The Florida Times-Union
UNF keeps streak alive for state budget success
An academic building at the University of North Florida, a new road through the traffic-congested Southside, safety improvements for moving through downtown Jacksonville’s sports complex and a crosswalk on Baymeadows Road where a father and his child...
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Winn-Dixie heir’s home brings $16.5M
The heirs of the Winn-Dixie founding family have parted with a palatial Intracoastal Waterway home. Built from the ground up in 2002 for the late Robert D. Davis, grandson of the supermarket chain’s founder, William M. Davis, the 8,815-square-foot...
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Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes in test
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket stood tall on its Cape Canaveral launch pad for a prelaunch static fire test May 29 when plans for a future liftoff came to fiery end as the rocket exploded, briefly turning the Space Coast sky an apocalyptic orange. The...
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Otto Aerospace offers first look at new plant
Otto Aerospace’s headquarters campus for making business jets at Cecil Airport will stand out as much as the jets will on the runway. Jacksonville Aviation Authority board members got a look at the company’s planned designs for the future construction...
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Trump claims Iran is ‘negotiating on fumes’
President Donald Trump again insisted Iran wants to make a deal to end the war even as accelerated negotiations in recent days have failed to lead to an agreement. “Iran is very much intent,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting on May 27. “They want very...
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FL lawmakers agree to nearly $115B budget deal
House and Senate leaders reached a final deal on the state budget late May 24, the last step in an extended process that required a special session to complete for the second year in a row. The spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 will...
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Luxury tower’s architect has built global renown
Carlos Ott burst onto the international architecture scene 40 years ago when he designed the Opera Bastille in Paris and went on to see his designs in high-profile buildings around the world. Over the next two years, observers will see his vision take...
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Memorial Wall likely not going anywhere
Veterans and service members and people paying respects to those who died in wartime will gather again this Memorial Day where the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall has stood since 1995 as the largest memorial of its kind outside Washington,...
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Introducing Nate Boerkircher
This is a guy worth getting to know, a guy from a really small town in Nebraska who will bring an enforcer-type mindset to the Jaguars’ offense via maximum effort and whose journey to Jacksonville was the opposite of a figurative straight line.
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Pakistan: ‘Good signs’ from Iran after talks
WASHINGTON – Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on May 22 to discuss proposals to end the U.S.-Israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Iran’s uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait...
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NASSAU WILDLIFE SANCTUARY OPEN
Swiper the red fox was once extremely aggressive, twice attacking his Central Florida keeper. h He was confiscated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and taken to another facility, which also could not cure the aggression. The fox...
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Fourth of July fireworks ban possible in Florida
Floridians may be singing, “bye-bye, Miss American Pie,” this Fourth of July: A fireworks ban may be coming. Here’s why: Wildfires are burning the pine forests outside of Hosford in the Panhandle and scorching the sawgrass wetlands of the Everglades...
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Trump delays strikes on Iran amid possible deal
President Donald Trump said he delayed strikes on Iran planned for May 19 following progress on a possible deal to end the war, though Tehran’s latest proposal appears little changed from an earlier deal that the president rejected as “garbage.” “It’s...
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‘PORTRAIT OF FLORIDA’
Curt Anderson Florida has created a docuseries aimed at highlighting the state’s history as part of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. The seven-part series, called “America 250: A Portrait of Florida,” focuses on seven distinct places in the state...
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Why Americans feel bad about the economy
As the impacts from the Iran war spilled over into everyday life, more Americans have said they are worse off today than at most any point in the last 25 years. More than half — 55% — say their financial situation is deteriorating, according to a new...
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Do you want to live longer?
Avoid pricey clinics for a simpler, safe and inexpensive treatment with positive effects.
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TRANSFORMATION FOR SOUTHBANK
Construction workers and heavy equipment have arrived on the Southbank riverfront site where Related Group has planned for years to build a luxury apartment tower. Related Group and city leaders will make it official with a ground-breaking ceremony on...
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Winn-Dixie deal renews focus on ‘food deserts’
Jacksonville City Council approved an incentives agreement for Winn-Dixie’s headquarters to grow in the city and also renewed attention on finding ways to bring grocery stores into “food desert communities” where fresh produce and meats are hard to...
