Mayor Brown speaks out on Springfield homeless resource center

Thursday, October 18th, 2012, 10:25pm

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mayor Alvin Brown made a surprise visit to the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Center Thursday evening.

The Mayor wanted to reiterate his support for a pilot project to open a resource center for the homeless community, an idea that many neighbors did not support.

He told the council and residents in attendance he has made no recommendation for the center's location, and the former Armory, located at 815 N. Market Street, will not be considered for the site.

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Controversy over homeless day center location

Submitted by Erin Hawley on Wednesday, October 17th, 6:05 pm

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Springfield residents are saying: "Not in my neighborhood."

The sentiment comes after the mayor revealed his plans to put a brand new low-cost, possibly free, homeless day center in the neighborhood.

There are the nine buildings in downtown Jacksonville the city is considering for the homeless day center, but it is the old armory building that has Springfield residents pushing back.

"Yeah a day center, something is desperately needed," said Sharon, who does not want her last name used.

Sharon has been homeless on and off for two years.

She is grateful to hear the city plans to open a new homeless day center.

"If you have an alcohol problem or drug problem, you can get in the programs really fast," Sharon said about other homeless shelters in the city. "But I don't have either one of those so I fall through those cracks."

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Submitted by Claire Simms, Reporter

Tuesday, October 9th, 2012, 5:54pm

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tuesday is the final day to register to vote ahead of the November election. Many Supervisor of Elections offices will have extended hours to help accommodate the last minute rush.

"We see this always in a Presidential cycle," explained Jerry Holland, Supervisor of Elections for Duval County. "We'll probably have between 30 and 40,000 people that will have registered in the last 30 or 40 days and so, it's exciting to see this many people get involved in it."

Extended Hours:

Duval County-open until 7:30 p.m.

St. Johns County-open until 7:00 p.m.

Clay County-open until 5:00 p.m.

According to Holland, voters do not need to bring identification to register, but they will need a photo I.D. on Election Day. As of Monday, the number of voters registered reflected a more conservative population than in the 2008 election cycle.

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JU Orthodontists Set the Record Straight During National Orthodontic Health Month

Submitted by rdaigle on Monday, October 1st, 3:51 pm

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – Orthodontists at Jacksonville University are taking time during October’s National Orthodontic Health Month to educate the public and clarify best practices for the maintenance of your smile.

Dr. Mark Alarbi, dean and program director of the Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics, said there are many myths that need to be busted regarding orthodontic care, but one of the most common misconceptions is that parents need to wait for their children to loose all of their baby teeth before evaluating the need for braces.

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4th annual students who care essay contest

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 5th, 11:57 am

The following news release was provided by First Coast Oncology

JACKSONVILLE, September 4, 2012 – Scot Ackerman, MD, Medical Director of First Coast Oncology, announces this year’s topic for the Students Who Care Essay Contest. High School students from Duval and Nassau counties can enter for a chance to win a laptop in reward for their good deeds.

Every day good deeds go unnoticed and often unrewarded. This contest supports the children in our community and encourages them to make the right choices.

“I believe that children deserve assistance and encouragement when it comes to making the right choices. They also deserve reinforcement in determining a course of action to responsibly achieve their goals,” says Dr. Scot Ackerman.

One winner will be selected from each county and awarded a MacBook at a school assembly in front of their peers.

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Submitted by Jeff Marcu, Anchor/Investigative Reporter

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012, 9:17am

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Joe Wilson, a contractor and an emergency management officer, said there are simple things you can do to prepare your home before a storm.

"So preparing ahead of time is key," he said.

Wilson said it starts with common sense. For example, don't leave potted plants and debris around your home.

"These things turn into missiles in a sense, in event of any hard blowing winds," he said.

A couple of quick visual inspections and routine maintenance could also protect you. Start with surrounding trees.

"Make sure is it in tact and make sure it's not in any danger of breaking or breaking down, because that's certainly a good example of something that can damage a home," Wilson said.

He also recommended checking stability of windows, doors and gutters.

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