I’m optimistically allowing 2 days to purge paperwork, cull through books and choose what’ll go to charity and what I’ll keep, and go through the hundreds of small slips of paper I seem to always write my passwords on.

I’ll return to regale you with tales of the move (and other things too) on Wednesday, August 1.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Home Office, Getting Organized, Clutter, Books, Jacksonville Writer, Publish, Florida Writer

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

The book is a collection of Hansen’s personal experiences as a single parent, and is an offering to the families who are currently navigating a divorce or separation. The work has already received advance praise from Dr. David Brooks. “Excellent!” he said. “This is a must read book for everyone who is going through a divorce or for those counseling divorcing couples.”

Hansen’s experience isn’t confined to being a single parent. A veteran teacher, she worked with teenagers for fifteen years, and most recently has trained teachers, administrators, and parents on the importance of positive role modeling in raising children of character. She founded JDC Educational Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm that focuses on parent workshops and providing support to school systems in the implementation of character education.

Hansen is also a veteran county court mediator and journalist. Her regular column, “Building Kids of Character,” appears monthly in First Coast Parent Magazine as well as on the Web. She has also written articles for Women’s Digest and Kids ‘n Sports, and she provides a monthly column on divorced parenting to attorneys. She is currently under contract with Young People’s Press in San Diego, California to write a literature-based character education curriculum for middle school students.

Hansen will launch ‘Broken Strings: Wisdom for Divorced and Separated Families” in Jacksonville at Truffles Coffee House, 11362 San Jose Blvd., on Saturday, August 11, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The author will sign books and talk to guests. Music by Dot Wilder will be featured. The public is invited.

“This event is to thank all the people who made this book possible,” Hansen says, “and to introduce it to the public.”

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Divorce, Separation, Single parent, Divorced Parenting, Character Education

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.

An important feature of the new system, which is called CodeRED, is the ability to add business, cellular phone and unlisted telephone numbers to the calling database. Previous systems would only provide notification to those residents with phone numbers that were listed in the phone book.

“The CodeRED system will prove invaluable in the event that the city needs to quickly notify residents of a pending or potential emergency. This includes sending messages about evacuation orders, hazardous material spills or Amber Alerts,” said Lorin Mock, chief of the county’s emergency preparedness division.

While the system is preloaded with listed residential phone numbers, Mock emphasized that no one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included in this listing. All business owners who wish to have their business added to the list need to register their phone numbers. In addition, anyone who has an unlisted phone number, has changed their phone number or address within the last year, or uses a cellular phone as their primary phone is encouraged to add their information to the call list.

Phone numbers can be added to the emergency notification call list by completing an update form at the City of Jacksonville Web site, www.coj.net (see direct link below). Those without internet access may call 630-CITY (Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) to have their phone numbers added to the list.

To register, residents must provide their first and last name, street address (no P.O. boxes), city, state and zip code. This information is necessary as the CodeRed system is a geographical-based notification program, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation. All information provided will only be used for emergency notification purposes.

The City of Jacksonville contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., to provide this service after the contract with the previous service provider expired. The annual cost for the emergency notification system is approximately $100,000 and was funded completely by grants.

Questions regarding the notification system should be directed to the Emergency Preparedness Division at 630-2472. (by Kay Day based on text of city news release at City of Jacksonville Web site)

RECOMMENDED LINK
https://login.coderedweb.com/codereddataentry/index.cfm?GroupId=1327
Code Red Residential Data Collection Form at the Emergency Communications Network Code Red Update page. Register your unlisted number, your cell phone number or business number here.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Code RED Jacksonville FL, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Notification, City of Jacksonville emergency notification, Severe Weather, Hazardous Material Spills, Amber Alerts

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

All manuscripts have been returned from the acquisition editors who ranked the finalists. Names of the winners have been a closely-held secret for the past month. DiGenti says, “Contest Chair Terri Ridgell has refused to tell even me, saying she’s keeping the names frozen in a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Berried Treasure ice cream.”

