• Two new Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office initiatives have been given the OK by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Criminal Justice Grants. The electronic crash and citations reporting system and the inmate bar code photo ID system are both closer to being implemented.
• The Main Library will open its classic movie schedule for 2010 Jan. 14 with a showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” The movie starts at 5:45 p.m. in the Hicks Auditorium.
• Speaking of the library, a free investment education series called “How Can I Afford Retirement” starts Jan. 19 and runs through Feb. 16. Each session in the five-part series starts at 6 p.m.
• According to a list compiled by the Business Journal of area events this year, the top two in attendance were the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair (437,460) and the Sea & Sky Spectacular (400,000) out at the Beach. The Fair ran for 12 days while the Sea & Sky Spectacular was a two-day event.
• The ARC Jacksonville is holding its fourth annual A.R.T. (Artistic Realization Technologies) Exhibition Jan. 21 at the Gallery Framery on Hendricks Avenue. This year’s host committee includes former Mayor and current University of North Florida President John Delaney, Preston Haskell, Steve Halverson, Marty Lanahan of Regions Bank and several others.
• It was only last weekend that the Riverside Arts Market closed a successful first season, but if you are in need of something to fill that void, why not try some FRAM? The Farmers edition of the Riverside Arts Market will debut Jan. 9 from 9 a.m.-noon.
• Scott Coble, North Florida regional president for Wachovia, says his company — and its employees — made a significant contribution to the local nonprofit community in 2009. Through the company’s philanthropic budget, $1 million was given to 140 nonprofits, employees collected 85,000 pounds of food for area food banks and individual employee contributions reached the $50,000 mark.
• The law firm of Green & Poore has opened an office in Jacksonville. Founders Paul Green and Tiffany Poore focus their practice on family law and criminal defense. Both are graduates of Florida Coastal School of Law.
• Become a member of the Friends of the Florida Theatre program or renew your current membership before 5 p.m. tomorrow and purchase a brick paver for half price. An 8-inch by 4-inch brick paver starts at $150, but with this offer, they can be purchased for $75 including one line of engraved text which will become a permanent part of the “Sidewalk of Fame.” Call 355-2787 for additional pricing and size details.
• Young Jax Promotions is hosting a networking event for young professionals Jan. 14 from 6-10 p.m. at Village Bread Cafe at the Landing. Admission is $5, attire is business casual. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
• More than 1.5 million calls were handled in fiscal year 2009 by Florida’s Relay Service which provides hearing and speech impaired citizens critical access to basic telecommunications services. Florida is the nation’s fourth-largest state but ranks second in the percentage of residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, and speech impaired, with nearly three million citizens affected. The FRS system, established in 1991, provides equitable telecommunications access for eligible citizens who can use the system to place a call anytime. The report also shows that 17,170 new speech and/or hearing impaired individuals were served and 36,044 pieces of specialized telecommunications equipment were distributed in FY 2009.