First Coast Connect

First Coast Week in Review Sep 18, 2026

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

Allegations of racism surface at a high school volleyball game after students at Fernandina Beach High School use a Black baby doll to taunt opponents.
A principal already under scrutiny for allegations of inappropriate behavior is removed from Baldwin Middle-Senior High after officials say they found a gun in his car on campus.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is shuttering its beleaguered Skyway and NAVI systems and firing as many as 200 employees to deal with a multimillion dollar fiscal crisis.

Guests:

Anthony Austin, evening anchor at First Coast News
Megan Mallicoat, education reporter at Jacksonville Today
Will Brown, race and poverty reporter, Jacksonville Today
Ariel Schiller, reporter at News4Jax
Mike Mendenhall, city hall reporter and associate editor at Jacksonville Today

Fruit loop

A community fundraiser couples two worthy goals: getting an early jump on holiday shopping and supporting Florida's struggling citrus industry. The Mandarin Community Club harnesses the area’s historic legacy as a citrus hub (hence the name) with its second annual 2026 Florida Citrus Fundraiser. This year, the sale includes grapefruit grown using an approach known as CUPS, or Citrus Under Protective Screen, which shields the fruit from the invasive and devastating insect-borne greening disease. Preorders are open through Nov. 12, and fruit boxes can be shipped around the country as gifts or picked up at the club’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 4. We discuss how the club’s past — and future — remain connected to the iconic citrus fruit.

Guest: Brett Nolan, vice president of Mandarin Community Club

'First They Came For My College' Sep 17, 2026

The storied Sarasota honors school New College was founded as an academic sanctuary of sorts, designed to be impervious to political pressures and the shifting winds of academia. In the words of its founding president, George F. Baughman, it presented “an opportunity for the American people to build an institution of academic excellence, of academic freedom and the search for freedom, without the limitations of the state legislature or investigating committees.” Instead, according to the filmmakers behind a new documentary, First They Came For My College, the school has become ground zero for a broader political movement targeting diversity programs and college curricula on campuses around the country. Defined as a “hostile takeover” by the people who orchestrated it, the resulting overhaul has reshaped the school’s curricula and demographics and had profound effects on those who remain. We talk to the film’s producer, himself a New College alum, about why he hopes Floridians attend one of several state screenings on the film’s North American theatrical run.

Guest: Harry William Hanbury, producer, First They Came For My College, New College of Florida alumnus

First Coast Connect reached out to New College of Florida for a comment about the documentary and received the following statement:

"The claims at issue are old — and still false. Regardless, New College of Florida firmly believes in free speech and gladly offered to preview the movie on our campus. The President even said he’d join the producers on stage after the film and answer all questions. The producers refused. It’s unfortunate, but we understand why. The facts speak for themselves. Since, Governor DeSantis led the revitalization of the campus, New College has been among the leading public liberal arts colleges in the country:

Washington Monthly ranks New College No. 6 among liberal arts colleges in the United States and No. 1 in Florida.
The Princeton Review named New College one of the top 50 Colleges That Create Futures and ranked it No. 24 among Best College Values.

New College is focused on ensuring students have real public discourse, real free speech, and real academic freedom."

Ride along

After spending 28 years in the Navy, one Jacksonville veteran continues to serve, with his new focus on combat-injured veterans. A onetime hospital corpsman, Bill Hayes manages Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride Jacksonville, a two-day event inviting veterans of any ability to join a 40-mile bike ride to demonstrate they aren’t defined by their injuries. The first ride on Sept. 24 is a round trip loop from Wounded Warrior Project headquarters on the city’s Southside to the USS Orleck and back. A second ride on Sept. 25 runs between American Legion Post 129 in Jacksonville Beach and Mickler’s Landing in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Guest: Bill Hayes, Soldier Ride manager at Wounded Warrior Project

Cell mate

Perhaps best known as the man behind the signature cello on Coldplay’s 2008 hit Viva la Vida, Dave Eggar nonetheless has a much broader musical range, performing classical, rock, bluegrass, folk and New Age music. The virtuoso, Julliard-trained pianist and cellist and multi-Grammy nominated composer was a student of both Aaron Copeland and Yo Yo Ma and has an equally star-studded list of musical collaborators, including John Legend, Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Imagine Dragons, Evanescence and Beyoncé. He performs with his Americana/blues-inflected band Bristol Lightning at Friday Musicale at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Guests:

Dave Eggar, cellist, pianist and composer
Bryce Rabineau, mandolinist, Bristol Lightning

