DeSantis: you are much less likely to get hospitalized if you are vaccinated and if you do get infected you are much less likely to get hospitalized if you get Regeneron. “Those are the tools.”
Today at noon, I’ll be standing up with my colleagues and standing against the damaging cuts
@Gannett
has leveled on its own newspapers in the communities it is supposed to serve. We would love to have everyone join us in sending a message loud and clear.
#GannettGreed
Daniel Davis says this wasn’t the result he thought it would be 24 hours ago. Says he called Deegan to congratulate her and he knows she lives the city of Jacksonville
My wife participated in a phone poll today with questions mostly about selling JEA. One question was about her view of the Times-Union. “Very favorable,” she said. Whew. That’s a relief.
I've worked 25 years covering news in Jacksonville. It's a job I love. I've always believed I work for the readers. Now we are asking our readers to support us in our fight to support local journalism by demanding
@gannett
support its local journalists.
📢 CALL TO ACTION: 📢 We at the
@TimesUnionGuild
are still fighting for a contract with Gannett after four years. Write a letter to Gannett CEO Mike Reed and tell him to support Florida Times-Union journalists:
City Council investigative committee on JEA votes to issue five subpoenas to Tim Baker, Michael Munz, Alan Howard, Sam Mousa and Kevin Hyde in order to take sworn testimony from them in the committee's investigation of attempted sale of JEA
Cool-looking building. MaliVai Washington has been in it for the long haul, 24 years and counting for the Durkeeville neighborhood and beyond via
@jaxdotcom
DeSantis says the Regeneron sites are having an impact based on hospital admissions. He says chance of being admitted to hospitals or deaths is much less if vaccinated
Former mayoral candidate Audrey Gibson, at right, and longtime city administrator Mike Weinstein are sitting in on Mayor’s Budget Review Committee meeting as representatives of mayor-elect Donna Deegan’s transition committee
@CityofJax
Public Works Director John Pappas getting lots of praise from City Council members as he heads towards a well-deserved retirement after 37 years. City is losing someone with an unflappable personality and huge amount of institutional knowledge and expertise
The class shown by laid off
@Gannett
journalists as they give shout-outs to their colleagues and look back at the value of the work they've done covering their communities has been impressive. Gannett can't take that away from them.
#GannettLayoffs
ICYMI: Mayor Deegan's stadium deal is winning City Council support with amendments. Final vote Tuesday and it appears council will approve it via
@jaxdotcom
Church in the time of COVID: I got installed today as elder at Highlands Presbyterian Church. Traditionally current and past members put hands on new elders but we are worshipping by Zoom so church delivered this stole with hands on it and others used the raised hand Zoom feature
The poll didn’t ask about any other media outlets. Who could possibly want to know what public opinion is of the Times-Union? Who, who, who could it possibly be?
This is an astonishing development that will cause a lot of consternation: Duval schools eye closings to handle rising building costs. Which ones? Via
@StevePatTU
Council member
@CMJoyceMorgan
suggests the committee might want to hear from former council member Anna Brosche. Brosche as council prez opposed selling JEA in 2018
City Council member Rahman Johnson wearing all white attire in tribute to historical significance of Donna Deegan becoming Jacksonville’a first female mayor
Jaguars President Mark Lamping to City Council after the bill passes: "Let's celebrate like it's 1993."
A reference to when City Council back in 1993 approved the first stadium deal that paved the way for NFL picking Jacksonville for an expansion franchise
Gannett’s two-CEO structure is going to go down to one CEO, with Paul Bascobert out and Mike Reed, technically an employee of private equity firm Fortress, being the sole CEO.
“I will tell you Jacksonville best days are ahead of it” “we have to support our new mayor to make Jacksonville what it can be” tells his wife he loves her and cannot thank her enough
As they said in Jaws about needing a bigger boat, they could have used a bigger meeting room for Mayor Deegan’s town hall meeting at the Beaches. Standing room only crowd for this one
City Council elects Sam Newby as president-designate on a 19-0 vote. Council elects Terrance Freeman as vice president-designate on 10-9 vote over Randy DeFoor. First time in city history that Black council members will serve in both president and vice president posts for council
JEA doesn’t think government ownership is the right model for a utility of the future, but St Johns and Nassau County governments are interested in buying parts of JEA if it’s sold.
If
#JEA
is sold, St. Johns and Nassau counties each has a right to purchase portions of JEA that are within those counties. JEA agreed to give the counties that option when they let the utility expand across county lines.
All Duval County schools will be closed Tuesday Wednesday Thursday as some schools transition to emergency shelters in advance of Idelia becoming a hurricane as it comes across the Gulf to Florida
John Nooney who is well-known at Jacksonville government meetings for his public comments and decorative shirts has added journalist
@scanlan_dan
to the back of his latest creation (shown here at today’s JTA board meeting)
Did Florida take away any lessons learned from the unemployment insurance filing problems and apply those lessons learned to scheduling appointments for the vaccinations?
I can't ask for better co-workers and love my job, but that shouldn't mean I should effectively pay
@Gannett
to keep working at
@jaxdotcom
by paying thousands more from my paycheck for health insurance my family needs while going 3 years w/o pay raise.
