• City and port representatives said this morning it was too soon to know how the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan and the tsunami it created might affect commerce in Northeast Florida. City and business leaders were waiting this morning to see how Hawaii and the U.S. western coast would be affected by the tsunami expected after the massive earthquake struck.
• Duval County’s unemployment rate rose to a seasonally adjusted rate of 11.3 percent in January from 10.66 percent in December, not uncommon because the holiday jobs ended. But the January rate is down from 12.07 percent in January 2010. The state reported rates Thursday that were adjusted by the University of North Florida Local Economic Indicator project.
• The county’s labor force also dropped from December to January, with fewer people employed and more people unemployed. But from January 2010 to January 2011, the labor force rose, with more people employed and fewer unemployed.
• UNF economics professor Paul Mason, director of LEIP, said it appears that this year, more than in other years, the laid-off Christmas workers left the labor force without seeking additional jobs. Still, there were more people looking for jobs, and more people with jobs, this January compared with last year.
• If you’re at the beach today, you’re invited to a free skin-cancer screening from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Jacksonville Beach pier. It’s sponsored by The Skin Cancer Foundation, which brings a customized 38-foot RV for the screenings. First come, first served.
• Time change this weekend. Daylight saving time starts Sunday at 2 a.m.
• Also on Sunday, Alhambra Theatre & Dining will celebrate its current show, “Hairspray,” by hosting a hair donation event for Locks of Love from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It invites the community to donate hair, which will be cut and collected by local hairstylists, then sent to Locks of Love to be turned into wigs for ill children. The Alhambra also will donate 5 percent of the day’s ticket sales from both performances of Hairspray.
• Another award from NAIOP. The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission presented the Klechak Award to Mike Harrell of CB Richard Ellis.
• Steve and Anne Pajcic donated $50,000 to the Sulzbacher Center to allow it to continue to serve lunch to the public every day. The Sulzbacher Center will continue to work with other Downtown shelters, including the Clara White Mission and The Salvation Army, on the public meal schedule. Starting March 14 for a 60-day trial period, the Clara White Mission will serve breakfast to the public at 8:30 a.m., the Sulzbacher Center will serve lunch and dinner at noon and 6:30 p.m., respectively, and the Salvation Army will serve dinner to the public at 6:20 p.m.
• The University Club and WJXT Channel 4 will host a live televised mayoral debate 8-9 p.m. March 14. The University Club said in a news release that all six candidates on the ballot will participate. Each will have a minute for an opening statement and then will field questions from Channel 4 anchor Tom Wills, the moderator. The debate is open only to University Club members. Media are invited but are asked to reserve spots.
• The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is hosting a plein aire painting workshop with artist Ellen Diamond from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 19. Cost is $80 for members, $95 for nonmembers, including lunch. The workshop is part of the Cummer’s annual Garden Week. For more information or to register for the workshop, call 355-0630.
• “Downtown In-depth” continues with “Part 2: Governance,” the topic for an Urban Land Institute and Downtown Vision Inc. program March 31 at River City Brewing Co. Networking is 5-6 p.m. and the program is 6-7:30 p.m. Speakers are Ed Burr of GreenPointe Holdings and Jim Cloar of the International Downtown Association. Registration is $25. For information, visit www.NorthFlorida.ULI.org.
• Bill Holsinger-Robinson, executive director of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Mich., is the keynote speaker at the 35th Annual Arts Awards at noon April 12 on the stage of the Moran Theater at the Times-Union Center. He is president of Pomegranate Studios, a business incubator focusing on web-enabled businesses and social entrepreneurship. Tickets are $55. For reservations, visit www.culturalcouncil.org.
• The Jacksonville Public Library presents JPL on the Homefront, a series of financial workshops geared toward active and retired military personnel and their families. It includes three modules, which can be attended as a series or individually. The first module is March 22 and March 24. Registration is recommended, but not required. For more information, visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
• Two Jacksonville businessmen are on the panel to judge the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. Charlie Appleby, chair and CEO of Advanced Disposal Services, and John Byers, president, CEO and director of FPIC Insurance Group Inc.