Featured image for “THE JAXSON | 5 female writers from Jacksonville”
A mosaic of Zora Neale Hurston at the Jessie Ball duPont Center by Celso Gonzalez | Ennis Davis
March 1, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 female writers from Jacksonville

In honor of the start of Women’s History Month, here are five women with ties to Jacksonville whose writing affected…

Featured image for “EXPLORE: Is your voting precinct one of Jax’s highest-turnout? Or the lowest?”
A voting precinct in Jacksonville's Lakewood neighborhood. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
February 27, 2022

EXPLORE: Is your voting precinct one of Jax’s highest-turnout? Or the lowest?

Plus, 5 takeaways from the City Council election Republican Nick Howland will be sworn in on Jacksonville’s City Council Wednesday,…

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The proposed Congressional District 5 would be entirely within Duval County | House of Representatives
February 27, 2022

OPINION | House redistricting map creates Jax-only CD5…lands with a thud

The intramural pissing match between Republicans in Tallahassee continues, and no clear resolution is at hand as they try to…

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February 22, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 Gullah Geechee dishes to try in Jacksonville

The Gullah Geechee descended from enslaved Central and West Africans who worked the plantations of the Lowcountry in the coastal…

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Reps. Cord Byrd and Angie Nixon | Photos: Florida House of Representatives
February 20, 2022

OPINION | Drama on Florida House floor reflects Duval’s racial divide

Duval County legislators were at the center of drama in the Florida Legislature last week, and the confrontation spoke to…

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February 8, 2022

THE JAXSON | 6 Gullah Geechee communities in Jax

Who are the Gullah Geechee? The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of Central and West Africans who have traditionally…

Featured image for “OPINION | The value of being”
Byron Leftwich, left, and Alton Brown, right. Photo attribution: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; JaxStrong, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
February 7, 2022

OPINION | The value of being

There’s a notion that has circulated in the Black community for generations: Black people have to be twice as good…

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February 1, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 Black history sites in Brooklyn

In honor of the beginning of Black History Month, here’s a review of sites in the quickly changing neighborhood of…

Featured image for “OPINION | Erasing Black history does not erase Black people”
Quarters for enslaved people at Jacksonville's Kingsley Plantation.
January 31, 2022

OPINION | Erasing Black history does not erase Black people

In my other life, I write books and host a podcast. I am unabashed about centering the point of view…

Featured image for “Painter Richard Heipp forces us to see the world, and his art, anew”
"Reliquario De Santi Cosmos (Medici, 1691)," 2020 by Richard Heipp courtesy of the artist
January 26, 2022

Painter Richard Heipp forces us to see the world, and his art, anew

In Wes Anderson’s new film, The French Dispatch, Julian Cadazio (a huckster of substantial means played by Adrien Brody) is…

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January 11, 2022

THE JAXSON | Northbank Renaissance continues with 4 new projects

Driven by adaptive reuse and historic incentives, Jacksonville’s Downtown Northbank is experiencing a veritable renaissance of new development. Here’s a…

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A sheriff's deputy handcuffs Ben Frazier January 4, 2022. | Claire Heddles, WJCT News
January 9, 2022

OPINION | Ben Frazier makes his point

A week ago, the world hadn’t heard of Ben Frazier. The president of the Northside Coalition was known locally, but…

January 4, 2022

OPINION | Changing the urban landscape in 2022

Jacksonville’s Urban Core is growing again after decades of decline, the Emerald Trail has broken ground, and the Downtown Northbank…

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Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Credit: Heather Schatz, WJCT News
December 15, 2021

SPORTS | Urban Meyer couldn’t overcome his ‘trust issues’

There’s a difference between coach speak and dishonesty. Coach speak happens every week in news conferences at all levels of…

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The Duval County School Board administration building. Michael Rivera at Wikipedia
December 14, 2021

OPINION | Duval Schools headquarters must stay Downtown

Duval County Public Schools’ announcement that it plans to sell its Southbank headquarters and relocate is welcome news for those…

December 13, 2021

OPINION | When are we going to get back to normal?

My son lied to me about wearing his mask. He lied for nearly two weeks straight. I had been sending…

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December 12, 2021

OPINION | Polson’s problem

The First Election of the Jacksonville City Council At Large Group 3 race is in the books, and nobody won.…

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December 7, 2021

OPINION | The forgotten factor behind Downtown Jax’s struggles

Analyses of Downtown Jacksonville’s continued struggles typically focus on factors within Downtown’s boundaries. Though generally overlooked, one external factor may…

Featured image for “OPINION | Voting is the price of freedom”
Signs in front of an early voting site | Claire Heddles, WJCT News
December 6, 2021

OPINION | Voting is the price of freedom

Today is election day. Albeit it’s a small election, a special election to fill the seat of the late at-large…

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November 30, 2021

OPINION | 5 development myths that hold Downtown Jax back

Does demolishing old buildings prime the pump for flashy ones? Is 10,000 residents the magic number necessary to enliven Downtown…

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November 23, 2021

OPINION | What hotels can do for Downtown vibrancy

A new Home2 Suites in Brooklyn is the latest hotel project moving forward in Downtown Jacksonville. With more hotels in…

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A flooded street reveals some of Jacksonville's infrastructure needs.
November 16, 2021

OPINION | 5 infrastructure bill projects Jacksonville should pursue

President Joe Biden finally signed his hard-fought $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Monday, November 15.…

Featured image for “OPINION | What are we teaching our children?”
A Confederate monument in Springfield Park is covered with a tarp to prevent vandalism.
November 15, 2021

OPINION | What are we teaching our children?

City Council has withdrawn the Confederate monument legislation and may never take it up again —  an act of cowardice…

Featured image for “OPINION | Can Donna Deegan win?”
Deegan announced her candidacy for mayor on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross.
November 14, 2021

OPINION | Can Donna Deegan win?

Fundraising isn’t everything. That is what every underfinanced candidate has said since the beginning of time. And that is also…