Tag Archives: Jacksonville

First Coast News reports: A new park honoring the over 15,000 soldiers involved in the Confederate war effort is now open in North Florida. Kirby-Smith Confederate Park is located in Lincoln Villas in the Northeast Jacksonville area. The park is visible from the I-295 west beltway, and features Confederate flags, statuary and placards. The park’s website claims that the Confederate …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump said he will no longer hold a large, in-person Republican convention in Jacksonville, Florida, because of the coronavirus but will hold virtual events and still give an acceptance speech. “I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the G.O.P. Convention. We will be starting in North Carolina for the …

Axios reports: Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told Politico that security plans put forth for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month are “not achievable” under current time constraints. Why it matters: The decision to move most of the RNC’s programming to Jacksonville last month has already come under scrutiny due to a massive surge in coronavirus cases …

The Washington Post reports: The Republican convention in Jacksonville, Fla., next month could be moved to an outdoor stadium as cases of the novel coronavirus in the state increase, according to several officials with knowledge of the plans. While no decision has been made, Republican officials are studying two outdoor professional sports stadiums near the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena where …

CNN reports: Several attorneys in Jacksonville, Florida, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city in an attempt to block the Republican National Convention from occurring there amid the coronavirus pandemic. The complaint, filed in Duval County, lists many reasons against Jacksonville hosting the event, including that it would be “a nuisance injurious to the health (and) welfare” of the city’s …

Jacksonville’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee released a memo today outlining health and safety guidelines during the Republican National Convention. In the memo, it said “everyone attending the convention within the perimeter will be tested and temperature checked each day.” Action News Jax reached out to the spokesperson for the host committee to find out how …

Vanity Fair reports: This week, Jacksonville, Florida—where Trump moved the Republican National Convention so he could hold a 15,000-person rally next month—mandated that people wear masks indoors to slow the explosion of COVID-19 cases. According to a Republican working on the convention, the campaign is now preparing to cancel the event so that Trump doesn’t suffer another Tulsa–like humiliation. “They …

Jacksonville’s NBC News affiliate reports: Residents and visitors in Jacksonville, Fla., will be required to wear masks indoors and in public spaces to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, the city announced Monday, potentially complicating President Trump’s desire to hold the Republican National Convention there in August without masks or social distancing. The requirement will be for public and …

Buzzfeed News reports: A Florida woman and 15 of her friends have reportedly tested positive with the coronavirus after a night out at a bar in Jacksonville Beach. “Welp, Florida opened back up & my ass should’ve stayed tf home this past weekend cause I just tested positive for the damn COVID,” she wrote on Facebook last week. “#IKnowBetter #MyFault …

Yahoo News reports: Jacksonville, Florida, has been selected to host the celebration marking President Donald Trump’s acceptance of his party’s nomination for reelection, the Republican National Committee chairwoman said Thursday night. Ronna McDaniel made the announcement a day after saying that Jacksonville was a front-runner to hold the event. The governor of North Carolina, the official host of this summer’s …

The Washington Post reports: Seeking a city willing to allow a large-scale event amid the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans have tentatively settled on Jacksonville, Fla., as the new destination for the premier festivities of the Republican National Convention in August, according to three Republican officials briefed on the plans. The details of the arrangement are still in flux and RNC aides …

The Florida Times-Union reports: The Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday restored discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people that were enacted in 2017 but struck down last month by a Florida appeals court. The Florida 1st District of Appeals declared the law unenforceable on May 1 based on a technical issue with the process the council used to …

The Florida Times-Union reports: The Jacksonville City Council is expected on Tuesday to vote on a replacement for the city’s recently struck-down law that prohibited discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, which fares a strong chance of passing after earning preliminary support from a veto-proof majority of the council. The replacement law last week won 13 favorable votes …

Via press release from hate group leader Mat Staver: Liberty Counsel won a 3-0 appellate victory today against Jacksonville, Florida’s 2017 ordinance that added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as “protected categories” under Jacksonville law “Human Rights Ordinance” (HRO). In the lawsuit, Parsons v. City of Jacksonville, Liberty Counsel represents Jacksonville residents and businesses in their challenge to invalidate an …

Mediaite reports: A CNN report from Jacksonville, Florida captured a “mad dash” of crowds that accompanied the reopening of that city’s beach — offering a part-hopeful and part-ominous preview of what could happen when more of country emerges from its self-imposed coronavirus lockdown. Speaking with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on Friday night, reporter Randi Kaye showed footage of locals literally …

Jacksonville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Police are investigating a brutal crime early Friday morning in Northwest Jacksonville: A person was severely beaten and then tied to the bumper of a minivan and dragged for two blocks before the rope was cut and the victim was left lying in the street. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the person, who may have …

Jacksonville’s NBC News affiliate reports: Using the power of prayer, a congregation gathered at the Jacksonville Beach Pier to keep Dorian away from Jacksonville, and tell the storm to “calm down.” “We’re coming out here as group of believers like we did 2 years ago for Hurricane Irma,” Mary Paker said. “We came and got in a circle and prayed …

Heavy.com reports: David Katz has been identified as the gunman who opened fire Sunday during a Madden NFL 19 video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, killing two people and wounding nine others, authorities said at a press conference. The 24-year-old Katz, a Maryland resident who fatally shot himself at the scene, was described as a “disgruntled” gamer who had participated …

USA Today reports: A gunman opened fire Sunday at a Madden video game tournament along Jacksonville’s riverwalk, and Florida authorities reported multiple fatalities. “Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY #TheLandingMassShooting” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet. “Multiple fatalities at the scene, many …

Via press release: Liberty Counsel filed a brief in the appeal of Jacksonville, Florida residents and businesses against the city’s 2017 ordinance that added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as “protected categories” under Jacksonville law. The lawsuit, Parsons v. City of Jacksonville, seeks to invalidate the so-called “Human Rights Ordinance” or “HRO” because its authors and sponsors illegally hid the …