• Because of festivities for Saturday’s game, only pedestrian traffic will be allowed in the street and area in front of the Jacksonville Landing. Detours await those riding the Bay Street, Inbound Westside, Southside, Riverside Trolleys and the Laura Street Trolley. For more information, visit Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Website at www.jtafla.com.
• Gov. Charlie Crist has recognized Joan Hecht from Jacksonville as this week’s “Point of Light” for her volunteer work to help refugees known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan” relocate to Florida. Hecht has worked since 2004 to aid the refugees and has been chosen as one of eight American and South Sudanese delegates from the United States to travel to Sudan next year on a fact-finding and information-sharing mission.
• Effective tomorrow incremental parking rates at Jacksonville International Airport will go up in the hourly garage, daily garage and daily surface lot. Charges will increase from $1.50 for 30 minutes ($3 per hour) to $1.50 for 20 minutes ($4.50 per hour).
• Wait until 8: Out of respect for people who will still be voting in Florida, Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland has joined his counterparts in Clay and Nassau counties to announce that no local election returns will be released until after 8 p.m. on Tuesday. All three supervisors believe local voters may still be in line when the polls close at 7 p.m. and the polls in western counties in Florida on Central Standard Time will not close until it’s 8 p.m. on the East Coast.
• Crunch time is coming for the Gator Bowl Association and chairman Brian Goin. The Gator Bowl Committee will meet Thursday at the Hyatt at 5 p.m. in likely the next-to-last meeting before it selects the two teams for the New Year’s Day game.
• It’s not every day you get invited to the birthday party of an emperor but that’s exactly what landed on Mayor John Peyton’s desk this week. He’s been asked to attend the birthday party for the emperor of Japan on behalf of the Consul General of Japan Horishi Yamaguchi. It’s next month in Miami.