhibit of black and white images were judged by Jerry Markland, a local photographer best known for his NASCAR images, according to a press release. The Casements Award was presented by Siobhan Daly, cultural center coordinator at The Casements.

The awards are as follows: Best of Show: “Meandering Boardwalk” by Vicki Payne  First place: “2020,” by Stan Mitchell  Second place: “Fairchild Oak” by Michele Sweeters  Third place: “A Quiet Place,” by Kathleen Pruett  The Casements Award: “Follow Me Boys,” by Ron Zeier.

The gallery at the Casements, located at 25 Riverside Drive, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

Left: “A Quiet Place,” by Kathleen Pruett Top right: “Fairchild Oak” by Michele Sweeters

“2020,” by Stan Mitchell

COUNCIL AIDS RESOURCES FOR WOMEN

The Our Lady of Hope Council 8086 recently presented a check for $2,000 to Resources for Women in Daytona Beach.

This is part of the council’s ongoing support, having also donated two ultrasound machines to Resources for Women as Core Council for the annual Coastal Laps for Life initiative, according to a press release. The annual donation is for training, maintenance and supplies for the machines.

“Our Council has about 30 different initiatives, and this is the most important of all of them,” said Past Grand Knight Jim Waggoner in the press release.

“That’s because this actually saves lives,” added PGK and Service Program Director Tim Mell.

Paola Sanchez, executive director of Resources for Women, explained that three abortion-minded women had already changed their minds and decided to bring their babies to term once they saw the ultrasound image.

“Last year, 79% of the women who had ultrasounds decided against having an abortion and carried their child to term after receiving services at Resources for Women,” Sanchez said.

The sixth-annual Coastal Laps For Life will be held at 8 a.m. at the Father Lopez Catholic High School track in Daytona Beach on Saturday, April 10. Visit Costallaps4life.org

Courtesy photos Council 8086 officers Grand Knight John O’Malley, Program Director Tim Mell and Jim Waggoner present a check for $2,000 to Resources for Women Executive Director Paola Sanchez.

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$17 billion in stimulus for state and local governments; jobless numbers are down

Florida continues to see a slowing of first-time unemployment claims, with applications last week the lowest since the coronavirus pandemic started a year ago and as more federal stimulus money is poised to flow to the state.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimated Thursday that Florida had 16,005 initial unemployment claims filed during the week that ended March 6, down from a revised count of 19,020 claims in the week ending Feb. 27.

Florida’s drop came as the Department of Labor estimated 712,000 first-time unemployment claims were filed nationally last week, down 42,000 from the prior week. It also followed a move by the department Friday to revise Florida’s December unemployment rate from 6.1 percent to 5.1 percent.

Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis incorporated the reduction into his criticism of how money from a new $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package will be distributed to states. The distribution involves looking at state unemployment rates, but DeSantis contends it should be based on population.

The state of Florida, along with local counties and cities, could get at least $17 billion from the relief package. But DeSantis contends the allocation could be about $2 billion higher if the federal government used population numbers and that Florida is being penalized for having a relatively low unemployment rate.

By Wednesday, DeSantis was calling the stimulus “bailout for blue states,” while his predecessor, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, implored governors and local governments to reject the approximately $360 billion heading their way through the federal package.

Since March 15, 2020, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, has handled about 6.5 million claims, which have resulted in nearly 2.3 million claimants receiving more than $23.7 billion in state and federal assistance.

The number of new claims last week marked the lowest total since 6,463 claims came in the week ending March 14, 2020.

The weekly peak came April 18, when 506,670 claims were submitted.

Town Center: meeting the needs of a flexible future

How will continued development in Town Center contribute to the next 5 or 10 years in Palm Coast?

EMILY BLACKWOOD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that the future is unpredictable. In an instant, office space can become void, crowded restaurants can transform to take out and streets can literally empty.

The impact of COVID-19 stresses the importance of flexibility and adaptability - something Douglas Property & Development has highlighted time and time again with their reinvention of Town Center.

“We want Town Center to be forward-thinking and progressive in terms of development,” said Walker Douglas of DPD. “We’re looking to draw people in and give them a reason to come to Town Center if they don’t already.”

Every moving part of this project has the potential to be adjusted to meet the needs of the city’s future. The new facilities for the University of North Florida Mednexus and Jacksonville University will create new jobs, retain young talent in the medical field and provide more necessary services for current and incoming residents. The 3 existing apartment communities and 200 single-family homes Under Construction will meet the current housing demand while encouraging out-of-state companies to set up shop in Flagler County. And the flexible office, restaurant, entertainment and retail spaces will create the city’s first bustling downtown.

“There’s a couple of ways to look at it,” Douglas said. “We want the businesses that bring people to Towne Center, like restaurants and retail, but then we also want the businesses that keep people in Towne Center, like offices or insurance agencies.”

In addition to building that center for people to work and live, DPD is also creating space for places to play. At least two open-concept, covered and paved outdoor areas have been constructed that could host anything from to live events, when those return. There’s also room for activity-based businesses like axe-throwing, escape rooms or whatever form of entertainment comes next.

“We’re creating a place for people to gather, which is something that we don’t really necessarily have in Palm Coast right now,” Douglas said. “We’ve got a few very cool breweries and restaurants, but having them localized in one area allows them to feed off of each other and enjoy each other’s success with all the traffic and buzz that gets created.”

While there is still a lot of work left to do in making the City’s vision for Towne Center a reality, DPD President Jeff Douglas believes they’re right on track thanks to the continued support from local leadership.

“The mayor has worked hard, the city manager has worked hard, and the county has worked hard,” said Jeff Douglas. “The leadership has worked very hard to secure and meet the needs of the existing community. As that community expands, so does the need for high-quality, clean jobs, and what we’re doing is creating those jobs.

“Towne Center is the economic and tax-paying driver for the future of Palm Coast. It’s that simple.”

For more information on Douglas Property & Development’s projects in Towne Center, visit douglaspd.com.

“We have to turn Towne Center into a

destination,”