Today’s media roundtable discussed some of the top stories of the week on the First Coast, including:
- State Rep. Joe Harding, the lawmaker who sponsored the law critics call “Don’t Say Gay,” resigned on Thursday, a day after authorities announced his indictment on charges of defrauding a federal coronavirus loan program for small businesses. Harding is accused of illegally obtaining or trying to obtain more than $150,000 from the Small Business Administration in pandemic aid loans. He says he repaid the loan and is pleading not guilty.
- A bullet appears to have been shot at Mayor Lenny Curry’s office window at City Hall this week. As the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were investigating Tuesday morning, a charter plane pulled a Confederate flag and banner criticizing the mayor over Downtown, similar to the display at the Nov. 27 Jacksonville Jaguars game.
- The Duval County School Board voted 5-2 to approve a new sex education curriculum that complies with state standards on Tuesday. In September, DCPS decided to create new lessons about sex education and reproductive health for students. This vote comes a week after DCPS ended its partnership with LGBTQ+-youth support group JASMYN after more than two decades. JASMYN asked supporters to attend the School Board meeting to ensure the curricula cover LGBTQ issues.
- Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia.
Guests:
- Raymon Troncoso of WJCT News
- Anne Schindler of First Coast News
- Nikesha Williams of Jax Today
- Mike Mendenhall of the Jacksonville Daily Record
Rebecca Reed
Rebecca Reed is the executive pastry chef at Black Sheep Restaurant Group, which runs Orsay, Black Sheep and Bellwether.
The local chef has appeared on shows like Chopped Sweets, winning the competition. Now she's putting her culinary skills to the test on a brand new show called Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge, which will premiere on Prime Video on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
