• The Military Law Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association has organized a calling card drive to benefit troops and is asking local Bar members and other businesses for help. It’s the first year the organization has done the drive, said Stella Lane of Marks Gray, and there is no target goal. “We’re just trying to get as many as possible,” she said. The cards will benefit troops of the Kosovo Forces Headquarters and 146th Signal Battalion. The drive runs until June 9. For more information, call Stella Lane at 807-2196.
• Speaking of the Bar, the Young Lawyers Section raised $20,000 during this year’s “Tee It Up” golf outing. Held at the Lagoon Course at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club last month, the proceeds went to the Special Olympics. The two winners teams were from Holland & Knight (low gross) Troy Smith, Kevin Flanigan, John Eller and John Tyrrell and the Bedell Firm (low net) John DeVault, Brian Coughlin, Kevin Cook and Patrick Coll. The YLS “Tee It Up” tournament was also recognized as the 2007 Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Outstanding Public Service Project.
• Attorney David D’Agata has joined the Office of General Counsel and works in the General Litigation Department.
• With the 50 cent fee in place for almost two weeks now, ridership for the Riverside Trolley is down, said Jacksonville Transit Authority’s Director of External Affairs Mike Miller. “We expected the drop, but ridership is still much, much better than we projected.” Following the opening two-week free rides that averaged 637 riders a day, the first week of paid ridership dipped to an average of 407 riders a day. Miller attributes that to the fees and the holiday weekend, but said initial JTA projections were only 120 riders a day.
• Correction to a story last week. Katrina Fisher, executive assistant to City Council Director Cheryl Brown, has been with the City for 28 years.
• The City’s Planning Commission met Thursday and the meeting Chair Wayne Johnson was none too pleased to leave City Hall and find a boot on his car. Apparently Johnson had five outstanding parking tickets (two unpaid and three delinquent) worth $240.
• Don’t forget, Wednesday’s Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association meeting is the group’s annual judicial reception. It’s at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt.
• No, gas prices haven’t been cut in half. There are still a few pumps in the area which max out at $3.99 9/10 so the stations are selling by the half gallon.
• A national survey puts us No. 80 nationally of the nation’s 100 largest cities in carbon emissions per capita. But a lot of that comes from being a port city and we’d be 42nd if only residential emissions were counted. The nation’s best: Honolulu. Worst: Lexington, Ky.
• Local football hero Tim Tebow is on the road this summer, preaching at churches and telling the story of his family’s mission work in the Philippines. A stop at Starke’s First Baptist Church last week drew 2,000 people.
• The First Tee of Jacksonville will break ground for its new learning center at Brentwood Golf Course Thursday. The ceremony is at noon and will be preceded by the “Old Gang Reunion” Golf Tournament, which is free to anyone who played Brentwood from the 1970s and earlier.
• New stores at the St. Johns Town Center: Lacoste, Bakers, True Religion and Yogaberry.