The season doesn’t start for months, but the Jacksonville Jaguars now know who they’re playing in the preseason.
The team will square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home before heading on the road to face the New York Giants.
The next week on Aug. 28, they’ll be back in Jacksonville to face the Detroit Lions in a nationally televised game on CBS before concluding the preseason at the Washington Redskins.
Other than the national game, the exact dates and times haven’t been announced. The regular season schedule is expected to be release sometime next week.
City Council debates Monday at area libraries
Several City Council candidates in runoffs for seats will be debating around Jacksonville on Monday at area libraries.
The debates, the invited candidates and locations are:
• District 1 (Mike Anania and Joyce Morgan) and District 2 (Al Ferraro and Lisa King) at Regency Square Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd. Moderator is Karen Feagins of WJCT.
• District 7 (Reggie Gaffney and George Spencer) and District 8 (Katrina Brown and Pat Lockett-Felder) at Bradham Brooks Branch, 1755 Edgewood Ave. W. at Oriole St. Moderator is Ken Amaro of WTLV TV-12/WJXX ABC TV-25.
• At-Large Group 3 (Tommy Hazouri and Geoff Youngblood) and District 4 (Ramon Day and Scott Wilson) at Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Moderator is Melissa Ross of WJCT.
• At-Large Group 1 (Anna Brosche and Kim Daniels) and At-Large Group 5 (Sam Newby and Ju’Coby Pittman) at the Main Library, 303 N. Laura St. Moderator is Ron Littlepage of The Florida Times-Union.
Questions were submitted by the community in March; the audience will not be allowed to ask questions. Topics will include the Human Rights Ordinance, blight, library funding, economic development and the economy.
There will be an opportunity to meet candidates at an informal reception at 6:30 p.m. at each location, with debates starting at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
The general election is May 19.
Mandarin library to host naturalization ceremony
The Mandarin Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library will host a naturalization ceremony for 30 people from 24 countries Thursday.
It’s the second year in a row the library has hosted the event.
The Jacksonville Field Office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will conduct the ceremony, with director Lisa Bradley performing the oath of allegiance. City Council member Matt Schellenberg, Mandarin’s representative, will provide remarks and guest speakers will include library board trustee member Ronnie King and Julie McNeil, library assistant director for public service.
The ceremony will be 11-11:45 a.m. in the library’s community room.
The event is part of National Library week that ends Saturday.
Keep Jacksonville Beautiful needs volunteers for Earth Day event
The city’s Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission, Downtown Vision Inc. and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront are organizing the third annual Earth Day Downtown Cleanup.
The event takes place from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, starting at the Jacksonville Landing.
Volunteers are still needed and encouraged to sign-in at the front steps off Independent Drive. Gloves, bags and other supplies will be provided.
The cleanup will focus on the area bordered by Liberty, Water, Jefferson and Church streets.
Lindsey benefit scheduled for May 14
Kent Lindsey has fought lung cancer for more than three years, a battle that’s taken its toll on him and his family.
His friends have organized a musical benefit, dubbed the “Gratitude Café,” to help the family. The event’s name comes from a place on Lindsey’s porch where the longtime civic and business leader would sit and count his blessings during the course of his illness.
Scheduled for 6-9 p.m. May 14 at WJCT Studios, the evening will be include the music of Mike Shackelford, Carol Bristow Zur, Larry Mangum, Jamie DeFrates, George Aspinall and others. Tickets are $75, with all proceeds and donations going to the Lindsey Family Benefit Fund.
More information can be found at gratitudecafe.org.
Scott appoints Renee Finley to research board
Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Renee Finley to the board of Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research.
Finley is vice president of enterprise innovation at GuideWell and is Mayor Alvin Brown’s former director of public-private partnerships. She succeeds John Fraser and is appointed for a term that ends Nov. 3, 2016.
The institute is a nonprofit that supports new company creation based on publicly funded research.
JTA bus driver wins state title for third year
Ramon Farfan, at right, a bus operator with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, again reigns supreme in Florida.
He won his third state championship at the 2015 State of Florida Triple Crown Bus Roadeo Championships hosted April 10-11 in St. Petersburg.
Farfan competed against 17 bus operators from other public transit agencies across the state on a competition course designed to test everyday skills and obstacles bus operators encounter. He also won the individual first-place award for pre-trip inspection.
He’ll go on to represent Florida at the 2015 International Bus and Maintenance Roadeo held May 1-5 in Fort Worth, Texas.
JTA’s maintenance team, The Fighting Machinists, placed third out of eight teams in a timed event during the state competition.
Beaches Trolley returns this weekend
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Beaches Trolley service is back this weekend, coinciding with the “Springing the Blues” festival.
The weekend service runs every 15 minutes from South Beach Regional Shopping Center to Atlantic Boulevard and costs $1.50 per trip. Hours are 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays.
It will run through Labor Day. For more information, visit jtafla.com.
Six libraries closed Monday for staff training
The six Jacksonville Public Library branches normally open Mondays will be closed that day next week for a systemwide staff development day. Employees will receive training sessions focused on skills development and customer service.
Those affected are the Brentwood, Brown Eastside, Dallas Graham, Maxville and Westbrook branches. Book drops at all locations will remain open.