Jacksonville | featured news

JEA on Thursday lifted a boil water advisory that was issued earlier in the week for customers in certain communities.
JEA issued the advisory Tuesday after a water-main break and water outage.
The utility conducted water-quality testing, the results met water quality standards, and the water is safe to drink, according to a Thursday morning statement.
JEA recommends those customers flush water lines for three minutes after their water returns to remove any possible air or sediments from their lines.

A Jacksonville business executive and car collector donated $30,000 to the University of North Florida’s Osprey Racing Team, who annually design and build a race car to compete against other colleges in the annual national Formula SAE championship.
APR Energy Chairman and CEO John Campion, whose company is also a team title sponsor, presented the donation to Dean Mark Tumeo at a Wednesday ceremony with the 5-year-old team and its latest race car at the University Center Board of Trustees Room.

More detours are coming this weekend for the ongoing Overland Bridge road construction project on Interstate 95 in Jacksonville’s San Marco area.
The detours will be in place between 8 p.m. Friday through as late as 6 a.m. Monday so the contractor can perform demolition, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Motorists traveling east on Atlantic Boulevard will be directed to Kings Avenue southbound, then to Philips Highway/US-1, Emerson Street eastbound, then to Spring Park Road northbound.

JEA executives believe a plan they will outline Tuesday would reduce electric bills for customers beginning this year, keep bills stable and avoid rate increases in the next five years.
“Importantly, every single customer – all commercial, all residential – electric customers will have a bill decrease as a result of the combination of recommendations here,” Chief Financial Officer Melissa Dykes said. “By doing this today, we actually save our customers $100 million over the next eight years.”

Only 7 percent of people who get pancreatic cancer survive at least five years.
Bonnie Dvoravic of St. Johns County is one of the fortunate few.
Diagnosed in 2006, she had to endure months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. But staunch support from her family, friends and a “global prayer chain” helped her emerge victorious, she said.
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Jacksonville’s lack of a law extending anti-discrimination protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be a factor when the NCAA considers whether the city will host future championship sporting events.
In recent years, Jacksonville has hosted early-round action in the men’s basketball tournament at the arena plus track and field regional championships at the University of North Florida. The city has applied to host NCAA events in the 2018 through 2022 period for men’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, and fencing.

The state will shut down Race Track Road east of Bartram Park Boulevard to just east of the Florida 9B construction site from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday as part of an ongoing construction project.
Contractors will be installing new beams for the Florida 9B/Race Track Road overpass, meaning a detour will be in place, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
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FLEMING ISLAND | Clay County teachers, support personnel and some parents left no doubt Thursday night that Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. and School Board Chairwoman Johnna McKinnon are lame ducks nearing the end of their terms.
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Jacksonville’s lack of a law extending anti-discrimination protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be a factor when the NCAA considers whether the city will host future championship sporting events.
read more

The state will shut down Race Track Road east of Bartram Park Boulevard to just east of the Florida 9B construction site from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday as part of an ongoing construction project.
Contractors will be installing new beams for the Florida 9B/Race Track Road overpass, meaning a detour will be in place, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
read more