• Never underestimate the creativity of finance professionals, lawyers and government employees. They were among the entrants who competed to have their motto temporarily replace the “Go Jaguars” message written in lights on Independent Square. The winner? “Welcome to Super Bowl XXXIX,” was selected from 23 suggestions. The author gets $50 in food and drink at Outback Steakhouse.
• The Duval Delegation has elected new officers. State Rep. Dick Kravitz will serve as chair and State Sen. Tony Hill is vice chair.
• The Jaguars will have a gift for the troops in Iraq. The team had a large poster painted featuring the team logo and players were signing it after practice Thursday. It will be on display Sunday in the Pepsi Plaza and then will be delivered to the Navy to be taken overseas.
• During this week’s downtown merchants’ meeting, several business owners wanted to know how they could file complaints with the City. La Cena owner Jerry Moran, who frequently calls City Hall, quickly chimed in: “Just call 630-City. You can register just about any complaint you need to and they’ll take care of it,” he said. “Trust me. I do it all the time.”
• Mercedes Homes is contributing 2,000 books to Mayor John Peyton’s Literacy Initiative. They’ll give the books to the mayor during a ceremony Tuesday.
• Congratulations to Foley & Lardner. The law firm received a Legal IT Award from Legal IT magazine for its FOLEY: ClientSuite extranet, a central case management and storage system that provides web-based access to all information pertaining to a case.
• Chantal Guilbert Hook has joined Roger Towers law firm in the Estate Planning Practice Group. Hook is a graduate of the University of North Florida and earned her law degree from the University of Florida.
• The City Council has called a joint meeting of its Transportation, Environment & Energy Committee and it Special Committee on Super Bowl related issues. Committee chairs Art Graham and Kevin Hyde scheduled the meeting to discuss two recently filed pieces of legislation designed to reopen Monroe Street. The meeting will follow Wednesday’s regularly scheduled Transportation Committee.