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: * Members of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority Board accuse City Council President-elect Nick Howland of harassment and threats. * Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes to eliminate property taxes on most primary homes. * A busy end to the Duval County school year, with the ouster of the school chief, and new records linking a controversial teacher suspension to a School Board member’s complaint. * The family of four Black men tortured or murdered by police are slated to receive compensation for the 1949 Groveland, Florida, incident. * The City Council declines to prohibit a new jail from being located in historically disadvantaged, or “redlined,” communities. Guests: * Christina Burgess, reporter at First Coast News * David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union * Megan Mallicoat, education reporter at Jacksonville Today * Robert Brown, news director, WJXT News4Jax Time traveler A man who spent his adult life working for the U.S. Postal Service delivers an entirely new chapter of his career. In his debut young adult novel, M. Nathan King creates a time-shifting landscape to teach kids about history. Ezra Whetstone and the Masters of Time — The Mark of Aion [https://us.amazon.com/Ezra-Whetstone-Masters-Time-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0H2CRPCDT?ref_=ast_author_mpb] takes readers on a journey following the 13-year-old protagonist as he explores historical settings from the Library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt to the Inca Empire. We talk to King ahead of the book’s release about why he believes age-appropriate storytelling is the key to engaging kids in history. Guest: M. Nathan King, author of Ezra Whetstone and the Masters of Time — The Mark of Aion See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Rainy Weekend Ahead For The First Coast

A rainy weekend is ahead for Northeast Florida as forecasters warn of widespread storms, possible flooding, and several inches of rain through Sunday. Plus, despite the wet forecast, communities across the region are kicking off summer with events ranging from line dancing at the beach to a family-friendly music celebration in Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: It takes a village

In the beginning, World Golf Village promised a lifestyle as smooth and manicured as a putting green. Originally, the golf course community was home to PGA Tour Productions, the World Golf Hall of Fame, the PGA Tour Stop — Florida’s largest golf store — and an IMAX theater, all arrayed around a 190-foot-tall steeple-topped tower. But in the intervening years, the village has lost all of those amenities and become increasingly hemmed in by big box stores, including a Buc-ee’s, a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, a Costco, a Home Depot and, soon, a Walmart Supercenter. We talk with St. Johns County beat reporter Noah Hertz about his recent reporting [https://jaxtoday.org/2026/05/08/askjaxtoday-world-golf-village/] on how the development has evolved. Guest: Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter, Jacksonville Today Building bridges A Jacksonville sheriff’s officer literally talks a man off the ledge. On April 12, an officer who just happened to be on scene directing traffic found himself deeply involved in efforts to save a suicidal man on the Dames Point Bridge. Officer Antonio Richardson, also a pastor for more than three decades, pleaded with, prayed over and cajoled the man to step back from the edge, before he finally took Richardson’s hand and was pulled into his embrace. The event was captured in a brief viral video, but the actual incident took most of an hour and involved several other officers as well. We talk to Richardson about how the remarkable moment fits into his career in law enforcement. If you or someone you know is going through a mental health crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Guest: Officer Antonio Richardson, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Asian Night Market A free community event anchored in celebrating Asian culture, cuisine and local vendors kicks off with two events next month. Asian Night Market Jax offers live entertainment, including karaoke and cultural dances, along with authentic dishes from Thailand, Korea, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. The event is held the second weekend of every month outside the RD International Supermarket on Beach Boulevard, with the next market night slated from 4 to 10 p.m. June 12 and 13. Organizers added additional nights along the Riverwalk at Central Park at RiversEdge from 4 to 10 p.m. June 26 and 27. We sit down with event organizers to discuss how it has evolved and why the community keeps showing up — plus, we get a sneak peek of what’s on the menu. Guest: * Madeline Nguyen, host, Asian Night Market * Vu Nguyen, co-host, Asian Night Market See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Culinary Campus in Jax Endorsement and Special Session on Property Taxes

Jacksonville leaders are backing a proposal to bring a Culinary Institute of America campus to downtown as part of a Northbank development plan. Plus, Florida lawmakers prepare for a special session on property taxes as Governor Ron DeSantis pushes a plan that could eliminate property taxes for most homeowners while raising concerns about funding for local services. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: The triumph of the word nerds

Mark Maron, Kevin Smith and Sarah Koenig are just some of the voices that redefined audio journalism. A new documentary traces the evolution and triumph of podcasting, a medium that resurrected audio storytelling through the technology of RSS feeds and (initially) the iPod platform. We meet the director of the film Age of Audio [https://www.aoamovie.com/] ahead of the screening at WJCT Studios [https://www.wjct.org/events/screenings/age-of-audio/]. The film features interviews with such podcast luminaries as Jad Abumrad (Radiolab, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Dolly Parton’s America), Ira Glass (This American Life), Matt Gourley (Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend), Sean Rameswaram (Today, Explained), Phoebe Judge (Criminal) and Fred Armisen (podcast omniguest). Following the film, director Shaun Michael Colón will join local podcasters and experts for a discussion and Q&A. The event is free, but an RSVP is requested. Guests: * Shaun Michael Colón, filmmaker, Age of Audio * Badr Milligan, co-founder of Jax Podcasters United * Letisha Bereola, director of podcasting at WJCT Public Media Life sentence If you’ve ever wondered what gives certain sentences their undeniable punch — from Sam Jackson’s iconic “I’ve had it ...” diatribe from Snakes On A Plane to memorable Yoda-isms from the Star Wars franchise — there’s a book for that. This Is a Book of Sentence Diagrams: A Journey Through the Sharpest, Strangest, and Most Stirring Lines Ever Constructed offers a curated, illustrated journey through the land of the unabashed word nerd, breaking down our introduction to Mellville’s whale, Kafka’s cockroach and Mom’s go-to demurral (“Because I said so”). We meet the author and learn how he discovered the power of symbolic language. Guest: Man Martin, author, This is a Book of Sentence Diagrams [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/man-martin/this-is-a-book-of-sentence-diagrams/9798894142081/] Into the light It’s the background of everywhere you look, fills the entire universe and makes up the static hiss on the in-between channels of old TV sets. While you can’t see it with the naked eye, the afterglow left behind thousands of years after the Big Bang is considered the oldest light in the universe. We discuss how scientists have accurately mapped out the Cosmic Microwave Background and how it helps experts timeline the history of the universe. Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science & History See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.