In West Palm Beach, Mitra Malek notes the family of Bruins Owner JEREMY JACOBS has "contributed $250,000 to a political organization supporting three village council candidates in Tuesday's fiercely contested" election in Wellington, Fla. A Jacobs family company "donated the money to Taxpayers for Integrity in Government, which is blitzing" the town with political paraphernalia "mostly critical of Mayor DARRELL BOWEN, who is seeking re-election." The onslaught is "aimed at deterring growth" in the town's equestrian preserve. Bowen is the "villain in the ads, many of which allege he is rubber-stamping the Equestrian Village project." The Jacobs family and Solar Sportsystems "hired lawyers and helped form an advocacy group to fight the project" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/9).
NORTH OF THE BORDER: The GLOBE & MAIL's Robert MacLeod notes the Canadian men's basketball team "could soon be bolstered by the greater involvement" of Suns G STEVE NASH and Raptors coach JAY TRIANO. Although the details "are still being worked out by Canada Basketball, the sport's national governing body is close to announcing -- perhaps in the next month or so -- that both will have more of a say in its day-to-day operations." The potential role for Nash "looks to be more of an executive posting, such as the one" Hockey HOFer WAYNE GRETZKY assumed with Hockey Canada in the lead-up to the '02 Games in Salt Lake City (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/8).
THE WRITE STUFF: In N.Y., Keith Kelly notes financial journalist CHRIS FRANKIE has "landed a book deal with Running Press, a unit of Perseus books, to write about the troubled career" of former MLBer LENNY DYKSTRA. Frankie in the past served as an editor for Dykstra's Players Club magazine. The book's working title is "NAILED: THE IMPROBABLE RISE AND SPECTACULAR FALL OF LENNY DYKSTRA," and is due out in spring of next year. Dykstra in October pleaded no contest to three counts of grand theft auto and one count of filing a false financial statement but had sought to withdraw the plea. He was sentenced Monday to three years in federal prison (N.Y. POST, 3/9).
NAMES: President BARACK OBAMA is bringing U.K. Prime Minister DAVID CAMERON to an NCAA Tournament first round game in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday as part of Cameron's official visit to the U.S. (AP, 3/8)....PAT DYE JR., agent for Cowboys LB KEITH BROOKING, called allegations that his client fraudulently tried to hide assets to avoid repaying a loan "absurd ... categorically false and unfounded." Wells Fargo filed a suit in Atlanta alleging that Brooking still owes more than $1.9M on two loans he took out in '08 (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 3/8)....Shed Media U.S. has signed SEAN RANKINE to a new deal to continue as Exec Producer of VH1's "BASKETBALL WIVES" franchise, which includes the Miami-set "BASKETBALL WIVES," "BASKETBALL WIVES LOS ANGELES," and the upcoming unscripted series "OCHO & EV," featuring Patriots WR CHAD OCHOCINCO and fiancee EVELYN LOZADA (DAILY VARIETY, 3/8)....Event planner AJ WILLIAMS Wednesday night hosted a French-themed oyster party at Boston's Les Zygomates. Guests included Patriots coach BILL BELICHICK and Celtics Managing Partner & CEO WYC GROUSBECK (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/9).
