DCPS voter referendum
In 2022, more than half of Duval County voters approved a 1 mil sales tax to support school athletics, teacher compensation and the arts. School boosters and board members are hoping voters are equally supportive this year. It could be an uphill battle, with a proposed statewide property tax cut, Amendment 3, complicating messaging, and an overall feeling of economic malaise. But, as supporters note, the 1 mil generates a lot of bang for the buck, with a roughly $300 annual contribution per household that generates more than $120 million for Duval Schools.
Guests:
- Cindy Pearson, Duval County School Board member, District 3
- Celita Wilson, president, Duval County Council of PTAs
Operation Pedro Pan
A plan to smuggle thousands of Cuban children out of the country and into the U.S. was realized in the early 1960s through the cooperation of the State Department and the Catholic Church. In the end, some 14,000 kids were relocated, some to foster care and orphanages. And while most were reunited with their parents within months, some waited years. A new graphic novel explores the experiences of those children, using composite characters to recreate both the promise and the trauma of the remarkable migration. We talk to the author, a North Florida native, about the inspiration behind We Are Pan, which he published this summer.
Guests: Andre Frattino, author, We Are Pan
One mile at a time
An upcoming endurance challenge raises funds to benefit seniors facing housing-related threats in Northeast Florida. The money raised during the 10th annual Freed to Run Challenge supports the legal services for vulnerable seniors experiencing issues like eviction, foreclosure, unsafe living conditions and other threats to their housing. The event includes multiple races, ranging from a traditional 5K to a 12-hour challenge and a newly added 5K ultra, where runners are challenged to run a 5K every hour for 10 hours. The race begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center.
Guests:
- Mike Freed, attorney and organizer of annual Freed to Run Challenge
- Jim Kowalski, president and CEO of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Topics and guests subject to change.