• Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena may be one of the host sites for first and second round games of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March, but tickets aren’t available at the Arena box office. Basketball fans can go to www.ncaa.com to order tickets.
• Cruisers Grill recently opened a new location in the Lakewood area, but fans will have one less option to go to now since the Ponte Vedra location recently shut its doors. The locations in Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine remain unchanged.
• For those readers who filled out a St. Johns River survey for The Trust For Public Land and are curious on the results, you’ll know soon. According to officials of the organization dedicated to conservation, the results should be finalized and ready to announce in late January or early February.
• Look for former City Council member Art Graham to get back into the political arena. He plans to run for mayor of Jacksonville Beach where current Mayor Fland Sharp is term-limited. Graham lost in September in a bid for a State Senate seat.
• Florida State College at Jacksonville will graduate its first class of 19 students who have earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. They will take the Nightingale Pledge of faith and loyalty during a 7 p.m. ceremony at the school’s North Campus.
• There are few other more exhilarating ways to welcome the new year than the annual Wave Masters Annual Polar Plunge. Participants line up on the beach just beyond the Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach before running into the surf at 9 a.m. Jan. 1. Participants must completely submerge themselves in order to complete the task.
• Training time is ticking away for participants in the annual Climb Jacksonville race to benefit the American Lung Association. The event is scheduled for Feb. 6 and participants scale all 42 floors of the Bank of America Tower, the tallest building in Jacksonville. One of the requirements for entry is fundraising of at least $100 and entry fee is $25. Use www.climbjacksonville.com to get to the event Web site.