• Better get your tickets for the June 3 Suns game early. According to the Suns ticket and event guide, the game will be the last appearance ever for the Famous Chicken.
• Speaking of the Suns, good news for beer drinkers. Thursday Night Throwdowns are back. However, not on opening night when the Suns face Chattanooga in the first game for both teams. Team officials expect a big crowd and don’t need the lure of $1 beers.
• One more. This season’s Businessperson Specials are April 12, May 10, June 21, July 19 and August 2. Box seat, hot dog and a drink for $13.50.
• State Attorney Harry Shorstein’s office is cracking down on truancy. The office arrested four parents on charges of failure to comply with compulsory school attendance laws and contributing to the delinquency of their children. The 15 children have missed a total of 3,032 days or nearly 17 school years.
• There are two new employees of Jacksonville Economic Development Council’s Business Development Team. Declan “Deck” Reilly has been hired as the Chief of Business Development for the JEDC. Reilly also serves as the District IV Director for the Florida Economic Development Council. Also, Lindsey Ballas will be joining the JEDC as Targeted Industries Coordinator. Both will start their new positions Feb. 27.
• If the Wolfson High boys win the state Class 5A soccer title this week, it’ll be the first state soccer title ever for a Duval County public school. In 1998, both the Fletcher High boys and girls went to the state final and both lost to soccer power Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas - the girls 7-0 and boys in penalty kicks.
• Bobby Lyle is the new JSO officer assigned to Mayor John Peyton’s office. He replaced Ty Welsh.
• Speaking of Peyton, he’s making a lot of proclamations this week. Tuesday is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day; Wednesday is National Association of Minority Contractors Day; Friday is Woman’s Heart Day and Northwest Behavioral Services Points of Excellence Awards Day is Saturday.
• Dignity U Wear has a new executive director. James Diehl took over last week after most recently serving as executive director of the Child Cancer Fund. Diehl will oversee the Jacksonville-based nonprofit that provides brand new clothing to men, women and children in need through a network of partner agencies in 31 states.
• EverBank has added to its local staff. Brenda Wimberly is the bank’s new deposit operations manager and Karen Farah is senior vice president of commercial lending. Farah will work at EverBank’s downtown branch.
• The Chamber’s trustees quarterly meeting and reception is March 15 from 4:30-6:30 at the University Club in the Riverplace Tower.
• New offices for the Jacksonville Sister Cities staff. At the beginning of the year, the offices moved in the Chamber’s building. All contact numbers are the same.