Light snacks and drinks will be served. DiGenti invites you to come and cheer on your favorite writer or just be there for the party. Finalists are:

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
Jean Osborn
David Pereda
Mary Kilgore
FICTION-GENERAL
Bill Barbour
John Holley
Leonard Emmel
YOUNG ADULT
Karen Harvey
Gertie Poole
Suki Litchfield
Bill Dougherty

DiGenti says finalists may bring family and friends and “pose for the paparazzi on the red carpet” before the awards ceremonies if they wish. First Place winners should also be prepared to make a brief “Thank you” speech.

DiGenti credits Terri Ridgell and all of the preliminary judges for making this first contest such a success. He says a special thank you goes to the three acquisition editors — Barbara Moore/Midnight Ink, Julie Doughty/Penguin Group and Andrew Karre/Flux.

RELATED LINKS

Visit FWA Ponte Vedra group on the Web: http://www.fwapontevedra.blogspot.com/

Visit FWA state organization on the Web: http://www.floridawriters.net/dnn/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Lighthouse Book Awards celebration, Florida Writers Association, NE Florida Writers Association, writing contests, writers’ groups

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.

The individual who literally threw a child away, a baby whose birth was so recent her umbilical cord was still attached, had other options. Florida’s Infant Safe Haven laws permit a parent to legally leave a child at a hospital, an emergency medical station or a fire station. As long as the child has not been harmed, the parent will not be prosecuted.

According to media, ‘Baby Jane Doe’ is in good condition at a Jacksonville hospital. The person who tossed a baby out like an empty milk carton could be charged with child endangerment.

I don’t know if angels really exist, but I think they do. There had to be one sending a woman to take out her trash, and to save that baby.

Hopefully, a loving family will adopt this child who came into this world unwanted, saved by a kind stranger who did something as routine as taking the garbage out.

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.cbs47.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e849aac9-9bdb-4835-b176-1fe922db4215
Story about baby girl abandoned in dumpster in Jacksonville’s Southside; CBS47 TV.

http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/index.cfm?event=stateStatutes.processSearch
State of Florida Safe Haven Statute details at Child Welfare Information Gateway, service of the U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services.

One of the blessings of being a writer comes when you know you helped someone. Jim Davis, father of Michael Austin Davis, left this message as a comment related to the original story we did when Michael Davis vanished from Jacksonville June 25. Jim Davis asked me to post his message, and I’m including it here. I hope readers will help keep Michael Davis’s story alive, and if anyone has information, please contact the parties listed on the flier at the original story. The Gainesville area is of strong interest, so please help get the word out to those you know in that city. I did a light edit, but no content was changed.

Kay,
Thanks for all you have done to help us find Austin. Please consider posting the following “Thank You”.

Austin’s friends and family are continuously amazed at the wonderful and warm support we have received in our desperate search to find Austin. This experience, as horrific as it is, has served as a reminder of all the good and caring people in our community and for that matter, throughout the country.

Our most recent lead has centered our search in the Gainesville area and Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and Commissioner Richard Bryant have taken personal interest in our search for Austin. As a result, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has joined with JSO in the search. We are greatly [indebted] to Alachua County and the City of Gainesville for their help.

Detective Cummings of JSO has worked diligently in his efforts to locate Austin and has not left a stone unturned. We feel certain that his efforts will bring Austin home to us soon. Detective McKinnon is working side by side with Det. Cummings and both are working state-wide and with Georgia Law Enforcement Agencies in their efforts. My sincere thanks is extended to both of these good men.

We have received considerable help from the media in Jacksonville, Lake City and Gainesville. This includes numerous newspaper articles, radio announcements, TV spots and website links to Austin’s Website now under construction (WWW.FindAustinDavis.com).

We are especially appreciative of the efforts of Mr. Lamar Thames and MyClay Today for assisting in notifying the public and Lamar’s personal words of encouragement. We are also grateful to each of our local TV stations who aired the story a couple of weeks ago and also www.about-jacksonville.com.

