Good morning. It's Wednesday February 20th, 2013.

The Big Three things you need to know:

1.) Saving or spending the money? Mayor Brown wants to invest $11 million from refinanced bonds back into the city, but he's facing some push back. City auditors want him to hold off on spending the money until after we see how funding shapes up for the rest of the fiscal year. You can read the report here.  It says shortfalls are projected in JSO and property tax revenues combined with the money the mayor wants to pump into economic development, the auditor worries the general fund will dry up. Council President Bill Bishop says the $9 million that would go towards downtown won't solve all the area's problems.  Hear Matt Augustine explain why one local business owner says the Mayor has a winning argument.

2.) Sequester planning. No one seems to be close on a deal how to restructure the looming automatic budget cuts set to kick in next Friday. The Pentagon is ready to furlough hundreds of thousands of civilian defense workers.  Hear Jamie Dupree explain how the Pentagon plans to pull off the furlough.

President Obama calls the cuts brutal and unacceptable. Remember he signed the bill that puts these cuts into effect. House Speaker John Boehner says the cuts need to be more targeted. Remember he voted for the sequester.

Public hand-wringing that budget cuts would weaken gun background checks. We hear the FBI and Justice Department warning the "sequester" would be detrimental to the effort to curb gun violence and could put more Americans in danger.
Attorney General Eric Holder says $60 million would be cut from the ATF, reducing inspections and processing. And the FBI says it would be forced to furlough or freeze the hiring of more than 2,200 employees.

3.) VP Biden says a shotgun will scare off intruders. We heard the Vice President give a recommendation for protecting your home. Biden was asked whether the proposed assault weapons ban would make law-abiding citizens easier targets for criminals. He recommends getting a double barrel shotgun and firing into the air. Biden adding you don't need thirty rounds to protect yourself.

We've been following Senator Marco Rubio's trip to the Middle East this week.  At 7:23 Fox's Emily Wither reports the Iran nuclear crisis is going to be a major agenda item in Rubio's meetings today.  At 8:23 Jamie Dupree reports why President Obama called Senator Rubio during his overseas trip. 

We've learned the man killed by police in an Arlington shooting yesterday was the son of a Corrections officer. Chief Tom Hackney tells WOKV there was little reason for 23-year-old John Parker to flee the scene of the early morning traffic stop. But when police tackled him a block away Parker pulled a gun and fired. Police were less than 5 feet away but were not hit. Parker was shot dead. He had a lengthy criminal record including theft, battery, and drug related charges. He was also a known member of the 103rd Sreet gang.

The smell of smoke hangs in the air on the city's southside. Firefighters are still on scene of a brush fire near St. Johns Bluff and north of Beach Blvd, putting out hot spots. It sent a thick cloud of smoke into the air throughout the day yesterday. Jacksonville Fire/Rescue Chief Mary Senterfitt says our weather conditions could fuel any small fire. The fire is not threatening any structures and is not causing a traffic delay this morning.

RedFlex, the company in charge of installing red light cameras here and other cities, is being investigated for political corruption in Illinois. The Chicago Tribute reports that RedFlex gave gifts to a now-retired Chicago city councilman who oversaw operations. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will not allow the company to bid again to operate their cameras. RedFlex says it's investigating itself.

South African police say they found two boxes of testosterone and needles in the bedroom of Oscar Pistorius, but his defense lawyer says it was an herbal remedy and not a banned substance. A detective made the revelation in a bail hearing Wednesday after Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp. The detective said police made the discovery but offered no further details.