The story of The Rev. Martin Luther King’s activism in 1964 St. Augustine will be familiar to many locals, as will a handful of incidents central to the city’s desegregation narrative — from motel owner Jimmy Brock pouring acid on swim-in protestors to the brutal beating that Andrew Young suffered at the hands of white supremacists. But there are innumerable peripheral stories that are less known on the First Coast and virtually unknown on the national stage. Martin Dobrow’s new book aims to correct that. In a work of nonfiction described by historian Ken Burns as “a timely and beautiful book,” Dobrow traces the historical throughline of what he calls “the ever-present past,” from the city’s founding to the acts of defiance and courage that defined the Ancient City’s Civil Rights Movement. We talk to him ahead of a community discussion about his book at The Waterworks in St. Augustine at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26.
Guest: Martin Dobrow, journalist and author of Original City, Original Sin: King, the Klan, and the Fight for Civil Rights in St. Augustine, Florida
Judicial election forum
A local contest for county court judge offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from professionals who must largely remain publicly silent once on the bench. The race for Duval County Court Judge, Group 13 pits two experienced lawyers against one another: Melina Buncome, who has worked as a public defender in the 4th Judicial Circuit since 1997, and Octavius A. Holliday, Jr., who has worked as a prosecutor in the 4th Circuit’s State Attorney's Office since 2003. A community forum moderated by WJCT Public Media’s Editorial Director Jessica Palombo will explore the job of a county court judge, how judicial elections are different and — with a high-profile judicial misconduct case in the headlines — who judges the judges if they are accused of wrongdoing. The Jacksonville Today Judicial Candidate Forum starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at WJCT Studios.
Guests:
- Jessica Palombo, editorial director, WJCT Public Media
- Teri Sopp, assistant public defender, criminal defense attorney
Mess with Texas
The Jaguars (4-1) make their 16th appearance in London this Sunday taking on the Houston Texans (1-4) at Wembley Stadium. Although the Jags are favored to win, the Texans have historically dominated in games against their AFC South rivals, even when entering as underdogs. The Jaguars-Texans rivalry dates back to 2002 when Houston was added as an expansion team, with the Texans leading matchups overall 32-16. We will discuss the pace of penalties, recap the game and take a look at what’s ahead with our sports correspondent.
Guest: Rachel Phillips, sports reporter and anchor, First Coast News
Topics and guests subject to change.