WJCT News Now

The Morning Report: New Pediatric Hospice Care In Jax and Property Tax Amendment Lawsuit

A new pediatric hospice and critical care center has opened on Jacksonville’s Southside, offering a dedicated space for children with serious illnesses and their families. Also ahead, a legal challenge is questioning the wording of Florida’s proposed property tax exemption amendment that voters will consider in November. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: AG candidate José Javier Rodríguez

With qualifying in all Florida races set to wrap this Friday, we catch up with Democratic candidate for state attorney general José Javier Rodríguez. Some recent internal and external polls suggest his challenge of appointed Republican incumbent James Uthmeier is within a handful of percentage points. We ask the candidate if his campaign is being affected by state and national news, how politicians are coping in a field already flooded with AI slop, and get his take on the current AG’s frequent forays into Jacksonville city business. Guest: José Javier Rodríguez, Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general Juneteenth at St. John's Cathedral A “shared call to justice” and a celebration of African American sacred choral music is at the core of a planned Juneteenth observance at St. John’s Cathedral in Downtown Jacksonville. The program’s theme is built around a piece by singer/songwriter Beth Neilsen Chapman, titled How We Love, performed by the Jacksonville Gospel Chorale with assistance from visiting composer, conductor and African American gospel music scholar Dr. Raymond Wise. Wise was the conductor and choir leader in the Emmy and Award Winning PBS documentary Amen: Music of the Black Church [https://www.pbs.org/video/amen-music-of-the-black-church-mjpdrd/]. The annual event, which features the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll as keynote speaker, will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at the cathedral on East Church Street, followed by a reception. Guests: * Dr. Raymond Wise, executive director of the African American Arts Institute and professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University * Dr. Barbara Bouie, Sandalwood High School choral director, former choral activities director at Edward Waters University Shopping under the stars Live music and local art under the oaks at the AMP are de rigueur at the quarterly Night Market in St. Augustine. Since its creation nearly a decade ago, the event has blossomed into a packed attraction: part farmers market, part street festival. In addition to crafts, gifts, a food truck court and cocktail concessionaires, the June event features performances by local artists Claire Vandiver and Bad Dog Mama on the Front Porch stage. The next Night Market will be 5-9 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. The event is free, and overflow parking is available at the Elk’s Lodge next door. Guest: Dianya Markovits, director of public relations and partnerships at SJC Cultural Events, Inc. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Water Restoration in the Trout River and Local Facial Recognition Lawsuit

Efforts to improve water quality along Jacksonville’s Trout River are expanding, as volunteers add new oyster habitats designed to filter pollution. Also, a Fort Myers man is suing the Jacksonville Beach Police Department and other law enforcement agencies after he was arrested following a facial recognition match that was later challenged. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: View to a blockade

A 6.1 earthquake is just the latest jolt to the lives of ordinary Cubans, who are dealing with political uncertainty, frequent blackouts and an oil shortage so severe people have taken to burning garbage for fuel. We speak to four Jacksonville organizers of a youth and labor delegation that recently traveled to Cuba. They discuss the challenges, as well as how supply and power shortages are affecting the nation’s much-lauded healthcare system. Guests: * Hakim Jihad, organizer, U.S. Hands off Cuba Committee of Jacksonville * Kaya Cuny, organizer, U.S. Hands off Cuba Committee of Jacksonville * Mike Todd, organizer, U.S. Hands off Cuba Committee of Jacksonville * Wells Todd, organizer, U.S. Hands off Cuba Committee of Jacksonville Personal injury Growing up in rural Iowa, Bryson Hendricks faced an early, determinative injury: losing part of his hand. That injury impacted but did not deter him, as he recounts in his new book, Don’t Miss: A Small-Town Boy’s Victory Over Adversity. Now a St. Augustine resident, Hendricks is both an accomplished musician and a (now retired) homebuilder, who continued working construction throughout his life. We ask the author why he wanted to tell his story now and what message he hopes it has for others facing a personal calamity. Guest: Bryson Hendricks, musician, author of Don’t Miss: A Small-Town Boy’s Victory Over Adversity Shelling out A group of local environmental nonprofits are employing oysters to help improve water quality in the St. Johns and Trout rivers. Organizations are creating the largest artificial oyster reef in the St. Johns River watershed, continuing similar work last year along the shoreline at Riverview Park. Oysters are natural filter feeders, with just one adult oyster able to filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. The groups are installing 30-pound structures, called Pervious Oyster Shell Habitat — or POSH — modules made up of recycled oyster shells and concrete to create a plastic-free habitat for oysters to thrive. We ask two organizers how the project is part of a bigger push to bring more environmental education and restoration efforts to North Jacksonville. Guests: * Hunter Mathews, founder, Jax Oyster Conservation * Marshiray Wellington, chair, Riverview Collective Community Organization See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: School Tax Vote Headed to November Ballot and Data Center Pause in Nassau

Duval County voters will decide this November whether to renew a school property tax that district leaders say supports teacher salaries, arts programs, and athletics. We’ll explain why the Jacksonville City Council moved the measure forward and what’s at stake for local schools. Also, Nassau County commissioners have approved a one-year moratorium on new data center applications as officials study potential impacts on water resources and electrical infrastructure. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.