• Those big tour buses outside City Hall? No, they aren’t taking the travelers on a tour of the renovated St. James building. The drivers have learned that City Hall is open to all, and they stop so everyone can have a bathroom break. There was a bus from Texas on Wednesday and one from Nebraska Tuesday.
• Ye Mystic Revellers had their big party last weekend and the new king is Dr. George Trotter, who you’ll remember as the star in numerous Nutcracker productions here.
• The reward is up to $5,000 for information leading to the return of the two boys who left school Feb. 10 and haven’t been found. They’re considered “endangered runaways” due to their ages and health conditions. The ad on page 3 has more details.
• The new and improved Riverside Avenue near Downtown is getting closer to an opening. Traffic lights and overhead signage are now being installed.
• The World Golf Village picked up another high-end builder: Legacy Homes bought prime lots recently and they’ll build some million-dollar homes.
• Another indicator that the building boom continues: entries are at a record level for the Laurel Awards, which go to the top sales and marketers in the construction and real estate communities. They’ll be presented April 15 at the Florida Theatre in an Academy Awards-type setting.
• Ouch! The new Baptist South hospital is so popular that there’s a week’s wait for those who need to be induced for labor.
• Several of the sports shows which were taken off the air when AM-970 was sold two weeks ago will resurface on AM-1010 sometime in March. Among the talkers: Greg Larson.
• Among the big wigs that Mayor John Peyton was sweet talking during the Super Bowl was Brad Martin, CEO of Saks Inc., the parent company for Saks Fifth Avenue and Parisian department stores. Peyton met with the high-end retail executive during the game in Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver’s private box.
• Jacksonville University President Kerry Romesburg will be on the Community Advisory Board for the Jacksonville Community Partnership for Literacy.
• The temporary homeless shelter that took over the old Stanton High School opened its doors to more than 800 people during two weeks of operation leading up to the Feb. 6 Super Bowl. The Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc., even threw its guests a Super Bowl party. The Coalition claims that arrests of homeless people were down 30 percent while the shelter was running.
• The Omni is changing general managers. Bob White already has departed, but no word on his replacement.
• The City has made a deal with Billy Casper Golf to operate the Golf Club of Jacksonville. A bill is working its way through the City Council for final approval.