Duval County homeowners are much closer to being allowed to keep chickens in their backyards, Jacksonville is once again named a top city for those seeking employment, supporters of Florida land conservation face a tough road ahead in Legislative budget talks, and over 4 million current and former federal employees may have had their personal information stolen.
Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country.
Here are 8 stories you don’t want to miss.
Backyard Chicken-Keeping Ordinance Flies Over First Hurdle
The Jacksonville Planning Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to approve an ordinance allowing people to keep chickens in their backyards.
Jacksonville Still In Forbes’ Top 5 Cities To Find A Job
For the third year in a row, Forbes Magazine has named Jacksonville one of the top five cities in the nation to find a job.
Groundwork Jacksonville Plans Development Of Trails Between Downtown Neighborhoods
Groundwork Jacksonville held a two-day session this week to discuss the proposed S-Line Rail Trail between historic Springfield and Jacksonville’s Eastside.
Commercial Drone Industry Expands In Jacksonville
Aviation Systems Engineering Co. in Jacksonville will launch its commercial unmanned systems, or drone, program on June 15.
New ‘Mobile Command Center’ To Help Restore Power Faster During Disasters
Florida Power & Light Company in St. Augustine acquires a new state-of-the-art truck with the ability to communicate information about outages under any weather conditions.
Advocates For Florida Land Conservation Could Have Uphill Climb
Despite continued lobbying and statewide rallies, lawmakers with control over a water-and-land funding package don't appear to be open to pleas to increase spending on environmental lands.
Massive Data Breach Puts 4 Million Federal Employees' Records At Risk
Nearly 4 million past and current federal employees may have fallen victim to the latest cybersecurity attack against the Office of Personnel Management.
Chinese Hackers Breach Government Personnel Office Computers
OPM says it discovered the breach back in April. But it's not clear when it actually occurred, and they're still trying to determine just how widespread it is. OPM's computers were attacked last summer, and then it was believed that China was responsible.
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.
