Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:
- After 100 days and the intervention of a First Amendment lawyer, the city releases subpoenaed public records from City Council President Kevin Carrico.
- AI gains a foothold in the campaign for governor, as well as in a local race featuring a candidate photo doctored to add Black supporters.
- A Jacksonville attorney’s fight against Confederate memorials of every kind comes to an end in the 11 Circuit Court of Appeals.
- The future of a Downtown Publix could be imperiled by a City Council rethinking completion grants.
We talk about all that and take your calls, questions and comments. You can join the conversation on air at 904-549-2937, email firstcoastconnect@wjct.org or go to firstcoastconnect.org to find all the ways to connect with us.
Guests:
- Deja Mayfield, reporter/weekend anchor, Action News Jax
- Mike Mendenhall, City Hall reporter and associate editor at Jacksonville Today
- Sylvia Perry, editor of the Jacksonville Free Press
- Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
Pulse of the community
A local event commemorates an unimaginable loss. Ten years after the tragic shooting at an Orlando nightclub claimed the lives of 49 victims, memorials are planned around the state. Here in Jacksonville, the AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida is hosting a remembrance ceremony at Willowbranch Park. The park has a history involving the LGBTQ+ community. It was home to Jacksonville’s first Gay Pride Festival in 1978 and has been a space where community members have gathered to honor residents who died from AIDS. Two years ago, organizers dedicated a bench to memorialize Darryl “DJ” Roman Burt II, a Jacksonville resident who was killed in the shooting on June 12, 2016. The bench replaced one stolen after it was originally erected following the Pulse nightclub massacre. The event will feature a candlelight vigil, a reading of victims' names and several guest speakers. It begins at 6 p.m. Friday, exactly 10 years after the shooting.
Guests:
- Dan Hutton, president, AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida
- Manny Andrade, vice president, AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida
- Richard Ceriello, founder, AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida
Topics and guests subject to change.