It took Christy Frazier almost a year and around 10,000 pieces of mirror to finish a massive mosaic that spans the featured wall of The Phoenix Arts District. The outdoor walls have been painted and adorned with art by Frazier and others since she first bought three warehouse buildings near the intersection of 14th and Market streets in 2016 for a total of $685,000. Over the next year, more changes are expected to transform the roughly 100,000 square feet of space in the buildings. When complete, […]

New life is coming to Regency Square Mall – or at least, to its food court. When Lakita Spann, owner of the Mr. Potato Spread food truck, announced she would be opening in the beleaguered mall's food court in March, several other food truck owners decided to join her. By early June, the mall's food court will be home to the first permanent location for Mr. Potato Spread, Team Love Seafood, Island Dreams Food Truck and Funnel Cake Queen. But that's just the beginning The vision for the "new" […]

The building that houses the Financial News & Daily Record downtown has been sold to the owner of a few popular Riverside bars. Scott McAlister, owner of The Garage, Rogue and theLOFT in Riverside, bought the building at 10 N. Newnan St. for $915,000, according to a deed recorded Wednesday. The building previously belonged to The Daily Record Corporation, a company owned by Jim Bailey, who is the former publisher of the daily legal newspaper. McAlister was not immediately available for comment […]

With more than a million annual visitors, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens can get quite crowded. Add in the screams of children and every kind of ape, and the zoo can also get quite loud. Now, some measures are being put in place for those with sensory issues – or those who just need a quiet moment away from the rush. The zoo has partnered with nonprofit KultureCity for sensory inclusivity training. Just over 75 percent of the zoo's staff went through the training, which includes measures on […]

Those who want to be in the room where it happens should be on the FSCJ Artist Series website on April 24. Tickets to the much-anticipated "Hamilton: An American Musical" go on sale on April 24 – but only in season ticket packages. Single show tickets will go on sale at a later date. The artist series announced its full 2019-2020 season lineup with several blockbuster Broadway musicals making their way to the First Coast in the upcoming season. The shows are as follows: "Wicked," Nov. 20 […]

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday received a bill (SB 7012) that would carry out a voter-approved ban on vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces. DeSantis will have until April 29 to act on the bill, which the House and Senate passed unanimously. Voters in November approved a constitutional amendment that combined the workplace-vaping ban with a ban on offshore oil drilling. The amendment was placed on the ballot by the state Constitution Revision Commission. While voters overwhelmingly […]

North Florida TPO Executive Director Jeff Sheffield discusses how plans to make the First Coast a Smart Region are ahead of the curve. […]

Boston-based Wayfair is set to lease office space from the city ahead of the opening of its 1 million-square-foot distribution center at Cecil Commerce Center. Legislation has been introduced to City Council for the online furniture retailer to lease 1,800-square-feet of office space at 6146 Authority Ave., also in Cecil Commerce Center. The company would lease the space for $1,350 per month plus a monthly common area maintenance fee of $200 for at least a one-year term, according to the legislation. T […]

Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) will now deliver packages straight into your garage, the company announced Tuesday. Jacksonville is one of 50 cities to receive the new service. To use the service, homeowners must be Prime members and install Chamberlain Group Inc.'s LiftMaster garage door openers or add CGI's myQ-connected devices to their garage door openers. “It’s that sinking feeling, when you know a package is supposed to be on your front porch and you realize it’s not, that is prompting homeowners […]

The FBI is investigating SharedLabs' founder and former CEO, according to three people familiar with the company's finances who say they have been interviewed by agents. The FBI's investigation is focused on whether Jason Cory, who resigned as CEO at the SharedLab's board's request earlier this month, embezzled about $305,000 from the company, according to those who spoke to agents. "Under Department of Justice policy, the FBI cannot confirm nor deny the existence or status of an investigation," […]

Former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum agreed Wednesday to pay a $5,000 fine to settle an ethics complaint that he violated civil law by accepting a gift from a lobbyist, and the state Ethics Commission agreed to drop four additional counts of violations, his attorney said.The settlement, announced in Tallahassee just as Gillum was to go before an administrative hearing, ends a lengthy ethics investigation that factored heavily in the Democratic candidate's unsuccessful campaign [... […]

For five years, no new names have been placed on Jacksonville's Fallen Officers Memorial Wall.But Officer Lance Whitaker’s name joined Officer Mark Larson's, added in 2014, as this year's Police Memorial Day Observance took on a more somber feeling Wednesday in front of the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena at 300 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.Whitaker died in [... […]

Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek: “It’s just one of those quirky things that people want to see. Some think it’s amazing and some think it’s the biggest hoax ever.&rdquo […]

CARROLLTON, Ga. — The federal government says a meat company in Georgia has recalled tons of ground beef for possible contamination with E. coli bacteria.The bacteria is an unusual strain that has sickened 156 people in 10 states , hospitalizing 20 of them. Ground beef had been described as the likely source. However, officials say they're still testing to see whether the recalled beef is related to the outbreak.A recall notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's [... […]

The longest-serving Republican in the Iowa legislature became a Democrat this week. And in doing so, Rep. Andy McKean made clear his move was all about President Donald Trump. "If this is the new normal," he said of Trump's "unacceptable behavior," "I want no part of it."McKean's move isn't part of anything amounting to a Trump-inspired exodus from the GOP. Just as the size of the anti-Trump wing of the GOP electorate is often oversold, the number of Republican politicians leaving the [... […]

