The North Florida Women’s Chorale will celebrate Florida’s Spanish heritage in an hour-long concert titled “Canciones” at 7 p.m. today in the Cathedral Basilica.

The 30-voice choir performing under the direction of Kerry Fradley with Samuel Clein accompanying, will offer songs with Spanish and Latin American flavor such as Ritmo by Davison, A La Nanita Nana, and Plena by Saez; and songs that celebrate other much-loved aspects of Florida, such as Summertime (Bernstein) and Sudden Light (Schultz).

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The First Coast Tea Party will hold a Tax Day event at the Jacksonville Landing on Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. featuring a speech by Bronze Star recipient Capt. Joel Arends with the Army Reserve. Admission is free, and the event will include live patriotic music and a tribute to members of the military. There will also be face painting and balloons for children.

The Ponte Vedra boys tennis team returned to the Class 2A state championships with a 5-0 win over Nease in the regional finals.

The Sharks have now won 36 straight matches and are 20-0 this season.

Casey Austgen avenged a district tournament loss to Connor Garyotis at No. 1 singles, holding on for a 5-7, 6-4, 10-7 win.

Connor Davis (6-1, 4-6, 6-2), Hank Hill (6-4, 6-4), Raines Green (6-2, 6-3) and Drew Byers (6-2, 6-0) rounded out the victory.

Girls tennis

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CJ Katz, Marissa Berk, Kali Lee, and Kiera Pheffer, from St. Augustine Ballet, recently performed excerpts from “Spring Variations” at the River House on Marine Street. Tommy Bledsoe, one of the senior members of the ballet, warmed up the crowd with a rousing re-telling of the “Peter and the Wolf.”

After the performances, the dancers, Bledsoe and St. Augustine Ballet’s Artistic Director, Luis Abella participated in a question and answer period with River House audience members.

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A burning RV closed down northbound lanes of Interstate 95 for a short while this morning.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue (SJCFR) responded to a reported recreational vehicle fire at the 316 mile marker of Interstate 95 at approximately 7 a.m. today. Upon arrival, crews found a full size RV fully involved in flames. 

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A St. Augustine woman said she saw a naked man running through a park in her neighborhood Wednesday.

And she has a photo to prove it.

Rena Schmelz said her son came up to her Wednesday around 12:30 and told her “I just saw a naked guy at the park.”

Schmelz and her son drove to the park at the end of the Coronado neighborhood off Wildwood Drive, she said. When they pulled up next to the park, they saw a naked man sitting on a swing set.

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A man accused of causing a drunken driving accident that killed two people is set for jury trial after rejecting a plea agreement Thursday that would have put him in prison for 12 years, not up to 35 years if he is found guilty at trial.

Carlos Antonio Bueso, 28, said no to a deal with the state that would have him serve 12 years in prison and perform three years of drug offender probation afterward in exchange for his guilty pleas.

Bueso, who is facing three felony charges, declined before Circuit Judge Wendy Berger, who asked him if he was sure.

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Officials believe a string of brush fires within a 24-hour period near County Road 210 and Greenbriar Road were the result of arson, said Florida Forest Service Senior Forester Greg Dunn.

One brush fire started Thursday morning in the 100 block of Greenbriar Estates Drive and spread across more than five acres, reaching the fenceline of an area where horses were being kept, he said. Officials believe there were several other arsons in the area within a 24-hour period.

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SANFORD — Prosecutors face steep hurdles to win a second-degree murder conviction against neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, experts say.

Zimmerman was charged after a public campaign to make an arrest in the shooting that galvanized the nation for weeks. Now the prosecutor and her team will have to prove Zimmerman intentionally went after Martin instead of shooting him in self-defense, to refute arguments that a Florida law empowered him to use deadly force.

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TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Association of Counties said Thursday it will file a lawsuit challenging the state’s decision to try to tap counties for tens of millions of dollars in disputed Medicaid money.

Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that calls for the state to recoup the money two weeks ago, and counties have been fighting the measure in the Legislature.

Legislative leaders contend that counties have failed to pay money that is owed to the state. But counties argue the state’s billing system has major flaws, which has led to payment disputes.

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Parrish Jones bought a super sharp Suzuki V-Strom 650 DL 2011 and is ready to become the “motorcycle missionary.”

Jones, 64, a St. Augustine native and retired Presbyterian minister is taking off for the Mexican border to continue, and perhaps put some closure on, 20 years of missionary work in the Mexican border area. His trip begins April 20 with a return date of June 20.

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The St. Johns County Horse Council will present an open horse show Saturday at the Equestrian Center, Smith Road, Hastings. Gates open at 6:30 a.m., and opening ceremonies are at 8:45 a.m.

Ballet training

Living Stones Inc., announces that summer session registration is now open. Available are three to five days of classical ballet training in three summer sessions.

Living Stones is a classical, Christian school of the arts dedicated to training young artists to glorify the Lord with their talents.

Session A is from June 11 to 22; B - July 9 to 27; and C Aug. 6 to 17.

For information as to hours and fees call 827-7653 or visit info@livingstonesart.org.

St. Paul AME

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What started as a little engine smoke became a roaring fire that destroyed a recreational vehicle on Interstate 95 on Thursday morning, forcing the northbound lanes to be closed for an hour, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Bernard Cino, 55, of Linwood, N.J., was driving northbound along I-95 around 7 a.m. when he noticed smoke coming from the engine of his Cruise Master RV and pulled to the side of the road near mile marker 316, according to the report.

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Still a few waves pushing in on this Easter Sunday! Knee to waist high surf with a light SE wind.Looks like a few bigger sets on the north side. Kind of mushy with the lower tide. Check back for the a.m report. Happy Easter! Share on Facebook

Flat again out there this morning. Probably won’t see any improvement today but check back later for the afternoon report. Share on Facebook

Waves are back to flat. Not much of anything going on out there except people sleeping. Check back for the afternoon report. Share on Facebook

Small leftovers coming in this morning at the Pier. It’s clean with offshore winds but it is only in the knee to thigh high range with a rare waist high set possible. We are on our way to high tide so check back for the afternoon update to see if it’s improved. Share on Facebook

Still flat and now it’s bumpy too. But hopefully with the wind picking up today we could see some wind slop start. Check back for the afternoon update to see if conditions have improved. Share on Facebook

Yep you guessed it. It’s flat. Share on Facebook

Pretty small and unridable at the pier this afternoon. Shin high at best. Not looking like much should change either. Share on Facebook

The wind has come onshore and the waves have died off. It’s now knee high at best and kinda choppy. The good news is most of the smoke has blown away, bad news is the surf pretty much sucks. Check back for the AM update. Share on Facebook

Waves have come up. It’s now in the waist to stomach high range. It’s definitely sloppy and choppy but at least it’s not flat. Super drifty but overall their is waves so go get some. Share on Facebook

Rasmussen College has partnered with New Horizons Computer Learning Centers – North Florida. The partnership will allow New Horizons graduates to transfer earned credits into associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs at Rasmussen, according to a press release. Rasmussen College has Florida campuses in Ocala, Fort Myers, Land O’Lakes, Tampa/Brandon and New Port Richey. New Horizons North Florida, which features IT training, has locations in Gainesville, Tallahassee and Pensacola. To learn more, visit www.Rasmussen.edu/NH.