WJCT News Now Plus

This week, Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall and St. Johns County reporter Noah Hertz relive Election Night, from the newsroom’s “orderly chaos” and pizza vote to reporters stationed at campaign headquarters across the region. Hertz explains how he tracked local races the Associated Press doesn’t cover, such as the St. Augustine City Commission, and how th...

Jacksonville is set to learn how much federal funding it will receive through the U.S. Justice Department’s Model Cities Initiative, a nearly $300 million program involving four cities. Hear more on that story and other headlines heading into the weekend on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A multimillion-dollar incentive package for a proposed downtown Jacksonville development remains in limbo after City Council's Finance Committee reached a 3-3 tie vote. The proposal would provide Gateway Jax with more than $28 million in cash incentives and up to $21 million in property tax refunds to help bring a residential tower and Publix grocery store to Pearl Square. Hear more on that story...

This week, Dr. Joe looks at a celebrity’s shocking MS reversal and what it teaches about getting a diagnosis right, a mosquito-borne virus gaining a foothold in Florida, and the surprising emotional price of a work-from-home lifestyle. Actor Christina Applegate says she was told after more than five years that she never had multiple sclerosis, even though her symptoms haven’t gone away...

Florida voters make history by electing the first Black Republican governor in U.S. history, while Republicans keep control of all Florida Cabinet positions. We’ll also look at U.S. Senate results, where Republican Ashley Moody narrowly defeated Democrat Angie Nixon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida voters head to the polls today to decide the state’s next political leaders and weigh in on several statewide and local ballot measures. The race for governor features Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly, who offer competing views on the state’s political future. We have more on Election Day on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

This week, Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall sits down with reporter Dan Scanlan to remember Allison DeFoor, the longtime conservationist, Episcopal priest and North Florida Land Trust CEO who once served as Florida’s Everglades czar and a gubernatorial running mate. Scanlan reflects on the delicate craft of writing an obituary for a public figure, from balancing a long lis...

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is adjusting bus schedules and routes across the city as it works to address a $39 million budget shortfall. Plus, more than 5.1 million Floridians have already voted ahead of Election Day, with Republicans leading Democrats in early ballots cast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As early voting enters its final weekend in Northeast Florida, Duval County voters are deciding whether to extend a special property tax that helps fund teacher salaries. Early voting ends Sunday in Duval County and Saturday for the rest of Northeast Florida counties. Hear more local headlines on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s interim CEO, Cleveland Ferguson, says he will not pursue the permanent position so he can focus on addressing the agency’s $39 million budget shortfall. More on yesterday's JTA Board meeting and other local headlines on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Dr. Joe looks at a widely used hospital antibiotic facing new questions, a study giving long COVID patients a long-awaited biological explanation, and a famous hero’s public look at early Alzheimer’s. A major analysis of 110 clinical trials found that the antibiotic cefepime was linked to higher mortality than others in its class, though researchers stopped short of calling...

The Jacksonville Housing Authority has fired CEO Cheron Corbett after she refused to resign, following board members’ concerns over her request for a bonus on top of her $300,000 salary. We have more on that story and other local headlines on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Jacksonville Transportation Authority board member is calling for the resignations of the authority's leadership, accusing them of misleading the board about the agency’s finances. Details on that story and other local headlines are in The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early voting is underway across Northeast Florida, with Nassau County leading the region in turnout after the first weekend. We have details on that story and other top stories on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall welcomes back investigative reporter Elizabeth Caldwell to discuss a proposal by Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO Cheron Corbett and top executives to collect a 25% bonus from developer fees on affordable housing deals, a plan board members and city attorneys met with strong resistance. Caldwell explains Corbett’s justification...

The Jacksonville City Council will meet Friday to discuss a subpoena for former Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford, who has agreed to testify at a later date about the agency’s financial crisis. Hear more on that story and other headlines on The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board is hosting its first community town hall, giving residents an opportunity to share concerns and discuss how city policy can better serve the community. Plus, reports of federal immigration enforcement at or near early voting sites in some areas of Florida have prompted election officials to contact the FBI. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

This week, Dr. Joe looks at the growing toll of alcohol-related cancers, a CDC alert about a disease many people assume is a thing of the past, and new brain research that challenges how we think about ADHD. A new Lancet study finds that alcohol-related cancer deaths in the US have more than doubled since 1990, with links to cancers well beyond the liver. Dr. Joe explains how alcohol harms the bod...

The Jacksonville Housing Authority board rejects a proposed bonus package for the housing authority's executive team as commissioners question the agency’s finances and its use of outside consultants. Plus, St. Johns County commissioners vote to remove the county’s remaining Flock license plate readers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jacksonville Civic Council is backing the renewal of a 1-mill property tax that in part helps pay teachers in Duval County Public Schools. Also, early voting begins in Duval County ahead of the general election, with 24 sites available to registered voters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early voting begins this week across Northeast Florida as counties prepare for the November 3 General Election. We’ll look at when voting starts in Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Putnam counties, and the deadlines for requesting and returning vote-by-mail ballots. Hear more on that story and other local headlines in The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall sits down with reporter Will Brown to discuss Jacksonville basketball icon Artis Gilmore’s surprise entry into the city council race, where the seven-foot-two Hall of Famer will challenge Council President Nick Howland for a countywide seat. Brown explains what Gilmore’s name recognition and decades of community service cou...

City auditors say inaccurate revenue projections and a failure to build reserves contributed to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s $39 million budget shortfall. Hear more on that story and other top headlines in The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hospital workers demonstrated outside UF Health Jacksonville’s downtown campus, accusing the health care system of unfair labor practices. UF Health says it remains committed to competitive compensation and benefits and to honoring its collective bargaining agreement. Get more on this story and other top headlines in The Morning Report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Dr. Joe looks at a measles outbreak that keeps growing, a controversial proposal to change how childhood vaccines are given, and a bacterial scare tied to cooling towers in the Bronx. A third person has died in Pennsylvania’s rapidly growing measles outbreak, which has now topped 680 cases. Dr. Joe explains what makes measles one of the most contagious viruses on Earth, and who sh...