BERLIN — The controlled detonation of an American World War II bomb in the southern German city of Regensburg has still caused widespread damage to nearby houses.Some 4,500 residents had to be evacuated from the area before experts performed the detonation. A spokeswoman for the Bavarian city, Dagmar Obermeier-Kundel, said the 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb still shattered windows in several surrounding buildings early Wednesday. Photos also showed damaged roofs.Munitions [... […]

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A Coast Guard lieutenant accused of stockpiling guns and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and network TV journalists looked at other targets: two Supreme Court justices and two executives of social media companies, according to federal prosecutors.Those new allegations are contained in a court filing Tuesday in which prosecutors urge a magistrate judge to keep Christopher Hasson, 49, detained in custody pending trial on firearms and weapons charges. [... […]

Boeing estimates that it will spend $1 billion to fix the 737 Max and has pulled its forecast of 2019 earnings because of uncertainty surrounding the jetliner, which remains grounded after two crashes that killed 346 people.The estimate was disclosed Wednesday in a presentation for investors as Boeing released first-quarter financial results, which missed Wall Street expectations. A spokesman said the estimate covered higher production costs over the next several years.Boeing [... […]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for serial killer Bobby Joe Long.The warrant signed late Tuesday sets Long's execution for May 23 at Florida State Prison. It was the first death warrant DeSantis signed since becoming governor in January.Long has been on death row nearly 34 years. The 65-year-old received the death penalty for the May 1984 death of 22-year-old Michelle Denise Simms, a former beauty contestant from California. He [... […]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump claimed credit Wednesday for progress in battling the nation's opioid epidemic amid debate over whether the crisis has peaked and what his administration has accomplished."It's a big problem. It's a big addiction and we're handling it," Trump said as he and first lady Melania Trump left the White House for Atlanta to host an event to provide an update on the crisis."We've made a tremendous amount of progress," Trump said, adding that [... […]

Ocean explorer Chris Fischer is trying to solve one of the many perplexing riddles about great white sharks. They roam in all the oceans of the world, yet for some reason, great white sharks love to frequent the North Atlantic Ocean just off the shores of Jacksonville and St. Augustine beaches.GPS tracking tags on [... […]

A Jacksonville jury found a 23-year-old man guilty last week of armed robbery and trying to arrange a hit on the victim, the State Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.Daniel Christopher Dickerson of Jacksonville faces a potential sentence of life in prison, according to prosecutors. He also pleaded guilty to tampering with a victim/witness.On Oct. 16, 2015, the 36-year-old victim was walking to a bar in the Riverside area when two men approached, one with a firearm, and [... […]

The body of a man was found early Wednesday behind a business in the 5200 block of North Main Street, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's office.Officers were called to the scene in the Brentwood area about 1 a.m. to help the fire department with a medical call after the man was found in a dirt lot behind a tire shop near West 42nd Street, police said. Taken to the hospital, the man was declared dead.The cause of death is undetermined but the Sheriff's Office told WJXT TV-4 [... […]

A child died after being found unresponsive early Tuesday night in an apartment in the 8800 block of Old Kings Road, just south of Baymeadows Road, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.Officers were called to the Shadow Bay complex about 9 p.m. in response to a report of an unresponsive juvenile within the home, Sgt. Doug Molina said. The child was rushed to a hospital and declared dead.The sergeant was asked several questions about early reports that the child was an [... […]

NEW YORK — There's no truth to the rumor that James Holzhauer is a cyborg created to be the perfect "Jeopardy!" contestant.But given how he's made a level of excellence rarely seen on the television quiz show appear almost mundane, it sometimes seems that way. Holzhauer eclipsed the $1 million mark in winnings Tuesday on his 14th appearance. Not only has he won $131,127 to shatter the program's previous one-day record of $77,000, he already has the top five one-day scores in [... […]

OVERSTREET -- Todd Wedermeier was living his relatively quiet existence in the Panhandle when Hurricane Michael flattened his world.The mobile home the disabled veteran was living in was destroyed and what was left was his shed out back.With the slight renovations he’d done, it may have measured 8 feet by 8 feet–slightly larger than an average prison cell.The roof leaked when it rained and there was no plumbing.A port-o-potty in the [... […]

NEW YORK — The lawyers' ads on the internet aggressively seeking clients to file sexual abuse lawsuits give a taste of what lies ahead this year for the Boy Scouts of America: potentially the most fateful chapter in its 109-year history.Sexual abuse settlements have already strained the Boy Scouts' finances to the point where the organization is exploring "all available options," including Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But now the financial threats have intensified.The reason: [... […]

DENVER — Authorities have declined to charge Denver Broncos star Von Miller for catching a hammerhead shark off the coast of Florida last year.The Denver Post reported Tuesday that a recently published list of enforcement actions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the owner and operator of the fishing boat Spellbound was fined $2,000 for the March 2018 catch.Miller had posted video on social media that showed him and others pulling the [... […]

WASHINGTON — Even light rain significantly increases your risk of a fatal car crash, a new study finds.The wetter the roads, the deadlier they become, with rain, snow and ice increasing the risk of deadly car crashes by 34 percent, according to a study this week in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society .Light rain — "We're talking a drizzle, just at the point where you might consider taking an umbrella out," said study lead author Scott Stevens [... […]

A man beaten unconscious Sunday in a homeless camp off Louise Street has died and another man is now charged with second-degree murder, according to the St. Augustine Police Department.Officers were called to the homeless camp in the woods about 8 p.m. in reference to an assault, police said. They found 44-year-old Will Alexander Burrell unconscious. Witnesses said Burrell had moved into the campsite after having been involved in a fight with Jeremy Daniel Davis, 40. They had [... […]