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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Freedom Park commemorates the Cosmo neighborhood, where newly freed Black families settled after the Civil War. -
Northeast Florida lawmakers filed hundreds of bills this year that didn't reach the governor's desk -
The event was aimed at spreading a message of peace and prayer for Ukraine. Local leaders from major faith traditions spoke. -
A committee overseeing the use of money from a half-cent sales tax is concerned about whether charter schools are using the money illegally to pay down debt. -
Several streets will be closed downtown to protect from dust and debris. The city of Jacksonville is discouraging the public from watching the implosion in person. -
The 1-mill tax would go toward recruiting and retaining teachers, and to athletics and arts programs. -
St. Johns artist Anna Miller is using her art to share stories she's hearing from her loved ones still in Kyiv and those seeking refuge in Poland. She says she hopes her artwork spreads the story of mothers living through military invasion. -
The race drew statewide interest, including from Gov. Ron DeSantis and almost all major Democratic gubernatorial candidates. -
By midday Tuesday, Republicans had surpassed Democrats in total ballots cast, wiping out the 4,000-vote lead Democrats held leading up to Election Day. -
Gov. Ron DeSantis recorded an automated call on behalf of Polson's Republican opponent, Nick Howland, claiming that Polson wants to defund police.
