• Jacksonville University professor Annmarie Kent-Willette (left) and Advanced Broadcasting student Alyssa Fernald, whose narrative video was chosen to be featured on the National Public Radio website. Students were assigned to produce a video version of an NPR “This I Believe” essay. Fernald’s work was also recognized by The Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Awards, winning first place for the best video essay in the state of Florida, student division. Her piece pays tribute to her late grandmother, who was killed by a drunk driver.
• The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors said sales of single-family homes and condos dropped 7.1 percent in March from the year before and the median sales price dropped 10.9 percent to $122,500. Of the 1,438 sales, 57 percent were lender-mediated sales and 43 percent were traditional sales. The median mediated-sales price dropped 13.2 percent to $88,500, while the median price of traditional sales rose 8.7 percent to $174,000.
• University of North Florida history professor J. Michael Francis was appointed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission. The 13-member commission will plan and carry out programs and activities in 2015 to mark the 450th anniversary of the city’s founding.
• The Haskell Company promoted Lee Poechmann from architect to manager of business development within its Commercial Group, which oversees the health care, senior living and other commercial projects. The company has also hired Tracey Friley as architect, Aaron Stanley as senior designer and Nicole Lopez as design associate in the group.
• The Northeast Florida Builders Association endorsed Robin Lumb in the City Council At-Large Group 5 race. It endorsed Michelle Tappouni in the first election March 22, but she didn’t make the runoff. The association continues to endorse the candidates it backed in the first election for the May 17 general election, although several of its candidates already won outright.
• Jacksonville Civic Council Executive Director Don Shea said it was a year ago Wednesday that he was called by a search firm to consider the job. Shea was executive director of the Shreveport Downtown Development Authority in Louisiana and that day, April 20, 2010, was the BP oil spill in the gulf. He took the Jacksonville job and became the council’s inaugural executive director Sept. 13.
• The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office honored 32 officers Wednesday in a semi-annual retirement event. Nine have served 30 years or more, including Chief Stephanie Sloan-Butler, with 36 years of service, and Corrections Sgt. Milton Bassett, with 35 years. Undersheriff Frank Mackesy retired after 32 years.
• FirstAtlantic Bank has submitted an application to the Office of Thrift Supervision and signed a purchase agreement to acquire a branch of Synovus Bank at 1440 Kingsley Ave. in Orange Park. Mitch Hunt is president and CEO of FirstAtlantic. Subject to regulatory approval, the purchase is scheduled to close in the second quarter.