• The Gator Bowl Association is teaming up with Wolfson Children’s Hospital for the 2nd annual Little Red Wagon Pull. The event is Dec. 31 at 1:30 along Water Street outside the Landing. All proceeds raised go to Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
• Baldwin Chief of Police Guy Turcotte doesn’t think much of Baldwin Mayor Marvin Godbold’s proposal to turn over the town’s law enforcement to the City of Jacksonville on a contract basis. Turcotte told Mayor John Peyton in a Sept. 13 meeting and in a subsequent letter that the proposal is a political move against the Baldwin Police Department. Turcotte also said that the cost of providing law enforcement for Baldwin would exceed the $583,972 estimated by Godbold.
• This year’s recipient of the Thompson S. Baker Award for Junior Achievement is Delores Kesler, founder of AccuStaff which is now Modis. Kesler joins past winners that include Preston Haskell, former U.S. Rep. Tiller Fowler and former Duval County School Superintendent John Fryer.
• The folks from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida and the staff at St. John & Partners advertising and public relations are combining to help about 150 kids that are on the waiting list for a big brother or sister by taking them Saturday to Dave & Buster’s for an afternoon of fun. Last year, the staff at St. John took the kids to the Imax theater at World Golf Village.
• It seems there’s more to talk about around City Hall than the budget. Council member Art Graham showed up to his first committee meeting Monday sporting a beard and, before the end of the day, it had already become a hot topic of discussion throughout the building. “I had no idea,” Graham later said of his facial hair. “I’m going to shave it anyway because it just feels too weird.”
• A familiar face has resurfaced. Amanda Holt, formerly of the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee, is currently doing some research work at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce though she’s expected to take a communications post there later this year.
• The mayor’s office’s big literacy summit is Jan. 24 at the new Main Library from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The day-long summit is part of Mayor John Peyton’s early literacy initiative.
• Speaking of Peyton, the Mrs. Peyton is due with their first child — a boy — in about two weeks.
• The Sulzbacher Center is having its annual Transformations event at the Florida Theater Thursday night. For more, see page 3.