Friday, Nov. 14: Anheuser-Busch Suspect’s Past + $200K Food Aid Approved + 1,191 New Homes Planned
Friday, Nov. 14
Your local news briefing
5 Headlines You Should Know Today
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Suspect in Anheuser-Busch killing previously tied to 2017 homicide
New reporting reveals that Jason Guthrie, the Jacksonville man accused of fatally stabbing a co-worker at the Anheuser-Busch facility in October, was also the lead suspect in a 2017 killing but was never prosecuted after being deemed mentally incompetent. The earlier case, involving the death of Autumn Van Camp, was ruled “exceptionally cleared,” a decision Van Camp’s daughter says shows the justice system failed her family and others. Guthrie, who has a history of violent behavior, remains in jail ahead of a Nov. 20 hearing.
Council approves $200K emergency food aid as SNAP lapse strains families
Jacksonville City Council has unanimously approved $200,000 in emergency funding for Feeding Northeast Florida as demand surges during the federal SNAP benefit freeze. The 17–0 vote came just before Congress passed a deal to end the 43-day shutdown; council members cited overwhelming turnout at recent food drives as proof of widespread need. The nonprofit says the money will help feed about 25,000 people over two weeks, while a separate $2 million relief bill now heads to committee.
SNAP freeze leaves UNF students hungry and skipping holidays
At the University of North Florida, students say the suspension of SNAP benefits that began Oct. 31 has pushed many into crisis, with some skipping meals, leaning on campus pantries and cancelling Thanksgiving plans. The lapse affects 2.9 million Floridians statewide and continues as a court order to restore full benefits winds its way through appeals. UNF’s Lend-a-Wing pantry offers limited relief, but students say more support is needed: “It’s not about taking advantage of the system. It’s about surviving.”
New state law stalls Eastside preservation, weakens demolition protections
A new Florida law, Senate Bill 180, is halting local efforts to protect Jacksonville’s historic Eastside neighborhood, the state’s largest African American historic district. In an op-ed, planner and attorney Adrienne Burke says the law has frozen key zoning updates and gutted a long-planned historic overlay, stripping tools to manage new development and harmful land uses. She’s calling for repeal of the most restrictive provisions, warning they threaten community-led preservation across Florida.
City signs off on 1,191 new homes across six Jacksonville subdivisions
More than 1,100 new single-family homes are coming to Jacksonville after recent approvals for six subdivisions on the Northside, Westside and in Ortega. The projects—Commonwealth Avenue, Broward Key, Avalon Landing, Cypress Meadows Phase II, EverRange Mariposa and Seaboard Avenue—will add 1,191 homes from builders including D.R. Horton, Meritage Homes and The PARC Group, with lot sizes ranging from gated communities to duplex-style units. They join over 4,100 single-family units approved since September, with nearly 1,700 more awaiting review.
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