Jameis Winston, Cherish Perrywinkle, and Nelson Mandela are 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.
Florida officials remember Nelson Mandela: Florida state and federal officials shared remembrances of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who died yesterday at the age of 95. (SaintPetersBlog, NPR)
Jax retirement panel narrows options: Jacksonville's Retirement Reform Task Force took some options off the table at a meeting yesterday and set a timeline to have a plan in place by the second week of 2014. (WJCT)
Jax civic leader Chester Aikens dies following city meeting: Retirement task force member and prominent dentist Dr. Chester Aikens died after collapsing yesterday at City Hall. (First Coast News)
Firefighters battling Regency blaze: Jax firefighters are trying to contain a large fire in a commercial building in the Regency area. (News4Jax)
No charges against FSU's Winston: Heisman Trophy candidate Jameis Winston will not face charges related to an alleged sexual assault. (NPR)
Perrywinkle murder suspect welcomes death penalty: Donald James Smith, the convicted sex offender accused in the rape and murder of Jacksonville 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle, told police being put to death would be "happy and peaceful." (Florida Times-Union)
Jaguars heating up late with win at home: The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Houston Texans at Everbank Field Thursday night 27-20, their third straight win. (ESPN)
Kevin Meerschaert (@KMeerschaertJax) is at Naval Station Mayport this morning for the arrival of the USS New York.
Today on First Coast Connect, back from the holiday, our weekly Friday local media roundtable starts the show.
You can get all the latest headlines online at WJCTNews.org, on our Facebook page, and on Twitter @WJCTJax. You can follow Patrick Donges on Twitter at @patrickhdonges.
