• The Supervisor of Elections will begin mailing sample ballots Thursday for the Aug. 26 Primary Election. In addition to information about precinct number and polling location, the ballot will also include a section on voter’s rights and responsibilities and examples of acceptable forms of identification to take to the polling place. The sample ballot will also have a profile page with statements from each local candidate for voters to review before casting their ballot.
• Several Downtown streets will be temporarily closed Saturday afternoon for the 2008 Tour de Pain One Mile Sizzler sponsored by 1st Place Sports. The route includes Independent Drive and Water Street between Laura and Pearl streets, Pearl Street between Water and Bay streets, Bay Street between Pearl and Hogan streets and Hogan Street between Bay Street and the St. Johns River. Expect detours to be in place for about 30 minutes beginning at 2:45 p.m.
• Michael Cochran, vice president of Health Services at the Sulzbacher Center, recently completed the Johnson & Johnson/UCLA Health Care Executive Program. Cochran was one of 80 to complete the two-week course, which was conducted at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
• Dreams Come True recently celebrated dream number 2,300 when it helped Morgan Holbrook take a cross country trip to San Diego to attend Comic-Con International 2008, the largest annual comic book and popular arts convention in the world. Next year the organization celebrates its 25th anniversary of helping children with life-threatening illnesses fulfill their dreams. According to Executive Director Karen Mathis, with a goal of helping 200 children a year, the organization’s 25th anniversary could also mean helping its 2,500th child.
• The Florida Times-Union is planning a special section for this year’s Jacksonville Air Show at NAS Oct. 24-26. It’s called “The Wings of Freedom” and will be inserted into the paper’s three area military publications, The Mirror, Jax Air News and The Periscope.
• Even though the Bennigan’s and Steak & Ales restaurant chains filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy recently, according to published reports, franchisees weren’t included in the filing and could remain open. Bad news to area fans of the chains, though: The three Bennigan’s and two Steak & Ale restaurants in Jacksonville weren’t franchisees and have closed their doors.
• The Thursday afterwork parties as part of the Make a Scene Downtown! campaign have been on a parking garage, in Hemming Plaza and pool side but now they are hitting the streets. Every Thursday in August, the party is being hosted by a variety of establishments from Bay to Adams streets with drink specials and live entertainment. Burrito Gallery, Dive Bar, Mark’s, The Florida Theatre bar, London Bridge, The Tobacco Shop and Jessie B. Smith Memorial Plaza are all hosts to the festivities that feature no cover charge and free parking. Go to www.makeascenedowntown.com for more information.
• This year’s MaliVai Washington Golf & Tennis Gala is set for Sept. 8 and 9. They’ll play tennis at Deerwood Country Club the first day and golf the next day at Marsh Landing. The two-day event, which includes other fundraisers, generated more than $160,000 last year and organizers are looking to top that this year.
• The “tentative” plans for the Downtown Council’s annual paw prints painting this Saturday along Bay Street are now definite, according to Redline Services’ Jepp Walter, who organizes the annual event. But it might be its last year. Walter said Bay Street’s change to two-way traffic all-the-way has prompted City officials to potentially halt the tradition next year, as it would might cause confusion among fans that think it’s the only way to the stadium.