• Jacksonville U. has selected Dr. Rody Borg, a professor of economics, as its Professor of the Year.
• New face at the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. Marguerite E. Balke will join the staff as a compliance coordinator, monitoring project compliance and accountability. She previously worked for Flagler Development Company and Regency Centers.
• One upgrade when the Hilton becomes a Crowne Plaza will be the mattresses — the old ones don’t meet the new standards. So five local charities got lucky; they shared 226 almost-new Hilton mattresses.
• This year’s ACC Baseball Tournament should be a busy time for Downtown. In addition to the tournament and surrounding events, which will run May 24-28, Downtown will host Memorial Day festivities at Metropolitan Park and the Good Guys Car Show at Alltel Stadium. City planners might designate a special trolley to cart people back and forth between Downtown and the baseball games.
• “Presumed Innocent” made for a good book title, but defense attorney David Barksdale said the term has little to do with criminal justice. “The presumption of innocence as it relates to criminal defense is a myth,” he told the Judge Nimmons CLE seminar. “The jury comes in thinking that your client is guilty, and in many cases they may be correct.”
• Big battle may be looming in Riverside over the conversion of College and Posts streets from one-way to two-way. One group approves of the plan while there’s a small minority that doesn’t, citing the fact the roads are State controlled and not the City’s to change.
• U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez will be getting a nice shipment of crab meat from Virginia State Rep. George Allen (the longtime Washington Redskins coach’s son) courtesy of the Gators ... win over George Mason Saturday night. Had the Patriots won, Martinez would send Allen a bunch of Florida oranges.
• It’ll be a little easier to reserve a City picnic shelter or space in a park this summer. Register online at the City’s parks Web site — www.jaxparks.com. You’ll need a credit card, though.
• Speaking of the City’s parks, the local RV Club is not happy with the recent rate hikes or conditions at Hanna Park for camp sites. The club held a four-day rally at the park last weekend and say they dealt with missing dumpsters and dirty shelters. Lou Lawson, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant and member of the club, said they will not return to Hanna Park for their rallies.
• Jacksonville Community Council Inc. will receive this year’s Tillie Kidd Fowler Spirit of Service Award. The award comes through Volunteer Jacksonville and recognizes JCCI for its ability to use volunteers and make a difference in the community.
• City officials including Mayor John Peyton, Parks Director John Culbreth, City Council member Art Graham and a representative from JSO will hold a joint press conference Thursday at 2 p.m. to announce future park safety initiatives. No site yet.