First Coast Connect: Week in Review

First Coast Connect: Week in Review

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week: * Election season starts with a bang as three St. Johns County lawmakers are charged with an unauthorized voter guide. * A new law increases penalties for mandatory reporters who don’t report suspected child abuse.  * A grand jury is digging into Douglas Anderson’s history of teacher sexual misconduct, even as the school district finds leaders “knowingly failed” to report abuse allegations. Guests: * Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax * Megan Mallicoat, education reporter at Jacksonville Today * John Daigle, political consultant, former reporter * Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter, Jacksonville Today Irregular folk Bridging the gaps between jazz, folk and comedy is no easy feat, but singer songwriter Vance Gilbert has stitched it up across a 30+ year career. After being tapped to open Shawn Colvin’s tour the year she broke into the Top 10 and won two Grammys for her song Sunny Came Home, he’s opened for such varied musical artists as Anita Baker and Arlo Guthrie. But he also suits a lighter style, warming up crowds for legendary comic George Carlin at more than 150 performances. Gilbert takes the stage at Amelia Island’s Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture [https://storyandsongarts.org/event/an-evening-of-story-song-4/] on Friday, and at The Back Room at Ronan School Of Music [https://vancegilbert.com/calendar/event/4462] in Jacksonville on Saturday. We ask the artist about his many hats, his musical roots and the inspiration animating his current tour. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: EverBank Staying Downtown & Daily's Gas Station Proposal Rejected

Jacksonville-based EverBank will keep its headquarters downtown after questions about its future location, and the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Board rejects a proposal for a Daily’s gas station in Fruit Cove following opposition from nearby residents. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: Congressional candidate Brit Robinson

Our election season coverage continues with 4th Congressional District candidate Brit Robinson. The self-described Democratic Socialist is positioning herself as the voice for young, working class voters, calling the current administration “fascist and authoritarian” and accusing her incumbent opponent of being “complicit” in an anti-democratic agenda. Robinson faces fellow Democrats Michael Kirwan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlDRXy9FKO4] and LaShonda Holloway in the Aug. 18 primary. If successful, she would face Republican incumbent Aaron Bean. First Coast Connect will be covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org. The deadline to register to vote in or change your party affiliation ahead of the August primaries is July 20. Guest: Brit Robinson, Democratic candidate for Florida’s 4th Congressional District Supper club The unifying power of food is the organizing conceit of a new undertaking by Jacksonville Today. The nonprofit newsroom recently held the inaugural meeting of its Dinner Club, a group created to celebrate food and friendship by helping strangers connect over meals. The club hosts monthly meetings at restaurants, matching like-minded diners with menus that appeal to their palate and pocketbook. We talk to the WJCT minds behind the concept about what they’re hoping to achieve, and ask a Dinner Club [https://jaxtoday.dnnr.io/] participant about how the first iteration of the experiment went down. Guests: * Katie Sims, nutritionist and Jax Today Dinner Club participant * Jessica Palombo, editor, Jacksonville Today * Pete Havens, director of revenue and business management for Jacksonville Today and WJCT Public Media Talent show The former producer of Harlem’s legendary Amateur Night at the Apollo brings the competitive vibe to the “Harlem of the South” — Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood — and the stage of the Ritz Theatre. Once graced by performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Duke Ellington, the restored Ritz now plays host to aspiring First Coast performers of every stripe. The upcoming Puttin' on the Ritz [https://theritz.jaxevents.com/event/puttin-on-the-ritz-talent-competition/tm_1axzk3kgkdkv0h7/] talent competition will be held Friday at the theatre at 829 North Davis St. We talk to the organizers about cultivating the next generation of artists through healthy competition. Guests: * Deborah McDuffie, artistic director, Ritz Theatre & Museum and creator and producer of Puttin’ On The Ritz * Dr. Shaun Powell, community development and outreach, Ritz Theatre & Museum See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Helping Duval Students in Need and Updated Hurricane Season Forecast

Thousands of Duval County Public Schools students are experiencing homelessness, and a local nonprofit is turning to basketball to raise awareness and support before the new school year. Plus, Colorado State University has lowered its Atlantic hurricane season forecast. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: 'Addictive, unsafe and ineffective'

The Mayo Clinic calls it [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/kratom/art-20402171] addictive, unsafe and ineffective. Opponents call it [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/kratom-targeted-crackdowns-states-cities-rcna166661] “gas station heroin.” But for Patti Wheeler, it’s the tragic cause of death for her 27-year-old son Robert “Wyatt” Wheeler, who suffered a fatal seizure just six weeks after he began taking Kratom. With the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announcing [https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2026/07/01/dea-temporarily-schedule-7-oh-and-related-substances-protect-public] July 1 that it is implementing a temporary, emergency ban on synthetic, concentrated forms of the drug — a compound called 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) — we talk to Wheeler about her years of advocacy work and why she believes the ban needs to be broader and permanent. We also speak to a local recovery expert about the unique threats and challenges posed by ever-evolving formulas of synthetic drugs. Guests: * Patti Wheeler, author, film producer, founder of A Beautiful Life Stolen * Nick Padlo, founder and CEO of Sophros Recovery Lived experience The Jacksonville Housing Authority is poised to implement new work requirements and eviction guidelines that would be among the strictest public housing rules in the nation. The story broke in a series [https://jaxtoday.org/2026/07/01/housing-authority-work-requirement/] of reports by Jacksonville Today’s newest reporter, who found that JHA has crafted a local version of federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines, even though the rules are optional and still face a variety of legal challenges. Among the changes: JHA tenants would be required to work at least 30 hours a week and have just three months to find employment if they lose their job. We discuss the story, as well as her earlier work on an investigation [https://www.npr.org/2024/04/06/1243276508/the-prosecutor-who-put-her-away-says-she-should-be-free-but-shes-still-in-prison] that led to the release of a 72-year-old woman imprisoned for life after a shooting in self-defense. Guest: Elizabeth Caldwell [https://jaxtoday.org/2026/06/15/jacksonville-today-elizabeth-caldwell/], investigative reporter, Jacksonville Today Deck the halls The Lufrano Gallery at the University of North Florida is the backdrop for an artistic recycling project that shreds traditional expectations. Artist Zakriya Rabini uses hundreds of damaged and destroyed skateboard decks to create surprisingly haunting artistic installations that he’s dubbed “Divine Decks.” The artist drops in for a freewheeling discussion about his rise from grom to gallery director, and why the board provides a perfect launching pad for larger discussions about society and the scars that come with human experience. The exhibit [https://www.unf.edu/gallery/Galleries/Lufrano-Intercultural-Gallery.html] opens July 13 and runs through late September. Guest: Zakriya Rabani, artist, director of fine arts operations and gallery director at Jacksonville University See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.