• City Council member Don Redman was an excused absence from Monday’s Finance Committee meeting for a pretty good reason. An avid cyclist, Redman recently broke his leg when he hit a slippery portion of the Northbank Riverwalk.
• Condolences to the family of Al Gulley. The longtime security guard at City Hall passed away Wednesday.
• Dr. Leonard Kraft, broker/owner of Kraft Sales Corps., Realtors, has decided to close his business. The last day is Dec. 31.
• Lake Butler City Manager John Berchtold has offered to sell the City of Jacksonville 15 acres of St. Augustine sod “at a most reasonable price.” Apparently, the sod is extra and Berchtold indicated Lake Butler is “not in the sod business.” No word if the City will take him up on his offer.
• Mayor John Peyton is in Washington, D.C. today and Wednesday. He’s got a meeting of the Truman Scholarship organization and others.
• Speaking of Peyton, he’ll shoot a video Thursday for “Project New Ground” — the City’s ash remediation program.
• With its 8th Annual Community Awards luncheon yesterday at the Wyndham, community organizers celebrated Jacksonville’s part in celebrating World AIDS Week. The awareness celebration continues today with the National AIDS quilt display at City Hall beginning at noon, a memorial service at St. Luke’s Community Church at 6:30 p.m. For more information, including a full slate of the week’s events, go to www.northeastfloridaaidsweek.com.
• Monday, along with hearing from Mary Tappouni — the 2009 Florida Small Business Person of the Year — the Meninak Club of Jacksonville will elect its 2010 officers. President-elect for 2011 is Mark Hand, with members choosing their next directors from Heather Allen, George Good, Mike Grogan, Tom Harper, Dawn Motes and Downing Nightingale.