**WJCT President and CEO Karen Feagins** Sep 16, 2026
WJCT President and CEO Karen Feagins
From her days running the newsroom at WJCT Public Media to her long tenure as a station board member to her new gig as president and CEO, Karen Feagins has demonstrated a decades-long commitment to public media. We sit down with her to discuss what that looks like in a rapidly evolving media landscape, as well how the station is managing funding challenges and its increased reliance on community support. We also discuss her favorite NPR programs and lifelong love of Broadway musicals.
Guest: Karen Feagins, president and CEO, WJCT Public Media
On the 'Horizon'
An early love of classic rock segued into a deep appreciation for its musical origins sometime after the teen years. From that moment, the blues became a driving interest for Andrew Wiechman, the “voice” of many WJCT promos and the host of the long-running weekly show Blues Horizon. The hourlong program, which runs on WJCT 89.9 FM on Saturday nights starting at midnight (aka Sundays 12-1 a.m.) gives a dude nod to modern blues, with its feet firmly planted in classic sounds like Elmore James and Blind Willie Johnson. We ask Wiechman about his path to discovering the roots of rock and his continued focus on the musical horizon.
Guest: Andrew Wiechman, media operations director at WJCT and host of Blues Horizon
Travel agency
A group that believes in the power of friendship to bridge cultural divides is celebrating its 50th year in Jacksonville. CISV (formerly Children's International Summer Villages) is part of a national and global initiative connecting young people through travel and intercultural relationships in an effort to foster peace through education. We talk to a junior board member and the local chapter’s director about the group’s belief in human connection and the role it can play in an ever-more-interconnected but divided world.
Guests:
Reggie Agulto, director, Jacksonville chapter of CISV (formerly Children's International Summer Villages)
Kinsey Spencer, high school senior and junior CISV board member
Speed trial
Faster isn’t always better — unless it’s a race. And speed is part of the winning formula at the world’s largest filmmaking competition. The 48 Hour Film Project, which began in Washington, D.C., in 2001 and has expanded to more than 100 cities worldwide, challenges filmmakers, actors and amateurs alike to produce their best shorts in 48 hours. Now in its 20th year in Jacksonville, the festival has grown in both quality and quantity, but it still relies on the same set of rules: two days to write, shoot and edit a film. We sit down with an event producer and participant to discuss how the event has evolved, what newcomers should expect and how aspiring filmmakers can participate. The JAX 48 Hour Film Project kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Friday at The Jessie. The films will be screened at WJCT Studios at 7 p.m. Oct. 13, 14 and 15.
Guests:
Adam Madrid, city producer, JAX 48 Hour Film Project
Alisha Johnson, writer, producer, director and JAX 48 Hour Film Project participant

'Path of the Panther' Sep 15, 2026

A film that helped build support for funding a key conservation initiative, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, has a local screening at a critical moment. The National Geographic documentary Path of the Panther documents efforts to protect the endangered Florida panther as development pressures and habitat fragmentation erode the wild spaces it needs to survive. The landmark corridor act was created to protect an 18 million-acre network of green spaces, farmland and wildlife habitats, but funding cuts by state lawmakers this past legislative session reduced Florida Forever funding from $229 million to $18 million, despite a state law requiring minimum funding of $100 million annually. We talk to the film’s producer ahead of a screening on Tuesday at St. John’s Cathedral. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., and the film begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A session with Tori Linder, moderated by the Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll, dean of St. John's Cathedral.

Guest: Tori Linder, conservationist, producer, Path of the Panther

Dark arts

An artist translating the science of biology into the language of art discusses working the line between research and creation in two upcoming talks. Environmental researcher, visual artist and Crisp-Ellert Art Museum’s new Artist-in-Residence Dr. Brandon Ballengée uses the discipline of the scientific method to create illuminating and sobering works of art, be it an exhibition documenting the often fatal journey of thousands of migratory birds or his sculptural depiction of species harmed by the Deepwater Horizon spill — a pyramid of jars containing 26,162 specimens of preserved fish and other aquatic life. Ballengée joined Flagler College faculty for a discussion on Thursday at Ringhaver Student Center, and will host a workshop titled Fishes: Masters of Adaptation, at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Both events are free, but registration is required.

Guest: Brandon Ballengée, biologist and visual artist

Scream play

From Donnie Darko to the Hungarian experimental animation Habfürdő, a pop-up cinema club is resurrecting cult classics and arthouse films. In addition to film screenings, Video Ghosts purveys physical media like vintage VHS tapes and Blu-ray discs from boutique film distributors. The club’s next feature is Dario Argento's Deep Red, a 1975 Italian thriller about a pianist turned murder investigator. The screening starts at 8 p.m. Sept. 22 at The Albatross in Downtown Jacksonville.

