About

Jacksonville Today is a nonprofit local journalism service that includes a weekday email newsletter.
Sign up for the newsletter to stay informed, with:
  • The local news you need to know about, from a variety of sources and presented in an easy-reading format 
  • Original reporting you won’t see anywhere else, sometimes based on input from you, our readers 
  • A heads-up on how to get connected with local decision making 
  • Exclusive analysis and perspectives on local politics, culture, and urban planning from a diverse set of contributors
  • A calendar of cultural happenings 
  • Photo essays that capture our region through the eyes of local photographers 
  • And more (but if you want to just scan the top news of the day, that’s OK too).

Jacksonville today is a different place than it was yesterday, and the decisions we make as a community now will shape the Jacksonville of tomorrow. Our goal is to help our readers feel more connected to where we live and to each other, so they can make those decisions in a more informed way.

Jacksonville Today is independent and locally owned and operated by WJCT Public Media.

Mission Statement

Jacksonville Today produces and distributes audience-engaged journalism that expands civic discourse and fosters a vibrant, inclusive, and knowledgeable community.

Our Team

Jessica Palombo Editor, Jacksonville Today
Jacksonville is Jessica’s hometown, and today, she hopes to contribute toward making sense of our collective past and present, with an eye toward the future she wants for her own children. Her work as an editor and journalist has been recognized with national and statewide awards, and her bylines include NPR, Jacksonville Magazine, and Experience Magazine. She has a master’s in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University. In her previous life, you may have seen her on stage at one of the area’s community theaters. Her favorite breakfast is the double down biscuit from Sweet Theory.
Randy Roguski Senior News Director, WJCT Public Media

Randy comes to Jacksonville from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where as metro editor, he led investigative coverage of the Parkland school shooting that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for public service. He has spent more than 35 years in reporting and editing positions in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Florida. 

Matthew Shaw Arts & Culture Editor
Matthew Shaw is a writer, editor and musician. His writing has appeared in Folio Weekly, Edible Northeast Florida, The Surfer's Journal, and SURFER Magazine, and he's reported on national stories for The New York Times. He was previously editor in chief of the Void Magazine.
Heather Henderson Newsletter Writer, Jacksonville Today
Heather Henderson is a writer, editor and artist. Originally hailing from South Florida, she has lived in Jax for close to 20 years. Previously a staff writer at Void, she also worked as a global trade researcher and wrote about trade policy for American Shipper. Most recently, she served as assistant editor for the National Culinary Review and We Are Chefs. In her free time she loves to paint, watch bad reality shows and read. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of North Florida.
Will Brown Reporter, Jacksonville Today

Will Brown is a Report for America corps member focusing on race, poverty and inequality for Jacksonville Today.

He previously reported for the Jacksonville Business Journal. And before that, he spent more than a decade as a sports reporter at The St. Augustine Record, Victoria (Texas) Advocate and the Tallahassee Democrat.

Over his 15-year career, Brown has won awards for breaking news, social media and photography. And in 2020, he contributed photographs for WFSU News/Health News Florida’s national Murrow Award-winning series “Committed: How and Why Children Became the Fastest Growing Group Under Florida’s Baker Act.”

Brown has an undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s from the University of South Florida. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and soccer. He lives in Clay County with his wife and son.

Claire Heddles Reporter, Jacksonville Today

Claire joined WJCT as a reporter in August 2021. She was previously the local host of NPR's Morning Edition ​at WUOT in Knoxville, Tennessee. During her time in East Tennessee, her coverage of the COVID pandemic earned a Public Media Journalists’ Association award for investigative reporting.

Claire grew up in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona and received a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. As a student, her work with Al Jazeera's Contrast VR won a Webby award. After graduation, Claire worked at NPR as a national desk intern.

Claire’s work has aired nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered, and she has bylines at NPR, The Advocate Magazine and Truthout.

Outside of reporting, Claire enjoys trying new recipes and restaurants around Jacksonville, throwing pottery and spending time outdoors. You can contact Claire with tips, story ideas or comments at (904) 250-0926, claire@jaxtoday.org or on Twitter @claireheddles.

Contributors

A.G. Gancarski Jacksonville Today Contributor

A.G. Gancarski's columns were a staple in Folio Weekly for nearly two decades, and he has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes about the intersection of state and local politics and policy.

Nikesha Elise Williams Jacksonville Today Contributor
Nikesha Elise Williams is an Emmy-winning TV producer, an award-winning author, and host/producer of the Black & Published podcast. Her latest novel, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by the Black Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBook Literary Awards, as well as the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Nikesha’s debut novel Four Women received the 2018 NABJ Outstanding Literary Work Award and the Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Award for Adult Contemporary/Literary Fiction. Her bylines include The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and Vox. Nikesha lives in Jacksonville with her family.
Bill Delaney The Jaxson
Bill is a writer, marketing director and higher education professional whose writing focuses on the culture and history of the First Coast. He is co-owner and editor of The Jaxson, Modern Cities, and Edible Northeast Florida magazine, and author of the book Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of North Florida. Reach Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com.
Ennis Davis The Jaxson
Ennis Davis, AICP is an urban planner and co-owner of The Jaxson and Modern Cities. A civic activist dedicated to improving communities, Ennis is also vice president of membership services and outreach for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, a Florida Trust for Historic Preservation trustee, Groundwork Jacksonville board member, and author of award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville. He holds a bachelor’s of architecture degree from Florida A&M University. Reach Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com.
Mike Field The Jaxson
Mike Field is a banking analyst and real estate developer who holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Florida State University. In 2015, he was named the state of Florida’s small business advocate of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. A member of the 2014 Next City Vanguard and 2019 Hightower Fellowship class, Mike is the co-founder of Modern Cities and TransForm Jax.
Cole Pepper Jacksonville Today Contributor
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He has also called play-by-play for a number of teams in Jacksonville including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks, The Bolles School football and Jacksonville Armada FC. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.

Financial Support

Jacksonville Today is supported by individuals, corporations, and foundations with an interest in the vital role journalism plays in our civic life.

Funders and sponsors have no influence on editorial decision making.

Support is provided through the Local Journalism Initiative at WJCT Public Media.

Major support provided by*:

  • The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
  • The Jessie Ball duPont Equity and Placemaking Fund

Additional support provided by*:

  • The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
  • Florida Blue
  • First Horizon Foundation
  • The Fund for Nonprofit News at The Miami Foundation
  • Report For America
  • VyStar Credit Union
  • The Martha and Tom Baker Family Fund
  • Gilchrist and Amy Berg
  • The Cascone Family Foundation
  • The DuBow Family Foundation
  • The Egan Family Advised Fund
  • Holly and Tim Finchem
  • Cynthia and Walter Graham, Jr.
  • The Ann and David Hicks Family Charitable Fund
  • The David M. Hicks Jr. Family Fund
  • The J.B. Foundation
  • Farley Kern and Mike Petro
  • Barney and Edward Lane, III
  • David and Katharine Loeb
  • The David C. Miller Family Foundation
  • Pamela Y. Paul
  • In Honor of Timothy D. Payne
  • Sally and Anthony Perez
  • Matthew Rapp
  • Susan and Fred Schantz
  • Fiona Strathern and Thad Moseley
  • Dori and Bill Walton
  • The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund
  • Kimmie Winston
  • Jim and Ellen Wiss

* As of March 2023

Let me read it first.