• The last meeting of the year for the Gator Bowl Committee is Thursday at the Omni from 5-7 p.m. The head coaches from the teams in this year’s Konica Minolta Gator Bowl will be on hand. Saturday’s Dr Pepper ACC title game will help determine which teams play in the New Year’s Day game.
• Three local Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida and the NFL’s YET Boys & Girls Club recently received grants totaling $100,000. The three clubs are West Jacksonville, Lola Culver and the Beaches club — all of which will use the grants to expand their flag football programs.
• The USO’s new airport center will celebrate its grand opening next Friday. A reception starts at 10:30 a.m. and the groundbreaking is sent for 11:30. The center, which is in the baggage claim area, will hold an open house from noon-9 p.m.
• All standing committee and City Council meetings scheduled from Dec. 12 to Jan. 1 have been suspended for the Christmas holiday. That means the last full Council meeting of the year will be Dec. 11, and the last committee meetings will be this coming week, beginning with Monday’s Rules meeting at 10 a.m. and Finance meeting at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. The regular meeting schedule will resume with standing committee meetings starting Wednesday, Jan. 2. The Christmas break and another break in the summer were created by a 2005 ordinance. However, the ordinance, 2005-361, states the breaks are only supposed to be for one week.
• One Council committee is shutting it down even earlier. The Public Health & Safety committee has canceled its Monday meeting and won’t convene again until Jan. 2.
“Women had to deal with the men’s response when the women wanted more time “out” of the home; men now must deal with the women’s response as men want more time ‘in’.”
– Kyle D. Pruett, professor and child psychiatrist.