• While there will be plenty of turnover on City Council following the spring elections — at least nine new members — there will also be plenty of new faces on the Duval Delegation after the fall 2008 elections. State Reps. Aaron Bean, Don Davis, Terry Fields, Stan Jordan, Dick Kravitz and Mark Mahon are all serving their last terms. In fact, six of the state’s 35 term-limited state representatives – almost 20 percent – are members of the Duval Delegation.
• City Council member Kevin Hyde is up for appointment to the Joint Planning Committee. He’ll replace Council member Suzanne Jenkins.
• The Commerce Department reported this week that the U.S. trade deficit set a record for the fifth year in a row in 2006. The deficit rose 6.5 percent over 2005 to a new high of $763.6 billion. The report revealed the trade deficit with China increased more than 15 percent last year to $232.5 billion, the largest ever with any country. The only good news is last year’s increase was smaller than the increases of 17.3 percent in 2005 and 23.5 percent in 2004.
• Florida Christian Singles, a state sub-chapter of Christian Singles Info-exchange, has released the results of a 17-year study that analyzed the differences between how men and women select a partner. According to the study, the most prominent factor that will predict how often a woman is selected is hair length, with longer hair preferred by the vast majority of men surveyed. Women’s selection decisions are far more difficult to predict and vary with the woman’s age – but include education, financial stability, communication skills and good behavior.
• If you purchased a home in 2006, you only have until March 6 to apply for a $25,000 homestead exemption. The deduction generally qualifies the property for a $25,000 deduction in the home’s assessed value as determined by the county property appraiser. Once a homeowner has applied for and received the exemption, it will be automatically renewed for that property each year on Jan. 1.
• Baptist Medical Center South will celebrate its two-year “birthday” Friday. Since opening two years ago, the facility has become a learning destination for hospitals and health systems from across the country and the world as they undertake digital initiatives including the development of electronic medical records and digital mammography. Construction will soon begin on a new patient care tower with 62 inpatient, telemetry and obstetric beds and 10 level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beds. The expansion is slated to be complete by winter 2008.
•Theatre Jacksonville’s annual fundraiser, Happily Red, had another successful year, grossing close to $33,000 for the evening, according to theater director Sarah Boone. The total amount included ticket sales and sponsorship. All funds raised will go directly back into operating expenses for the San Marco playhouse.
• Experimental violinist Tom Chiu and composer Joan LaBarbara are the artists in residence this week at University of North Florida and will perform a concert tomorrow night in the Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. The performance will feature works by Berio, John Cage, Dodge, Feldman, Subotnick and Xenakis. For more information, call 620-2878.