Jacksonville | featured news

 
The driver of a logging truck that rammed a bus full of Bradford County school children at a drop-off almost two years ago has pleaded no contest to four counts of willful reckless driving and seriously injuring students.
Shannon Sherrell Ford, 37, of Interlachen will be sentenced Wednesday after making the plea Monday as jury selection was to begin.
Ford was with his wife in the tractor-trailer rig that rear-ended the school bus on a rainy afternoon on Sept. 29, 2014, on U.S. 301 in Starke.

First Coast No More Homeless Pets has received a $300,000 grant for its newly opened second low-cost animal clinic.
The grant was from Maddie’s Fund, a national foundation that promotes no-kill initiatives. Such low-cost clinics help low-income people keep their pets and reduce shelter intake and unnecessary euthanasia, said foundation grant director Shelly Thompson.
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The Jacksonville chapter of the Local Initiatives Support Cooperation is seeking nominations for newly established Community Development Awards.
The awards will be given to “individuals, organizations and government leaders who have made significant contributions to comprehensive development in Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods,” according to the nonprofit.
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The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a Sept. 15 public hearing about the proposed Jacksonville National Cemetery access road.
The project would connect the I-95/Pecan Park Road interchange to the Lannie Road/Ethel Road Intersection near the cemetery entrance, according to the agency. Beginning Aug. 25, a draft environmental assessment will be available for review at the Highlands Regional Library, 1826 Dunn Ave. or the FDOT Urban Office, 2198 Edison Ave., both in Jacksonville.

Two weeks before voters go to the polls to decide on the top prosecutor in the Jacksonville area, the three candidates seeking the position all argued they were the best candidate for the job at a contentious Tuesday night debate at Jacksonville University.
Incumbent State Attorney Angela Corey touted her experience and said she’d made the area safer over the past eight years. But challengers Melissa Nelson and Wesley White said Corey was ineffective and the community deserved a better elected prosecutor.

Duval’s principals may make a lot more money this school year - some even in the six figures - if they take over the district’s most challenging schools, according to a pay plan the School Board is considering.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti Tuesday proposed dramatically changing the salary schedule for principals so they’re paid not just according to school type - whether its elementary or high school - but also according to how big a school is and how many students can read and do math at grade level.

 
The driver of a logging truck that rammed a bus full of Bradford County school children at a drop-off almost two years ago has pleaded no contest to four counts of willful reckless driving and seriously injuring students.
Shannon Sherrell Ford, 37, of Interlachen will be sentenced Wednesday after making the plea Monday as jury selection was to begin.
Ford was with his wife in the tractor-trailer rig that rear-ended the school bus on a rainy afternoon on Sept. 29, 2014, on U.S. 301 in Starke.

By Larry Hannan
State attorney candidates Angela Corey, Melissa Nelson and Wesley White will debate tonight at Jacksonville University in a forum that will be streamed online by WJXT TV-4.
The event will take place at 8 p.m. at the Swisher Theater.
Corey is the incumbent state attorney running for a third term. Nelson and White are former subordinates of hers. Nelson has been leading in recent polls and fundraising while Corey has the support of law enforcement and most elected officials in the area.

Duval’s principals may make a lot more money this school year - some even in the six figures - if they take over the district’s most challenging schools, according to a pay plan the School Board is considering.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti Tuesday proposed dramatically changing the salary schedule for principals so they’re paid not just according to school type - whether its elementary or high school - but also according to how big a school is and how many students can read and do math at grade level.

The Nation, the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States, has a detailed story online looking at 4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Angela Corey and Public Defender Matt Shirk that focuses on their roles in the Cristian Fernandez case.
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