Jacksonville, FL

The scoop on the tickets

Tickets for the Jacksonville Jaguars preseason game August 18 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go on sale Sat. July 28 at 9 a.m. Fans may purchase tickets online at the official Jaguars site, or by calling 904-633-2000 (extension 3). By going to the stadium ticket office, located in the North End of the stadium, on Saturday, July 28, from nine a.m. until noon. This will coincide with the Jaguars’ first day of training camp.

The Jacksonville Municipal Stadium ticket office, located next to the West Crown Royal Touchdown Club, is open Monday-Friday from nine a.m. until five p.m.

Single-game ticket prices for the 2007 season are as follows: $42, $52, $57, $70 and $95. Crown Royal Touchdown Club seats are also available upon request. Single-game tickets for regular-season games will go on sale on Saturday, Aug. 18, at nine a.m., based on availability.

Season ticket and group tickets for parties of 10 or more are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling 904-633-2000 or 1-877-4-JAGS-TIX. (Photo of Coach Jack Del Rio is from official Jaguars press room.)

Tips for fans

The first preseason game I attended in Jacksonville taught me a few things. Here are some tips to maximize your fun:
~Dress for the heat.
~Leave early. Traffic is heavy.
~Avoid alcohol (I know it’s breaking your heart, but it’s all about the heat.)
~If you tailgate, prepare light foods that have a low spoilage index.
~Hydrate before, during and after the game (water not alcohol).

Michael Austin Davis of Jacksonville, Fla., has been missing since June 25. I promised to keep this story in the public eye in hopes someone will come forward with information. To learn more, visit these links:

Our About Jacksonville FL column July 11.

Michael Austin Davis pages at MySpace.

Web site about Michael Austin Davis at iticomputers.com.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Jacksonville Jaguars, Preseason NFL games, Football Fans, Tailgating, Tickets NFL games, Tickets Jaguars, Michael Austin Davis missing

Young professionals may rely on a cell phone as a primary phone.

If you don’t have the NOAA Weather radio receiver or scanner, you do what I did once when a late night tornado warning was issued. You stay up. But now that the Duval County Emergency Operations Center has implemented a telephone emergency notification system, I can go to bed. The system is capable of automatically contacting residents in the event of a potential or pending emergency. Local officials now have the ability to deliver a pre-recorded message to residents in targeted areas of the city, or to the entire county, if necessary, at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.

There’s an added advantage to this new system. It’s common for the under-forty crowd to use a cell phone as a primary number. This money-saving option traditionally would keep a cell phone number off an emergency notification list. There’s good news for these residents, and for business owners and those with unpublished numbers. (more…)

I was on my way to St. Augustine this morning on a magazine assignment when a tornado warning was issued. It was just after 9 a.m. The warning was for the Mayport area, but hearing it made me think.

What do you do if you’re in a car and there’s a warning for your own area?

As soon as I returned to the office, I checked out the FEMA site for some ideas. “Get out immediately,” FEMA advises, “and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.”

However if you’re on the stretch of US Highway 1 I was driving on, there aren’t a lot of public places to seek shelter. So here’s what I’m supposed to do if I don’t see a sturdy structure:

Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

I can just imagine parking my car on the highway and heading for the nearest ditch. Talk about a dilemma.

We’ve lived through a number of tornado watches here in Jacksonville as well as in my previous home state of South Carolina. We’ve survived two major hurricanes. But of all the inclement weather we can face, the tornado is most frightening.

We have a small interior room here at the house—soon to become my new office—that serves as our safe room. We’ve only fled there once in the years we’ve lived here. But I keep a quilt handy. My grandmother stitched it years ago, and it weighs at least 10 lbs. dry. I figure we can cover up with that sturdy material if it looks like our house is going to fly apart.

But to be honest, after seeing the damage a tornado did to my mom’s property years ago in South Carolina, I don’t think there’s any place you’re truly safe from a tornado. I recall seeing her sturdy storage building reduced to a pile of matchstick-sized debris.

Some more FEMA advice echoes in my brain—Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries. Not a very comforting thought.

Luckily, there haven’t been reports of any injuries from the morning storms we had today. But we’re early into hurricane season and inclement weather is bound to come our way at some point. On the way home this morning after my interview, it was raining so hard I could barely see to drive.

My next project: do additional research on hurricane preparedness. Jax is long overdue for a hit in my opinion.

