• Update to a story from last Wednesday. The goal of members of Builders Care and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department will be realized Christmas Eve when Sara Blue, mother of JFRD firefighter Kevin Blue, moves into her rebuilt home. Blue’s home was destroyed in an August fire while she was baby sitting grandchildren, and both organizations spent time rebuilding her home last week.
• The University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute has a new addition as Dr. Bradford S. Hoppe has joined its team. Hoppe is a radiation oncologist and assistant professor at UF and specializes in lymphoma, lung and prostate cancer. The facility is located at Shands Jacksonville.
• A Duval County jury awarded Eunice Barnum a $308,000 verdict late Thursday night stemming from a low impact crash that happened in a Merita Bread parking lot in North Jacksonville in 2002. Barnum, who had Uninsured Motorist’s coverage, was hit from behind by an uninsured driver and sustained a knee injury that required surgery and a future surgery. “Unfortunately, we had to present this case to the jury to protect our client from her own insurance company who would not pay for the coverage that she bought,” said Barnum’s attorney, Eric C. Ragatz, a partner at Peek, Cobb, Edwards & Ragatz.
• Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, the Alzheimer’s Association, ElderSource, the Mayo Clinic, Urban Jacksonville and the City of Jacksonville have partnered to present a “Caring for the Caregiver” workshop Jan. 31 at the Mary L. Singletary center. Sessions will cover preservation of assets, physical aspects of caregiving, choosing assisted living or long-term care for Alzheimer’s patients and challenging behaviors. Keynote speaker will be Carol O’Dell, author of “Mothering Mother,” a daughter’s memoir about caring for her aging parent. The workshop is free and open to the public. To register call 807-1225.