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About

Jacksonville Today is the nonprofit local news outlet behind the Jacksonville Today email newsletter. 
Sign up for the newsletter to stay informed, with:
  • The local news you need to know, 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 opinion contributors like The Jaxson and The Food Section
  • Weekly features like hand-picked weekend events, a News Quiz, and the Number of the Week data visualization
  • 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.

Jacksonville Today is a member of The Institute for Nonprofit News. The Institute for Nonprofit News strengthens and supports more than 475 independent news organizations in a new kind of news network: nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service.

INN Network Member

Mission Statement

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

Our Team

author image Editor email Jacksonville Today Editor Jessica Palombo grew up in Jax and is happy to be raising her own kids here. Her work as a 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 Jacksonville’s community theaters. Her favorite breakfast is the double down biscuit from Sweet Theory. author image Senior News Editor

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 40 years in reporting and editing positions in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Florida. 

 author image Associate Editor email Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall focuses on Jacksonville City Hall and the Florida Legislature. A native Iowan, he previously led the Des Moines Business Record newsroom and served as associate editor of government affairs at the Jacksonville Daily Record, where he twice won Florida Press Association TaxWatch Awards for his in-depth coverage of Jacksonville’s city budget. Mike’s work at the Daily Record also included reporting on Downtown development, JEA and the city’s independent authorities, and he was a frequent contributor to WJCT News 89.9 and News4Jax. Mike began his journalism career at the Newton Daily News, where he was promoted to editor-in-chief and won the Iowa Newspaper Association’s Outstanding Young Iowa Journalist Award and the Harrison Skip Weber Investigative Reporting Award. A graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Mike is the rare combination-Star Wars/Star Trek fan. When he’s not writing, Mike is on the beach or camping with his wife Betsy and their two dogs Jovie and Nessie, enjoying live jazz or at the movies. author image Newsletter Writer email 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 Magazine, 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. author image Reporter email

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.

 author image Reporter email Noah Hertz is a Jacksonville Today reporter focusing on St. Johns County. From Central Florida, Noah got his start as an intern at WFSU, Tallahassee’s public radio station, and as a reporter at The Wakulla News. He went on to work for three years as a general assignment reporter and editor for The West Volusia Beacon in his hometown of DeLand, where he helped the Beacon take home awards from the Florida Press Association. A Florida State University graduate, Noah is happy to be back up in North Florida. When he isn't writing, Noah likes reading, baking and playing video games. author image Reporter email Megan Mallicoat is a Jacksonville Today reporter focusing on education. Her professional experience includes teaching at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, as well as editing, communications management, web design, and graphic design. She has a doctorate in mass communication with an emphasis in social psychology from UF. In her "free time," you'll most likely find her on the sidelines of some kind of kids’ sports practice, holding a book.

Contributors

author image Reporter email Dan Scanlan is a veteran journalist with 40 years as a radio, television and print reporter in the Jacksonville area, as well as years of broadcast work in the Northeast. After a stint managing a hotel comedy club, Dan began a 34-year career as police and current events reporter at The Florida Times-Union before joining the staff of WJCT News 89.9. author image Reporter email Michelle Corum is a reporter who previously served as Morning Edition host at WJCT News 89.9 for a dozen years. She’s worked in public radio in Kansas and Michigan, had her stories heard on NPR, and garnered newscast recognition by Florida AP Broadcasters. She also oversees WJCT's Radio Reading Service for the blind. Michelle brings corporate communication experience from metro D.C. and holds a master's degree from Central Michigan University and a bachelor's degree from Troy University. author image Opinion Contributor email A.G. Gancarski's work can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, Florida Politics, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He writes about the intersection of state and local politics and policy. author image Opinion 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. author image The Jaxson email Ennis Davis, AICP, is an urban planner and member of the city of Jacksonville's Downtown Development Review Board. He is also 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. author image 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. author image The Jaxson email Bill Delaney is a writer whose work focuses on the history and culture of the First Coast. He currently serves as City Council liaison for Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. 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. author image Opinion Contributor Sherry Magill founded the JaxLookout in 2018 to reflect on local issues and encourage local citizens to engage as she was retiring from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund presidency, ending a 27-year career in private philanthropy. During her tenure, Magill spearheaded the development of the defunct Haydon Burns Library into the Jessie Ball duPont Center, a nationally recognized nonprofit and philanthropic center. Sherry currently chairs the Local Initiatives Support Corporation-Jacksonville (LISC) advisory committee and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation board and serves as member of the board of directors of Virginia-based Locus Bank. author image Opinion Contributor

Mike Clark devoted about 47 years to Jacksonville's two daily newspapers. He retired in 2020 after 15 years as editorial page editor at The Florida Times-Union, where he and his staff won local, state, regional and national journalism awards.

He is the author of the new book, “Civil War Survivor: Incredible True Story of a Union Private.”

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*:

  • Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
  • Terry Family Foundation
  • Florida Blue
  • Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds
  • Jessie Ball duPont Fund

Additional support provided by*:

  • The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
  • VyStar Credit Union
  • First Horizon Foundation
  • The Fund for Nonprofit News (NewsMatch) at The Miami Foundation
  • Report For America
  • Susannah and Craig Albright
  • The Martha and Tom Baker Family Fund
  • Gilchrist and Amy Berg
  • Claire and Vance Berry
  • Marion and David Cangemi
  • The Cascone Family Foundation
  • The DuBow Family Foundation
  • The Egan Family Advised Fund
  • Holly and Tim Finchem
  • Caroline D. Fitzgerald
  • Cynthia and Walter Graham, Jr.
  • The Ann and David Hicks Family Charitable Fund
  • The David M. Hicks Jr. Family Fund
  • The Institute for Nonprofit News and Google News Initiative
  • The Jacksonville Equity and Placemaking Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
  • The J.B. Foundation
  • Farley Kern and Mike Petro
  • The Henri Landwirth Family Advised Fund
  • Barney and Edward Lane, III
  • Drs Ilene and Jeffrey Levenson
  • LION Publishers, on behalf of Google News Initiative
  • David and Katharine Loeb
  • The Meyers-Labenz Family Fund
  • The David C. Miller Family Foundation
  • Pamela Y. Paul
  • In Honor of Timothy D. Payne
  • Sally and Anthony Perez
  • Matthew Rapp
  • The Rueger Family
  • Susan and Fred Schantz
  • Fiona Strathern and Thad Moseley
  • Carol and Joseph Thompson
  • The Glenn and Lisa Ullmann Advised Fund
  • Jim Van Vleck
  • Dori and Bill Walton
  • Tracey S. Westbrook
  • Kimmie Winston
  • Jim and Ellen Wiss

* As of February 2025