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UF UNVEILS EARLY BUILDING DESIGN
The University of Florida unveiled the “starting point” for the design of the first new academic building in its downtown Jacksonville graduate campus. h The building makes heavy use of glass and angles that would make it stand out when viewed down Bay...
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FL lawmakers reconvene to finalize state budget
Florida lawmakers began another attempt to settle on a state budget — a task forcing them for the second straight year to go into a taxpayer-costly overtime session. The Legislature convened May 12 for what is expected to be four days of negotiations...
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HOT WATER?
Florida homeowners might soon find the state’s largest insurer against floods — the federal government — is getting out of the business, or significantly shrinking its role, according to a much-anticipated report on restructuring the Federal Emergency...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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Can you share a memory from a trip to a theme park?
Tom Szaroleta LoTestyle reporter Dosney World’s roller coasters can be pretty Tun, but you mardly ever Tear Tor your loTe wmole you’re on one. Tmat’s not tme case at Cedar Poont, tme “Roller Coast” park on tme smores oT Lake Eroe on Omoo. Tme...
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‘RAY OF SUNSHINE’
Lizzie Vara is only 5 but already knows how to light up a room. h Her cleft lip has been no match for her natural positive energy. Stares from other children and the world at large go ignored. h “It does not faze her,” said Lizzie’s mother, Kimberly...
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Pentagon estimates cost of Iran war at $25 billion
Iran weighs U.S. framework for peace. The Pentagon said the first eight weeks of the Iran war cost roughly the equivalent of the combined annual budgets of the Coast Guard, the National Park Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Two...
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Deegan’s vision changes the look of downtown
Mayor Donna Deegan has gone all-in on downtown development since she took office in July 2023. How has downtown changed since then? Downtown Vision’s latest State of Downtown report offers a mixed bag of findings. Downtown’s residential population...
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BOY TO GET WISH TO MEET TEAM
Six-year-old Dominic Spicher hit a home run and the crowd roared at Cornerstone Park in Ponte Vedra Beach. But for Dominic, who has congenital heart disease, connecting bat and ball and running the bases with the Ponte Vedra Sharks youth baseball team...
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Housing market’s perception problem
Some national reports depict Florida as a housing market in deep trouble with dire headlines declaring “Foreclosure filings jump,” “Prices ‘dropping hard,’ ” and “Florida (among) the biggest losers.” But the latest statewide home sales numbers...
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Hungry for seafood or new gastropub?
If picking a restaurant is about both the menu and the atmosphere, the Downtown Investment Authority faces a similar choice over what kind of restaurant it wants for a waterfront spot in Riverfront Plaza. Atlas Restaurant Group proposes to operate a...
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INVESTING IN DOWNTOWN
The restoration of three relatively small buildings at a high visibility corner in downtown Jacksonville would get about $6 million in taxpayer incentives so the vacant structures will become places for restaurants, shops and 14 apartments along the...
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Forever remembered and honored
As firefighters across the area continue to try to keep residents and their homes safe from raging wildfires, the life of one of their own was celebrated Thursday, April 30, in Nassau County. Residents and first responders lined the procession route...
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DCPS wants to deliver new schools for less
On an 87-year-old campus, Southside Jacksonville’s next elementary school is being built as a step toward making Duval County Public Schools deliver new schools for less. The new Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary’s $43.7 million price tag is about $8...
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REDISTRICTING SESSION BEGINS AMID PROTESTS
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to defy the Florida Constitution and make four Democratic-held congressional districts more likely to elect Republicans began taking shape in a special session of the GOP-controlled Legislature. The session, which began April...
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Duval Hall makes debut at city’s new fairgrounds
A new Jacksonville Fairgrounds is rising among the pines off Normandy Boulevard, and its centerpiece, Duval Hall, is already up and running. Duval Hall is a huge multipurpose venue that has already played host to concerts and a plant show. A few...
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Changing face of Florida
President Trump’s push for Republican leaders in red states to redraw congressional boundaries to help him maintain power now pivots to his adopted home state, Florida – and his political frenemy, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. As the late Tim Russert...
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What’s your favorite vacation destination?
