Featured image for “Jacksonville’s park system rises in national ranking”
The Florida C. Dwight Memorial Playground in LaVilla has been renovated to include new jungle gyms and play equipment. It is part of the LaVilla Link, the first segment of the Emerald Trail project. The 30-mile walk and pathway project will connect 14 neighborhoods and 21 parks. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 21, 2025

Jacksonville’s park system rises in national ranking

The U.S. Trust for Public Land ranked Jacksonville’s parks 64th of the 100 biggest cities in the country.…

Featured image for “Fernandina seeks residents’ input on flood plan”
Flooding in Fernandina Beach | City of Fernandina Beach
May 21, 2025

Fernandina seeks residents’ input on flood plan

The city is asking residents to take an online survey to help create “a more resilient Fernandina Beach.”…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | A weekend of jazz”
Let's Ride Brass Band performs at 1904 Music Hall during a previous Jazz Fest After Dark. | Downtown Vision
May 21, 2025

BIT OF JOY | A weekend of jazz

The annual Jacksonville Jazz Fest returns tomorrow, bringing more than a dozen acts to Jacksonville’s Eastside through the weekend. The…

Featured image for “Investigation continues into Baker Sheriff’s Office”
The Baker County Sheriff's Office
May 21, 2025

Investigation continues into Baker Sheriff’s Office

Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the appointment of State Attorney Melissa Nelson to investigate the department.…

Featured image for “Students design a sustainable Jax — with a Minecraft twist”
Students from Sandalwood and KIPP Bold City high schools compete in the Minecraft New Jax City Build Challenge Finals on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at WJCT Studios. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
May 21, 2025

Students design a sustainable Jax — with a Minecraft twist

Teams from local schools used an educational version of the Minecraft game to rethink Downtown Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | From bacon to BUBBA Burgers to Peterbrooke: Jones-Chambliss meat packers”
May 21, 2025

THE JAXSON | From bacon to BUBBA Burgers to Peterbrooke: Jones-Chambliss meat packers

For nearly a century, Jones-Chambliss Meat Packing was a major employer and smelly beehive of activity in Jacksonville’s Mixon Town.…

Featured image for “Prosecutors open investigation related to Hope Florida”
Casey DeSantis speaks during a campaign event for Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 2, 2023, in Lexington, South Carolina. |
May 21, 2025

Prosecutors open investigation related to Hope Florida

The program, led by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, has been under scrutiny in connection with a Medicaid settlement.…

Featured image for “Florida remains hot. When will rain and storms return?”
May 21, 2025

Florida remains hot. When will rain and storms return?

The forecast shows some breaks, but more heat will return for Memorial Day.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville celebrates Florida’s Emancipation Day”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, right, listens to Toni Bingham, center, and Marlena Smalls, right sing during a rememberance of Florida's Emancipation Day on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 20, 2025

Jacksonville celebrates Florida’s Emancipation Day

Jacksonville’s Emancipation Day celebration came less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard an argument for overturning birthright…

Featured image for “Duval DOGE says it’s found $20M in unspent funds”
Jacksonville at-large councilman Ron Salem, who chairs the City Council Finance Committee. | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
May 20, 2025

Duval DOGE says it’s found $20M in unspent funds

City Council member Ron Salem’s Duval DOGE committee says its savings is nearing $20 million as it starts a review…

Featured image for “Revlon closing Westside plant and cutting 127 jobs”
May 20, 2025

Revlon closing Westside plant and cutting 127 jobs

Layoffs will begin July 18 and continue for three months, the company said.…

Featured image for “Lawmaker promises more steps to protect lands like Guana”
Local officials celebrate the announcement that a private company had withdrawn its request to take 600 acres of conservation land in Ponte Vedra. From left are St. Johns County Commissioner Clay Murphy; Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine; St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell; St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline; and St. Johns County Commissioner Ann Taylor. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
May 20, 2025

Lawmaker promises more steps to protect lands like Guana

State Rep. Kim Kendall wants to stop deals like one that would have traded away 600 acres of conservation land.…

Featured image for “St. Johns Schools finds new superintendent close to home”
Brennan Asplen is the next superintendent of St. Johns County Schools. | St. Johns County School District
May 20, 2025

