• The JEDC’s Sports and Entertainment Board is warning Georgia-Florida tailgaters not to spend too long in the parking lot. This year, security guards will pat down entrants at the stadium gates and officials anticipate delays. Board chair Mike Sullivan said fans should enter the stadium “as early as possible.” Gates open at 1:30 p.m.
• Downtown Vision, Inc. is scouting locations around Hemming Plaza to display public art. The group is partnering with the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art and hopes to attract corporate sponsorship for the endeavor. DVI is also looking for a place to put the mural hanging in front of the Main Branch Library construction site once the building opens.
• Jacksonville is one of five cities chosen to pilot the National Urban League’s Urban Entrepreneur Partnership. Jacksonville will share $127 million with Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Kansas City to open one-stop economic empowerment centers targeted for poor areas. The centers will advise small business owners on all aspects of start-ups and hopes to encourage public and private local investment.
• Get ready Elvis fans, the King is coming back to the Florida Theatre. OK, not the real Elvis, but a sea cow decorated to resemble Elvis will soon be installed in front of the theater.
• Though the repairs to the 63-year-old Main Street Bridge have caused a lot of headaches during the past few weeks, Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Mike Goldman says be patient just a little longer. He said the $7.5 million project should be complete by the end of November.
• The Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Clerk’s Luncheon is scheduled for Nov. 18 from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Omni. For details, call Cynthia Jackson at 359-7700.
• Several members from Jacksonville’s Sexual Assault Advisory Council will be in San Diego next week for a training conference that addresses the lack of accountability for sex offenders. One of the goals is to generate ideas which will lead to more effective prosecution of sex offenders.
• Look for two big names to attend the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Word is Herschel Walker of Georgia and Danny Wuerffel of Florida are expected to make an appearance. Tickets are $50 for the luncheon, but bleachers will be set up for spectators and admission is free.
• The local Democrats confirm that vice presidential candidate John Edwards will be at Metro Park at 5 p.m. Friday.