Guest: Gage Hogsten, owner, Video Ghosts

Home team Sep 14, 2026

The “Vote Yes on 3” campaign got a big boost from a group with no small stake in the housing market. Florida Realtors have poured $10 million into a campaign to pass the property tax-cutting ballot measure, which goes before voters in November. If approved by 60% of voters, the measure would increase the homestead property tax exemption from $50,000 to $150,000, with a potential increase to $250,000 by 2028. Local governments have warned of everything from extreme budget tightening to something closer to an existential crisis, and the amendment is opposed by first responders, including the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police and the Florida Fire Chiefs Association. But Realtors believe it will loosen up the housing market and remove financial barriers to home ownership. We talk to investigative reporter Jason Garcia about what the backing of the powerful lobbying group will mean for the amendment's chances of success.

Guest: Jason Garcia, investigative reporter, Seeking Rents

A string of pearls

A Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play explores the life of a trans woman who survived the murderous and repressive regimes of Nazi Germany and, later, communist East Berlin. Told in an interview style, the story dramatizes the playwright’s own interactions with the highly controversial Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who was both an LGBTQ icon and museum founder, as well as an unofficial collaborator with the East German secret police, and who likely profited off of belongings acquired from fleeing and deported Jews. The play I Am My Own Wife plumbs Mahldorf’s complicated legacy and raises difficult questions about survival, truth and the ambiguities of history.

Guests:

Denise M. Reagan, executive director, The 5 & Dime
Kristen Walsh, director, I Am My Own Wife

Historic yard sale

Looking for a chance to find a treasure in someone else’s tr– ... someone else’s discarded treasure pile? Riverside Avondale Preservation is staging a historic opportunity. On Sept. 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the historic preservation advocacy group is staging its inaugural community yard sale. In addition to more than 70 designated sale points, the event will feature pop-up participants throughout the historic district, including businesses and even RAP HQ itself. For those who want to shed some treasured possessions but don’t feel like hosting a sale, RAP is allowing for drop-off donations as well. We ask the event organizer about their hopes for the maiden thriftapalooza.

Guests:

Shannon Blankinship, executive director, Riverside Avondale Preservation
Stephanie Welchans, Riverside resident and Community Yard Sales participant

Monday Morning quarterbacking

The Jags kicked off their first game of the season against the beleaguered Cleveland Browns having closed out a more-than-respectable 2025 season with a record of 13-4 (especially considering the previous year was 4-13). We get a full breakdown of the home game, including what it means for the fan experience in a stadium of diminished size as EverBank Stadium undergoes construction.

Guest: Rachel Phillips, sports reporter and anchor at First Coast News

First Coast Week in Review Sep 11, 2026

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

The City Council president’s jet-setting to a Tampa Bay Rays game raises questions about his strategies for political fundraising.
A local teachers union struggles for survival after state laws change the rules for membership.
Census data contradict the mayor’s claim to have reduced the rate of uninsured residents by 34%, actually suggesting a slight increase.

Guests:

David Bauerlein, metro reporter, The Florida Times-Union
Obi Umunna, attorney and political consultant
Megan Mallicoat, education reporter, Jacksonville Today
Molly Farrar, Report for America corps member, reporter at The Florida Trib

Florida Chamber Music Project

A small ensemble making a big cultural impact on the First Coast is celebrating its 14th season this year. The Florida Chamber Music Project stages concerts September through June, filling the intimate historic space of the Beaches Museum Chapel with a playlist ranging from the classical to the contemporary. Each performance is followed by refreshments and an opportunity to mingle with the players. The first performance features classical compositions by Felix Mendelssohn and Ludwig van Beethoven and a more contemporary piece by Alex Cooper. The concert will be Sunday at the Beaches Museum Chapel and Museum, 505 Beach Blvd. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 3 p.m.

Guests:

Susan Pardue, violist, artistic director and founder, Florida Chamber Music Project
Patrice Evans, violinist and director of music education, Florida Chamber Music Project
Ross Winter, violinist, Florida Chamber Music Project
Laurie Casseday, cellist, Florida Chamber Music Project

Marriage retirement

The first show of the season for a St. Augustine community theater explores the familial fallout when a couple married for 50 years calls it quits. Grand Horizons follows Bill and Nancy, who just moved into a new retirement community, through the turmoil unleashed after they tell their adult children they are getting divorced. Written by Bess Wohl, who won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Play for her latest work Liberation, the play explores whether our deepest love might have an expiration date. A Classic Theatre presents Grand Horizons at The Waterworks on select dates between Sept. 11 and 20.

