• Interesting numbers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office regarding inmate population. As of Thursday, there are 2,680 inmates at the detention center. Of that number, 1,598 are in for what are considered “non-violent” offenses. Those include burglary, petty theft, grand theft, criminal mischief, auto burglary, failure to pay child support, issuing bad checks and other similar crimes.
• One day before training camp begins and just over two weeks into the season ticket campaign, Jaguars officials have already made a sizable dent in sales. According to marketing chief Tim Connolly, there are “about 2,200–2,400 general bowl tickets remaining,” down from the 4,000 tickets available when the campaign started July 8. The “Jaguars Half Pack” ticket promotion, which includes five games instead of 10, has been a big hit since it started earlier this week, he said.
• Next week’s a fifth week for City Council. No meetings until Aug. 4 when the Finance and Rules committees meet.
• Speaking of Council, Finance chair Michael Corrigan has appointed a subcommittee to study City government performance and to review audits and reports about operations and finance. The subcommittee members are Council members Jack Webb (chair), Stephen Joost and Clay Yarborough. They will receive and review reports produced by the City Council Auditor’s Office, the City Inspector General, the Taxation, Revenue and Utilization of Expenditures (TRUE) Commission and independent auditors.
• 26.2 with Donna, the National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer, will hold its first training session for next year’s event Saturday at 7 a.m. at the Riverside YMCA. Experienced runners and novices are invited. The 2009 edition is Feb. 15 and will begin near the Mayo Clinic campus. This year, more than 7,000 runners participated in the race and raised more than $800,000 for breast cancer research.
• Speaking of marathons, the 75th Annual Meninak Ocean Marathon Swim will take place Saturday to recognize the service rendered by the Red Cross Volunteer Lifesaving Corps at Jacksonville Beach. Participants will hit the water at 10 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and will cross the finish line at the Lifeguard Station at the end of Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach.
• Tuesday the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Center is offering a free one-hour seminar for aspiring and current entrepreneurs. Called the “Small Business Orientation” the topics covered in the session will range from credit counseling to business workshops to expanding or starting a business. The session is from 5-6 p.m. at the Chamber’s Small Business Center on Norwood Avenue. Register for the event at the Chamber Web site, myjaxchamber.com.
• Wolfson Children’s Hospital has launched a new public Web site at www.wolfsonchildrens.org. The new address offers information about the hospital’s medical and surgical staffs, programs and services. A “Ways to Give” section is also available to provide links to philanthropic and volunteer opportunities. The previous Web site address, www.wchjax.com automatically redirects to the new site.
• Still no Shugar: The Shugar Shack Chocolatier in The Carling still remains closed for business. The business was put on hiatus in April due to a family emergency. Also of note, the chocolatier’s Web site, www.shugarshack.com, is no longer available.