• Check out a Q&A with the candidates for Public Defender in this issue.
• The location for the Nov. 15 charrette to help guide future improvements at Metroplitan Park has been moved. It will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the training room at the Ed Ball Building near the entrance on Adams Street between Hogan and Julia streets. To participate, call 356-2846 or e-mail: [email protected].
• The Young Lawyers Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association will host a judicial breakfast in Chief Circuit Court Judge Donald Moran’s chambers on Oct. 29 at 8 a.m. in the Duval County Courthouse.
• The law firm of Reznicsek, Fraser, Hastings, White & Shaffer recently completed construction on its new building in Ponte Vedra and will host a grand opening next Thursday to show it off to friends, colleagues and clients. Partner Brett Hastings said the firm will treat the event like a pre Georgia-Florida party.
• You may recognize the name of the Florida Coastal School of Law’s new events coordinator. It’s Donna Bailey, wife of Daily Record Publisher Jim Bailey.
• Attorney Tracy Miller has moved her office. The Law Offices of Tracy Tyson Miller is at 2118 Park St. in Riverside.
• Remember Kirk Wendland, the former executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission? He’s now the project manager for the Shipyards which is being developed by LandMar Group.
• Attorney Henry Bachara is the moderator at a big seminar set for Dec. 11 at the Ramada Mandarin Conference Center. The seminar is called “Public Contracts and Procurement Regulations in Florida” and is designed for attorneys as well as purchasing agents and city officials and a host of others. Bachara is the brother of JSO member Mark Bachara, who is often seen with Mayor John Peyton and often drives Peyton around town.
• U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s staff will hold office hours Oct. 29 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Baldwin Town Hall at 10 U.S. 90 West. Those unable to attend may contact Nelson by mail : 1301 Riverplace Blvd. Suite 2218, Jacksonville, 32207, by phone: 346-4500 or on-line: http://billnelson.senate.gov.
• As anticipated, the new Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Northside “Project House-Hold” office has generated many inquiries. The office is located in the heart of a five zip-code region hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis. “It’s been pretty hectic,” said Allison Albert, one of the two JALA attorneys who works at the office, “but we’ve been able to help a few people.” Albert said over 100 phone calls have come in since the grand opening Oct. 16, with 90 of them being in the targeted region. They’ve already had 23 interviews with distressed homeowners, another 20-plus scheduled and are approaching litigation in two cases already, said Albert.
• A new feature has been added to the City Council Web page. Interested parties may now view openings for citizen board and commission appointments by clicking “City Council Appointments” in the bottom of the blue bar on the left side of the main page. The direct link is http://www.coj.net/City+Council/City+Council+Appointments.htm. The Web page lists current appointment openings and provides a link to the appointment application.
• Looks like Riverside Arts Market is gearing up for business. It’s tentatively set to open March 14, 2009. Riverside Avondale Preservation, Inc. (RAP) has contributed to the hype by helping put on a contest for artists to design a logo for the market that will be stationed underneath the Fuller Warren Bridge structure. The winner will receive a free booth at the market for a month. The deadline is Nov. 12 and submissions should be sent to Doug Coleman at [email protected].
• The numbers are in for the first week of early voting. As of Sunday afternnon, 19.4 percent of Duval County’s 526,588 registered voters had cast their ballot – 70,993 at Early Voting sites and 32,865 by absentee ballot.