• Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, will be in town next Friday as the guest speaker at local Republican Party Chairman Mike Hightower’s annual Lincoln Day dinner. Cheney is replacing Andrew Card, the former White House press secretary who recently resigned. It’s at the Hyatt and the reception starts at 5:30, dinner is at 6:30.
• Has the parking meter eaten your quarter and given you no time? It seems the meters, which are battery operated, sometimes do this. What should you do? Call the City’s parking division at 630-1128. They’ll send someone out to check the batteries. If it’s a valid complaint, they’ll void the ticket if you get one. Be sure to know your meter number when you call them — it’s on the pole.
• JALA’s Breakfast of Champions Thursday reunited some of the key figures from Jacksonville’s August 2004 hostage standoff on the Southbank. Mayor John Peyton sat just three seats away from Rogers Towers lawyer Chris Hazelip, the man taken hostage in a bizarre plot to force Judge Sharon Tanner to resign a couple of years ago. Peyton’s negotiations with the hostage taker drew national media attention. Looking back on it now, Peyton said, “It wasn’t all bad. I got to meet Diane Sawyer.”
• Another interesting fact about that 2004 standoff. It produced one of the most bewildering messages ever sent via Blackberry. With Peyton negotiating for Hazelip’s release and Judge Tanner offering a false resignation, the following e-mail was sent to City Council President Kevin Hyde, who was out of town at the time: “Chris Hazelip is at gunpoint...The mayor is negotiating for hostages...Judge Tanner has resigned.” “He must have thought ‘What the hell is going on in Jacksonville?’” said Peyton.
• The Jacksonville Port Authority is lining up funding for an $18 million dredging project that will allow larger freighters to use the Jacksonville port. The project will deepen about a five mile stretch of the St. Johns River from 38 feet to 40 feet. The Port Authority will pay 35 percent of the project’s cost with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers picking up the rest, although the Authority is still hopeful more federal funding will come through.
• Kirk Goodman may have been promoted to general manager of the Jacksonville Suns, but he’s still actively involved in game-day functions. At Wednesday’s game, Goodman was banding those 21 and up and helped the grounds crew drag the field between innings.
• The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business expo May 4 at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium on St. Johns Bluff Road. It runs from 4-8 p.m.
• The Victoria’s Secret at Regency is closed for remodeling. The store will reopen in about a month.
• There will be advance registration for the Kingfish Tournament at the Jacksonville International Boat Show at Metropolitan Park next weekend at the Fishing Pavilion. Those who sign-up will save $80 if they register at the Boat Show. The Kingfish Tournament starts on July 20.
• Part of the Suddath Companies is making some big moves. The relocation and transportation company has acquired United Van Lines Agency in Nashville, Tenn., known as Hudgins Moving and Storage. Michael E. Demont, president of Suddath Relocation Systems, announced the strategic acquisition Tuesday. Jim Myers, senior vice president of operations for Suddath, will become the general manager of the new location and Paul Gleason, general manager and president of SRS, will assume Myers’ former role as vice president of operations.
• There’s a topping off ceremony for the new Harden & Associates building in Riverside. It’s May 3 at 11 a.m.
• The Society of Professional Journalists has gotten involved in the NFL’s recent decision to ban local TV photojournalists from the sidelines during games. They are petitioning mayors in NFL towns asking for their support in having the ban lifted.
• Many of our local business leaders and lobbyists will be in Washington, D.C. to meet with Congress May 16-18 and the trip has a name: D.C. Fly-in.
• The USS Gettysburg returned from a recent deployment and the Caribbean basin is about 30 tons worth of drugs lighter. The drug operation netted $1.9 billion worth of illegal drugs.
• This year’s Jazz Festival attendance was way down from last year and one of the reasons may have been the $10 daily fee to get in. However, according to some patrons, the $10 fee was actually $13 thanks to a $3 service charge that many jazz fans didn’t know was coming.
• Ken Hurley, the president of the local ACLU, has chimed in on the City Council’s decision to use public money to help fund a new gym at First Timothy Baptist Church. He has asked for records and legislation pertaining to the gym and he’s citing Article 1, Section 3 from the Florida Constitution which he says prevents taxpayer money from going to a religious institution.
• City Council member and Finance committee chair Daniel Davis has called a special meeting of his committee to review the status of the 2005-06 City budget. It’s May 4 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers and it’s open to the public.
• The public parking committee will meet April 24 at 3:30 p.m. in City Council Conference B. Anyone interested in Downtown parking issues is encouraged to attend.