Dan Scanlan 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.
Featured image for “Rapper Ksoo and cousin guilty of 1st-degree murder”
Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson — known as Ksoo — looks back as he learns of his guilty verdict in a Jacksonville courtroom on Thursday, July 31, 2025. | News4Jax
3 hours ago

Rapper Ksoo and cousin guilty of 1st-degree murder

The two were charged in the 2020 shooting death of Charles McCormick Jr. at a shopping center in Arlington.…

Featured image for “Marquee is next step in restoration of Florida Theatre”
The Florida Theatre and its first marquee, as it appeared in 1927 when the theater opened. | The Florida Theatre
2 days ago

Marquee is next step in restoration of Florida Theatre

The marquee is in dire need of repairs, among years of renovations at the 98-year-old venue.…

Featured image for “Suspect charged in slaying outside Copeland’s restaurant”
Police investigate a shooting June 11, 2025, outside of Copeland's of New Orleans restaurant on Southside Boulevard. | News4Jax
2 days ago

Suspect charged in slaying outside Copeland’s restaurant

The shooting June 11 shut down parts of Southside Boulevard and rattled nearby shoppers.…

Featured image for “IDEA River Bluff teacher accused of sexual battery”
The IDEA River Bluff charter school in Arlington. | Google
July 28, 2025

IDEA River Bluff teacher accused of sexual battery

James Lewis Tellis was fired from the charter school after he was accused of soliciting a child by computer.…

Featured image for “The Amelia moves to Saturday; Dario Franchitti is honoree”
Thousands of people attended the 30th annual Amelia concours d'elegance in March, many looking at race cars of 2025 honoree Helio Castroneves. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
July 28, 2025

The Amelia moves to Saturday; Dario Franchitti is honoree

The Amelia Concours is moving from Sunday to Saturday at the suggestion of people who attend.…

Featured image for “Hilliard gunman kills 3 but spares 5-year-old girl”
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper provides an update on a murder-suicide in Hilliard that left three women dead. | Nassau County Sheriff's Office
July 25, 2025

Hilliard gunman kills 3 but spares 5-year-old girl

A man killed three women and then apparently shot himself in the head, police said.…

Featured image for “Ex-Camden deputy gets 16 months for inmate beating”
A jail video shows former Camden County deputy Ryan Biegel and two others beating inmate Jarrett Hobbs in 2022. | Camden County Jail
July 25, 2025

Ex-Camden deputy gets 16 months for inmate beating

Ryan Biegel was sentenced in the beating of inmate Jarrett Hobbs in September 2022.…

Featured image for “Baymeadows may get crossing where man and son died”
A car passes Wicked Barley on Baymeadows Road, where a man and his child were killed May 16, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
July 23, 2025

Baymeadows may get crossing where man and son died

A study by the Florida Department of Transportation says a crosswalk is justified near Wicked Barley Brewing Co.…

Featured image for “Civil rights groups condemn violent Jacksonville arrest”
Will McNeil Jr. sits in his car on Feb. 19, 2025, seconds after a police officer smashed in the window next to him He was then punched twice before his arrest. | Courtesy of 904.will.
July 21, 2025

Civil rights groups condemn violent Jacksonville arrest

The Sheriff’s Office says the department is investigating whether any of the officers violated policies.…

Featured image for “4 local sites listed among most endangered in Florida”
The Oneida Bungalow Court lines Wade Drive, one of two Jacksonville sites listed on the "11 to Save" list for 2025. | Florida Trust for Historic Preservation
July 18, 2025

4 local sites listed among most endangered in Florida

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation included four sites in Northeast Florida on its “11 to Save” list for 2025.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Why are there ‘smokestacks’ on the new Medical Examiner’s Office?”
Four ventilation ducts are visible on the roof of the new Medical Examiner's Office. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
July 18, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | Why are there ‘smokestacks’ on the new Medical Examiner’s Office?