St. Johns Schools finds new superintendent close to home

The School Board on Tuesday chose Deputy Superintendent Brennan Asplen as its next superintendent.…

Featured image for “Councilman pushes safety upgrades on Baymeadows”
A car passes Wicked Barley on Baymeadows Road, where a man and his child were killed on Friday, May 16, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
May 20, 2025

Councilman pushes safety upgrades on Baymeadows

City Councilman Joe Carlucci is pressing for improvements after a teacher and his son died crossing the street.…

Featured image for “3 new Jacksonville food trucks that stand out from the wheeled-eatery crowd”
Dorami stands out as a kid-friendly food truck option | Hanna Raskin
May 20, 2025

3 new Jacksonville food trucks that stand out from the wheeled-eatery crowd

These food trucks are some of the highlights among recent arrivals to the scene in Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | When will the Northbank Riverwalk reopen?”
A JB Coxwell video about the McCoys Creek project shows part of the Northbank Riverwalk and pedestrian crossover dismantled for the time being. | JB Coxwell
May 20, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | When will the Northbank Riverwalk reopen?

City projects have closed several sections of the Riverwalk, but the work could wrap up before long.…

Featured image for “Judge orders more help for Florida’s ailing manatees”
A federal judge ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to take steps to protect manatees.
May 20, 2025

Judge orders more help for Florida’s ailing manatees

A federal judge required the state to go through a permitting process and to block new septic tanks.…

Featured image for “No more random boat inspections in Florida”
Oyster boats float on Apalachicola Bay. | Rob Diaz de Villegas, WFSU
May 20, 2025

No more random boat inspections in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that requires probable cause for law enforcement to stop and search boats.…

Featured image for “Proposal withdrawn for Guana conservation land swap”
Protesters line State Road A1A on Saturday, May 17, 2025, near the site of the proposed land swap in St. Johns County. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
May 19, 2025

Proposal withdrawn for Guana conservation land swap

The state says a proposed land swap deal that could have led to the development of conservation land near Ponte…

Featured image for “Cars to be released Wednesday from burned airport garage”
Tony Cugno, chief operating officer of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, provides an update Monday, May 19, 2025, about vehicles trapped in a burned parking garage at the airport. | Mike Mendenhall Jacksonville Today.
May 19, 2025

Cars to be released Wednesday from burned airport garage

About 1,200 vehicles were trapped after a fire Friday that spread to 50 cars and collapsed part of the garage.…

Featured image for “Teacher and his 1-year-old son killed while crossing road”
Mitchell Patch and his 1-year-old son Everett were killed while crossing Baymeadows Road on Friday, May 16, 2025. | GoFundMe via News4Jax
May 19, 2025

Teacher and his 1-year-old son killed while crossing road

Mitchell Patch, a math teacher at Bayview Elementary School, was killed trying to cross Baymeadows Road.…

Featured image for “A.L. Lewis fund expands grants as nonprofits face uncertainty”
Tim Johnson, the volunteer chairman of the A.L. Lewis Black Opportunity & Impact Fund, listens to Sharon Coon during a reception May 15, 2025, celebrating the 40 organizations that received funding from the fund this year. Coon is the founder of the Friends of Brentwood Library, a nonprofit that will use funding from the Lewis fund to sponsor a writer's festival this summer. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 19, 2025

A.L. Lewis fund expands grants as nonprofits face uncertainty

The A.L. Lewis Black Opportunity & Impact Fund will award two rounds of grants this year.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville zoo is now a botanical garden too”
A tiger walks in an overhead enclosure at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, where palm trees and ferns are integrated into the design. | Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens
May 19, 2025

Jacksonville zoo is now a botanical garden too

The zoo changed its name to the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens to reflect its emphasis on plants and animals.…

Featured image for “Cargo door popped open just before fatal Yulee plane crash”
Police closed Blackrock Road in Yulee after a plane crash May 10, 2025. | News4Jax
May 19, 2025

Cargo door popped open just before fatal Yulee plane crash

A security camera showed the cargo door open on a Piper aircraft that crashed seconds later.…