@TimesUnionGuild
members had lunch together today and agreed it’s time
@Gannett
offered reasonable terms for a contract we’ve been negotiating since 2018. We deserve pay raises that account for how inflation is eating our paychecks.
I interviewed Taylor Hardwick some 20 years ago when he was fighting to keep the old main library (his design) from being demolished. Interesting how that kind of architecture is getting embraced again. via
@jaxdotcom
We've highlighted the importance of all the work done by local journalists but the ultimate source of strength for local journalism is local readers. We greatly appreciate every bit of support we got from all of you.
The Florida Times-Union Guild is pleased to announce our members voted 19-0 to approve our first contract. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our dedicated journalists, loyal readers and amazing community. Thank you all for helping us along the way. ✊
The first time I saw Tommy Hazouri in action was lunch at Two Doors Down after his City Council election in 2015. He carried on a fascinating analysis of city politics that he paused whenever friends stopped at the table, then picked the thread right back up where he left off.
Nice profile and I had no idea Alice Newman is such a good bowler: Mark Woods: From Delaney to Deegan, Jacksonville mayor's office has been Alice's office via
@jaxdotcom
and
@TUmarkwoods
We are celebrating our most senior reporter, Jim Piggott, as he is set to retire. He has been covering the biggest stories in Jacksonville politics since 1985.
Jim’s last day is Monday, July 1. Wish him well or share your Jim stories with us!
Donut Shoppe on University Boulevard in Arlington is open so yes, life really has returned to normal. Great selection of doughnuts in the case
#openjax
The teams negotiating a renovation deal for EverBank Stadium are meeting multiple times a week in the hope of reaching a tentative agreement in early May. Latest from
@HannaHolthaus
The more
@NateMonroeTU
digs into this, the more we learn that the first run at selling JEA did far more behind the scenes than we knew at the time via
@jaxdotcom
Jacksonville City Council will vote tonight on this and unlike Jaguar's on-field record for football games, Jaguars owner Shad Khan will win this vote. via
@jaxdotcom
Clay County School Board filed suit today to get a half-cent sales tax on the ballot this year. Suit says Clay County Commission had no legal authority to reject boards request for a referendum.
Credit to former
@jaxdotcom
reporter
@katherineMLewin
for doing in-depth reporting about the years of problems at this apartment complex back in 2021. Local news makes a difference via
@jaxdotcom
@HannaHoltaus
with a crisp rundown of this meeting: Donna Deegan holds firm on Confederate monument removal, pledges infrastrucure improvements via
@jaxdotcom
This is terrific news for
@jaxdotcom
and our readers: Meet Marcia Pledger, Times-Union's new opinion and engagement editor: 'It's important to have conversations' via
@jaxdotcom
The negotiations to sell Jacksonville's century-old utility to a private operator will be secret. The bidders' identities will be withheld until it's all over. The City Council is barred from voicing any opinion on the sale terms.
The JEA heist.
Fire at the eight story Doro apartment building at sports complex in downtown Jacksonville is still burning strong. Building was nearing completion of construction with space for 247 apartments
Donald Trump's statement today attacking
@GovRonDeSantis
takes a shot at Jacksonville. Trump wrote: "For 2022, Jacksonville was ranked as one of the Top 25 Major Crime Cities in the Country, with Tampa and Orlando not doing much better."
Many have recalled what a brilliant reporter Jim Schoettler was for
@jaxdotcom
. As we say in journalism, it's better to show than tell, so here is one of Jim's best about a bone-chilling case where police turned into predators
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors sends letter Monday urging City Council to support a November special election on a half-cent sales tax referendum for schools
@emdrums
is among the new generation of reporters who make you want to know what they'll be doing in the years to come. Hopefully that will be making a difference right here in Jacksonville at the T-U.
Since starting at the T-U a year-&-a-half ago, education reporter
@emdrums
has worked to shine a light on school issues including the sales tax, COVID-19 & what students have to say. Subscribers like you help strengthen that reporting:
#lovemynewspaper
@CityofJax
City Council denied a rezoning that would have allowed a self storage building on the downtown Southbank. The vote was 9-9 and that tie means it was a denial.
Dr. Haley's greatest impact undoubtedly was at UF Health Jacksonville but in midst of dealing with a historic pandemic and challenges that come from running a hospital system, he also gave time and talent on new JEA board that's worked to get JEA past mess of 2019 sales attempt.
I am shocked and heartbroken to learn of the death of JEA board member, Dr. Leon Haley, Jr. On behalf of JEA employees, my heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends. It was an honor to work with Dr. Haley-his care for JEA and all of NE Florida will be missed.
Her campaign manager Pat McCollough will be her chief of staff. Karen Bowling who was in Alvin Bown administration will be chief of staff. Phillip Perry will be will be chief communications advisor ( also was in campaign)
Maceo George of Northside Coalition and Take ‘Em Down gives a shoutout to the late Ben Frazier: “Right now Ben is looking down and saying, ‘Job well done.’”
Jacksonville city Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes tells a City Council committee the city intends to convert some of the COVID-19 test sites into vaccination sites in order to help boost administration of vaccinations in Duval County