• New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan met with reporters Friday at EverBank Field.
• Duval County’s unemployment rate rose to 10.38 percent in November from 10.26 percent in October, according to state numbers seasonally adjusted by Paul Mason, director of the Leading Economic Indicator Project at the University of North Florida. The rate is down from 12.58 percent in November 2010. Mason suspects that the seasonal holiday hiring in Duval County in November was not as strong this year.
• Also, state numbers show that the Duval County labor force dropped to 444,288 in November from 446,759 in October and 448,132 in November 2010. The total number of employed people fell slightly to 400,290 in November from 401,845 in October, but rose from 395,089 in November 2010. The number of people unemployed fell to 43,998 in November from 44,914 in October and 53,043 from the year before.
• Fourth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk announces that a Veterans Treatment Court is forming in Duval County. The court is designed to assist in the adjudication of criminal charges facing former service men and women who have been accused of acting unlawfully due to service-related impairments, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. He seeks “veteran mentors” to work with court participants. For information, contact John Holzbaur at 255-4886 or [email protected].