As an employee of Commander, Navy Region Southeast, I owe a debt of gratitude to all my co-workers and bosses for their understanding and tolerance during this difficult time, especially Mr. Bruce Toth, CAPT Cuny and our Chief of Staff, CAPT Schellhorn. Monica and I are both grateful to her staff at Wellington Place Apartments and her bosses for their support and understanding during this family crisis.

A special thank you goes to our friends and neighbors who stepped up in our crisis and provided emotional and spiritual support and their love. With their help, thousands of flyers have been posted throughout NE Florida and South Georgia. Without these good friends, our desperation would be overwhelming.

I greatly appreciate Austin’s Mom, Christy, and the dedication with which she has pursued our son’s recovery, including changing her residence to be close during the search. Thanks to our friend, Debbie Wynn, for helping Christy through this. Hold tight, Christy, God is in control.

I not only appreciate but find great pride in my daughter, Anita, for her endless efforts to locate her brother. She continues to work in a demanding job and keep her household running for her husband, Mike and our Grandson, Drew, while dedicating hours every day to our search. I am proud of you, Anita. Keep up the hard work and the faith.
Thanks to Austin’s employer (Mega Bytes Computers) and his friends (especially Dick and Kelly) who have worked diligently over the past few weeks to locate Austin. I have met friends of my son through this experience that give me comfort and realize the treasure he possesses. Thanks to all of you.

Above all others, I thank my wife and friend, Monica, for her love, support and hard work in keeping me in check and focused on the things that matter. I love you and appreciate you.

Most of all, I thank my heavenly Father for keeping Austin safe and bringing him back to us soon.

Austin’s father,
Jim Davis

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.FindAustinDavis.com
Official site with information about Michael Austin Davis, missing from Jacksonville, FL since June 25, 2007.

http://www.about-jacksonvillefl.com/vanished-without-a-trace-michael-austin-davis/#comments
Original story about Michael Austin Davis published at About Jacksonville FL July 11.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Safe Haven, Abandoned Baby, Adoption, Find Austin Davis, Vanished without a Trace

Yellowcard was formed in Jacksonville. The band has sold more than 3 million albums.

Van’s Warped Tour 2007 comes to Jacksonville today, with dozens of bands playing at Reynolds Park Yacht Center, 1063 Bulkhead Road, in Green Cove Springs. Fans are itching to hear the music crank up; there are many comments at the official Web site.

The band Yellowcard, formed in Jacksonville, will be there; Bayside, K-OS, and Pepper are among many others performing.

According to the Web site at the time we’re posting this column (11 a.m.), tickets are not available online. There is a map available, and a stage grid you can print out.

A fan’s post at the Web site message board provides some sound advice–here’s a verbatim:

Have fun everyone today, also please if this is your first concert stay in the back please, if you go to the front more than likely your going to be pushed alot and hit by alot of crowd surfers and youll be miserable and hate it so stay back and have fun.

My daughter has gone to this concert, and she had a lot of fun. She also says the place was packed. “I got stepped on, hit on and everybody had water guns.”

It gets very hot, so hydrate yourself before, during and after. Temperatures will rise to the upper 90s, which means a heat index topping 100 degrees. There’s a 30 percent chance of rain.

