Jacksonville, Florida | featured news

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown had a message for reporters Friday: “I AM INNOCENT.”
The 12-term congresswoman facing federal fraud charges vented about her frustration with the news media in a blog posting telling reporters “I don’t have to prove my innocence to the court or to the news media.”
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Roughly half the Duval County voters deciding this month on a sales tax for Jacksonville’s huge pension debt probably won’t still be in the county when the time comes to start paying it.
That’s based on historical trends showing how the impact of deaths and moves to other counties will greatly alter the voter registration rolls between now and 2031.
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An anti-testing movement has gained national momentum throughout schools in recent months, but opting out of state-mandated tests won’t be an option without consequence for students in St. Johns County.
The school district’s new student progression plan provides detailed clarification for parents of third-grade students who are considering withholding their child from the reading portion of the Florida Standard Assessments. Those clarifications include assessment alternatives and good cause exemptions accompanied by rigid guidelines.

Although ground was broken late this spring and the project is well underway, the Jaguars and City of Jacksonville held an official ceremony this morning for the amphitheater and covered flex field adjacent to EverBank Field.
The venue will be called Daily’s Place; the Jacksonville-based convenience, has purchased the naming rights.
The first phase of the project is complete – a new entrance to the playing field behind the south end zone.

Florida’s unemployment rate held steady in July while the First Coast jobless figure showed a slight uptick for the second month in a row.
The unemployment rate for the First Coast area increased from 4.8 percent in June to 4.9 percent in July according to figures released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. That rate is before seasonal adjustments that take summer factors into account such as students on summer break seeking employment. The First Coast area includes Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties.

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown had a message for reporters Friday: “I AM INNOCENT.”
The 12-term congresswoman facing federal fraud charges vented about her frustration with the news media in a blog posting telling reporters “I don’t have to prove my innocence to the court or to the news media.”
read more

Roughly half the Duval County voters deciding this month on a sales tax for Jacksonville’s huge pension debt probably won’t still be in the county when the time comes to start paying it.
That’s based on historical trends showing how the impact of deaths and moves to other counties will greatly alter the voter registration rolls between now and 2031.
read more

An anti-testing movement has gained national momentum throughout schools in recent months, but opting out of state-mandated tests won’t be an option without consequence for students in St. Johns County.
The school district’s new student progression plan provides detailed clarification for parents of third-grade students who are considering withholding their child from the reading portion of the Florida Standard Assessments. Those clarifications include assessment alternatives and good cause exemptions accompanied by rigid guidelines.

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown’s attorneys asked a judge Thursday to let them quit representing her, just two days after they filed paperwork committing to handle her federal fraud trial.
“Irreconcilable differences exist and the relationship is strained where effective representation is compromised,” attorneys Mark NeJame and David Haas wrote in a filing to U.S. Magistrate James R. Klindt.
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U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and Democrats trying to replace her will face off Thursday night in a Jacksonville University debate over who should represent the 5th Congressional District in Washington.Former state Sen. Al Lawson and health-care advocate LaShonda “L.J.” Holloway both want to oust Brown, a 12-term incumbent facing federal fraud charges.read more