• Congratulations to attorney Mark Green of Coker, Myers, Schickel, Sorenson & Green, P.A. He received the Hernandez Professional Award from the Florida Family Law Inn of Court. The award recognizes attorneys who set an example for others by their professional conduct.
• John Landis’ documentary “Slasher” had the Friday night crowd at the Ritz Theater howling at the antics of a burned-out used car salesman, but the director’s jokes about President Bush didn’t go over as well. The theater turned silent when Landis explained he originally conceived the movie as commentary about Bush’s sales job on the Iraq war.
• Former U.S. Rep. Tillie Fowler hit up Mayor John Peyton for a donation to Mel Martinez’ run for retiring Bob Graham’s vacant senate seat. Fowler called Martinez, a Cuban immigrant who became a member of George W. Bush’s cabinet, “the Republican best positioned to win the Florida Senate seat this year.” Fowler asked Peyton for a donation ranging from $250 to $4,000. Peyton would need to give $500 to get in to today’s breakfast at Alltel Stadium.
• Suns fans shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t take home a foul ball. Staffers say every ball they give away comes out of their paycheck.
• Brennan, Manna & Diamond law firm welcomes a new attorney next week. Larry Wang starts Monday.
• City Council aide Celeste Hicks had a celebrity encounter during the Jacksonville Film Festival. Hicks, who works for Council president Lad Daniels, ran into Bill Murray as he was entering the Florida Theater to accept his lifetime achievement award. “But I think I might have scared him a little because he seemed to be in a hurry to get away,” she said.
• The Federal Bar Association is hosting a Middle District of Florida electronic filing seminar Monday at the U.S. Courthouse at Jacksonville. Carolyn Weber, program manager for the case management/electronic case filing project, will conduct the seminar. There will be two sessions, 11 a.m.-noon and 1-2:30 p.m. Each session is identical and 1.5 hours of CLE credit is available for attending. Reservations must be made by Friday to Adria Riley at 353-2000.
• The Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting the First Coast Commuter Transportation Summit Wednesday at the Omni. It’s free and the public is invited to share their thoughts on local transportation issues. It runs from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.