Big snakes, an American Idol from Jacksonville and Rick Scott are all in the headlines today.
Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country. We'll also preview some of WJCT's upcoming news programming.
Today's Weather
In Jacksonville there's a 20 percent chance of showers before 2 p.m. Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 47 degrees by 5 p.m. North wind 11 to 14 mph. Tonight skies will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 40 degrees. North wind 10 to 13 mph.
At the Beaches there's 20 percent chance of showers. Skies will be cloudy, with a high near 54 degrees. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 17 mph. Tonight expect skies to be cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 44 degrees. Breezy, with a north wind 11 to 15 mph. (National Weather Service)
Headlines
The 2015 Candidates for mayor respond to the recent UNF poll. Each campaign finds things that reflect well on its candidate. (WJCT)
Westside High student Tyanna Jones wowed the judges on American Idol last night singing "Rockin' Robin.' (The Florida Times-Union)
Jacksonville company is boxing up the River City and shipping it around the world. River City Crate offers customers a taste of Duval County by mail. (WJCT)
Big snakes, including a replica of the titanoboa, the largest snake that ever existed, are part of a new snake exhibit at Jacksonville Zoo. (The Florida Times-Union)
Gov. Rick Scott has decided to stop fighting to bring back drug testing for welfare applicants. (WJCT)
Today on First Coast Connect, Melissa Ross moderates the Media Roundtable Week in Review discussing all of the major stories this week. Then, One Spark is looking for volunteers for the 2015 event, and the opening of the Riverside Arts Market.
You can get all the latest headlines online at WJCTNews.org, on our Facebook page and on Twitter @WJCTJax. You can follow Ray Hollister on Twitter @RayHollister.
