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First Coast Connect

4/19/2018: Earth Day 2018; Elevate Northeast Florida; Kerry Speckman

NASA

Thursday on First Coast Connect we spoke with UNF political science and public administration Assistant Professor Josh Gellers and MOSH planetarium director Eddie Whisler about this weekend’s Earth Day (01:08).   

Northeast Florida Regional Council CEO Brian Teeple discussed the Elevate Northeast Florida regional development strategy (33:56).  

And Kerry Speckman told us about some of the events coming up this week (46:00).

Earth Day 2018  

Earth Day is coming up Sunday, and Jacksonville will get a jump on the festivities with a programSaturday at the Jacksonville Landing.   

People worldwide are marking the event in a number of ways, including making a pledge to reduce the amount of plastic pollution they generate.

Last year, hundreds of people gathered at the Jacksonville Landing and around the world to participate in the March for Science to highlight the need for more science education.

On the heels of the March, this year, local science advocates will be holding a monthly speaker series called Science on Tap. The goal is to create deeper conversations about science that are relevant to the Jacksonville community.

Elevate Northeast Florida

Elevate Northeast Florida is a regional economic development strategy focused on economic and job growth and increasing Northeast Florida’s global competitiveness. The Northeast Florida Regional Council is encouraging all residents and employees in the seven-county Northeast Florida region to fill out their survey. Counties in the region are Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns.

Kerry Speckman

Melissa spoke with songwriting legend David Foster, who is coming to theFlorida Theatre next week.

Kerry told us about Saturday’s 20th anniversary of Jacksonville’sGuns ‘N Hoses, the boxing matchup for charity between the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department at the Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo will be at the Florida Times-Union Centeron Sunday.

Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham will be appearing Friday at the Arena.

And the Welcome to Rockville festival comes to Metropolitan Park next weekend.    

Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.

Kevin Meerschaert has left WJCT for new pursuits. He was the producer of First Coast Connect until October of 2018.