PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 17, NO. 4
STATE QUALIFIERS PAGE 10B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2026
Flagler kids are less and less ready for kindergarten Readiness decreased to 37%, with many arriving to school nonverbal, according to administration. PAGE 5A
Remains found, after 22 years
Get a grip! Strawberry Festival benefits Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as Grace Community Food Pantry. PAGE 1B
Flagler Sheriff’s Office believes the case is closed on Mary Lou Combs. PAGE 3A INSIDE CHARTER REVIEW
Palm Coast to update council’s vacancy procedures, borrowing power in November. PAGE 4A
CONCRETE VOTE
New concrete batch plant gets OK from Palm Coast Planning Board. PAGE 3A
RETURNING $5K
Theresa Pontieri on ICI and its campaign donation. PAGE 7A
Pair catches 10-foot tiger shark at the beach Ash Perdue, 23, and Ayden Rogers, 18, went shark fishing from the beach on Feb. 13. They had a drone and two 80W reels. They sent a bait out at around 4 a.m. Just as they were going to reel it in at around 12:30 p.m., their line took off. “After like a 30-minute fight we brought in a 10-foot tiger shark off the coast of the Ormond/Flagler area,” Perdue said. They managed to release the shark back into the surf. Rogers works at Ikes Granada Pier Bait and Tackle.
Michael Sealey, Melissa Cooper, Kimberly Quezada and Shirnell Schuman. Photo by Shauna McIntosh
Thrill of the chase
FPC’s 22nd annual East Coast Classic track and field meet. PAGE 8B
Carry on Defenses dominate in Seabreeze’s 9-6 win over Flagler Palm Coast flag football team.
INDEX
PAGE 9B
Business..................... PAGE 5B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................PAGE 10B Letters........................ PAGE 9A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Schools....................... PAGE 4B Sports......................... PAGE 8B Tributes ...................... PAGE 4C Real Estate................. PAGE 6B
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Women’s champ
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Qualifier Sofia Johnson wins Women’s Palm Coast Open. See observerlocalnews.com for more. FPC’s Jordan Haymon (right) and Logan Jacobelli placed first and second, respectively, in the 200-meter dash. Photo by Keishia McLendon
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