Our media panel today discusses the biggest news of the week, including the indictment of former President Donald Trump, police misconduct, back-to-school vacancies and Jacksonville cooling stations.
Joining us are Nikesha Williams, founder at NEW Reads Publications; David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union, Steven Ponson of WJCT News 89.9; and Dan Scanlan, also of WJCT News 89.9.
Police misconduct
An Internal Affairs Investigation conducted by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office concluded Officer Justin Peppers has “demonstrated a history of repeated infractions of JSO orders.” Of the 21 complaints against him, only three have been sustained.
In one case, a video shows Peppers pulling a complying military veteran from his vehicle, handcuffing him while kneeling on his back, and even referring to the man as Mr. Black Man. Peppers made the stop over a potential tinted windows violation. Peppers has been reassigned to a different patrol zone.
This type of aggression is not new. What message is this sending to the community?
Back to school
Duval County teachers head back to their classrooms Monday to prepare for the return of students Aug. 14.
Students can expect transportation delays as there are 49 vacancies for bus drivers. The district also has 258 teacher vacancies, which is about half of the number of vacancies from last year.
Cooling centers
The First Coast has experienced extreme heat this summer. Mayor Donna Deegan, along with the Heat Task Force, rolled out a new Excessive Heat Incident Plan. The plan designates six locations across Jacksonville as cooling centers during heat emergencies.
JTA buses will be used as cooling buses in the event of a heat emergency. And JTA will provide complimentary transportation to folks seeking relief at the cooling centers.