A Jacksonville Today reader asks about what look like smokestacks atop the new Duval County Medical Examiner’s Office.…

Featured image for “Parks officials to give details about moving Fort Caroline”
Waters from the St. Johns River floods the Fort Caroline National Memorial. | Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
July 18, 2025

Parks officials to give details about moving Fort Caroline

The National Park Service wants to move Fort Caroline to higher ground due to flooding from the St. Johns River.…

Featured image for “Gate Petroleum donates $1M to mayor’s reading initiative”
Mayor Donna Deegan talks with a child on board the River City Readers bookmobile. | City of Jacksonville
July 16, 2025

Gate Petroleum donates $1M to mayor’s reading initiative

Gate’s president, former Mayor John Peyton, also is reviving a book club he created as mayor.…

Featured image for “Baptist Health entrance shifts as tower construction begins”
Baptist Health has closed its rotunda entrance as construction starts on its new emergency tower on Prudential Drive. | Baptist Health
July 16, 2025

Baptist Health entrance shifts as tower construction begins

The main entrance has moved to the Borowy Family Critical Care Tower at Palm Avenue and Baptist Way.…

Featured image for “Police shoot man to death after confrontation at home”
Police investigate an officer-involved shooting on Tuesday, July 16, 2025, on Brahma Bull Circle on the Jacksonville's Northside. | News4Jax
July 16, 2025

Police shoot man to death after confrontation at home

Officers shot the man after he ripped out a woman’s hair and refused to let her go.…

Featured image for “Ex-Duval teacher accused of molesting children”
July 15, 2025

Ex-Duval teacher accused of molesting children

A former music teacher is charged with molesting two children under age 12, a dozen years apart.…

Featured image for “UNF police agree to enforce immigration on campus”
A University of North Florida police cruiser. | UNF Police Department
July 15, 2025

UNF police agree to enforce immigration on campus

Officers must first be trained before they can take action, and UNF says no ICE activity has been reported on…

Featured image for “Jax’s painted streets could be wiped out under FDOT rules”
A number of rainbow crosswalks were painted about a year ago on Lomax Street, paid for by Riverside Avondale Preservation. | Google
July 11, 2025

Jax’s painted streets could be wiped out under FDOT rules

The state is trying to eliminate pavement markings that do not help control traffic.…

Featured image for “CR 220 in Clay County closed all weekend for construction”
County Road 220 nearing the Henley Road intersection. | Google
July 11, 2025

CR 220 in Clay County closed all weekend for construction

A short stretch of County Road 220 is shut this weekend to lay new pipes.…

Featured image for “Waste Pro to pay $1.4M in employee racism suit”
A Waste Pro garbage truck. | Waste Pro
July 10, 2025

Waste Pro to pay $1.4M in employee racism suit

The lawsuit alleged that Black and Haitian American workers were subjected to repeated slurs and mistreatment.…

Featured image for “Suspect dead in Jacksonville’s 10th police officer-involved shooting of 2025”
Police investigate an officer shooting incident near Soutel Drive that left a 20-year-old man dead after an armed robbery, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. | News4Jax
July 9, 2025

Suspect dead in Jacksonville’s 10th police officer-involved shooting of 2025

A police officer shot a man to death after an armed robbery at a store in the Brentwood area.…

Featured image for “Love Jax? Shop the city’s merch store to show your pride”
Mayor Donna Deegan announced the city's new online swag store at a news conference next to the iconic orange Rex dinosaur statue at a shopping center on Beach Boulevard near Peach Drive. | News4Jax
July 8, 2025

Love Jax? Shop the city’s merch store to show your pride

The city of Jacksonville has opened an online swag store with logos designed by local artists. Celebrate with a Rex…

Featured image for “Invasive Vitex plant warning issued in Atlantic Beach”
An infestation of the Beach Vitex plant in an Atlantic Beach sand dune near a walkway. | City of Atlantic Beach
July 8, 2025

Invasive Vitex plant warning issued in Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach is fighting Vitex, an invasive plant that weakens sand dune resistance to storms.…

Featured image for “Fernandina investigates gangway’s collapse during fireworks”
The gangway at the Fernandina Harbor Marina after it collapsed. | City of Fernandina Beach
July 7, 2025

Fernandina investigates gangway’s collapse during fireworks

An engineering firm will look into why a gangway collapsed during Fernandina Beach’s July 4th fireworks.…