First Coast Week in Review

First Coast Connect

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

• The state’s chief financial officer takes a granular interest in city finances, as a budget vote looms on Tuesday.
• A controversial Duval County jail death is under the microscope of federal investigators, as the FBI takes the lead on the case.
• The fallout over Charlie Kirk's death continues, as concerns about speech freedoms mount.
• JEA’s old home gets a new lease on life with a purchase offer from Live Oak Contracting.
  

Guests:

• Nate Monroe, executive editor at The Tributary.
• Randy DeFoor, attorney and former Jacksonville City Council member.
• Anthony Austin, anchor at First Coast News.
• David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union.
  

Then, a local staging of a classic play adds a layer of creativity and compassion through the use of double-casting. Tennessee William’s groundbreaking 1944 script for The Glass Menagerie introduced audiences to the concept of a “memory play,” told through the narrator’s imperfect and emotional recollections. In its version, APEX Theatre employs actors with physical challenges and neurodiverse perspectives, sharing the lead roles with two other actors playing siblings Laura and Tom.

Guests:

• Ian Mairs, managing director at APEX Theatre.
• Jack Gallison, actor playing Tom.
• Sophie Somaru, actor playing Laura.
• Ailee Somaru, Sophie’s mom.