The stories you’d hear more about if not for the coronavirus pandemic

Homicides, elections, the Olympics and more would be front and center if not for the coronavirus pandemic.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Coronavirus.... COVID-19... pandemic...

Whatever you call it, we're talking about little else these days.

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The ongoing fight against the spread of the virus is dominating news headlines across the country and here in Jacksonville.

Because of the importance of covering the pandemic, other news topics are admittedly not getting the attention they typically would.

Here's a rundown:

Homicides and violence

Shootings are still happening at an alarming rate. At least 55 people were shot in March and 18 of them died. That’s almost two people shot a day for the month.

Of the 18 who were killed, four were teenagers.

Since the start of April, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office records show two women have been murdered.

JEA drama

The ongoing JEA saga has been placed on the back burner. Seven new board members need to be approved, and the City Council-led investigation into what happened with the sale debacle is still underway. The plan was to wrap up that investigation by the end of May, but that may not happen.

There is also an ongoing federal investigation. The status of that investigation is unclear.

The city-owned utility is also looking for a new CEO, but the search has taken a backseat for now.

School Board sales tax

The sales tax proposed by the Duval County School Board to help pay for repairs to dilapidated schools is facing deadlines in order to be on the ballot in November.

On Monday -- meeting on a Zoom video call to ensure social distancing -- the City Council Public Health and Safety Committee recommended 6-1 to put the tax on the ballot in November. A second committee approved the measure on Tuesday. It could go to the full City Council for approval by the end of this month.

Elections

Florida held its presidential primary just as Florida’s response to the pandemic was ramping up, but the candidates had already suspended campaign appearances, turnout was low and, honestly, most people weren’t paying attention.

Georgia and many other states postponed their primaries. Georgia was hoping to add the presidential questions to its primary for state and local offices on May 19, but that that may be in doubt.

Florida’s next vote is in August, and we can all hope we’ll be past all this by then.

Follow the latest on our Election 2020 page.

Tax filing season

Typically we would be encouraging you to finish up those tax documents because the deadline is fast approaching.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has offered a reprieve.

The income tax filing date has been pushed back to July 15.

March Madness

The crown jewel of college sports. The national championship would have been Monday night.

Would we see Potter’s House product Udoka Azubuike leading top-ranked Kansas to a title? Would Florida State, riding its best season under coach Leonard Hamilton, still be dancing?

Instead, we’re left with just a set of final rankings, as Kansas, Gonzaga, Dayton, Florida State and Baylor make up the top five.

Olympics

The Olympics are grand every year, but for the First Coast, these Games could have been exceptional.

The Olympians with area ties should have only improved since 2016, with three-time swimming gold medalist Ryan Murphy (Bolles) and two-time gold medalist Caeleb Dressel (Clay) arguably stronger than they were four years ago.

It also means another year of training for Kendal Williams (Stanton) and Ka’Tia Seymour (Palatka), elite sprinters with Tokyo ambitions.

NFL draft

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the draft will carry on in its scheduled window (April 23-25), minus fans and the traditional buzz that the annual event crates. Last year, 600,000 fans attended the three-day event in Nashville.

This year, the draft was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas as a sort of welcome to the desert for the relocated Raiders franchise.

Instead, draftees are conducting pre-draft meet and greets with clubs through FaceTime and Zoom as in-person visits and workouts have been canceled.


About the Authors:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.