Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
First Coast Connect: 07/29/26
news.wjct.org/show/first-coast-connect/2026-07-28/on-wednesdays-show-sacred-preservation
St. Mary's Episcopal Church has been a cornerstone of Palatka's Newtown community for more than 140 years. Earlier this month, the historic church earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing both its architectural significance and its perennial role in the city's African American history. We talk to city leaders and parishioners about what this designation means for the church and the community it has served since the late 19th century. They discuss the legacy of faith and preservation that led to the honor and why protecting places like St. Mary's Episcopal Church guarantees that Palatka's diverse history is embedded into its future.
Guests:
Roberta Correa, mayor, city of Palatka
Dianne Taylor, retired professor and Palatka historian
Mary Lawson Brown, St. Mary’s parishioner, former vice mayor and city commissioner, city of Palatka
Carol Milton, parishioner and descendant of St. Mary's Episcopal Church founder John W. Purcell
Duval County School Board race
Donna Westrich, a teacher in Jacksonville for more than 20 years, is one of three candidates running for the District 2 seat for the Duval County School Board in the August primary. The current School Board member, April Carney, decided not run for reelection and is supporting one of Westrich’s opponents. We asked the longtime educator about her top priorities, including empowering teachers, supporting schools for all families and accountability in spending.
First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.
Guest: Donna Mae Westrich, candidate for Duval County School Board District 2 seat
Record of the universe
A new “game changing” telescope is now open in Chile tracking the cosmos. For the next 10 years, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which features the world’s largest digital camera, will capture the southern sky for a high-definition time lapse record of the universe. The project is called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and it seeks to create the most “comprehensive, cinematic record of the universe in history,” according to the Rubin Observatory’s website. We discuss the telescope’s capabilities and the potential discoveries it could uncover with our resident spaceman.
Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science & History
Topics and guests subject to change.
First Coast Connect: 07/29/26
news.wjct.org/show/first-coast-connect/2026-07-28/on-wednesdays-show-sacred-preservation
St. Mary's Episcopal Church has been a cornerstone of Palatka's Newtown community for more than 140 years. Earlier this month, the historic church earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing both its architectural significance and its perennial role in the city's African American history. We talk to city leaders and parishioners about what this designation means for the church and the community it has served since the late 19th century. They discuss the legacy of faith and preservation that led to the honor and why protecting places like St. Mary's Episcopal Church guarantees that Palatka's diverse history is embedded into its future.
Guests:
Roberta Correa, mayor, city of Palatka
Dianne Taylor, retired professor and Palatka historian
Mary Lawson Brown, St. Mary’s parishioner, former vice mayor and city commissioner, city of Palatka
Carol Milton, parishioner and descendant of St. Mary's Episcopal Church founder John W. Purcell
Duval County School Board race
Donna Westrich, a teacher in Jacksonville for more than 20 years, is one of three candidates running for the District 2 seat for the Duval County School Board in the August primary. The current School Board member, April Carney, decided not run for reelection and is supporting one of Westrich’s opponents. We asked the longtime educator about her top priorities, including empowering teachers, supporting schools for all families and accountability in spending.
First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.
Guest: Donna Mae Westrich, candidate for Duval County School Board District 2 seat
Record of the universe
A new “game changing” telescope is now open in Chile tracking the cosmos. For the next 10 years, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which features the world’s largest digital camera, will capture the southern sky for a high-definition time lapse record of the universe. The project is called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and it seeks to create the most “comprehensive, cinematic record of the universe in history,” according to the Rubin Observatory’s website. We discuss the telescope’s capabilities and the potential discoveries it could uncover with our resident spaceman.
Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science & History
Topics and guests subject to change.
