The team from RS&H won the 11th Annual Scrabble Soiree, Letters for Literacy competition held recently at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. The team consisted of Jennifer Mathews, Mike Montoya, Kimberly Patrie, Brie Widman, Irena Kushner and Julie Valleau and scored 5,457 points, the highest score in the 11-year history of the event. Overall, the competition featured a record 16 teams who raised over $27,000 for Learn to Read, which promotes adult and family literacy.
• Fourth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Bernard Nachman will retire from the bench Dec. 18, but he will still be active in the legal community after he steps down. Nachman recently became certified in mediation.
• The City’s Second Harvest Foodbank campaign is now underway. Council President Ronnie Fussell announced the drive Tuesday during the Council meeting and monetary collection bins have been placed in City offices while nonperishable food bins are scattered around City Hall.
• There won’t be any 2009 calendars distributed by the Supervisor of Elections Office. With only one election next year (in Atlantic Beach in October) Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said it makes sense to save the money usually appropriated for the calendars, which will again be available for 2010.
• Larry the Cable Guy is offering his own economic stimulus plan during his “Eat, drink and be Larry” tour. Tickets to his April 16 show at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena are two-for-one ($44 for a pair) from Dec. 12-24 as part of the tour’s “Economic Recovery Package.”