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Jacksonville City Council rejects hate-crime legislation
A bill that would have toughened penalties for hate crimes in Jacksonville failed to win over council members Tuesday night. With only seven of the council’s 19 members voting yes, the bill — named after Johnnie Mae Chappel, who was killed in a racist attack 60 years ago — died Tuesday evening.
OPINION | Social-cultural issues are the classroom
Monday morning my 9-year-old joined about 100,000 other Duval County Public Schools’ children and returned to the classroom for the first day of school. Before I woke him up for the day I prayed that he have “a good, successful, unproblematic, and unracist fourth grade year.” (Words ripped straight from your prayer journal).
Landlords are offering more perks in Jacksonville
Nearly half of the landlords in Jacksonville are offering concessions to renters, one of the highest rates in the country, a new study shows. Some 45.6% of multi-unit properties in Jacksonville offered concessions in July as the rental market became more competitive, the Zillow real estate service reported Tuesday. The rate compared with 27.8% a year ago.
Winn-Dixie in Fleming Island will become an Aldi store
The Aldi grocery chain plans to convert the Winn-Dixie in Fleming Island to an Aldi store, one of the first to be identified in Greater Jacksonville. Clay County is considering Aldi’s request for a permit to remodel the Winn-Dixie at 1545 County Road 220 at a cost of $1.75 million.
Laura Street Trio developer to city: ‘Buy me out’
The owner of the Laura Street Trio is “tired of dealing with the city of Jacksonville,” telling the city to “buy me out.”. Frustration rose Monday at City Hall between developer Steve Atkins and the city’s Downtown Investment Authority, during a special committee meeting on the future of Downtown.
Jacksonville Housing Authority picks another interim CEO
The Jacksonville Housing Authority picked a new interim CEO on Monday to take over after the acting CEO resigned this month. The board of commissioners approved moving forward with Roslyn Mixon-Phillips while the housing authority looks for a permanent CEO. Mixon-Phillips has worked for the housing authority as a commissioner and as a chair for the board of commissioners. She also has worked in various roles with the city of Jacksonville.
SPORTS | What we learned from the Jaguars’ preseason opening win
The Jaguars’ 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs to open the preseason shouldn’t be used as a reason to proclaim the Jags as immediate title contenders, but there were some positive steps that came from the preseason-opening victory.
Outback Crabshack is back in St. Johns County
Forty years after it first opened its doors, Outback Crabshack in St. Johns County is reopening this weekend. The popular restaurant along the bank of Sixmile Creek suffered significant damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and has been closed ever since.
OPINION | Don’t Blow It: Jacksonville’s Special Committee on the Future of Downtown
Since May, the City Council Special Committee on the Future of Downtown has met three times, with additional meetings in the offing. This committee, appointed by former council President Ron Salem and extended by newly installed council President Randy White, presents a promising opportunity to rethink our understanding of and approach to reinvigorating Jacksonville’s historic Downtown urban core and engage the local citizenry in deep and meaningful ways.
ARTS PICKS | Aug. 9-11
Jacksonville Today Arts and Culture Editor Matt Shaw shares his arts and culture picks for the weekend. On Friday evening, narrative performance guru Barbara Colaciello’s popular Bab’s Lab Story Slam series celebrates its eighth year of friendly storytelling competitions. Each member of the storyteller lineup will tell a five-minute story based on the theme On the Path . Reception at 7 p.m. Slam starts at 8 p.m. 603 King St. (Enter by path from Phyllis Street between the metal fence and palm tree across from Yellow House.) Tickets: $17. More info .
Ollies and kick-flips abound as Artist Walk Skatepark opens
Keniel Jaenz took a brief break from skateboarding at the Artist Walk Skatepark in Riverside on Thursday morning to talk about how much he loved this three-block-long conglomeration of ramps, rails and jumps under the Fuller Warren Bridge.
4 school districts target substance abuse and violence
Four Northeast and Central Florida counties announced a new program Thursday aimed at curbing youth substance abuse and violence. The Flagler, Volusia, Putnam and St. Johns County school districts are working closely with the 7th Judicial District State Attorney’s Office on the new Safety First, Success Always initiative.
Black voter turnout courted ahead of pivotal election
Duval County may have the highest percentage of Black voters in the state, but the question this political season is how many melanated souls will make it to the polls. When an early voting site opened on the campus of Edward Waters University on Wednesday morning, it illuminated a multiyear effort from local civil rights organizations to return a precinct to the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Wellness Center on the campus of Florida’s oldest historically black college or university. It’s a site situated in the heart of New Town, a predominantly Black neighborhood.
Norwood Plaza owner assailed over leaks and potholes
When Tropical Storm Debby dumped inches of rain on the Jacksonville area Monday, it seems like a lot of it leaked into Antione Gary’s Elevations Lounge in the Norwood Plaza. It was not the first time that rainwater leaked through his club’s roof. He showed puddles inside the club Wednesday and videos of rain pouring through the ceiling in the past as well as water pooling on the roof of the Brentwood neighborhood shopping center.
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