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🌱 Patch AM: How will Jacksonville’s new drowning prevention committee change local water safety?

Spotted on the Jacksonville calendar: Xavier Wulf - The Cool World Tour

Thursday September 3rd Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hello again Jacksonville! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How will Jacksonville's new drowning prevention committee change local water safety?
  • What changes could Jacksonville make after this tragic pond drowning?
  • Headed to JIA for the holidays? Parking is about to change.

Also on today's calendar: Xavier Wulf - The Cool World Tour and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What has 2 arms and a neck but no head? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, with a high of 88 and low of 76 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Friday: Humid; an afternoon t-storm, temps: high: 89, low: 76.
  • Saturday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, with a high of 92 and low of 75 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Jacksonville creates committee focused on drowning prevention (wokv.com) — Jacksonville's City Council president has created a Special Committee on Drowning Prevention after several autistic children drowned in local retention ponds, aiming to improve safety around waterways citywide. The committee will review data, compare policies, involve agencies like JFRD and JEA, and hold public meetings before issuing recommendations and potential legislation by December 31.
   

2. Family sues Jacksonville senior apartment complex after 85-year-old drowns in retention pond (news4jax.com) — An 85-year-old man's family is suing the Marcis Pointe senior apartments in Jacksonville after he drowned in a retention pond they say should have been fenced and better secured. The case comes amid multiple local pond drownings, prompting Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. to form a city committee that will recommend new safety measures and possible legislation by December.
   

3. JIA to open new 2,000-space garage before Thanksgiving (jaxdailyrecord.com) — Travelers using Jacksonville International Airport can expect a new 2,000-space daily parking garage to open before the busy Thanksgiving rush, easing current capacity limits. Fire-damaged sections of the hourly garage should be fully restored by summer 2027, and a new Concourse B with six American Airlines gates is slated to open in January 2027, significantly expanding JIA's overall capacity.
   

4. J. Douglas Wetmore: Jacksonville's forgotten civil rights attorney Jacksonville Today (jaxtoday.org) — Jacksonville readers are introduced to J. Douglas Wetmore, a pioneering Black attorney who fought segregation on the city's streetcars and served on the Jacksonville City Council long before the modern Civil Rights Movement. The story traces his local roots, influential relationships with figures like James Weldon Johnson, and how his work helped shape later generations of Jacksonville civil rights lawyers.
   

5. Buresh Blog: Summer by the numbers... 90-degree days... Sept. averages... Bird migration time (actionnewsjax.com) — Jacksonville just wrapped up a hotter-than-average meteorological summer, with June and July especially warm and the city logging far more 90-degree days than normal despite near-average rainfall. The blog breaks down local temperature and rain stats, notes ongoing drought at JIA, and highlights that early September brings shifting averages and the start of autumn bird migration.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Day 1 of childhood cancer awareness month.
    My son was diagnosed with t cell all leukemia August 2 2021 at 5 years old. December 17 2024 he beat cancer and rung the bell. The signs were fever,… (Nextdoor Wesconnett)
  • Hi neighbors!!!
    Two very sweet pups just showed up in my yard while I was cooking dinner! They are safe and in my kitchen. I've given them water and put down a pee… (Nextdoor Southside Estates)
  • Spencer's posted a job opening for Senior Assistant Store Manager in Jacksonville. Apply here.
  • Maurices posted a job opening for Retail Assistant Manager - Full-Time in Jacksonville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Jacksonville here.

Ok Jacksonville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A shirt (Thank you Dianna H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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