Florida's open carry ban, the AWOL sailor and Bank of America 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 skies will be sunny, with a high near 45 degrees. Wind chill values as low as 19 degrees early. Breezy, throughout the day with a northwest wind around 15 mph. Tonight should be clear, with a low around 24 degrees.
At the Beaches it will be sunny, with a high near 41 degrees. Wind chill values as low as 22 degrees. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 17 mph. Tonight should be clear, with a low around 31 degrees. Wind chill values as low as 22 degrees. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph. (National Weather Service)
Tree service owner sentenced to 15 years in prison for death of teenage employee. Jonathan Wilkes plead guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child for the accidental death of 14-year-old Blake Bryant. Bryant fell from a tree to his death after he accidently cut his safety strap. (First Coast News)
Ban on Open Carry upheld in Florida appeals court. Dale Norman was arrested in 2012 for wearing a pistol in a holster in public. Norman was found guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor. Norman appealed the ruling on constitutional grounds. The 4th District Court of Appeal decided that the law disallowing Floridians to openly carry guns does not violate the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. (WJCT)
Jacksonville to grow as a destination for medical tourism thanks in part to a grant from the state tourism board. Visit Florida awarded over $100,000 in grants to Jacksonville, which local medical providers are matching, to promote the area's doctors to travelers looking for medical services. (WJCT)
Sailor that went AWOL on the run after escaping from military police officers. The sailor, whose name has not yet been released, was last seen at Tillie Fowler Regional Park after jumping the fence at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and running across Roosevelt Boulevard. (News4Jax)
Bank of America to lay off almost 70 Jacksonville employees. According to an email from a company spokeswoman, less workers are needed in the bank's "legacy asset servicing" division due to the shrinking number of homeowners being delinquent in their mortgages. (The Florida Times-Union)
Today on First Coast Connect, Downtown Investment Authority CEO Aundra Wallace and governing board chairman Oliver Barakat join Melissa Ross about the DIA's plans for redeveloping Jacksonville's urban core.
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.