RELATED LINKS

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/tornado/to_during.shtm
FEMA advice on what to do during a tornado.

http://www.floridadisaster.org/citizen_emergency_info.htm
http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/Update/Home.asp
Emergency preparedness from Florida Disaster, Division of Emergency Management.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Severe Florida Weather, Emergency Preparedness, Tornado, Hurricane, Weather Warnings Florida

Safe Haven seeks to protect unwanted babies

The heat index in Jacksonville on Thursday topped 100 degrees—not a good day for anyone to be outside for long without water or shade. A resident of Beachwood Apartments on the Southside decided to take her trash out. What she found in the dumpster will likely be a memory she’ll carry for the rest of her life. Inside a pillowcase, along with the garbage, the female resident found a newborn baby girl. The fact the child was alive is a miracle.
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Many homes in Jacksonville have backyard pools. They provide great fun, but they bring great risks as well.

I had a heart-stopping moment a few days ago. My daughter who is 17 years old was swimming with a friend. I was working on a story—my office windows provide a great view of the pool. Suddenly I heard the unmistakable sound of someone choking.
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Donna Jou (bottom) was last seen in Los Angeles, leaving with Jacksonville native John Steven Burgess(top) on his motorcyle June 23 at 5:30 p.m.

John Steven Burgess was the last person seen with 19-year-old college student Donna Jou of Los Angeles. According to the Orange County (Calif.) Register, Burgess, who also uses the alias Sinjin Stevens, grew up in Jacksonville, Fla.
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What do enlightened singles do for entertainment in Jacksonville? Follow these recommendations for nightlife from two of Jacksonville’s finest.

One thing about Jax. We have some of the prettiest, smartest women on the planet. So I searched for two young professionals to deliver up confessionals about places they like to go for stellar entertainment. I also asked them if they’ve ever come across a celebrity at a Jacksonville club.

Haley Blount and Tara Allison Newton responded to my requests—both women are friends of my daughter Jen. Haley works in the education field; Tara works in criminal justice.

Haley likes to dance and sing. She says, “After much debate (over wine and cheese, of course), this was the conclusion I came to—although there are numerous “hot spots” around Jacksonville that I seem to enjoy (i.e., The Bricks at the beach is always a good time; Dueling Pianos off Southside always makes me sing and dance my heart out; and Aromas is a great place to chat over wine), the one place that I have consistently been and had a magnificent time is the Mark Bar, which is downtown. Always a great, diverse crowd, bartenders are quick to take your order, and the music always encourages me to dance like a rock star!”

Tara, shown here with her boyfriend Orlando Garcia, opts for the beaches. She says, “One of my favorite places to go is the Atlantic. It’s a club right off First street (I am sure you have heard of it). A lot of people do not like that place, but I always went there on Thursday night, ‘Ladies Night’, for free drinks. They always played “booty music” which I love to dance to. Occasionally they would play 80s music and even if you didn’t like either of those, they play either 80s but mostly reggae in the bar next door; they are connected. They also have an outdoor bar for the nice nights and it is right on the beach so you can look over onto the ocean. I don’t think I have ever seen a celebrity, but some unknown rapper was trying to get his name out and had his whole crew on a big tour bus handing out demo tapes. He invited me and a couple of my friends onto the tour bus, then tried to take us back to his hotel room…we got off quickly after that!! Funny story. I think that is as close to a celeb as I’ve come to.”

So there are your recommendations from a couple of Jacksonville’s liveliest, loveliest smarties.

Coming up for 80s fans, classic rockers Poison will be in the River City for a concert September 2 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

For additional information about Jacksonville nightlife, visit JaxBars on the Web.

Enjoy your weekend, be wise, and be safe!

(Photos courtesy of Haley Blount and Tara Allison Newton)

Community Alert: The family of Michael Austin Davis is still hoping his disappearance will have a positive outcome. A tip was received from a person reporting a possible sighting in Gainesville, Fla. If you have friends or relatives in the Gainesville area, please make them aware this young man was last seen in his home city of Jacksonville on June 25. For full details and contact information, read our July 11 column, ‘Vanished without a trace.’

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Nightlife, Singles, Clubs, Dancing, Bars, Poison, Concert, Memorial Arena, Jacksonville Entertainment, Missing Persons

According to pages at MySpace, Davis is missing without a trace. He left behind his bookbag, laptop and a blank check from his dad. Davis called his employer on the morning of Tuesday, June 26th. He said someone would be taking him for a ride to get his [driver’s] license squared away.

Ed. Note: For administrative purposes, I am inserting Technorati Profile.

To read the rest of the story about Davis, click the link below.

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