Jacksonville's Morning News Interviews

The JMN crew comes together to highlight a variety of events happening this weekend around Jacksonville, including concerts, laser shows, tattoos, opera, and the 17th annual Donna Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, a signature Jacksonville event. All this and so much more, check out the Weekend Spotlight story for a thorough list of things going on!

Jonathan reports on the USS Carney shooting down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden. The USS Carney is one of several Mayport-based vessels deployed in the area.

GUN STORAGE SAFETY - The White House announced new plans to help promote safe storage of firearms, reduce gun violence and make communities safer. This all comes as many are concerned about the growing number of school shootings in the US. According to research by the Jama Network, one third of all households with children contain firearms, but not all of them are secure. 4.6 million children live...

Alexus reports on an investigation into a Jacksonville funeral director, facing a number of charges including "mishandling of cremated human remains."

Logan reports on the RISE Doro building demolition, which could happen within the next few days.

Today, the CEOs of the biggest tech companies are in the hot seat on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress will question the leaders of Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter) about their approaches to protecting your kids and teens on their various platforms – specifically from online child sexual exploitation. Lawmakers worry these apps are being used by offenders to target ch...

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues, as Jared follows the latest in the impeachment charges against DHS Secretary Mayorkas headed to the House floor, and the layered responses the White House has in mind after US soldiers died in a Jordan drone attack.

Mark joins JMN to look at the House republicans' DHS Secretary Mayorkas impeachment efforts, where the "border solution" lies (if there even is one), and the "face-off" at Miami International Airport yesterday...All this in advance of another "Whatever You Want Wednesday," noon to 3pm today on the Mark Kaye Show!

Logan reports on a fatal wreck that has all northbound lanes closed on the Dames Point bridge. The incident happened just before 5am, and investigations for fatal wrecks can take hours so drivers are advised to avoid that route until further notice.

This morning ,all eyes are on Capitol Hill, as leaders of big tech are set to testify about the prevalence of child sexual exploitation online. Some of the big names testifying today include Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, X’s Linda Yaccarino and Snap’s Evan Spiegel. The CEO’s of Tik Tok and Discord are set to testify as well. According to the National Library of Medicine, at least one in six children fal...

Logan reports that the RISE Doro Apartments downtown will be demolished as soon as safely possible, after the devastating fire earlier this week. JFRD remain on scene assessing the collapse risk, and several nearby businesses remain closed due to the collapse risk.

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues as President Biden will be fundraising in Jupiter and Miami today, not far from the Trump compound. Nikki Haley and the Trump campaign both have scheduled campaign events this week in Palm Beach. Recent polls show Trump with a lead over Biden in Florida. The Florida primary is scheduled for March 19.

Jared reports on the convoluted political games in DC that keep getting in the way of actual border control efforts. Congress still hasn't negotiated a bipartisan border control bill, but House republicans are attempting to impeach Sec. of Homeland Security Mayorkas over failing to affect border control. In other news, Jared reports on the 3 US soldiers killed in a recent Jordan drone incident, in...

Chief Powers joins JMN to give an update on the RISE Doro fire. No one was injured, and the 7-story complex appears to be a complete loss that will require demolition. Right now, state investigators are looking into the cause,

FBI SCHOOL HATE CRIMES - A new report by the FBI claims schools are the third most common location for hate crimes. The FBI finds hate crimes have been on the rise and more than doubled since 2020. The report analyzed data from 2018 to 2020 and found that the most common type of hate crime was committed against African American students. Washington Correspondent Arielle Hixson analyzes the data an...

Alexus updates us on JFRD actions at the Rise Doro Apartments fire site. Crews have discontinued some of the water spray into the building structure, but the area remains structurally unsafe. Nearby businesses are closed until the area is determined safe. JFRD is investigating the cause.

Alexus reports from the Rise Doro Apartments structure fire, where JFRD is still spraying down the building after its prolonged burn that started Sunday night.

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues as Brian looks at the upcoming South Carolina primary, where Trump maintains a large lead in advance polls., and the campaign methods they're both using that undermine their previous cooperation. He also looks at the bipartisan border control bill proposals, and how bureaucrats are getting in their own ways to prevent resolving issues. Hear more on the Brian Kilm...

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues as Kirstin looks at early South Carolina polls, which continue the trend of overwhelming Trump support in advance of the South Carolina primary despite Haley's previous tenure as governor. The official primary is Feb 24, and presents a potential make-or-break point of her current presidential campaign.

Curtis Dvorak, the Wildlife Wanderer at the Jacksonville Zoo, joins JMN to share details on what's new and what's coming up at the Jax Zoo. The Colors of the Wild lantern festival continues through mid-February, with thousands of lanterns organized among 70+ displays for your Thu-Sun evening enjoyment; and coming in April it's ExZooberation, their next big event celebrating the 110th anniversary o...

Trevor Wagener, from the Computer & Communications Industry Association, discusses how retail club memberships are saving consumers on everything from gas to groceries to medicine and more, and the likelihood of customers having memberships to multiple discount retailers. How many club memberships do you have?

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues as US military forces suffer their first casualties in the Israel/Hamas conflict, prompting a vow of response from President Biden. Meanwhile, the rhetoric and criticism escalates between GOP candidates. The RNC appears poised to name Trump as the official candidate, but Nikki Haley reminded the nation that the primaries are a long way from over.

RECORD HOMELESSNESS - A new report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies claims a growing number of Americans are becoming homeless. Expensive rents and soaring costs are hard to afford, driving many from their homes. High rents, inflation and an expiration of pandemic-era relief also contributed to homelessness. According to the report about 653,000 people reported experiencing homeless...

Alexus reports on a 3-alarm structure fire at the Rise Doro Apartments complex, near the Sports District at A, Philip Randolph Blvd & Adams Street. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. JFRD has been on scene since approximately 930pm Sunday evening.

YOU DECIDE 2024 coverage continues as the RNC has apparently chosen sides already, having prepared (then withdrawn) a resolution declaring Donald Trump to be the party's candidate for President. The problem is, Nikki Haley is still in the race, and only two states have held a caucus or primary so far. Meanwhile, Trump faces a verdict and possible damages that could be issued as soon as today in th...