First Coast Connect With Melissa Ross

The cancellation of federally funded medical studies is affecting lives and families on the First Coast.

Following Friday's legislative approval of the state budget, we get granular-level analysis of the winners, losers and appropriation oddities in the ‘26-'27 spending plan.

It's the week's top headlines, from accusations of City Council bullying to the governor's plan to end property taxes for most homesteaded properties.

Surrounded by superstores, having lost its primary golf anchors, the state of World Golf Village is like nothing its original residents imagined.

From the supremacy of podcasting to an entire book devoted to sentence diagramming, the most precise large language model is still human.

A secret federal directive challenges Florida's public records law.

Ironman fatigue, spiraling subpoenas and an NAACP call for an athlete boycott.

A city proposal would guide growth and developers away from water hazards.

Author Bob Kealing discusses the long influence and short life of the legendary musician ahead of his Hall of Fame induction.

When it comes to a career, relationship or even a vacation, picking the “best” option might be a mistake.

What a stunning reversal in the Murdaugh case says about vulnerabilities in our jury system.

From concerns about “excessive” law enforcement response to big incentives for The Beef People, we discuss the week's top headlines with our media roundtable.

Local governments push back on AI data centers.

Three members of Gen Z weigh in about planning for the future at a time of grim financial forecasts, dystopian AI predictions and catastrophic environmental realities.

From state limits on DEI to resurgent criticism of the city's telehealth program, we discuss factors shaping the mayor's upcoming budget plan.

Jacksonville's most famous blues musician started making records in 1926.

JTA entertains pedestrian ambitions; the City Council ignores business leaders' request to drop JEA probe.

A new book by two UNF researchers explores what happens when homes become an asset class.

A new investigation explores another in-custody death blamed on the jail's medical provider.

As Florida experiences one of the worst droughts in decades, we examine the main drivers of the state's water scarcity crisis.

After lawmakers adopt an even-more solidly Republican map, we talk to party leaders from both sides about what the future holds for Florida voters.

From Florida's redistricting to a gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the state's congressional elections may never be the same.

The Sporting Jax women's team heads into its final game having dominated the Super League in its inaugural season.

As it gets harder for kids to access preventative dental care, experts say emergency rooms have turned into an imperfect emergency catchall.

Why activists are targeting everything from snack manufacturers to chemical corporations in an effort to stem titanium mining in the endangered swamp.

The writer sometimes known as Jacksonville's poet laureate is also the demanding editor behind some of the area's most well-known authors.

Putting out fires, from real-life conflagrations to political ones.

Election season, Hope Florida and the ongoing battle over redistricting.

Cat advocates want St. Johns County to help neuter strays. Officials there want no part.

The debate over back-in vs. pull-in parking has become a subject of controversy, internet currency and, in some places, urban policy

The inaugural “State of the Watershed” offers an Earth Day celebration of the St. Johns River.

State lawmakers still can't reach a budget deal, and the JEA investigation expands to include communications about a former mayor's lobbying firm.

A mitigation expert explains how a criminal's life story affects the death penalty.

Two historians remember the pioneering Black aviator on the centenary of her death during a Jacksonville air show.

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.