Guests:

David Buchman, director, Grand Horizons
Cindy Alexander, producer and artistic director, A Classic Theatre

High steaks gamble Sep 10, 2026

Between development pressures on Florida farmlands to the worst drought in two decades, state cattle ranchers have seen herds decline and costs increase. Add to that heat-related stress and insect-related illnesses linked to a changing climate, and the economics of beef production are increasingly untenable. But the national affordability crisis and rising grocery bills have led to demands for action, especially when it comes to the cost of meat, and the Trump administration has responded with a series of policies aimed at reducing sticker shock. Most recently, the president signed a proclamation removing tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of beef imports, primarily from Brazil and Argentina. The announcement has shaken the industry, including in Florida, the country’s ninth-largest cattle market, with both the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association sending letters of concern. We talk with First Coast economists and a cattle rancher about the economics of meat production and how the president’s policies, here and abroad, are shaping the future of some Florida farms.

Guests:

Todd Thrift, beef cattle specialist, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Andres Gallo, professor of economics and acting chair, Department of Economics and Geography, University of North Florida Coggin College of Business
K'Leigh Combs, fourth generation cattle rancher and vice president of Diamond D Farms

Teaching 9/11 to Gen Z

Friday is the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, and for those who lived through it, the 2001 terrorist attacks will always be seared into memory. But for most of today’s college students, there are no memories — because they were not yet born. We talk to a Florida State University professor whose class, “U.S. in the 21st Century,” explores how 9/11 changed the world for Gen Z, even though they didn’t live through it. We ask him how the national trauma continues to shape our modern experience and about the unique challenges of teaching an event that has itself become a target (and source) of misinformation.

Guest: Paul Renfro, professor of history, Florida State University

Benefit walk

A neuromuscular disease with a misleading name is the focus of an upcoming benefit event. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited neuromuscular ailment that causes progressive neuropathy and loss of muscular control. Though rare, it affects an estimated 135,000 people in the U.S., including hundreds in the Jacksonville area alone. We talk to the head of the local CMT association about the importance of raising awareness and funds for the often-misunderstood disease. The Jacksonville Walk 4 CMT will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Mayo Clinic.

Guest: Timothy Nightingale Sr., Jacksonville Charcot-Marie Tooth Association

Ask the Mayor Sep 09, 2026

The mayor’s stalwart defense of JEA CEO Vickie Cavey notwithstanding, the utility’s chief announced her departure last week after months of controversy and an ever-widening investigation by the Jacksonville City Council. We talk to the mayor about what it means as JEA moves toward its sixth CEO in six years and what it means for utility stability moving forward. We also discuss the statewide rollback of Flock cameras and census data that contradict her administration’s claim to have reduced the rate of uninsured residents by 34%, actually suggesting a slight increase.

Guest: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan

Sinking feeling

Almost 200 pieces of concrete pipes, culverts and structural supports were dumped onto the sea bottom miles from the Jacksonville Jetties — on purpose. It’s just the latest project undertaken by a coalition of fishermen, recreational divers and state, local and federal agencies in an effort to expand a growing web of artificial reefs on the otherwise mostly sandy bottom off the coast of the First Coast. Advocates say the reefs drive tourism but also create critical habitat for marine life and support a healthier ocean overall. The projects aren’t maintenance free. Once created, they must be cleaned and tended to prevent accumulation of ecologically and environmentally damaging fishing lines and netting. We talk to three experts behind the effort about the challenges and rewards of making fake fish haunts.

Guests:

Marc Hardesty, member, Jacksonville Waterways Commission
Paul Malone, artificial reef committee chairman, Jacksonville Offshore Sports Fishing Club
Joe Kistel, underwater cinematographer at Kistel Media

Family Secrets Sep 08, 2026

Fun fact about Hank Phillippi Ryan: Long before she made her name as the author of popular mystery novels, she sued the CIA. Though she lost her bid to obtain agency records, the case entered the popular lexicon through a phrase the government used to defend its secrecy (and its denial of her Freedom of Information request): We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the documents. She left her stamp on the journalistic world in other ways, winning 37 Emmys and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards as an investigative reporter. But her sole task these days is delivering gripping narratives to the eager true crime and mystery fans of her nearly 20 novels, including the popular Jane Ryland series, her 2025 bestseller, All This Could Be Yours, and her newest book, Mother Daughter Sister Stranger. We talk to Ryan ahead of her local appearance at Happy Medium Books Cafe.

