Mayor John Peyton has announced that he will propose a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes one of the largest public safety investments in Jacksonville’s history and will do so without raising taxes. “Improving public safety and taking back our town is the most immediate challenge facing our city,” said Peyton. “We are at a watershed moment in Jacksonville’s history, and failure to invest in efforts to help turn the tide of crime will have a long-term, devastating impact on this city. Thanks to the hard work of the members of The Jacksonville Journey committees, we have a roadmap for our community to follow as we work to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and our people. Continued
Shown above are participating authors (L-R) Cynthia Anderson, Willie Dorsey, Willye Dennis, Rodney Hurst and Marsha Phelts.
06.MAR.08
Local authors shared insights on what inspired their work last week at the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum. The distinguished panel of Jacksonville citizens have titles covering an array of topics from politics to life lessons and traditional family recipes. LaVilla Museum Director Lydia Stewart beamed with pride as she looked upon the audience. The assembled group waited anxiously for the five presenting authors to tell them more about the inspiration behind their works. Each author graciously presented what in their thoughts motivated them to be put their experiences to words. Continued
Shown above at the resopration kickoff are (L-R) Diane Melendez, Councilwoman Glorious Johnson, Councilman Warren Jones, Lois Gibson, Liz Means and Lamont Cruse, son of Vera Cruse.
06.MAR.08
City Council Members Glorious Johnson and Warren Jones kicked off the restoration of the historic Brewster Hospital along with members of the Brewster Hospital Alumni Community Nurses Association in it’s new location in the LaVilla area. "Many doctors and nurses have come from this great institution who are now living in all parts of the world,” said Council Member Johnson. “As the first training hospital for African-Americans in the nation, its history must not be forgotten. The restoration of Brewster will allow our children the opportunity to learn about the history of those who cared for so many people in the Jacksonville community." Continued
Arthur Johnson, Ann Battle, Ida Ross-Johnson, Leon Milton and Adilah Shariff at the surprise tribute.
Thirty year veteran of the educational school system, Ida Ross- Johnson was honored last weekend at a surprise Living Legend Banquet in her honor at the Masjid-Al Salaam. For years, Ross- Johnson was known to many as Ida Ross, an entertainment news reporter on WZAZ Radio. During her tenure there she had interviewed and befriended such entertainment powerhouses as Barry White, Dick Gregory, Della Reese and the ever elusive Prince. She is said to have one of very few recorded interviews with Prince. Although a successful broadcaster, the graduate of William Raines High School and the University of Miami knew that her passion rested in educating the youth of the community. For more than thirty years she has been a Speech-Pathologist/Audiologist with the Duval County Public School system. Continued
