• The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) has set a new record for air travel volume. During fiscal year 2006-07, 6,307,251 passengers went through the terminals at Jacksonville International Airport, topping the 6 million mark for the first time. The JAA also reported unaudited operating income of $28 million on revenues of $65.1 million. Net income after depreciation and amortization was $3 million vs. a net loss of $770,000. It is the first time JAA has reported a profit after depreciation and amortization since the Authority became independent from the Jacksonville Port Authority in 2001.
• The third annual Riverside Wine Festival and Five Points Fall Fest along Park Street is set for Nov. 19. Visitors can taste more than 400 wines from around the world for $20 and enjoy live entertainment. Free one-way transportation will be provided from 8-11 p.m. For more information, call Riverside Liquors & Village Wine Shop at 356-4517.
• Learn to Read! (LTR) is looking for tutors. LTR will host tutor training sessions to prepare volunteers to tutor in the Jacksonville Reads Adult Literacy program. Both Class I and Class II need to be taken and will be held from 5:30-9 p.m. Nov. 8 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 10 at LTR’s building, 2747 Art Museum Dr. Suite 100. Registration is $20 for LTR tutors and $50 if not tutoring an LTR student. For more information call LTR’s office at 399-8894.
• St. Vincent’s HealthCare has agreed to manage the Charlton Memorial Hospital in Folkston, Ga., about 48 miles away from St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Riverside. Charlton Memorial is a 25-bed critical access hospital that serves a rural area. St. Vincent’s CEO Scott Whalen said Southeast Georgia is an important market for the company, and the agreement will ensure residents of Charlton continue to receive needed services.
• The engineering firm of PBS&J will make a $12,000 donation today to the University of North Florida, bringing the total PBS&J has donated over the past two years to $25,000 for scholarships for engineering students at UNF. The firm’s COO Todd Kenner and Associate Vice President Michael Holcolmb will present the check to Dr. Neal Coulter, dean of UNF’s College of Computing, Engineering and Construction, Dr. Stephen Nix, director of the UNF School of Engineering, and Dr. Pierre Allaire, vice president for institutional advancement.
• Community Connections of Jacksonville, Inc. has named James Linn Jr. and Brian Amell to its board of directors. Linn is a sales professional at ERA Davis & Linn while Amell is vice president/senior relationship manager for Wachovia’s Business Banking Division.
• Mattie Fraser has resigned as a member of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women. Fraser, who is also board chair of PACE Center for Girls, cited the need to focus on other commitments in her resignation letter to Mayor John Peyton.
“Marathon swimming is the most difficult physical, intellectual and emotional battleground I have encountered, and each time I win, each time I touch the other shore, I feel worthy of any other challenge life has to offer.”
– Diana Nyad, long–distance swimmer.