Guest: Hank Phillippi Ryan, former investigative reporter, author of Mother Daughter Sister Stranger

Symphonic beginnings

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra kicks off its fall season with a powerful musical triad, including selections from Tchaikovsky’s tragic but beloved Swan Lake, Guillaume Connesson’s celebratory orchestral overture Maslenitsa and Mozart’s commanding lyrical Piano Concerto No. 22, performed by acclaimed classical concert pianist Evren Ozel, winner of the Bronze Medal of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2025. We talk to Symphony director Courtney Lewis about choosing the right sounds to start the season and what to expect from opening night.

Guest: Courtney Lewis, music director, Jacksonville Symphony

Spoke 'n words

What does the future of cycling in Jacksonville look like? An upcoming event at Springfield’s Phoenix Arts & Innovation District features a film screening followed by a panel discussion with community members and transportation planners about what makes for a healthy bike culture, and how Jacksonville can improve its own. The film, 2023’s The Engine Inside, explores the power of cycling to change lives and the planet. The event includes a safety giveaway including free helmets and reflective vests.

Guests:

Garf Cooper, owner, ZenCog Bicycle Company
Tanner Pletzke, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, city of Jacksonville

Spin doctor

After 25 years of spinning the sounds of the past, present and the future, Electro Lounge host David Luckin celebrates a quarter century working the (mostly figurative, but sometimes literal) turntables. The iconic host and mixmaster of a varied, creative, eclectic and always chill playlist will be honored at WJCT Studios on Sept. 16. Electro Lounge: Live at 25 will feature Luckin’s trademark musical mix of world, reggae, electronic and nu jazz, accompanied by a special live radio broadcast hosted by the maestro himself. The event is free, but reservations are requested. (If you have a memory to share or a message for David before the event, you can leave a brief message at 904-358-6316.)

Guest: David Luckin, host, Electro Lounge

First Coast Week in Review Sep 04, 2026

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

After months under the City Council microscope, JEA’s CEO announces her resignation, making way for the utility’s sixth CEO in six years.
St. Johns County considers whether to fight a new state law governing so-called agricultural enclaves after getting hit by a wave of new development applications.
A flurry of post-trial motions and new criminal charges in the Jared Bridegan murder case complicate two trials still to come.
And what does a statewide rollback of Flock cameras mean for taxpayers, crimefighters and civil libertarians?

Guests:

Robert Brown, news director, WJXT News4Jax
Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
Mike Mendenhall, City Hall reporter and associate editor at Jacksonville Today
Nikesha Williams, author of The Seven Daughters of Dupree
Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter at Jacksonville Today

Concrete concerns Sep 03, 2026

A proposed heavy industrial facility in Northwest Jacksonville is drawing pushback from the surrounding community, which has raised concerns about health effects, increased traffic and perpetuating the damaging legacy of “redlining,” which has historically concentrated undesirable development in poor, often Black, neighborhoods. We talk to public health experts and community advocates about how they are building their case to block the project as it moves through the City Council approval process.

Guests:

India Butler, public health advocate, epidemiologist
LaShaundra Sawyer, vice president of Lincoln Villa Community Association Northwest Inc.
Clanzerria Brown, healthcare professional and community advocate

Falling in place

A new exhibit opening this week at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville captures the artistic interaction between architecture and electronics. The Glitch: Architecture Undone exhibit, erected in the museum’s atrium space, consists of a 25-foot freestanding tower adorned with wood scraps, industrial piping, translucent panels and other materials. The result is two interconnected structures appearing to be plunging downward and upward simultaneously. We sit down with the artist to discuss what inspired the piece and what “glitch” he is hoping to reveal. A free opening reception will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Guests:

Ryan Rasmussen, multidisciplinary artist, creator of Glitch: Architecture Undone exhibit at MOCA Jacksonville
Ylva Rouse, senior curator, MOCA Jacksonville

Country queen

After being hauled onto the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 8 by her dad, Mel “the Coca Cola Cowboy” Tillis, singer/songwriter Pam Tillis says she quickly caught “the bug” to perform — even when it meant overcoming crippling stage fright. More than five decades later, Tillis has garnered multiple Grammy and CMA awards, been honored with Opry membership and traversed numerous musical genres, performing all the while. The artist behind such country crossover hits as Mi Vida Loca, Shake the Sugar Tree and Maybe it was Memphis, Pam Tillis is bringing her considerable talents to the First Coast. We ask the artist about her musical heritage and memories of Dolly Parton ahead of her Sept. 3 performance at the WJCT Soundstage, part of the Florida Theatre on the Road series.

