• Real estate developer and former LandMar boss Ed Burr has been appointed to the JTA board by Gov. Charlie Crist. Burr replaces Donna Harper who served for eight years and once chaired the advisory board.
• Crist has also recognized Blue Cross Blue Shield employee Judy Ellis as a “Point of Light” for outstanding volunteerism. She has been a United Way Captain for eight years and has coordinated the collection of more than 6,000 Easter baskets for abused and neglected children in the past four years. Ellis volunteers at Community Connection, Child Guidance Center and DLC Nurse & Learn. When she’s not serving the community, Ellis works in the BCBS Service Organization Department that takes policyholder’s phone calls and processes claims.
• The Chamber will interview political candidates June 11 and 18 and is opening the sessions to all members. They’ll meet at the Chamber office downtown and more info is available from Jessica Deal at 366-6668. The Chamber has a subsidiary called Jaxbiz that can endorse candidates.
• Florida Gators football coach Urban Meyer showed up at Monday’s Jaguars practice with several of his coaches. “There are six former Gators out there and I wanted to see them,” said Meyer. “It’s also a chance to feel the intensity that you get in the pros. You can tell how much they want to succeed. We won the national championship two years ago and didn’t do it last year, and it could have been that we lost that level of desire. You learn by watching.” Meyer stayed several hours in the hot sun.
• Daily Record reporter Caroline Gabsewics is moving on. She joined the City’s public relations department Monday
• The Beaches Senior Center on 19th Avenue South in Jacksonville Beach has a new name. Jacksonville Beach Mayor Fland Sharp and Dist. 13 City Council member Art Graham hosted a ceremony Tuesday at the facility to officially rename it the “Bennie Houser Furlong Senior Center.” Furlong is a Jacksonville native and resident of the beaches for more than 50 years. She has been honored at the local and state level numerous times for her contributions in the areas of education, community service, preservation, women’s leadership, senior leadership and race relations.
• The renovations to Sundrez at the Landing are done and the shop was open for business Monday. The bookstore, which was moved to make way for Sundrez, will expand and use the humidor space in the old Sundrez location as a reading room.
• Naval Hospital Jacksonville will break ground on its new Surgical Suite addition Monday at 9 a.m.
• This month’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting has been moved to June 12 at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers.
• Thursday at 1440 Kingsley Ave. in Orange Park, Synovus Bank will cut the ribbon to open its third branch since the institution launched in Jacksonville four years ago. Synovus has also announced the opening of a Northside branch at River City Marketplace later this summer.
• Speaking of ribbon-cuttings, Microtel Inn & Suites will mark the grand opening of its new hotel near the airport June 12.
• The Jacksonville Landing’s Summer Celebration Concert Series should have a rockin’ 70s feel to it, when Orleans, Kansas and former Styx singer, Dennis DeYoung, perform within the next few months. Orleans will be playing June 21, Kansas July 18 and DeYoung August 23, all beginning at 8 p.m. with free admission and no age restrictions.
• Gary Becka has joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida (BGCNF) as director of operations for the 12 club locations in the region. Becka recently retired from the PGA Tour after a 21-year tenure where he served as special assistant to Commissioner Deane Beman and vice president of competitions and administration for the Champions Tour.
• Another new hire at BGCNF: Darby Stubberfield has been named director of development and will be responsible for the organization’s fundraising initiatives. She previously served as director of development and operations for the Cathedral Foundation and is a past president and current board member of the Florida First Coast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
• According to Florida Trend Magazine, CSX Corp. is the eighth-biggest public company in the state. In 2007, CSX reported revenues of $10.03 billion with income of $1.34 billion. Tops in the state is Tech Data Corp.of Clearwater which reported revenues of $23.4 billion.
• “No more teachers, no more books...,” may be the mind set of students preparing for summer break, but the Jacksonville Public Library system hopes they will crack a book for fun this summer. The Library’s summer reading program started June 1 and programs are available for kids 6-12 years old and teens 13-18.
• The achievements of Ben Franklin will be on display at the Jacksonville Public Library’s Main Branch beginning Wednesday. Scheduled to coincide with the Art Walk, the family-oriented exhibit will give patrons a glimpse of Franklin’s many accomplishments, including the creation of the first fire department.
“Airplanes are invariably scheduled to depart at such times as 7:54, 9:21 or 11:37. This extreme specificity has the effect on the novice of instilling in him the twin beliefs that he will be arriving at 10:08, 1:43 or 4:22, and that he should get to the airport on time. These beliefs are not only erroneous but actually unhealthy.”
– Fran Lebowitz, U.S. humorist