• Mayor-elect John Peyton announced the first member of his transition team Thursday afternoon. JEA CEO Walt Bussells (right) will help Peyton select his staff members. During the transition period, Bussells will maintain his position at JEA and work with Peyton on an unpaid basis.
• Speaking of Peyton’s transition team, a familiar face is also helping out. Susie Wiles, former chief of staff to Mayor John Delaney and a key operative in Mike Weinstein’s failed bid to be mayor, is the media contact.
• The latest issue of ESPN Magazine grades the NFL’s new head coaches on their off-season acquisitions and draft picks. How’d our Jack Del Rio fare? The mag gave him an “A” for his first effort.
• June 26 promises to be a big day. Plans are to incorporate the new arena dedication and implosion of the Coliseum into one event. City leaders are looking into using the upper concourse east stands of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Good views of everything.
• WJCT is airing a documentary on Jacksonville having the largest urban park system in the country. It’s going to run Sunday at 10 a.m. and again on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. It’ll air in June, too, but no dates yet.
• Debbie Delgado will serve as Art Shad’s council aide when he takes office this July. A long time friend of Shad, Delgado spent the last few months working full-time on the campaign that got him elected.
• Jacksonville’s public libraries will be closed on Tuesday for a staff training day.
• The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is hosting the Florida Bus and Maintenance Rodeo on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Myrtle Avenue headquarters. Bus operators and maintenance teams from 13 transit organizations will compete for a chance to represent the State at an international competition is Salt Lake City.
• The inventor of the Pina Colada lives and works here in Jacksonville. Ricardo Gracia, who works at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Beach Club, created the drink in 1954 in Puerto Rico.
• A tutoring program sponsored by the Salvation Army recently got a shot in the arm. According to development director Tania Yount, a $10,000 check from the Lucy Gooding Foundation arrived yesterday.
• Former Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady will be in town next week. O’Grady was the pilot shot down over Bosnia several years, and he wrote a book on which the film “Behind Enemy Lines” is loosely based. He’s touring the country these days doing speaking engagements and on May 25, he’s speaking at the 9 and 11 a.m. services at Celebration Church.
• Just three years ago, our David Duval was No. 1 in the international points standings for golfers. Today, he’s No. 201 after a battle with what’s believed to be vertigo.
• According to the latest numbers, the Better Jacksonville Plan is responsible for repaving 1,043 miles of streets and 54 miles of new sidewalks.
• This year’s annual Jacksonville Marine Institute fish fry is set for June 16 and it’s a big one. It’s their 30th anniversary.