• It appears as if Harrison Conyers will succeed Dan McCarthy as the City’s chief of military affairs. In a Monday morning e-mail to City Council President Ronnie Fussell, McCarthy said Conyers “will assume my role.” Conyers is the outgoing president of the Meninak Club and has worked with McCarthy for the past four years.
• Condolences to the family of Jim Watson, who passed away. Before Consolidation, Watson was the Duval County Agricultural Agent for about 25 years. After Consolidation, Watson served as the City’s director of the agriculture department.
• Yesterday’s lunch between Mayor John Peyton and Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver was a little more than a holiday gathering or look back at the 2008 season. According to Weaver, also in attendance was a “group of executives from Asia that are exploring the opportunity of a major sponsorship using the Jaguars/NFL platform to rebrand their company.” Weaver indicated the gathering was very informal with no presentations, just “casual conversation introducing them to our community.”
• Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Chair-elect Mike Hightower will officially preside over his first board meeting Jan. 14. It’s in the Chamber’s Hadlow Boardroom.
• The weather may be a good reason so many Nebraska fans are in town this week for the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl. The lows and highs in Lincoln for today, Wednesday and Thursday are 21/42, 19/36 and 19/36. Here, according to Ch. 47 meteorologist Julie Watkins, it’ll be 44/71, 42/72 and 44/69.
• Speaking of the game, officials at Visit Jacksonville believe it will have an estimated $13.4 million worth of direct visitor spending and a total economic impact of $31.8 million. According to Visit Jacksonville, a poll of hotels in Duval, Nassau, Clay and St. Johns counties indicates a 96 percent occupancy rate with 30,411 room nights booked compared to 15,389 for last year’s Virginia/Texas Tech game.
• Longtime Chief Assistant State Attorney Jay Plotkin said he’s still deciding what’s next professionally. Plotkin said he has had “two to three ongoing conversations” with area firms, but has actually spent much of the past two months helping what he calls “displaced” state attorneys find jobs. State Attorney-elect Angela Corey starts next week.
• Tracy Sadeghian of Media Masters is on an interesting trip over the holidays. She left Friday for Vietnam and Cambodia.
• There are a couple of new yoga studios at the beach. Ocean Yoga just opened in Atlantic Beach on Pine Street just off Atlantic Boulevard. It’s on the top floor of a brand new building and there’s a health food cafe on the first floor. Also, classes start Jan. 12 at MBody Yoga inside Cobalt Moon on First Street in Neptune Beach.
• Jacksonville Bar Association President Joe Camerlengo has filed a notice of claim against the City and a few State agencies. Camerlengo represents Thomas and Kellie Rowe who were injured in a Dec. 22, 2005 wreck at the intersection of 9-A and JTB while the area was under construction. The notice doesn’t specify monetary damages.
• The Twisted Martini in Ponte Vedra Beach will be open for New Year’s Eve. Prices range from $35 per person for general admission to the $750 “Platinum VIP Package” for four guests. For details and reservations, call 230-8071 or 353-8037.
• The Friday Musicale is kicking off 2009 with a couple of concerts. Friday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. soprano Rebecca Holbrook-Loar and pianist Denise Wright will perform a classical program. Jan. 16, also at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., soprano Cara Tasher will join pianist Laurent Boukobza for a selection of music by Berlioz, Debussy and others. Both concerts are free to the public and will be held at the Friday Musicale Concert Hall at 645 Oak St. For details, call 355-7584.
• The 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast is Jan. 9 at 7 a.m. at the Osborn Center. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. Tickets are $20 per person. The event is sponsored by the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Jacksonville Urban League, the NAACP Jacksonville Branch and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. For tickets or information, call 366-6656.
• The First Coast Freethought Society, “serving the nonreligious of Northeast Florida,” will meet Jan. 19 at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 7405 Arlington Expressway. Earl Coggins, president and founder of the group, will present “Positive Atheism: The Merits of Disbelief.” For information call 288-6291 or visit www. firstcoastfreethoughtsociety.org.