The Liberty Street collapse, Gov. Rick Scott and UF Health North are all in the headlines today.
Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast and around Florida. We'll also preview some of WJCT's upcoming news programming.
Today's Weather
In Jacksonville skies will be sunny, with a high near 57 degrees. Tonight, should be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature around 45 degrees.
At the Beaches it will me sunny, with a high near 55 degrees. Tonight expect skies to be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature around 48 degrees. (National Weather Service)
Gov. Scott invites energy workers laid off due slashed oil prices to come to Florida. The state started a website where oil and gas industry workers can search for job openings in Florida. (WJCT)
New Jacksonville medical center opening soon. UF Health North, located off Max Leggett Parkway near the Jacksonville International Airport, is preparing for its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 12. (WJCT)
Jacksonville 16-year-old wins ticket to Hollywood to compete on American Idol. Tyanna Jones wowed the judges singing "Wings" by Little Mix in San Francisco and earned a place in the singing competition. (The Florida Times-Union)
Gov. Rick Scott promotes tax cuts for mobile phone, cable and satellite services at Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Gov. Scott's tax cuts would cost the state $470 million. (WJCT)
State attorney is considering dropping murder charges for Columbia County sisters. The 16-year-old and 11-year-old Columbia County sisters who killed their 16-year-old brother may not be charged with murder because of the history of abuse in the home. (News4Jax)
Liberty Street collapses into St. Johns River knocking out power to nearby townhomes. The Berkman Villas Townhomes are without electricity for at least two weeks as crews work to repair the damage caused to an electrical conduit and transformer when a large segment of South Liberty Street collapsed. (The Florida Times-Union)
Today on First Coast Connect, Rick Mulaney, director of Jacksonville University's Public Policy Institute and host of WJCT's Policy Matters, and A.G. Garcarski, columnist for Folio Weekly and FloridaPolitics.com join Melissa Ross to discuss the collapse of Liberty Street into the St. Johns River and the state of Jacksonville's infrastructure.
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.