Guest: Pam Tillis, country music singer-songwriter

Love and Regret Sep 02, 2026

Who can understand the alchemy of the algorithm? Certainly not the artists who find themselves suddenly and inexplicably carried aloft on a wave of viral popularity. Such is the case for Taylor Olin, a former St. Augustine singer/songwriter now based in Europe, whose single Love has turned her band The Something Specials from a modest Spotify presence to an overnight sensation. The song has been streamed more than 20 million times, even featured on a Reese Witherspoon Instagram gardening reel. We ask her about the meteoric journey and talk to Jacksonville Today’s arts and culture editor, Matt Shaw, about covering the band’s rise. We also take a listen to other local bands currently in his musical carousel.

Guests:

Taylor Olin, singer/songwriter, The Something Specials
Matt Shaw, arts and culture editor, Jacksonville Today

Newgrass city

Perhaps most widely known for holding down stage right as Billy Strings’ peerless mandolin player, Jarrod Walker is a legend in the bluegrass world, winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association Song of the Year in 2022 for the Stanley-esque instrumental Red Daisy and lyricist behind the eminently catchy Gild The Lily off of the band’s 2024 album, Highway Prayers. Now, Walker is touring in support of his first solo record, Nighthawk, a mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass along with atmospheric alt-country songs. He performs in St. Augustine as part of the annual Sing Out Loud festival’s free Local Artist Showcase.

Guest: Jarrod Walker, singer/songwriter, Billy Strings’ mandolin player

Growth opportunity

Chef Dani Collins grew up on a Missouri farm that provided vegetables and chickens to the entire community. But it’s her training as a chef that has allowed her to translate the fruits of farm labor to the temptations of the table. With her background as a professional caterer, she now educates those wanting to improve health outcomes and self-sufficiency by growing their own food. We talk to Collins about the free Grow & Nourish Program, which she runs out of Eartha’s Market & Farms. We also discuss an upcoming community cleanup with Eartha’s program manager.

Guests:

Dani Collins, culinary instructor, Eartha’s Farm & Market
June Young, program manager, Eartha’s Farm & Market

'Visualizing Indigenous Florida' Sep 01, 2026

A new exhibition aims to revise longstanding and historically dubious images of Native American history by cultivating a new body of work, created by artists from the Muscogee, Seminole and Miccosukee nations. A collaborative partnership between faculty at the University of North Florida and seven indigenous artists, the exhibition is titled Visualizing Indigenous Florida and offers a historical corrective to the images often associated with early Florida by engraver Theodore de Bry. We meet two of the participating artists and discuss how broadening the visual lens of history can help ameliorate problematic versions of the past.

Guests:

Dr. Denise Bossy, associate professor of history at the University of North Florida
William "Popeye" Osceola, secretary, Miccosukee business council, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Alyssa Osceola, featured artist and citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Florida

Monthly checkup

The promise of an Alzheimer's test for patients as young as 40, and doctors pull back on the BRAT diet for stomach bugs. We’re joined by Dr. Joe Sirven for a monthly house call to discuss recent medical headlines. We also discuss alarming new research showing that as many as 1 in 4 professional football players with the NFL will end up with the degenerative brain disease known as CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Guest: Dr. Joe Sirven, Mayo Clinic neurologist and host of WJCT’s What’s Health Got To Do With It?

Undoing DUI convictions Aug 31, 2026

A wide-reaching court order could wipe out DUI charges for hundreds if not thousands of criminally charged motorists in the state of Florida. A three-judge panel has recommended suppressing evidence in the 4th Judicial Circuit, which includes Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, but the order could potentially be used statewide to overturn pending and even already resolved DUI cases. We talk to the DUI attorney who brought the original legal challenge about why the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s procedures for maintaining Breathalyzers did not comply with state regulations and how the State Attorney’s Office might respond to a potential flood of legal challenges.

Guests:

David Robbins, criminal defense attorney, Epstein & Robbins
Ken Jefferson, retired Jacksonville sheriff’s officer and crime analyst

Village people

An effort to preserve a community’s shared history by recording its collective memories is the goal of the MyVillage Project, an AI-driven initiative that aims to leverage the wisdom of local leaders and share it with the younger generation. The project is being honored at this year’s 904 Day Breakfast. The annual event is hosted by LIFT JAX and VyStar to celebrate the success of civic initiatives, including the ongoing efforts to revitalize the historic Eastside community.

