Fireworks for New Year's
The City will have a fireworks display Downtown beginning at midnight Jan. 1. Loudspeakers at the Jacksonville Landing will play music choreographed to the fireworks, which will be set off from barges on the St. Johns River in the front of the Landing and Friendship Fountain Park.
In addition, there will be barges east of the Main Street Bridge and in front of the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk. No vehicle, pedestrian or river traffic will be allowed on the Main Street Bridge from 11:45 p.m.-12:20 a.m.
Scott reappoints Sissine to dentistry board…
Gov. Rick Scott has reappointed Angela Sissine to the state's board of dentistry. Sissine is a dental hygienist with the office of Dr. James McCall and is reappointed for a term that ends Oct. 31, 2017. The board ensures dentists and dental hygienists meet minimum requirements for safe practice.
… and Hicks to occupational therapy board
Scott also reappointed Anthony Hicks to the state's occupational therapy practice board. Hicks, of Atlantic Beach, is the CEO and owner of Americare Home Health. He is reappointed for a term that ends Oct. 31, 2017.
The board was established to ensure occupational therapists meet minimum requirements for safe practice. It is responsible for licensing, monitoring, disciplining and educating occupational therapists.
Keep Jacksonville Beautiful accepting nominations
The City and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission are accepting nominations for the seventh annual Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Awards. The recognitions honor individuals, businesses, organizations and schools for "making strides" to keep the city clean.
Applications should demonstrate that the nominee has made outstanding and ongoing efforts in beautification, litter prevention and litter cleanup in Duval County.
The awards will be presented at the Mayor's Environmental Luncheon March 6 at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, with winners introduced Jan. 23 at the commission's annual Jake Godbold recognition event.
Applications should be emailed to [email protected] by Jan. 10. They should include a completed application and attached summary of achievements and supporting documentation. For more information, visit coj.net.
Darius, Poppe to be honored by Gator Bowl
Two former Gator Bowl players and two "Award of Excellence" scholarship winners will be recognized Friday as part of the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl coaches' luncheon.
Former Syracuse safety Donovin Darius, also a longtime Jacksonville Jaguars player, and Dennis Poppe from the University of Missouri will be honored. The scholarship winners are Nathaniel "Tate" Williams from Keystone Heights High School and Ana Alice McIntosh of Atlantic Coast High School.
There were 68 applicants this year, the most since the program began 10 years ago. Also in attendance at the lunch will be the coaches and players from the University of Georgia and University of Nebraska, this year's game participants.
St. Vincent's HealthCare names new CFO
St. Vincent's HealthCare has named Kim Hodgkinson as its new chief financial officer.
She will join the organization Jan. 13, with responsibilities that include finance and revenue cycle services, managed care and strategic developments.
She comes to the organization from St. Mary's in Evansville, Ind., where she served as senior vice president and CFO.
She has an MBA in finance and a Master of Arts in nuclear physics.
Visit Jacksonville & The Beaches win award
The publishers and editors of ConventionSouth, the national multimedia resource for planning events in the South, presented Visit Jacksonville & The Beaches with its 2013 Readers' Choice Award.
More than 6,500 voters participated in this year's selection process, the highest vote count since the awards began in 2001. Visit Jacksonville was among 150 entries located across the South to receive this award.
It is the second time the organization has received the award. It will be featured in the December issue of ConventionSouth magazine.
The bureau is the marketing organization contracted by the Duval County Tourist Development Council.
Schultz Center plans open house
The Schultz Center will host an open house from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 7 for #EdSpark, which was added to One Spark this year.
EdSpark's Downtown venue will house projects proposed by students under age 18, along with projects featuring innovations in education and learning proposed by educators, families and others interested in
student learning.
Break-out sessions are planned for students during the two-hour open house, which will be at 4019 Boulevard Center Drive.
For information, visit edsparkjax.org. Information on registering as a creator for One Spark can be found at beonespark.com.
JCCI seeks input for annual study…
Every year since 1974, Jacksonville Community Council Inc. has asked people in Northeast Florida to identify important topics facing the region.
The suggestions guide the organization's programs and it is seeking for suggestions for the coming year. To fill out a suggestion survey that can help, visit jcci.org.
Questions are related to what is happening in the community and what needs to happen.
… and reopens Downtown next month
Jacksonville Community Council Inc. offices have been closed since Dec. 6, but will be reopened Jan. 5 as part of its move Downtown. An open house at its new digs within the WJCT offices, 100 Festival Park Ave., is planned from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Jan. 16. The organization was formerly located off Atlantic Boulevard.
A new website and logo also are planned as part of the move.
'Let's Talk About It' on Jan. 19
The Jacksonville Public Library will continue its "Let's Talk About It" series from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Southeast Regional Library with a discussion about "The Story of the Quran: Its History and Place in Muslim Life."
The grant-funded event is possible through a partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute — University of North Florida Division of Continuing Education, the Interfaith Center of UNF, the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida and One Jax.
The discussion will be led by Parvez Ahmed, an Islamic Center trustee and UNF professor, and the public is invited to read the book and attend the free program.
For more information, call (904) 630-4655 or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org/muslimjourneys.