The Jacksonville Transportation Authority's new bus routes, the Duval GOP Secretary and a local protest about Eric Gardner are all in the headlines affecting Northeast Florida 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 will be a 20 percent chance of showers after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Breezy, with a north wind 14 to 17 mph. Tonight it should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind 8 to 13 mph.
At the Beaches there will be a 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Very windy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph. Tonight there's a slight chance of showers between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. North wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%. (National Weather Service)
Duval GOP Secretary will not seek reelection after Twitter controversy
After calls for her resignation from many, including Republican mayoral candidate Bill Bishop, over her tweets in response to the decision not to indict Ferguson, MO officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, Duval County Republican Party Secretary Kim Crenier has decided that when her term expires she will not seek reelection. (The Florida Times-Union)
Jaguars lose to Houston at home
Coming off a marginal win against the New York Giants last week, the Jaguars felt like they could take the win on the homefield. Although the Jaguars led at halftime 13 to 10, they let the Texans gain 17 points in the second half without getting any points for themselves. (News4Jax)
Local citizens join nationwide protest
A protest stretching across the country also showed up in Jacksonville's own Hemming Park. Many locals joined the silent protest as a call to justice in the death of Eric Garner, a unarmed black man that was choked to death by a police officer in Staten Island, New York attempting to arrest him for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. (News4Jax)
JTA revamp receives mixed reviews from riders
Last week the Jacksonville Transportation Authority completely changed the entire bus system, starting a new naming convention, adding new routes and changing schedules. The change was intended to improve wait times and increase service, but may customers are complaining that the change has made riding the bus worse. (Action News Jax)
Mayport honors those lost in Pearl Harbor attack
Veterans and current service members joined together on the USS Taylor in a ceremony to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (News4Jax)
Construction on St. Augustine's Hypolita Street finally finished
After months of renovations that clogged streets and hurt businesses, the city of St. Augustine held a festival to celebrate the completion of the beautification project. (Action News Jax)
Today on First Coast Connect, Maggie Anderson, author of "Our Black Year" and founder of the Empowerment Experiment joins Melissa Ross to discuss her new book and the year she spent only buying from black owned businesses and buying only black-made products. First Coast Success profiles Adecco Group's Bob Crouch. And, Cole Pepper talks to Melissa about the Jaguars' latest defeat.
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.
