WJCT News Now

As the federal government positions artificial intelligence as a national priority while ramping up AI data centers' construction, local governments are increasingly pushing back. Last week, Florida passed legislation regulating data centers, allowing local communities to pause or deny the construction of new ones. The new law signifies an uncommon break between Florida and the priorities of Presi...

Jacksonville’s downtown riverfront continues to evolve with the official opening of the new Riverfront Music Garden and a redesigned section of the Northbank Riverwalk. The new public space celebrates local music history with interactive features and a Walk of Fame honoring artists with Jacksonville ties. Also, the Jacksonville City Council is advancing efforts to preserve local history by a...

A recent NBC News poll found that only 38% of Generation Z is looking forward to the future. Nearly half said if they had a choice, they’d travel into the past — a time before social media, cellphones and the sense that both political and planetary environments are increasingly uninhabitable. This vicarious nostalgia for a time they never experienced, known as anemoia, has become commo...

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is seeking millions in fines from the city of Jacksonville over security logs that tracked people carrying firearms into City Hall and the Yates Building. Also, Jacksonville officials are asking for public input on a proposed new special district on Jacksonville's Westside, which could fund local improvements through assessments on commercial properties. See...

Two months out from the official start of budget season, planning for the mayor’s proposal is well underway, along with hints of potential sticking points. Some members of the Jacksonville City Council are (again) gearing up to fight city health initiatives, and state restrictions on DEI spending threaten support of a range of projects, including funding for the Black, Hispanic and Asian cha...

Jacksonville leaders are pushing forward with a high-profile investigation into city-owned utility JEA, as a special City Council committee votes to pursue subpoenas for executives and key documents tied to allegations involving workplace culture, underpaid utility fees, and a billion-dollar power plant. Plus, a proposed incentive package for Winn-Dixie is expected to move to a full council vote a...

Known as “the King of Ragtime Guitar,” Arthur “Blind” Blake claimed Jacksonville as home, but his blues songs traced a path across the country, from West Coast Blues to Georgia Bound . By the time of his death at age 38, he’d recorded an estimated 80 tracks for Paramount Records, starting in 1926. On the 100th anniversary of that musical milestone, his legacy continue...

A weekend block party in Palatka turned chaotic after police say a driver plowed a truck into a crowd, injuring multiple people and damaging vehicles. Also, Tallahassee prepares for a special legislative session as Florida lawmakers return to work on the state budget after failing to pass one during the regular session for the second straight year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week: An influential group of business executives asks the City Council to lay off on its JEA investigation — and the council rejects the request. The surprising results of a community poll show support for a vision of the Skyway that doesn’t involve mass transit. A local woman plans to...

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan will keep funding in her upcoming budget for Healthlink Jax, a telehealth program for uninsured residents, after a city review found no evidence supporting fraud allegations tied to provider Telescope Health. Plus, with Mother’s Day weekend here, we highlight a few local events happening around Jacksonville that you can take your mom to. See omnystudio.com/lis...

A phrase that once signaled housing as a basic Maslow need has taken on a more sinister cast: The rent eats first. For an increasing number of households on the First Coast, the choice between groceries and soaring housing costs is all too real. A new book explores what happens when housing is viewed as an investment asset rather than a social necessity. An outgrowth of the University of North Flo...

Most Jacksonville high school students will see longer school days and new class schedules when the academic year begins in August, following approval from the Duval County School Board. Plus, after a memorial honoring the victims of the 2023 racist attack at a Jacksonville Dollar General was destroyed, a local corrections officer and her family stepped in to rebuild it. Hear how the community is...

Three years after an investigation by the Florida Trib led the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to fire its longtime jail medical provider, the company’s quality of care is still a matter of concern. In a new report , award-winning investigative reporter Nichole Manna digs into the 2023 death of Brian Tracey, which occurred on the day he was scheduled to be released from the St. Johns Cou...

Jacksonville City Council is moving forward with its investigation into JEA, despite calls from the Jacksonville Civic Council to end the probe while separate state and local investigations continue. Also, St. Johns County leaders are weighing how to approach potential artificial intelligence data center development. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wildfires and burn bans are very much in the news now, as North Florida and South Georgia face “exceptional” droughts and a rainfall deficit of as much as 2 feet this year alone — the most extreme in 15 years. But while the state grapples with the effects of the current crisis, Florida's longer term challenges are often overlooked. The water scarcity crisis is not just a function...

A man is dead following an officer-involved shooting in Jacksonville’s Holiday Hill neighborhood after police say he approached officers while armed after allegedly kicking in doors to several apartments. Also, Florida’s new congressional map is now law after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the redistricting plan Monday. Hours later, voting rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging the ma...

It was a good week for the state GOP. Shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door to widespread redistricting and gutted the legal basis for minority access districts, Florida legislators adopted a new congressional map that all but eliminates Democratic power, cutting blue-leaning districts in half, to just four of the state’s 28 House seats. We talk to state Republican Part...

St. Johns County is launching a new effort to attract more businesses as local leaders look to grow industries like health care, aviation, and aerospace. Meanwhile, new state data shows Jacksonville-area businesses cut thousands of jobs over the past year, even as the regional unemployment rate dipped slightly in March. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week: Two major decisions, from the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida State Capitol, are reshaping minority political representation for years to come. Florida’s attorney general initiates yet another Jacksonville investigation — this time into JEA.  A memorial to the victims of th...

New fines begin today in Duval County as school bus stop-arm cameras move from warnings to enforcement, with drivers facing $225 penalties for illegally passing stopped buses. Plus, much-needed rain is expected to move into Northeast Florida this weekend, bringing some relief from dry conditions but also the possibility of strong wind gusts and a low-end tornado threat as storms move through the r...

Sporting Club Jacksonville women's team has one final home game after a remarkably successful inaugural season. The team clinched a spot at the playoffs in early April after dominating in their first year as an expansion team in the Gainsbridge Super League. And although they’ve suffered a couple losses in April, before that they held a seven-game winning streak and hadn’t allowed more...

Florida lawmakers approved a major overhaul of the state’s congressional map during a special session, advancing a controversial redistricting plan backed by Governor Ron DeSantis that is expected to face legal challenges. Also, Jacksonville’s downtown continues its transformation, with major projects moving ahead. A new report highlights both the momentum downtown and the issues peopl...

Florida has the highest rate of emergency room visits for kids seeking nontraumatic dental care, and the crisis is getting worse. As more families lose or scale back insurance coverage, and as state Medicaid officials “disenroll” families, preventative dental care gets out of reach for more children. It’s a problem that leaves medical staff frustrated and kids in pain, since emer...

Florida lawmakers are preparing to debate Governor Ron DeSantis’ proposed congressional maps, which could reshape the state’s political landscape and potentially give Republicans four additional seats in Congress. Also, Jacksonville is extending bar hours in the Brooklyn neighborhood, allowing some businesses to serve alcohol until 3 A.M. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

An Earth Day petition with more than 26,000 signatures was delivered to Chemours chemical company on the same day as its annual meeting of shareholders. It’s just one part of a multi-pronged effort by conservationists and students to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from the effects of nearby titanium mining. A similar plea was delivered to the maker of Oreo cookies and Sour Patch kids, treats t...