Tom Szaroleta LoTestyle reporter Hilton Head Island, S.C., is a magical place and only a few hours away. Stay in the touristy part by Coligny Circle, where everything is within walking distance but you’ll probably be run over by three bicycles in the...
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Tensions escalate in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran remained in place April 23 as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz continued and negotiations between Lebanon and Israel were expected to resume in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador...
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Wildfires still spreading in NE Florida, SE Georgia
Several major wildfires are burning across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia as crews work to contain the blazes, spreading under extreme drought conditions. Heavy smoke across the region also continues to cause problems, both with traffic and...
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Trump: U.S. military ‘ready to go’ in Iran
With the U.S.-Iran ceasefire set to expire, President Donald Trump said he did not want to extend the temporary truce, and prospects of more peace talks appeared uncertain. “I don’t want to do that,” Trump told CNBC in an April 21 interview, adding...
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War negotiations on shaky ground
Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on April 20, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports, a major hurdle for Iran to rejoin peace...
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FSU community pauses a year after fatal shooting
Long, deep hugs were exchanged on Florida State University’s campus as streams of tears ran down the faces of students, faculty, staff and administrators on April 17 – the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting that left them deeply shaken. The...
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Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz to commerce
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” to all commercial vessels, the country’s foreign minister said, meeting a central demand of the United States as the two countries teased another round of peace talks and the clock wound down on a...
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‘FROZEN FIRE’: INSIDE LNG PLANT
In the liquefied natural gas industry it’s called “frozen fire.” That’s not how the JAX LNG plant looks to motorists as they cross the Dames Point bridge and can look down on the twin white-painted domes and metal towers without a flame in sight. The...
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State casts wider net with JEA subpoenas
State Attorney Melissa Nelson has added communications between JEA and the powerhouse lobbying firm Ballard Partners to the list of records her office is seeking in an expanding investigation while a separate City Council committee investigation plans...
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FL GROCERY PRICES STEADY FOR NOW
The surge in fuel prices caused by the Iran war resulted in a 3.3% jump in inflation nationally in March, but grocery prices in Florida are holding steady, at least for now. A check by USA TODAY Network of prices for selected goods at Aldi, Publix and...
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DRAINAGE FIX TO BEAT STORMS?
The construction barricades and torn-up streets mark the places where drainage work continues in a floodprone part of San Marco, but the last batch of upgrades are on track to finish around the same time hurricane season starts. The even bigger McCoys...
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STAR POWER
The Star has landed. h Or, more precisely, the “Jacksonville Stacked Stars” sculpture by famed artist Frank Stella has taken its place on a sidewalk in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. The three-story-tall sculpture is visible up...
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What’s something you’ve enjoyed reading lately?
Steve Patterson Staff writer Reorcanozonc my booksmelves recently reontroduced me to a really surprosoncly book. E.H. Gombrocm wrote wmen me was a 26nyearn old recent collece doctoral craduate (art mostory) wotmout a job and, so tme book cover says,...
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Hurricane report rolls out Florida forecast
Aleading seasonal hurricane forecast is calling for slightly below normal activity as a meaty storm-shredding El Niño develops but the Atlantic Ocean gives mixed signals as to its intent. h Colorado State University is predicting 13 named storms for...
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ONE YEAR AGO
One year ago April 10, Duval County jail inmate Charles Faggart died after a struggle with guards left him braindead three days earlier. It resulted in nine corrections employees being stripped of their authority pending criminal and administrative...
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Residents give input on future of Skyway
Public comments submitted so far on the future of the Skyway show the top choices are to either run bigger trains on the elevated structure or turn it into an above-ground path for walking and bicycling. Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat...
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ARTEMIS II CREW SETS SPACE TRAVEL RECORD
As the eyes of America turned to Artemis II via an array of live newscasts and streaming networks, the astronauts broke NASA’s Apollo 13 record by venturing beyond 248,655 miles from Earth — setting a new standard for the farthest human...
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Artemis II to begin its return to Earth
After Artemis II’s planned flight around the moon, where the crew was expected to break former spaceflight distance records and observe lunar features never seen by human eyes, the astronauts on Tuesday, April 7, were due to head back toward...
