• More evidence of budget cuts. The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s Sports & Entertainment office used to announce the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame inductees at a nice luncheon for the media, usually at the Arena. This year’s inductees were announced via press release. For more, see page 5.
• Cathedral Towers is celebrating 40 years of providing housing for seniors this year and the official big bash is set for Aug. 9 at the North Newnan Street residence.
• Neighborhoods USA has asked the City to consider hosting the organization’s 35th anniversary conference in 2010. According to Neighborhoods USA President Judy Martinson, the group will bring 800-1,000 to town. This year’s conference is in Baton Rouge and recent hosts include Phoenix, Pasadena, Calif., Birmingham and others. If the City wants, its bid has to be in Sept. 20.
• The latest installation of the City’s “Art in Public Places” program is going up this week at the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum. Colorado-based artist Susan Cooper has created “LaVilla Braid,” her visual interpretation of the area’s history and culture. It includes eight wall-mounted sculptures and another made from LED light tubes that will wrap around the southwest corner of the building. Jacksonville’s Art in Public Places program is administered by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and uses designated funds from construction and renovation projects to purchase works of public art to display in the community.
• Mayfair Baptist Church Pastor Ted Corley has requested to use City Council Chambers for next year’s National Day of Prayer. It’s May 1 and he’s looking to secure the Chambers from noon-1 p.m. Corley has hosted the local facet of the event since 1999.
• Peter Racine, the executive director of the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, recently donated 624 books to the Florida Department of Corrections, which will disperse the books to correctional facilities across the state for children to read while visiting incarcerated parents. According to FDC Secretary James McDonough, nearly 2 million children nationwide have a parent in prison.
• JTA’s 2007 Networking Event is set for Aug. 16 from 5:30-8 p.m. at River City Brewing Company. Contractors and subcontractors will be able to hear about JTA’s goals, programs and objectives for 2007-08. If interested, call Sherry Trotter at 630-3157 by Aug. 13.
• This year’s MaliVai Washington Foundation Annual Celebrity Gala is set for Sept. 10-11. This is the 11th year for the event, which generated $150,000 last year. The pro-am tennis event is Sept. 10 at Deerwood Country Club followed by the dinner and auction at Sawgrass Marriott that night. A pro-am golf tournament is the next day at Marsh Landing Country Club.
“Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”
– George F. Will