• JEA’s Ron Whittington resigned Monday. The electric authority’s media coordinator for approximately two years, Whittington is said to be “pursuing other opportunities.”
• The City is preparing to issue a Request for Proposals to overhaul Main Street in Springfield from 4th to 12th Streets. The exact scope of the work, which will likely begin in early 2006, is still being determined. It should take about a year to complete.
• Speaking of streetscape improvements, renovations to the Park and King shopping district in Riverside are almost done. The only thing left to take care of is the conversion to underground utilities.
• The City Council offices got a bit more hi-tech Wednesday afternoon. Software that broadcasts the Council committee meetings in real-time was installed in each Council member’s and Council aide’s desktop computers.
• The Wall Street Journal’s Duval County circulation should take a tick upwards. UNF’s Coggin College of Business is now requiring its students to buy subscriptions. For a $15 course fee – the student subscription rate usually costs $30 – business students get daily editions and access to Barron’s online edition and the WSJ’s Employment edition.
• The St. Andrews trolley station bathrooms are a little cleaner these days. Workers from SMG painted the inside of both restrooms Wednesday and gave them a much-needed cleaning.
• The City will mark the second year of Rally Jacksonville — a citywide early literacy initiative — with a big event on Sept. 10 at five area branch libraries from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The mayor’s office is sponsoring the Pablo Branch library event.
• There may not be such a thing as a free lunch anymore these days but a free bus ride is right around the corner. For 24 hours on Friday Aug. 19 starting at midnight, Jacksonville Transit Authority is offering free rides on all regular buses as well as free travel on Skyway and JTA’s Connexion van service for all regular and new customers. According to JTA spokesperson Mike Miller, “Ride Free Day” will cost the transportation company $15,163, which is the average daily revenue from collected fares. Miller said “Ride Free Day” won’t hurt JTA’s bottom line, however, because $15,163 will be transferred from JTA’s marketing budget to make up for the day’s loss.