• Florida Solicitor General Scott Makar will find himself back in front of the land’s highest court this year. Makar has three cases scheduled to go before the United States Supreme Court. Makar, formerly of the Office of General Counsel, first argued in front of the nine-member court March 26 of last year.
• City Council Finance Chair Stephen Joost has amended his budget hearing schedule. They are: Aug. 13, 20 and 27 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with an hour break each day. The meetings are in the Council Chambers and open to the public.
• Speaking of Council, vice president Jack Webb will serve as Council president next week. Council President Richard Clark will be out of town.
• According to City Procurement Director Devin Reed, about 60 percent of the construction value for the new County Courthouse has gone to local companies. However, of the 119 total responses or proposals received for each of the 23 major bid packages within the project, only 25 (or 21 percent) were from local companies.
• Good news for the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and its members. Aug. 11 Belk is offering a 20 percent discount on most items for Chamber employees and Chamber members. You’ll need a special pass to get the discount and Belk is notifying Chamber members of how to get the passes.
• Prudential Network Realty will host a booth in the “Pepsi Experience” at the Aug. 22 Jaguars game at Municipal Stadium to provide information about the $8,000 homebuyer’s federal tax credit. Fans will also have the opportunity to register for the “Take it to the House” contest for a chance to win $50,000 toward the purchase of a new home. The booth will be staffed prior to the 7:30 p,m, kickoff time.
• It was a last-minute decision but it raised money for several causes. The Rotary Club of West Jacksonville decided at its July 22 meeting to have a blueberry sale to raise money for the club’s charity fund. Members staffed stands in San Marco and Avondale last Saturday and when the final figures were in more than $2,000 worth of fresh berries had been sold. The money will be used for college scholarships, a teacher’s supply closet, water filters for people in the Dominican Republic and contributions to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation matching grant challenge to eliminate polio.
• U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Corrigan debuted his first presentation to the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association Wednesday. Corrigan was the guest speaker at the association’s regular meeting at the River Club and he used the PowerPoint to detail his top 10 bankruptcy appeal tips, which can be seen in the Monday edition of the Daily Record.
• In an effort to foster an environment of professionalism and ethical behavior, the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association will host a series of “Bankruptcy Boot Camps” for lawyers new to the practice of bankruptcy law. The first boot camp on Aug. 26 will cover initial consultations. For more information contact Association Administrator Barbara Campbell at [email protected] or 358-6465.
• Two Jacksonville lawyers are among the 56 who recently earned board certification. Scott Fortune of Fortune Law Office earned certification in Labor and Employment Law and Jonathan Hay of Purcell, Flanagan & Hay earned certification in Tax Law.
• The Jacksonville group of Florida Bar Business Litigation Certified Attorneys added a new member recently. Niels Murphy joined John DeVault, Michael Drews, Braxton Gillam, Jon Lindell, Fredrick Lotterhos, Timothy McDermott, Jeffrey Regan, Michael Tanner, Kenneth Tomchin and Gerald Weedon.
• The American Lung Association is hosting its “02 Green Walk Yard and Bake Sale” Saturday at its office at 6852 Belfort Oaks Place from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Some of the yard sale items available include electronics, furniture, books, clothes, children’s toys and homemade baked goods. All proceeds will benefit the American Lung Association in Florida. Contact Heather Julin-Pittman at 520-7123.
• In other American Lung Association news, its Second Annual 02 Green Walk will be held at Nature Trails at the UNF Wildlife Sanctuary at 1 UNF Dr. Oct. 24 with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. The hike/expo begins at 10 a.m. Go to www.o2greenwalk.org to find out how to raise money for the American Lung Association at the event. Contact Kara Rosario at 520-7118 for more information.
• Toasty isn’t just for lunch anymore. Quiznos at the corner of Hogan and Monroe is open for breakfast and offering a handful of sandwiches to quell those morning stomach rumblings.
• With unemployment at high levels, more people are turning to entrepreneurship for employment. That’s the finding in the latest report from the quarterly Challenger Job Market Index, released by global consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which shows 8.7 of job seekers gained employment in the second quarter of 2009 by starting their own business. That’s up from 6.4 at the beginning of 2009 and more than double (4.3 percent) what it was in 2008.
• It’s not school time for children just yet, but the Landing is holding its second annual “Back to School Fest” Saturday. Parents and children who show a receipt from Wal-Mart will receive a free backpack and several Landing vendors will be giving away school supplies as part of a scavenger hunt. According to Landing spokeswoman Rachel Nudge, last year more than 4,000 backpacks and 40,000 school supplies were given out, but this year even more will be distributed. The event runs from 10 a.m.–2 p.m and for more information, go to www.jacksonvillelanding.com.
• Adventure Landing’s annual fundraiser, The Great American Frog Race, to benefit USA Cares is Saturday, with more than a thousand plastic frogs sponsored by individuals to assist the military family support nonprofit. Tickets (frogs) cost $5 apiece or $10 for three, with prizes including a scooter, shopping spree and gas cards for the owners of the plastic reptiles that cross the finish line the fastest. For more information, go to www.adventurelanding.com.