• Lesa Williams of SMG has been promoted and is now general manager of The Meadow Event Park in Richmond, Va. Williams was the assistant general manager of the Equestrian Center. Although she has moved on, Williams will retain her national equestrian director position within SMG and still have some influence on the events in Jacksonville.
• Waste Management of Jacksonville will present a $5,000 Community Improvement Award to the Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission Saturday at Metro Park. The ceremony is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. and will be part of the annual St. Johns River Cleanup project.
• Also on tap this weekend, Mayor John Peyton and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission invite all members of Mayor Peyton’s Book Club to the 5th Annual Museum Hop, a reading celebration Saturday at four local museums. Admission will be free from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for members and their families at the Museum of Science and History, the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. Literacy-themed activities and storytimes are scheduled at each venue.
• The Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida has released its 2008 annual report. According to the report, the center counseled almost 1,700 individual clients and close to 2,300 workshop participants. Regional Director Janice Williams Donaldson says this translates into an economic impact of more than $29 million in capital.
• Hoerbiger, a Pompano Beach-based compression technology company, is looking at Jacksonville as a possible location for a new plant. Company President Hannes Hunschofsky met recently with Adam Hollingsworth, Mayor John Peyton’s chief of staff. Hunschofsky indicated he will make a decision on the location “over the next few months.”
• Jacksonville University Men’s Basketball team’s early exit from the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night wasn’t due to lack of support. They had their own crew, literally. The basketball team gave their extra tickets to the JU Crew Team and they sat right behind the visitor’s bench in Gainesville. The Dolphins sold out their allotment of 175 tickets, which cost $12 each.
• Rodney Hurst, author of “It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke,” will be the speaker at the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library’s annual Author Luncheon April 7 at San Jose Country Club. The book details Jacksonville’s journey toward civil rights and the events that took place on “Ax Handle Saturday” in August 1960. Hurst is a former administrator at Edward Waters College and served two terms on City Council. Tickets are $25, call 633-7726 for reservations.
• Ed Kelly and Mrs. A.W. “Sister” Avent were named honorary board members of the Children’s Home Society, Buckner Division at the organization’s “Awards Luncheon Under the Tent” Wednesday.
• Mayor John Peyton will proclaim March 29– April 4 to be “Children’s Week in Jacksonville” during a ceremony March 24 at City Hall. The “Children’s Week” campaign is part of a statewide initiative to promote the importance of children’s issues at a local level. Additionally, Council member Michael Corrigan will make an accompanying resolution during the March 24 City Council meeting.
• Sweet news: The Girl Scouts of Gateway Council have announced the annual cookie sale that was to have ended March 15 has been extended until March 22. Look for the card tables outside grocery stores and stock up while you can.
• Visit Jacksonville, the marketing organization for the Duval County Tourist Development Council, has added two new staff members to its ranks: 28-year industry veteran Chris Bracken will serve as vice president of sales and marketing; and 19-year industry veteran Kim Ritten as director of sales.