• The Chamber still has plenty of tickets for the Super Bowl kickoff on Monday, Jan. 31 at the Arena and now say they expect to have the quarterbacks from the two teams as well as the coaches.
• The Foley and Lardner law firm has acquired the Boston office of Epstein, Becker & Green.
• All the work on the stadium area has brought big business to the eateries on Talleyrand. Ann’s Sandwich Shop has had to put out four containers of sweet tea instead of the usual two.
• Ch. 30/47 boss Susan Adams Loyd had to cancel her Friday appearance at the Chamber’s Downtown Council due to a business conflict so a speaker from the non-profit NCCJ filled in. Loyd will speak Feb. 18.
• If the six-person race for the vacant supervisor of elections office were the NFL playoffs, then candidate Andy Johnson says he can relate to the road teams. Locations for a series of candidate forums like the one held Friday at The River Club are attracting Republican crowds. “Most Democrats can’t afford $25 for lunch,” he said.
• Bob Downey, the general manager of the company running Alltel Stadium, said he knew he’d be dealing with a lot of press come Super Bowl time. But he’s still been surprised by the exhaustive coverage. “We had people in here the other day taking pictures of us laying sod,” said an amused Downey.
• Secretary of the Navy Gordon England announced last week that the Pentagon’s list of military bases slated for closure this year is 95 percent complete. The mayor’s office is hoping the recent publicity generated by the president’s visit will keep its bases out of the remaining 5 percent. The closures will be announced in May.
• If you’re old enough to remember the Jacksonville Journal, you may remember sportswriter Tom Cornelison. He’s been working with the Atlanta papers and has retired back to Jacksonville.