• Fans of the Georgia-Florida game can build their memorabilia collections by visiting the City of Jacksonville’s Web site. The banners that have hung from light posts throughout Downtown during the annual SEC battle are for sale. Banners from 2001-1996 are available.
• Circuit Court Judge-elect Jim Daniel is now officially on his own. The law firm formerly known as Coker, Schickel, Sorenson and Daniel has invested in new stationary and business cards that display the name Coker, Schickel, Sorenson and Posgay. The sign reflects Matthew Posgay being promoted to partner.
• City Council members Art Graham and Kevin Hyde met this morning to discuss the Beaches Trolley Task Force. The JTA-operated trolley ran up and down Third Street all summer and proved popular. However, it was costly and Graham — whose district includes the beach — is looking for funding sources to keep the service running.
• Speaking of the beach, the Boston Market in south Jacksonville Beach near the Target is long gone and there’s a brand new McDonald’s being built.
• United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Robert O’Neill, recently informed Mayor John Peyton the City has been awarded a grant worth just under $750,000 as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Grant to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement Protection Orders. The program helps implement certain provisions of the Violence Against Women Act. According to O’Neill, the City will work with Hubbard House, the Fourth Judicial Circuit, the State Attorney’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to create a dedicated domestic violence court.
• The World Congress on Disabilities Expo will take place Nov. 21-22. Over the past eight years, the expo has had an average of 4,000 attendees with more expected this year. Additionally, the WCD Expo might be getting a permanent home in Jacksonville. The decision depends on the number of attendees and the support of local and state organizations among other groups of interest.
• Florida’s First District Court of Appeals(DCA) will hold court at Florida Coastal School of Law on Nov. 18-19. Four cases are scheduled for Nov. 18 and three Nov. 19. The jurisdiction of the First DCA includes: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington Counties.
• Seventy-five Duval County Public Schools are celebrating after being granted the Southeast Rebuilding Collaborative ‘Met the Challenge’ Award. The award recognizes the schools’ commitments to saving energy. The awarded schools improved their energy usage average 20 percent while local schools involved with the program have saved $7.65 million in its three year existence. Overall, Duval County Pulic Schools improved 17 percent on average.
• The Jacksonville Port Authority will host the opening of a new environmental exhibit based on the river next month. It will open Nov. 18 at the cruise terminal.
• The Main Library continues its “Baby Boomers” movies series Oct. 24 with one of the all-time great horror flicks. They’ll show “The Exorcist” at 5:45 p.m.
• The Southside Men’s Business Club will host “Marketing Drive 2009” Oct. 23 from 10 a.m– 2 p.m. at the WJCT Studios in Downtown . Expect product displays and demonstrations, education sessions and according to promotional items, “lots of great ideas to help you get 2009 off to a fast start.”