First Coast Connect

Pulse Anniversary And World Blood Donor Day June marks the third anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, as a movement aims to make the Pulse nightclub in Orlando a national memorial. President of Jacksonville’s LGBT Community Fund Michael Meyers also joined the show to discuss the effects Pulse had on the city of Jacksonville. Senior VP with OneBlood Susan Forbes also joined us to talk about the importance of donating blood and also about Lifeline , a documentary produced by OneBlood about

FEMA FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program are urging property owners and renters to take steps now to protect their homes before a major storm hits. That includes buying or renewing flood insurance policies. We spoke with David Maurstad , chief executive of the National Flood Insurance Program at FEMA. Michael Kirk Michael Kirk has produced, directed and written more than 100 hours of FRONTLINE , the PBS flagship long-form documentary series. Kirk's decades of documentaries include The

Florida has more than 3.5 million no party affiliated voters, or NPAs, which make up some 27 percent of the electorate.

Friday on the First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Media Roundtable, our panel of journalists looked at some of the biggest stories of the week: A new program meant to reduce violence starts in Duval A school funding plan gets pushback Another city agency is accused of not operating in the sunshine Panelists were: Nate Monroe, columnist at the Florida Times-Union Anne Schindler of First Coast News Freelance Journalist Claire GoForth Mike Mendenhall of the Jax Daily Record 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Cure Violence Cure Violence launches this Saturday in Jacksonville. Mayor Lenny Curry says his administration hopes this program can bring down the rate of violent crime. Cure Violence treats the problem of crime as a public health issue. On Thursday’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross , technical assistance trainer Jarmain Merritt and outreach worker supervisor with Noah’s Ark Project Kim Varner joined us with more information. Medical Marijuana AltMed Florida announced its sixth medical

For thousands of local children, school lunch is their only meal of the day. Twelve branches of the Jacksonville Public Library kicked off their Free Summer Lunch Program this week. Free lunch is offered to all kids up to the age of 18 until August 2.

JEA is looking at everything from potential future rate hikes , to figuring out how to incorporate more renewable energy into its portfolio, to planning a move into a new corporate headquarters. Tuesday on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross , JEA Managing Director and CEO Aaron Zahn joined us with a look at what's ahead for the utility. Florida's Child Welfare The Family First Prevention Services Act was tucked away inside a spending bill signed by President Donald Trump in February of last

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and dozens of business and political leaders around Florida are back from a four-day trade mission to Israel .

For Friday's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Media Roundtable, our panel of journalists looked at some of the biggest stories of the week.

Special Counsel After a two year-year silence, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has gone public and has said they will not exonerate President Donald Trump .