• Nice crack from City Council member Art Shad to Council President Daniel Davis. Shad sent Davis an e-mail link to a recent Ch. 4 story about a local parent accused of punching a Pop Warner coach. “Real good ... ya’ll Westside hooligans!” wrote Shad.
• Speaking of Davis, attorney Katie Dearing — who’s also vice-chair of the Jacksonville Ethics Commission — sent Davis a 4-plus page letter describing the importance of the Commission and the appointment of Carla Miller as the City’s ethics officer. Dearing is encouraging Davis to support the office and retain Miller. The Council Finance Committee this week voted to reject the funding for Miller’s position.
• Clarification: Last Tuesday’s story about the cuts being made at the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission contained the salaries of the affected employees. Those salaries reflected wages and benefits. The actual salaries are about 15 percent less than the numbers printed.
• The Duval County School System will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Chaffee Trail Elementary school Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. The school is on Sam Caruso Way.
• From temp to perm: Since July 1, Tiffany Clark has been working as a temporary City employee and serving as District 8 Council member Denise Lee’s Executive Council Assistant. The name plate on her office space has read “4320B” but that as well as her employment status is changing as of today. Clark has been appointed Lee’s permanent ECA and will get her personalized nameplate this week.
• The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association is holding its opening reception tomorrow night at Tastings on Prudential Drive from 5:30-7 p.m.
• Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has reduced its intake service due to budget cuts. The legal aid agency now takes new clients on Monday and Thursday from 8:30-11 a.m. and they are limiting the number of new applications to 110 a week.
• More changes at the Times-Union. Alison Trinidad is going to Jacksonville Magazine and Jayne Krichbaum is leaving the paper’s Homes section. Last week, we told you food writer Dan Macdonald is heading to the American Culinary Federation.
• The Florida Family Law Inns of Court is meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at The River Club. County Court Judge Gary Flower is the current president of the group. David Garfinkel of Rogers Towers will give a summer case law update.
• The full Council will meet Wednesday at 5 p.m. to discuss the fiscal year 2007-08 budget. Council plans to pass the budget at its Sept. 25 meeting, but has until Sept. 30.
“All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent and virtuous Judiciary.”
– Andrew Jackson