Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

• Extended drought, with a rainfall deficit of 25 inches, kindles conditions for widespread and dangerous wildfires. 
• The timing of a campaign video release creates political headaches for Mayor Donna Deegan.
• City officials put a nearly $4,000 price tag on a request for public records related to the JEA investigation. 
• Attorney General James Uthmeier investigates an AI chatbot’s role in last year’s mass shooting at FSU.

Guests:

• Robert Brown, news director, WJXT News4Jax
• Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
• Randy DeFoor, attorney and former Jacksonville City Council member
• Jake Stofan, state and local government reporter at Action News Jax

Band aid

A local high school is headed to Washington, D.C., after being invited to perform in the National Memorial Day Parade. The Sandalwood High School Band is still working to raise funds for the trip and is asking the community for help to make the opportunity a reality. The event is expected to feature 5,000 participants from all 50 states, including dozens of high school bands. We ask the band’s director what it means for students and the First Coast to be recognized on a national stage.

Guests:

• Samantha Maltagliati, band director, Sandalwood High School
• Adelina Millian, saxophone, Sandalwood High School Band
• Sophia Peugnet, Sandalwood band president and drum major
• Jeremiah Gadson, Sandalwood band percussion captain

Great fire gathering

Ongoing wildfires across the First Coast and Southern Georgia are a stark reminder of the very real devastation caused by giant infernos — like the one that destroyed almost the entire city of Jacksonville in 1901. This year marks the 125th anniversary of that dark time, but the first of what’s anticipated to be annual events recalls not just the widespread destruction, but the citywide rebirth that followed. We talk to the head of the Jacksonville History Center about the inaugural Great Fire Gathering and how the fundraiser aims to help the group prepare for the future as it commemorates the past.

Guest: Alan Bliss, CEO, Jacksonville History Center