Guests:

Ronnie King, founder and CEO, MyVillage Project
Maya Francis, director of community engagement and partnerships, LIFT JAX

New Breed

A reunion of friends at a remote Georgia cabin is the setting for a new locally produced horror film. Once there, they are stalked by a serial killer of sorts, one driven by scent and protected by an unspoken conspiracy of nearby townspeople. We talk to the writer/director about the pull of indie horror and the work of infusing familiar storylines with fresh blood to appeal to a new generation of fans.

Guests:

Cobus Gomes, filmmaker, The Breed
Vince Bagni, film producer, The Breed
Adam Madrid, film production coordinator, City of Jacksonville Film and Television Office

First Coast Week in Review Aug 28, 2026

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

A grand jury finds the DeSantis administration “misappropriated” taxpayer money for political purposes. What does it mean for the state's attorneys general as they both run for election in November?
The City Council prepares for possible property tax cuts with prophylactic budget tightening around public services, arts and — possibly — the Skyway overhaul.
The governor wades into the Flock camera controversy, calling surveillance “out of control.”
A speedy guilty verdict in a 2022 Jacksonville Beach murder-for-hire killing sets the table for the upcoming trial of the victim’s estranged ex-wife.

Guests:

David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union metro reporter
John Daigle, former City Hall reporter, political consultant
Anthony Austin, anchor, First Coast News
Nate Monroe, executive editor, The Florida Trib

Curtain's up

A new community theatre opened to audiences this month in St. Augustine with the intention of ushering in a “new era” of storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Sherrie Provence, Catalyst Theatre opened with The Great American Trailer Park Musical, a campy musical comedy set (where else?) in Florida. Provence spent five years leading the Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine before hanging her own shingle. What can audiences expect from the rest of the inaugural season?

Guests:

Sherrie Provence, artistic director, Catalyst Theatre
Heather Starling, actor playing Jeannie in The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Jimmy Buffetted by fate Aug 27, 2026

It was a 24-hour cocktail party, an extended drug trip and a time of unbridled creative and sexual abandon. Nineteen-seventies-era Key West was also a destination hideaway of literary, cinematic and musical luminaries including Hunter S. Thompson, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Margot Kidder, Thomas McGuane, Jerry Jeff Walker, Truman Capote and, perhaps most iconically, Jimmy Buffett. Amid it all was St. Augustine artist, restaurateur and founder of the Black Fly Outfitters resort Vaughn Cochran, original member of Buffett’s band, later dubbed the Coral Reefers. “I was the jug-band guy, playing the washboard, mandolin, and banjo,” he recalls. Now, Cochran is part of a new documentary, Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, examining what it means to carry the legacy of a romanticized but often poorly remembered era. For more on the Jimmy Buffett period of Key West, check out All that is Sacred and Tarpon.

Guest: Vaughn Cochran, artist, founder of Black Fly Outfitters and original member of the Coral Reefers, Jimmy Buffett's band

Remembering Ax Handle Saturday

Sixty six years after a racist mob armed with ax handles and baseball bats attacked Black residents in Jacksonville, the city is unveiling a new marker to remember the violent event. On Aug. 27, 1960, known as Ax Handle Saturday, hundreds of white rioters threatened and beat peaceful protesters demonstrating at Jacksonville lunch counters, as well as Black passerby. We sit down with civil rights activist Rodney Hurst, who was forced to flee from attackers, to discuss the importance of formally recognizing the incident with a marker on Jacksonville’s Civil Rights Trail. Hurst will join Mayor Donna Deegan at 11 a.m. Thursday for the marker’s unveiling ceremony at James Weldon Johnson Park.

Guest: Rodney Hurst, Ax Handle Saturday witness, activist, author and Black historian

True originals

As part of the nation’s 250th celebration, the Smithsonian museum is looking back at the greater bulk of continental history, in which indigenous people inhabited what we now know as the U.S. for more than 13,000 years before the arrival of European explorers. Titled Americans and developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, curators say the project focuses on four significant historical events: Thanksgiving, the Trail of Tears, the Battle of Little Bighorn and the life of Pocahontas. A companion exhibit at the Amelia Island Museum of History, developed in collaboration with the University of North Florida, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, is titled Visualizing Indigenous Florida. We talk to the curator about how the shows landed at the small First Coast museum and what they contain.

