Claire Heddles - Jacksonville Today
ReporterClaire joined WJCT as a reporter in August 2021. She was previously the local host of NPR's Morning Edition at WUOT in Knoxville, Tennessee. During her time in East Tennessee, her coverage of the COVID pandemic earned a Public Media Journalists’ Association award for investigative reporting.
Claire grew up in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona and received a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. As a student, her work with Al Jazeera's Contrast VR won a Webby award. After graduation, Claire worked at NPR as a national desk intern.
Claire’s work has aired nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered, and she has bylines at NPR, The Advocate Magazine and Truthout.
Outside of reporting, Claire enjoys trying new recipes and restaurants around Jacksonville, throwing pottery and spending time outdoors. You can contact Claire with tips, story ideas or comments at (904) 250-0926, cheddles@wjct.org or on Twitter @claireheddles.
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The rise in cases in recent weeks has not convinced people to get vaccinated. Last week saw the smallest number of people get a vaccine or booster since vaccines became widely available. -
A local nonprofit, Cathedral Arts Project, is using a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to analyze which Duval schools offer arts classes and which don’t … and to find ways to make sure all kids have access to art, dance and music classes in school. -
Teachers also have concerns about a proposal regulating how districts can teach about racism, as well as another regulating schoolbooks. Meanwhile, Duval School Board members remain silent about any legislation. -
Frazier was arrested after disrupting a press conference by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The special prosecutor's office told WJCT News they "felt that the arrest was sufficient punishment in this case." -
Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the race to fill a Jacksonville City Council at-large seat. The winner will help decide issues like recycling, traffic, environment, downtown development and racial harmony. -
Republican state Rep. Sam Garrison says he'd use the money to screen school books harder. Opponents say good candidates won't run without pay. -
The site at 10080 Beach Blvd. opened Tuesday, but no appointments were available until two days later. Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 are skyrocketing across Florida. -
Duval's election supervisor has mailed out more than 85,000 ballots so far for the City Council at-large group 3 runoff election Feb. 22. -
A plan to charge some Baymeadows property owners an annual fee to fix up privately owned roads is heading toward a Jacksonville City Council vote. Councilman Danny Becton is pushing the idea. -
City Council unanimously agreed to spend half a million dollars to build a fitness center in northwest Jacksonville, part of an attempt to eliminate health disparities and lack of opportunities in the area. The gym will be free to the community for the first five years it's open.
