• Next two speakers at the big Chamber Cornerstone luncheons: Mayor John Peyton on Aug. 22, Fidelity CEO Bill Foley in November.
• Speaking of the Chamber, its Leadership Trip in October has drawn unusual interest. Last year at this time, about 50 were registered and that’s about normal. There were 87 at the close of business Tuesday and there are at least two dozen more reservations coming for sure — for instance, the mayor and his staff haven’t sent in their forms. The trip is to Dallas on Oct. 22-24.
• The Riverside YMCA has opened its renovated men’s locker room. New carpet, tile and paint, plus a frosted window between the lunch counter and the door leading into the locker room.
• The local builders’ association got good news recently: its Sales and Marketing Council was voted the state’s best.
• The big Episcopal convention flap over election of a gay bishop drew a unanimous vote among the local delegation: they all opposed him.
• The Florida Bar’s latest list of disciplined attorneys is out and no one from this area is on it. Just South Florida and Tampa area people.
• Audrey Moran, attorney and chief of staff for former mayor John Delaney, will chair a Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. study on Town and Gown: Building Successful University-Community Collaborations. William C. “Bill” Mason, acting director of the Health Administration Program at the University of North Florida, will chair a second study, Public Education Reform: Addressing Change.
• Mayor John Peyton’s Neighborhoods and Administration and Finance subcommittees will wrap this week and others are scheduled to finish in the next two weeks. Although the subcommittees were originally charged with recommending personnel and structural changes to City departments, the time crunch has forced many of the subcommittees to focus on hiring suggestions.
• Community activist and Neighborhoods Subcommittee member Diane Kerr said Tuesday she would join Neighborhoods director John Curtin in calling for an audit of the City’s $250,000 SpayJax program. Curtin said last week that a majority of the funds were going to one Clay County clinic.
• During its last meeting Thursday, the Neighborhoods Subcommittee will recommend: Roslyn Phillips to replace John Curtin as department director; incumbent John Shellhorn and Joan Hicken for chief of Clean-It-Up-Green-It-Up; and Mike Maloney for property safety chief.
• Joanelle Mulrain, aide to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, is hosting the documentary “An Untold Triumph” Aug. 14 at the Florida Theater. The film documents Filipino-Americans participation in World War II.
• New art exhibition at Gallery L in Independent Square features the work of young minority artists. The show runs through Aug. 20.
• Participants at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism gave the Adam’s Mark Hotel rave reviews for hosting the event, and many said they would like the conference to return to Jacksonville in the future.
• A St. Augustine couple was inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame for 2003 during the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Frank and Betty Usina were honored for continuing to promote the state and their region, as a tourist destination. The Usinas have long promoted the importance of nature-based tourism in Florida.
• The Dreams Come True Young Professionals hosted a party Tuesday night for Michael Hodges, 8, who is suffering from a severe blood disorder. The organization is sending the youngster to the Miami Dolphins game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday, where he’ll get to meet his favorite player, running back Ricky Williams.