Last Top Stories: Lawsuit: Springfield zoning discriminates against mentally ill...

• Lawsuit: Springfield zoning discriminates against mentally ill...

  

  A second federal lawsuit has been filed challenging the legality of zoning rules in Jacksonville’s Springfield area, arguing they were “written to discriminate against … people with mental illness.”The lawsuit by Disability Rights Florida, a Tallahassee-based advocacy group, asks for an injunction blocking the city from enforcing Springfield’s zoning overlay, created about 15 years ago as a unique set of rules for the historic neighborhood north of downtown built in the late 19th and early 20th ..

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• Holiday Happenings

  

  ONGOINGThe Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots programaccepting new and unwrapped toys at the Riverside Arts Market office Saturdays through Dec. 5 during regular market hours or to donate elsewhere, emailprograms@riversideartsmarket.com.“Christmas Carole,”meal 6 p.m., show 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; meal 11:15 a.m. and 6 p.m., show 1:15 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; meal 12:15 and 6 p.m., show 2 and 8 p.m. Sundays; Alhambra Theatre & Dining, 12000 Beach Blvd. Show runs through Dec. 24. Reservations, (904) 64..

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• The Voice: Young aspiring actors find more possibilities in voice acting

  

  When conveying the inner thoughts of a jealous toaster oven, it’s important to sound small.When depicting a stomach, breathe from the diaphragm.And when it comes to dialects, the Scottish accent seems to be the trend.These are just a few of the takeaways from a recent lesson in Deborah Jordan’s voice-acting class. Over the semester, the class of Jacksonville University sophomores and juniors also learned the finer points of posture, inflection and intonation, but what they hope to ultimately gai..

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• Duval plan for autism center draws cheers, caution from some parents

  

  Sandy Jackson dreams of a welcoming school for her 9-year-old son, Matthew.Matthew has autism spectrum disorder, a serious developmental disorder that impairs his ability to communicate and interact.Jackson said it means Matthew needs small classes with a few students who, like him, have similar communication challenges.But there needs to be enough teachers for someone to sit with Matthew and help him get and stay focused, she said, without triggering his frustration and behavioral problems. So ..

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• High-speed chase ends in St. Johns County

  

  A former Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputy who sued the sheriff in 2014 over unpaid wages was arrested in St. Johns County following a three-county chase that marred traffic for people traveling Thanksgiving evening.Daniel J. Ruddell, 45, of Palm Coast was charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude with property damage and armed robbery.The case began with a robbery attempt in Daytona Beach and ended with pursuing deputies shooting at him before he crashed near the County Road 2..

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• River Life: Flatness part of what makes river unique

  As I have written in this column many times, the St. Johns River is a fascinating place with many twists and turns, both physically and biologically. The unique nature of the river is driven by its flatness.The St. Johns flows out of the mountains of Florida, (OK, the sand ridges), with only about a 30-foot drop in elevation, and most of that fall is in the first 100 miles of its 310-mile length. The last 200 miles or so are flat. So flat that at times the level can actually be below sea level w..

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• Donations welcome as J.P. Hall children's party set for Dec. 19

  The 34th annual J.P. Hall Children’s Charities Christmas Party will be held 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Clay County Fairgrounds, 2497 Florida 16 W., in Green Cove Springs.This event benefits underprivileged children in Clay County. Over the past 34 years, more than 44,000 Clay County children have enjoyed Christmases that otherwise may not have been possible.The event provides children from newborn to 14 with a bag of new toys, based on age and gender. They may also select one gentl..

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• Kayakers get to know the St. Johns River - all 310 miles

  

  Gus Bianchi, a Middleburg resident and volunteer of the St. Johns River Alliance, has kayaked Florida waters for 20 years.He’s paddled 1,500 miles around Florida’s coast, and up the St. Johns River to Astor, among other trips.But to know Florida, he said, is to paddle the entire St. Johns River.Bianchi and St. Johns River Alliance program manager Andrea Conover did just that early 2015.Starting south at Blue Cypress Lake and following the river north to the Atlantic, they broke up the 310-mile r..

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• Jacksonville Journal: Many offices closed for holiday | jacksonville

  Many offices still closed for holidayMost non-emergency Northeast Florida government offices will be closed Friday in observance of Thanksgiving.Only Express Mail will be delivered. There will be no regular home delivery. Jacksonville Transportation Authority buses will operate on a normal Sunday schedule.Public libraries in Duval, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties will be closed Friday. St. Johns and Putnam County libraries are closed until Monday.Duval County regular solid-waste collection, yard..

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• Garden Q&A: Will gizmo work on St. Augustine grass?

  

  We just bought our first home and know nothing about taking care of our St. Augustine lawn. I saw a gizmo advertised in a gardening magazine that you strap to your shoes that has spikes on the bottom so you can stomp around in the yard to help the grass grow. My husband says I’m nuts … that something like that couldn’t possibly help the lawn. Is he right?I know the gizmo you’re talking about. Whether they’re effective is for someone else to say. But the principle behind them is sound and somethi..

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