Another fan gives some great advice, “Don’t be a poser. Make it back alive.”

~~~~Recommended links:

For full details, visit the official Van’s Warped Tour Web site:
http://www.warpedtour.com/warpedtour/concert5.asp?id=28237&tour=52

Visit Yellowcard’s fan site:
http://www.yellowcardrock.com/bio.aspx

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Warped Tour 2007, Jacksonville FL, Yellowcard, concerts, bands, heat, music

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.

I rushed onto the deck—my daughter’s friend was coughing involuntarily. Before I did anything, Becky told me, “He swallowed a bug. I was about to knock it off his face and it went right into his mouth.”

We worked that out fairly rapidly. I could say prayers of thanks this was a fixable, even a somewhat comical emergency.

Having a pool is a luxury that brings the baggage of responsibility along with it. We diligently keep the chemicals at safe levels; we use a quality test kit purchased from a local pool supply company. I’ve often joked to friends my pool is cleaner than my kitchen.

We also have house rules. No one swims alone. This means if you’re home and everyone else is gone, you don’t go into the pool. No one dives head-first—it just isn’t deep enough. At the first sound of thunder, you head indoors. You always wipe your feet at the door—not because I’m a great housekeeper but because the tile floors in our sunroom will send you for an unexpected ride if you cross with wet feet. And if there are small children swimming, an adult must be poolside, focused on the swimmers.

We installed a safety drain cover. The drain is on the bottom, but just in case anyone wants to swim down there, at least there’s less chance long hair or garments will be sucked in. We also installed a double chime alarm on our back door. If small children are around, we’ll hear the alarm if one decides to venture near the water.

Recently there’s been widespread coverage about the six-year-old whose intestines were literally sucked out of her body by a wading pool drain in Minneapolis. The protective cover had come off the pool drain. In the last two years, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says 13 people, most of them children, drowned after being caught in underwater drains.

For me the pool represents a benign risk. It provides great entertainment for our family and friends on these hot Florida days. But it also requires us to be careful and vigilant.

Just after we moved here, our beagle hound who was playing fetch with me on the deck sailed right into the pool. He immediately went under. Becky jumped in, retrieving him. Our dog now walks around the pool perimeter very carefully.

Bottom line: all dogs can’t swim. You live and you learn.

Because this time of year offers great opportunities for cooling off in backyard and public pools, I’m hoping everyone is mindful that even in the midst of having fun, an emergency can occur. It’s a lot easier to prevent an emergency than to remedy one.
(Photo Credit Jen Day)

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/chdrown.html
Pool safety from the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1285137.html‘Pool drain victim remains hospitalized, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Jul. 5, 2007.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Swimming Pool, Swimming Pool Safety, Swimming Accidents, Pool Drains, Pool Chemical Safety, Safety Tips Swimming Pools

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.

Jou met Burgess through the Web site Craigslist.org, exchanging messages with him. Jou and Burgess then agreed to meet in person. The Register says Jou left her Rancho Santa Margarita apartment with Burgess on his 1981 Yamaha motorcycle on June 23 at 5:30 p.m. Jou’s family reported her missing on June 25 when she failed to show up at work or school.

In 2003 the paper says Burgess was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl younger than 14. He served 146 days and three years’ probation. He was required to register as a sex offender.

A reward is being offered for Jou’s safe return.

Still missing: Michael Austin Davis

Family and friends of Michael Austin Davis are still hoping for information about the 26-year-old Jacksonville man missing since June 25. The family has received at least one disturbing email according to the MySpace site dedicated to helping Davis.

Our earlier article about this missing young man can be found in last week’s column.

If you have any information, please come forward.

~~~Recommended Links:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1767240.php
Story by Kimberly Edds about Donna Jou at Orange County Register.

http://www.ocsd.org/CrimeBulletins/20070705_MissingPerson_DonnaHaghighatJou.pdf
http://www.ocsd.org/PressReleases/2007Releases/20070713_DONNA_JOU_REWARD.pdf
Missing Persons Bulletin on Donna Jou at Orange County Sheriff’s Dept.
Press Release from Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. about vigil and reward for Donna Jou.

http://bulletins.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bulletin&MyToken=323b9999-280d-462a-8a38-e478b89550f3
Pages about Michael Austin Davis at MySpace. Must be registered to read.

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/vnn/369286643.htmlNotice and info about Michael Austin Davis at Craigs List.

http://www.about-jacksonvillefl.com/vanished-without-a-trace-michael-austin-davis/
Our first story about Michael Austin Davis at About Jacksonville FL, here at 451press.com.

(Photos courtesy of Orange County Sheriff’s Department)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Donna Jou, Michael Austin Davis, Missing Persons, Jacksonville FL, crime, persons of interest