First Coast Connect With Melissa Ross

From an expanding JEA investigation to campaign plans, we ask Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan about the latest headlines — and take your calls and questions

A state budget decision looms over the future of the once-thriving Black neighborhood of West Lewisville.

Jax taxpayers getting “fleeced”; Duval Schools responds to new pressures to ban books

Anthropologist Judith Bense on America's oldest colony; brewery owner Ben Davis on the end of an era

A new SNAP ban on sodas, energy drinks and sugary snacks has some people praising nutritional priorities, and others worried about stigmatizing recipients

The best time of day to get chemo, and why some of the most highly processed food is baby food

A growing number of Jacksonville families are struggling to keep up with housing costs as the city faces a major shortage of affordable homes. Now, leaders are rolling out new efforts to make homeownership more attainable.

Pam Bondi is out as the country's top prosecutor, and Florida's attorney general calls foul on an NFL policy aiming to increase diversity in leadership positions.

As temperatures rise and plants bloom, we ask Jacksonville's chief health officer about local pollen counts and how to manage seasonal symptoms.

As American children veer further toward highly processed diets and selective eating, award-winning author and historian Helen Zoe Veit examines the eating habits of the past to understand how we got here.

As Florida ranks 43rd nationally in the availability of mental health workers, we examine how health care leaders are addressing market shortfalls.

With election season building and a high court decision pending, we examine the legal and political fortunes of mail-in voting.

A suspect's beating video raises concerns anew for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and Florida's special election results stun red-leaning districts.

From the Golden State Killer to “Dirty John,” longtime prosecutor Matt Murphy discusses his big cases and their personal impact in a new memoir.

Airport lines grow as TSA agents leave; the legislative session ends with hits and misses for Northeast Florida.

How to manage financial precarity in turbulent times, and why debt may pose a bigger problem than the volatile Dow.

How the conservation land trust movement has succeeded by aligning the goal of environmental preservation with the rights of landowners.

Racist displays from Florida university students and an expensive investment in nonexistent courthouse artwork.

A new report investigates two Florida cases in which a judge compelled pregnant women to undergo a surgical birth, against their wishes.

Plus, the Jacksonville University dolphins are headed to the Big Dance.

The future of air travel is about to get a lot bumpier. We discuss why passengers should be bracing for a rough ride.

While Florida's first lady raises the alarm about food toxins, Congress and the Supreme Court consider ending health lawsuits against Roundup.

Our JEA-related roundtable discussion draws live feedback from current and former elected officials.

A coalition of community activists say it's high time to turn Jacksonville's Neighborhood Bill of Rights from a promise to a reality.

Author Hilary Flower highlights how the evolution of an endangered Everglades species is an example of ecological potential.

"Don't get involved in the food fight," Deegan urges, decrying political "antics."

In a new Rolling Stone cover story, reporter Michael Adno explores the forces that landed the former chief scientist of the Everglades Foundation in jail.

From the AG's attack on a local state attorney's investigation to continued political fallout at JEA, we discuss the week's top headlines.

In a world of doomscrolling and climate catastrophes, humans are still capable of making remarkable progress. Researcher Nancy Knowlton explains how.

A self-described “kitty CSI” team is devoted to investigating possible cases of animal cruelty.

Worried she was going to hurt her baby, a trained neurologist says she missed the signs her own postpartum brain was sending.

From DIY peptide treatments to weight loss drugs' impact on exercise, we discuss the latest medical headlines and answer your health care questions.

From the latest CEO drama at JEA to a plan to pull the plug on some carriage horses in St. Augustine, we dig into the latest headlines with our media roundtable.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week, we discuss the leaders who shaped the First Coast.

Author Elizabeth Chamblee Burch discusses her book, “The Pain Brokers,” examining the massive legal and medical scam that grew out of pelvic mesh lawsuits.

A new documentary follows the front-line response to Florida's new era of book bans.

Reporter John Koch has covered every execution in modern Florida history. He discusses his experience, then David Bauerlein breaks down the recent political theater at Jacksonville's drama-plagued utility.

Medicine redesigned. Can a new kind of medical training fix health care? Then, from reactive medicine to proactive health, how disease prevention transforms lives.

From “What's up bro?” to exit strategy: A JEA board appointment fails in the face of a council member's “big favor” to his “guy."

Why Gen Alpha slang is starting to sound like a time capsule from the past.

Are grownups spoiling youth sports? New research shows high levels of burnout for coaches and kids alike.

A former EPA chief discusses pollution and public health after the Trump administration reverses a landmark federal endangerment rule.

Proposed development-friendly laws could change the face of Northeast Florida.

It's the week's biggest headlines, from the attorney general's subpoena of a city employee to a costly panhandling lawsuit for St. Johns County taxpayers.

From the wisdom of the ancients to the music of Kid Rock, the former New York Times columnist reflects on the state of politics and our national disposition.

From the wisdom of the ancients to the music of Kid Rock, the former New York Times columnist reflects on the state of politics and our national disposition.