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First Coast Connect

Reopening Jacksonville; 'The Secret War of 1834'; 'Wild Florida'; Artist Elena Ohlander

MATT YORK / ASSOCIATED PRESS
A closed sign hangs in the door as a maintenance worker passes by.

 

 

On Monday, Mayor Curry encouraged businesses in Duval County to begin planning for how they will operate when the local economy opens back up.

 

         

He didn’t give a date for when the county will begin reopening businesses, but did note that there has been a consistent dip in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 compared to the total number tested. 

 

Later in the day, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved a $159 million dollar stimulus plan for the city.

 

Tim Gibbons, editor of the Jacksonville Business Journal, joined us for a closer look.

 

Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage

Women’s Food Alliance

Leigh Cort of the Women’s Food Alliance joined us with some thoughts about what’s going on in the hospitality industry around the region.

The Secret War of 1834

First Coast author William LeClere, along with his daughter Becky, recently published The Secret War of 1834, a new historical fiction book about a virulent pandemic that swept America almost two hundred years ago. Little did he know how when he first started writing how timely his story would still be. He joined us to tell us more about it.

Wild Florida

Spring has sprung, the fish are biting, and some parks and outdoor spaces have reopened. Contributor Lisa Grubba is a Florida Master Naturalist and journalist and joined us to tell us what’s going on outdoors in Northeast Florida in this month’s “Wild Florida.”

Credit Elena Ohlander
"Not the Enemy" by Elena Ohlander

Artist Elena Ohlander

 

The coronavirus pandemic has put some local projects on hold.

That’s been the case for Jacksonville-based artist Elena Ohlander, but she’s not letting the covid crisis slow her down. Rather, she has shifted her way of working - and is now creating and selling pieces using new mediums, including stickers and clothing, and is engaging with her fans directly, via Instagram.

The pandemic has also inspired her to create a new body of work, "Xenophobia." It’s intended to break down stereotypes and fear. She joined us to tell us more about it.

 

Heather Schatz can be reached at hschatz@wjct.org or on Twitter at @heatherschatz.

 

       

 

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Heather is the senior producer of WJCT 89.9 FM talk shows including First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, the Florida Roundup and What's Health Got to Do with It?