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Opinion

Mail: One Patriot’s Point of View (My Letter to America)

June 12, 2025

I am from the “Baby Boomer” generation. I was born and raised in the South, during segregation. I have experienced many changes and evolutions in our once great nation. There were no black students in my schools until my last two years in high school, 1970-71. But thank God, we came to our senses and strived and continue to correct

Opinion

December Mail

Activate. Revitalize. Transform. These aspirations have guided the conversation on Downtown Jacksonville for the last 20 years. During that time, many have tried to answer the core questions needed to actualize this vision: How can we build more apartments? What restaurants will attract the most people? What programs can make

Folio Soapbox

Do you ever have something you’re itching to say but you’re too

Bouqs & Bricks July 2024

BOUQUETS To the North Florida Green Chamber for promoting Plastic Free July.

The Hunt: Finding the Best Hotdogs in Northeast Florida

July 3, 2024

Food + Drink·Lifestyle·Opinion

It’s officially summertime. And what else screams summertime other than a nice hot glizzy? Maybe wrapped in tinfoil, cooked over a grill or boiled? Even if you claim you dont like hotdogs, you still kind of like hotdogs. It's un-American to feel otherwise.

2023 Films in Review

November 30, 2023

Movie Reviews·Movies·On Screen·Opinion

Words by Harry Moore When it comes to film, 2023 will likely be remembered as a year marred with strikes and big-budget bombs. Hollywood has begun to reckon with an existential crisis that has been brewing since Silicon Valley came to town with streaming hobbling theaters and proving to not

Bouquets and Brickbats

November 30, 2023

Opinion

Brick To Specialized Towing who does vehicle repossessions for a variety of banks and lenders in Jacksonville. According to several families who contacted us, the company has been extremely delayed — sometimes up to a month — in allowing individuals to retrieve personal items from their vehicles including wallets, purses,

Racing Against Hate Like My Life Depends On It

November 15, 2023

Editorial Opinion·Feature·Opinion

By Suzie Pollak Becker I always have a valid passport, cash on hand and a heightened fight or flight instinct braided like challah into my DNA. Why? Because all four of my grandparents were hunted, captured, tortured and marked for extinction. Their grandparents escaped pogroms. My most curious cousin

The Specktator

November 1, 2023

Community·Feature·gossip·News·Opinion

Words by Kerry Speckman Shout out to River City Pride and anyone and everyone who make Pride Month such a beautiful success. A personal highlight was seeing Mayor Donna Deegan serve as grand marshal of the Pride parade. It should be a requirement for all future mayors. If you thought

Combined Minds – The girls see a psychic

October 23, 2023

Editorial Opinion·Feature·Opinion·podcasts

Carmen: Let me start by saying I was a bit skeptical of this. It is hard for me to put my blind faith into something I truly do not understand. Still, during my reading, there were just so many specificities mentioned that I had no other choice but to

Unveiling the Woke: Navigating the Complexities of a Political Buzzword

October 19, 2023

Editorial Opinion·Feature·Opinion·Politics

Words by Carmen Macri Before we get started, I find it necessary to generously bestow upon you the profound revelation that “woke” is, indeed, the past tense of “wake.” I mean, who knew, right? But now, let’s get into how this term has become a symbol of a modern

The Specktator

September 29, 2023

Opinion

Words by Kerry Speckman One of my all-time favorite nuggets of Jax trivia is that it’s the birthplace — and final resting place — of actress Alice Nunn. Never heard of her? Well, if you missed her as Passenger with Dog in “Airport 75,” Lady With Wallet in “Petticoat

The Rise of the Awkward Interview

September 25, 2023

Feature·Opinion·podcasts

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner At 13, I watched my words, spoke quietly and re-evaluated my interactions. Because awkward silences and missed social cues were a warrant for social death, I preemptively planned conversations and decisive reactions. Authenticity was vulnerability, and I attempted to adapt. What choice did I have?

Combined Minds

September 22, 2023

Combined Minds·Editorial Opinion·Feature·Opinion

With Carmen Macri and Ambar Ramirez The girls discuss last year’s word of the year and their predictions for this year’s Carmen: It has come to our attention that Webster’s word of the year in 2022 was “gaslight.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that