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JSO under scrutiny for beating
Le’Keian Woods, William McNeil Jr., Erika McGriff and now add Dasaun Williams to the list of high-profile cases deemed by many as police brutality by the Jacksonville Sheriff ’s Office. All have multiple common threads: All are Black; all were beaten...
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What’s your favorite Jacksonville bakery from the past or present?
Teresa Stepzinski Dining writer My Tavorote Jacksonvolle bakery oT tme past was Worman’s Bakery & Delo downtown on Broad Street across Trom tme new Duval County Courtmouse. I loved tmeor Tresmly baked rye and cmallam breads as well as tmeor connamon...
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IN THE OVEN
Ariverfront development anchored by a culinary school that has sent more than 50,000 graduates into the workforce around the world will go before the Downtown Investment Authority board this month as a potential development on the old county courthouse...
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LIFT F! Artemis II moon rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center
America is sending astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than half a century. Towering taller than the Statue of Liberty, NASA’s 322-foot Space Launch System rocket – featuring an orange core stage flanked by twin white solid rocket...
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Drought drags on in Northeast Florida
The expanding patches of dead turf on lawns, the water levels that keep dropping in streams and ponds, and the dried-out underbrush that can fuel wildfires are signs that the worst drought since 2012 shows no sign of ending. How long will it last? At...
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Right whale births at 17-year high in FL
One of Florida’s largest snowbirds is experiencing a banner year. The number of North Atlantic right whale calves born this season is the highest in 17 years. On March 14, an aerial survey team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission...
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Summer opening planned for rebuilt Met Park Marina
The wait for opening the rebuilt Metropolitan Park Marina is counting down to the summer when it will once again be a place for boaters to dock while passing through Jacksonville or making trips to events at the sports complex. h The target date for...
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Overwhelming turnout
A larger-than-expected crowd, estimated in the thousands, turned out during the opening weekend of a firstof-its-kind, family-oriented Jacksonville venue with an outdoor food hall featuring eight restaurants and a craft brewery, plus a unique kids’...
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THE ALLURE OF MEGA CRUISE SHIPS
Why bigger cruise ships are drawing new travelers
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‘Sometimes you have to have patience’
Construction of the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Jacksonville could be completed in twelve months and the grand opening will come sometime after that in 2027 on the downtown riverfront where Jaguars owner Shad Khan is building the luxury...
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Floridians still feeling pinch of rising prices
With prices going up on everything from gasoline to groceries, Jacksonville residents Susan and Jim Shoopman have had to make big cuts in their spending. “Groceries are so high, I’m having to buy Healthy Choice frozen dinners,” said Susan Shoopman,...
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Orange Park medical school opens to high expectations
Northeast Florida’s first four-year medical school is opening with high hopes for its effects on local health care, colleges and the area local officials have dubbed the gateway to Clay County. “This is big for Orange Park,” state House of...
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Suspect arrested in killing of 2-year-old
Within hours after issuing an alert for a 21-year-old suspect in the Valencia Way apartments shooting death of a 2-year-old boy, the Jacksonville Sheriff ’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service got their man. At about 1 a.m. March 24, the Sheriff ’s...
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Trump extends deadline for threatened Iran strikes
President Donald Trump on March 23 said the United States has engaged in “very strong talks” with Iran and reached “major points of agreement” that could end the war – claims Iranian officials quickly denied. Trump said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and...
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ARE HOME VALUES FALLING IN FLORIDA?
Apair of recent national reports have singled out Florida as the poster child for “falling home values” while another reported the state had the most foreclosures in the nation last year. h The Florida Realtors association on March 16 released new...
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Troops deployed to Middle East region
Despite President Donald Trump’s promises of the war with Iran ending soon and broad domestic disapproval of further involvement, the United States is sending more troops to the region, a defense official said. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit,...
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More oil sites hit amid Iran war escalations
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wants billions more from Congress to fund the war with Iran as gas prices hit $3.90 a gallon nationwide and global oil prices surged amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The national average price per gallon...
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Gabbard says Iran regime ‘degraded’
The top U.S. intelligence official told senators that Iran’s regime was “intact” but “largely degraded” as Israel said it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister, President Donald Trump expressed frustration with European allies over efforts to open...
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