• City Council President Kevin Hyde’s bill that would alter the order of Council meetings is working its way through the legislative process. For the record, the new order would be as follows: public comments, minute approval, mayor’s and other communications, consent agenda, actions on new bills, public hearings, quasi-judicial actions, new legislation, new and unfinished business, additions to the agenda and adjournment.
• Downtown’s newest bar, Deep Blue, will be opening on Friday. The bar is located above the Copper Cellar and doors will open at 8 p.m.
• Aspiring Haydon Burns Library developer Main Branch LLC is getting a little antsy waiting for a City decision on Peterbrooke Chocolatier’s proposal for the building. The City gave Peterbrooke the chance to develop the building after another developer pulled out. But the City is looking at changes to Peterbrooke’s development plans, which finished second in the original bidding. Main Branch LLC, the third-place finisher wants to know what’s taking so long if Peterbrooke’s plans are the same. If they’ve changed significantly then Main Branch thinks it should get next crack at the building or else the project should be rebid.
• Minutes after Council member Ronnie Fussell was mistakenly dubbed “Foosal” by Finance Committee chair Daniel Davis, Fussell’s response took the high road, sort of. “I could call you ‘Chairman Doofus’,” said Fussell. “But I wouldn’t do that to you.”
• Local artists Overstreet Ducasse, Adrian Rhodes and Roosevelt Watson will exhibit their work in the show “Deepressionist: The Next Movement” at Boomtown Friday through March 17. The show opens Friday from 6-9 p.m.
• The City plans to appropriate $1.1 million worth of bonds to help First Timothy Community Development Corp. build a multi-purpose gym. The deal will include an agreement that will make the gym open to the public and create an oversight department that will monitor the project from start to finish.
• The Logistics Program at University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business was ranked 13th in the nation by a recent survey of logistics/supply chain practitioners and academics in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Penn State was number one. The survey was published in Supply Chain Management Review.
• More from UNF. Stanford University professor Terry M. Moe will speak about Charter Schools, Vouchers and Quality Teachers March 6 at 7 p.m. in the University Center. Moe has worked extensively on education, public bureaucracy, the presidency and political institutions. Last year, Moe received the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Prize for Excellence in Education.
• The Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Business After Hours Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Library. The cost is $10 for members and $25 for non-members. For more information call 366-6600, ext. 7605.
• Jeans and Dreams, a fundraiser to benefit Deliver the Dream, will be April 22 at the Sawgrass Marriott. Carl and Rita Cannon and John and Patty Donahoo are chairing the event.
• The Jacksonville Public Relations Association will present “Making the Right Decision: A step-by-step approach to ethical decision-making,” March 2 at 11:30 a.m. at River City Brewing Co. Dennis Stouse will lead the discussion. The cost is $25 for members and students, $30 for future members and walk-ups. RSVP to [email protected] or 1-877-876-7843.
• The Ritz Chamber Players have been invited to Los Angeles for the Saturday taping of the 37th NAACP Image Awards ceremony. The RCP will perform “Barber’s Adagio” during a video tribute segment that will honor African-Americans icons who have recently died including Coretta Scott King, Luther Vandross, Rosa Parks, Richard Pryor, August Wilson and Barry White. The program will be nationally televised March 3 from 8-10 p.m. on Ch. 30.
• Here’s a contest for patriots. Eagles Forever! “It’s Our Duty for Future Generations” contest is calling on Americans young and old to submit stories and artwork that answer the question, “The Bald Eagle is Back! Why is that important to America?” More info at www.eaglesforever.org.
• Looking for a garage door? Amarr Garage Doors has selected Jacksonville as one of four markets for an “intense” marketing campaign to launch the company’s new partnership with JELD-WEN. Dallas, Winston-Salem and Orlando were also chosen.
• The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission is planning a preproposal meeting next Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the Snyder Memorial Building. The City, which recently took control of the building at the corner of Laura and Monroe, will eventually issue a Request for Proposal to renovate the building.
• “Everything Old is New Again” is the theme for the fifth anniversary of The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach. The event is set for March 3 from 6-8 p.m.
• The 2007 Toyota Gator Bowl is a long way off, but the Gator Bowl Association is already planning for the game. The first Gator Bowl Committee meeting of the year is set for March 7 at the Omni.