Local Folks: Al Poindexter
Al Poindexter doesn’t have to go far to enjoy wildlife in the middle of the city. He simply steps out back of his Colonial Manor home. Fifteen years ago, during a remodeling project, Poindexter had a bulldozer dig a 10×14-foot pond, 20 inches deep in his backyard. He wanted a peaceful place to sit next […]
Local Folks: Brenda Star Walker
Brenda Star Walker of Murray Hill could hang your wallpaper, give you a massage, help you plant a garden, tell you all about the 28 Grateful Dead shows she went to in three years, sew a new creation for you, teach you to stand on your head in a yoga pose while discussing her philosophy […]
Local Folks: Kellie Turner
They’re not “crazy cat ladies” even though they’ve been called such. “We’re clearly not crazy. We’re just empathetic. We have hearts,” said Kellie Turner of her and other Jacksonville women’s efforts at TNR. TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return. It’s a process of humanely reducing the number of free-roaming cats in the neighborhood. A cat is trapped […]
Local Folks: Clark LaBlond
Clark LaBlond did not grow up in Jacksonville. It took him until 1995 to return to the Bold City after hip hopping from California to Minnesota to Jacksonville then Chicago and, finally back to where he now calls home. This traveling man attended school in California where he swam competitively, played football, was in Indian […]
Q: If the city allocated the $200+ million from the failed Lot J deal to another project or idea for our city, what would you like to see that money go toward?
The lower income areas and their housing. I’d like it to help their roads be better and maybe put in a park. I’d like to see the money spent on places where it is really needed and not where it doesn’t need to go. There is a lot of work that needs to be done […]
Murray Hill volunteers put sparkle in park
If the play area and ballfields at Murray Hill Playground shine a little more brightly, it is thanks to a cadre of masked volunteers that turned out Nov. 15 to hold neighborhood cleanup sponsored by the Murray Hill Athletic Association. Led by Joey Umstead, president of MHAA, and Jose Lazcano, who is actively involved with […]
Gardeners, pollinators, and Boone Park South
Neighborhood parks are home to many species of local wildlife, including squirrels, bats, river otters, and birds and insects. In 2020, neighborhood parks saw an influx of another species, “people,” as residents on lockdown utilized long walks and bike rides for exercise and fresh air. Pamela Telis, founder of the Friends of Boone Park South, […]
JSO Assistant Chief Jimmy Judge: Serving and protecting in partnership with the community
In the October edition of The Resident, we asked readers to nominate their favorite community hero, someone who has been going the extra mile to make sure their neighborhood is healthy, safe, and secure. Nominated by the Downtown Dwellers was JSO Assistant Chief James Judge, and he is our winner. He will receive a dinner […]
