Community

Jay Mafela Part of what makes Jacksonville so great is all the kinds of art one can find just by walking around. Some of the most memorable examples are giant sculptures by Lance Vickery and Jenny Hager. They have over 80 pieces of art in places from the Cummer Museum to the Jacksonville Zoo to Downtown. The two work as art professors at the University of North Florida. Hager is a professor of sculpture, while Vickery is an assistant professor in the same program. In addition to art  courses, Hager teaches a business in art class where young artists learn …

Omar Aftab In recent years, Jacksonville has become increasingly developed. People have been gathering from around the nation for the sunshine and beaches that the city provides while still being relatively slow-paced and understated compared to more tourist-based cities like Miami and Orlando. However, whereas these cities are popular for tourists, Jacksonville is becoming a place where people are settling down, and this is being reflected in the booming housing market. According to Zillow, an online real-estate marketplace company, Jacksonville is the second hottest housing market in the nation, runner-up only to Tampa. Even with an average price of more …

What is so wrong about wanting straightforward conversations regarding the housing, health care and education of not only Jacksonville residents, but for all Florida residents? That is the question Ben Frazier has for government officials, and he believes it’s time for answers.  A community activist, veteran journalist, news anchor, host, producer and narrator, Ben Frazier is a man who is not afraid to confront city and state leaders regarding the rights of the people. As founder of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Frazier has been fighting to give a voice to those who are repeatedly ignored ever since he was …

Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried has emerged as the leading contender to unseat Ron DeSantis in the governor’s race this year, which is kinda like being the No. 1 contender against Mike Tyson in 1989: Odds of winning are slim, but if she’s patient, he might eventually beat himself. Clearly, he is not the same person he was four years ago, but none of us is. To defeat DeSantis, a challenger must first dispatch former governor Charlie Crist and four other random people in the Aug. 23 primary. Given the internecine tendencies of Florida Democrats, the nominee will be limping to …

Joseph Guiffre It is a rare thing when the opportunity for environmental conservation, cultural protection, and historical preservation meet in one place. On the uniquely untouched southern end of Amelia Island there exists just such a spot. Among the wind whipped sand and in the embrace of the dense trees of a maritime hammock, lies the crossroads of some of the most prominent names in American and Floridian history; American Beach. The center of American Beach is towered over by Big NaNa dune and Little NaNa dune; a system of sand and plants that together make up the tallest sand …

Think you’re too tough for haunted houses? Think again. These houses are not for the faint of heart.  Halloween is my favorite time of year. I was born the day before Halloween, so it’s always held a special place in my heart. This year, I decided to get into the spirit early and visit two of the scariest and most entertaining haunted attractions in the region. I don’t frighten easily, but I will be completely transparent about the fact I left these houses dripping in sweat. Does fear makes you perspire or am I just a sweaty Italian man?  13th …

Reviewing a culture that bumps and hustles for a new generation.  Roughly 45 years ago, it was everywhere. LED tessellations shifting and flickering beneath platform shoes, polyester-clad bodies pressed together in dim corners, the marriage of funk and Philadelphia soul … so many memories and colorful tropes encapsulated in one simple word: disco. Throughout the ’70s, the glossy genre dominated airplay and culture. Like a circadian rhythm (and blues), hard rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath thundered through radios by day, while soul-funk forces by the likes of Gloria Gaynor and Chic brought the boogie nights. As …

by Shelton Hull By any appreciable standard, 2020 was, among other things, the worst year ever in the long, complex, storied history of print media in this country. Dozens of daily and weekly papers were closed, crippled or curtailed, from coast to coast, and Florida was no exception. Indeed, our community was hit harder than many with the shuttering of two long-standing pillars of print: Folio Weekly closed after publisher Sam Taylor retired, while EU finally ceased publication a couple years after the death of Will Henley, its publisher. In July 2020, Folio Weekly returned to the stands—as a monthly …