As we prepared to close out the week, we discussed the biggest headlines in the news with our First Coast Week in Review panel.
Among the topics discussed:
- The families of three victims in the Dollar General mass shooting filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the store, the landlord, the security company and the killer's family.
- In St. Johns County, Commissioner Krista Joseph, who was elected on an anti-development platform, criticized colleagues for their stance on development. They voted to censure her.
- Two fast-food establishments, Zaxby’s and Panera, found themselves entangled in legal matters. Panera was sued after a Fleming Island man died after drinking the restaurant's caffeinated lemonade. Meanwhile, the Zaxby’s on Airport Road in Jacksonville was sued after allegations of physical assault and sexual harassment. Two former teen employees assert that the store manager, a registered sex offender, was responsible.
- The Jaguars endured a challenging week, beginning with an injury to quarterback Trevor Lawerence on Monday Night Football, and later after revelations of a $22 million theft by a trusted senior employee.
- The Jax Housing Authority finds itself in the middle of controversy as the mayor’s office sidetracks a $60,000 raise for its CEO and local news reports suggest a pending city investigation.
Our panel:
- Ben Becker, anchor and investigative reporter at Action News Jax.
- Nikesha Williams, author, podcast producer and Jacksonville Today columnist.
- Dan Scanlan, reporter for WJCT News 89.9.
- Taylor Levesque, multimedia journalist at First Coast News.
JME
As part of its Local Spotlight series, the Jacksonville Music Experience team reviewed over 70 songs created by Jacksonville-area artists this year. Arts and culture editor Matt Shaw gave us the team's 23 favorite local songs of 2023.
You can read the full list of songs here.
