• Mayor John Peyton is back in the office after 10 days abroad. He went to China as part of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Trip then spent three days in Japan.
• The Landing will host its first-ever Easter sunrise service Sunday at 7 a.m. Following the non-denominational observance in the courtyard, Mongo’s Flat Hot Grill will open its doors at 10 a.m. for the annual “Bunny Brunch” with a guest appearance by the Easter Bunny.
• If you’d like to help out at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival (April 11-13 at Metropolitan Park), the St. Johns River City Band is looking for volunteers to staff beverage concessions. Opening and closing shifts are available Saturday and Sunday and volunteers receive free parking and admission to the festival. To join the effort, call Jim Mace at 535-1122 or e-mail: [email protected].
• The Schultz Center for Teaching & Leadership is holding a big press conference Monday but the subject is a secret. The invite only says “a major announcement that promises a brighter future for Jacksonville.”
• PACE Center for Girls has notified the City it’s laying off a couple of employees from its Adams Street office due to “sudden and unexpected loss of business revenue.” The layoffs are effective March 31 and are permanent.
• Regency Centers’ employee Bettie Lodge was recently recognized during the 2008 TELEMachus Awards, winning an Exemplary Volunteer Mentor award for her volunteering efforts at John E. Ford YMCA Outreach the past two years. The TELEMachus Awards recognize the efforts and contributions of mentors, programs, corporations and community organizations dedicated to the advancement of mentoring in Northeast Florida.
• According to Lt. Jamie Bevan of the Division of Law Enforcement of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, the number of boating under the influence offenses are at about five a month these days. Bevan said the number is actually pretty low and the rising gas price is one of the main reasons. Seems nearly $4 a gallon gas keeps the casual, beer-drinking boater at home.
• The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission has released its 2007 annual report. According to the report, JEDC-facilitated projects under the new public investment policy created more than 500 jobs and retained almost 850. Also, $501 million in private capital investment resulted in more than $22.1 million in annual payroll.
“Governing today means giving acceptable signs of credibility. It is like advertising and it is the same effect that is achieved—commitment to a scenario.”
– Jean Baudrillard, French semiologist