• The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will deploy plainclothes officers monthly to combat panhandling and other nuisance crimes downtown. The JSO has conducted three “special deployments” so far, and the October deployment resulted in five arrests.
• The Desert Rider on Bay Street across from the Duval County Courthouse is closing
Nov. 21.
• Remember Bomba’s in The Seminole Club? Michelle Bomba is back in the kitchen with her new venture, Michelle’s Southern Home Cooking Restaurant and Catering Services. It’s located on Beach Boulevard at the Grove Park traffic light.
• More restaurant news: The Magnificat Cafe on Laura Street is offering catered Thanksgiving dinners for $99.95.
• Toney Sleiman’s It’s About Time Landing party tonight will feature the St. Johns River City Band and the Ribault Color Guard. Free beer and wine will be served. The mayor and 15 City Council members are expected to be in attendance. Starting at about 6:15 p.m. there will be a fireworks display, including firing confetti cannons.
• City officials have been invited to attend the Dec. 4, Florida Water Congress in High Springs. The meeting will bring elected officials from across the state together to discuss water policy issues, including the transfer of North Florida water to South Florida. Gainesville recently passed a resolution calling for the protection of area water sources.
• Downtown Vision, Inc., says the latest Downtown Guide is going to the press this week and will be available by the end of the month.
• Mayor John Peyton is the speaker at the next Federal Bar Association meeting. It’s scheduled for Nov. 18 at noon at the Omni.
• The Plaza at Berkman has lost another business. The Jacksonville Concierge Service has left the building.
• According to the governor’s office, Duval County joined a statewide trend of increased high school graduates. The county gave diplomas to 63.7 percent of its students. That’s a 5.1 percent increase since 1999.
• The St. Vincent’s Foundation is hosting its annual charity fun shoot at the Jacksonville Gun Club Dec. 2. A barbecue lunch will kickoff the event at 11:30 a.m., followed by target shooting in the skeet, trap and five-stand flurry categories. Tickets start at $250 with proceeds to benefit the Good Samaritan Fund for cancer patients.
• R. Robert Gallery in Avondale is hosting an opening reception for artist Yvonne Mora Nov. 14 from 6-9 p.m. Mora’s exhibition of original oil paintings will be on display through Christmas Eve.