Guest: Tirik Peterson, curator, Amelia Island Museum of History

Keeping watch: from Flock cameras to powerful new space telescopes Aug 26, 2026

Flock together

Growing protests over the seeming omnipresence of Flock surveillance tools have focused largely on their use by police and their ubiquity on roads. But they are also a growing presence in private communities, including cameras aimed at swimming pools and personal property. Their widespread, voluntary adoption by HOAs, property managers and landlords has broadened the footprint of surveillance. And a Jacksonville Today investigation finds they are being used at apartment complexes owned by a D.C.-based company that also invests heavily in Flock, the tech company behind the cameras.

Guest: Elizabeth Caldwell, investigative reporter, Jacksonville Today

Silent agreement

Large-scale paintings that explore even larger themes form the backbone of a new exhibition at The Alexander Brest Gallery on the campus of Jacksonville University. Paul F. Yount’s dark, expressionist oil paintings depict scenes of immense violence and historic atrocities while evoking a promise of transcendence or even serenity. We talk to the artist about the pieces that comprise the SILENCE.silent exhibition and what it means to make art that is both political and deeply personal.

Guest: Paul F. Yount, visual artist behind the SILENCE.silent exhibition at The Alexander Brest Gallery

Star of the show

All eyes are on the sky ahead of two interstellar events this week. A partial lunar eclipse will place the moon in Earth’s shadow late Thursday into Friday morning, giving the appearance of a “blood moon,” with the greatest moment of eclipse at 4:13 a.m., according to NASA. Then, on Sun., Aug. 30, NASA and Space X will launch a next-generation telescope aimed at exploring some of the universe’s remaining mysteries, including dark energy and black holes. The telescope is named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, Nancy Grave Roman. We sit down with our resident spaceman to discuss how a recent image of the center of the Milky Way will serve as the foundation for the telescope’s planet exploration.

Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science and History

https://news.wjct.org/show/first-coast-connect/2026-08-24/on-tuesdays-show-textbook-case Aug 25, 2026

**A bad time for ‘America’s best idea’** Aug 24, 2026
Bulldozer sits inside Big Bend National Park. (Credit: Natalie Newman)
National Parks Week arrives amid growing concern over the future of funding and land use plans, following deep cuts, staff reductions and unprecedented incursions into public lands. From the recent removal of educational markers in the Carolinas to bulldozers in Big Bend, the changes are prompting a “day of action” on Aug. 25, in which the National Parks Conservation Association asks the public to sign a petition urging President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to protect parks and their employees. We talk with two park experts who advocate for protecting nature from ourselves.
Guests:
Mark Woods, columnist, The Florida Times-Union, author, Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Park
Vanessa Trujillo, senior conservation program manager, National Parks Conservation Association
Flow state
From the Northbank and Southbank Riverwalks to Riverfront Plaza and the new RiversEdge park, the city has a lot of waterfront parkland. We explore how the newly formed Jax Riverfront Alliance plans to create a unifying vision for all that real estate, and why the city chose a public/private model to accomplish that goal. We also ask the interim director what groundwork she’s laying for a permanent hire, and what foundation is already in place to build on.
Guest: Linzee Ott, interim director, Jax Riverfront Alliance
Topics and guests subject to change.

First Coast Week in Review Aug 21, 2026

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

A local lawmaker dominates national headlines. We look back at state Rep. Angie Nixon’s decisive win in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
An at-large election boosts Democratic and female representation on Jacksonville's City Council
Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Fine scores a resounding win despite a late-breaking mail tampering video.
Moms for Liberty loses its grip on state School Board elections

Guests:

Will Brown, reporter, Jacksonville Today
A.G. Gancarski, Northeast Florida correspondent, Florida Politics
Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter, Jacksonville Today
Nate Monroe, executive editor, Florida Trib

'Saturday Night Fever'

A 1977 fever dream comes to life on the Alhambra Theatre stage, complete with the disco moves that defined an era. Whether you’re nostalgic for a time of tight polyester pants and dagger collars or just keen on the Bee Gees’ close harmonies and catchy pop hits, the theatrical version delivers the full jukebox musical experience (albeit with near erasure of the film’s grittier themes). We meet the dinner theater production's leads and ask them about their moves. The show runs through Sept. 27.

Guests:

Rachel Kocher, actor playing Annette in Saturday Night Fever at Alhambra Theatre & Dining
Christopher Michael Milligan, actor playing Tony Manero

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