• There are two new faces at the law offices of Brennan, Manna & Diamond. Bob Stetniak and Mark Wilhelm came on board a few weeks ago.
• The latest piece in the Art in Public Places series will be installed on Jan. 18 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Resembling an oversized silhouette of a ballplayer, the piece will be official unveiled during a ceremony a few days later.
• After he read a City Note we ran about his quest for new higher-end furniture for his San Marco home, City Council member Art Shad was quick to point out that he actually lives in the neighboring Miramar area and that on his Councilman’s salary he’s leaning more towards milk crates and hand-me-downs than Ethan Allen and designer rugs.
• The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art will be closed twice in the coming weeks, first to install host two exhibitions and again for private parties related to the Super Bowl. The installations will be January 18-25 but the museum will have free 45-minute behind-the-scenes tours of the installation. The private parties are February 3-6 and it’s rumored that the hosts are former basketball star Michael Jordan and rapper Usher.
• To clear up confusion: there are TWO Martin Luther King Jr. events you can attend next week. In addition to the Chamber’s annual breakfast at the Arena on Jan. 12, there’s also the “Willie Gary/Martin Luther King Day Essay Contest Luncheon” at the Adam’s Mark on Jan. 11. Gary is a South Florida attorney who’s helping Edward Waters College.
• The Riverside/Avondale Bed & Breakfast Inns tour had 780 visitors and raised $10,450 for Hubbard House.
• The bases of the palms along Bay Street have been trimmed back a bit. According to the City’s Public Works Department, they tend to get a bit prickly so the City wants to be sure no one brushes up against one and gets hurt.
• The eyeglasses business at the Landing is closing. According to Landing management, they will remain open until after the Super Bowl — however, no other business has been announced to replace them.
• Local architect Andrew Dance has been elected a trustee of the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Dance works downtown with engineering and planning firm Bessent, Hammack and Ruckman, Inc.
Downtown This Week features one of the city’s most unusual businesses: the Sally Corp., which makes characters for theme parks. The magazine is available today all over the downtown area.