• Former Jaguars linebacker Tom McManus has left AM-1010 and is now a solo act on AM-930. His show runs Monday-Friday from 6-9 a.m. He replaces Dan Sileo who airs out of Tampa.
• Mayor John Peyton marked the beginning of the sixth year of his Rally Jacksonville! early literacy initiative. The program has several sponsors for the 2009-10 year including BlueCross BlueShield of Florida, CSX, the Jaguars, JM Family Enterprises and others. The book club is for 4 year-olds and each year 9,500 to 10,000 kids enroll.
• You may have noticed former Ch. 4 sports anchor and current Dalton Agency account executive Sean Woodland on Ch. 30/47 recently. He’s been filling in until the new sports director, Steve Wrigley, gets here from Nashville. Wrigley’s first day is Sept. 8.
• The Carnival “Fascination,” the only cruise ship that sails year-round from Jacksonville’s port, is going into dry dock for 28 days in January for a major refurbishment. The most noticeable change will be the addition of 98 new private balconies to existing ocean-view staterooms. A water park with a 300-foot slide also will be added to the ship’s amenities.
• Clarification: The early voting sites for the Sept. 15 Primary Election for the State Senate Dist. 8, City Council Dist. 13 and School Board Dist. 1 (the Supervisor of Elections Office at 105 E. Monroe St. and the Beaches, Regency and Southeast Regional branches of the Jacksonville Public Library) will be the only early voting sites available. Early voting begins on Labor Day and will continue through Sept. 12. For more information call 630-1414.
• The monthly “First Friday Lunch Bunch” is this week 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. John’s Cathedral at 256 E. Church St. It’s an opportunity for artists, actors, dancers, musicians, photographers and arts enthusiasts to network over lunch catered by the Culinary Arts Program at the Clara White Mission. No reservations are required.
• The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Certified Public Accounting has awarded $99,000 in scholarships to 17 minority students studying to become certified public accountants. The scholarships were awarded through the CPA Education Minority Assistance Program, which was created in 1999 to encourage minorities to enter the profession. One of the recipients, Rachel Perlmutter, is studying at the University of North Florida and received a $6,600 scholarship. The CPA Education Minority Assistance Program is funded by a $5 portion from each individual license fee.
• JEA is holding a community update meeting this evening at Ed White High School (1700 Old Middleburg Rd.) for customers who want to learn more about the community’s utility business. The information exchange will start at 6 p.m. and end by 8 p.m. and will touch on several aspects of JEA including storm preparation and restoration. JEA Managing Director Jim Dickenson will provide a 30-minute overview of the utility’s business. Customers are encouraged to ask questions on any topic related to utilities. JEA is the eighth largest community-owned electric utility in the United States, providing electric, water and sewer service to more than 875,000 accounts in northeast Florida.
• Labor Day may be a time to relax at the end of the summer, but there will be some laboring taking place at The Landing Monday. The Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship tour will make one of its eight stops in Jacksonville. Local champion, and seventh ranked competitive eater in the world, Hall “Hoover” Hunt, is scheduled to scarf some burgers with other professionals and amateurs. Open registration begins at 1 p.m. and five entrants will be picked “on the spot” for the eating contest that starts at 2 p.m. Go to www.krystalsquareoff.com for more information.
• The service industry can produce some thankless occupations, but people in the industry can feel the appreciation at “Bartenders are Gods” night at Twisted Martini Thursday. A pay stub verifying a service industry job gets the holder free drinks from 9 p.m.-midnight.