Ice / Snow Storm: Part of Arkansas remain without power. Some are still homeless. Kennett, MO, may be without power for weeks. Three hundred thousand without power in AR on Thursday.

DeSoto County: The WIN job center in Southaven is helping people with jobless claims find new jobs and careers. Opponents of Southaven’s annexation plan filed with the Supreme Court for a rehearing.

MS Governor Haley Barbour is going to sell the State’s governor’s jet on eBay!

Bartlett: Alderman Bobby Simmons urges city to revisit red light cameras as a revenue enhancement tool.

Gentlemen’s Club: East Junior High School in Somerville is teaching young men character, consideration and self-discipline.

POLITICS: Jackson Baker reports from Washington and the Inauguration and then illuminates one Memphis Democrat who might have voted against House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. He also talks with Rep. Mike Kernell on the changing power control in the State House. The Tri-State Defender reports on the two judgeships being filled. David Lillard prepares to leave the County Commission and his would-be replacements are lining up.

Two Democratic Representatives claim Rep. Brian Kelsey sent a text message offering to withdraw his ethics complaint if he was given a full committee chairmanship. Kelsey responds to that charge. More from the Daily News. The Commercial Appeal’s story was originally titled ‘Kelsey to end attacks for job’ but that was changed to ‘Rep. Kelsey accused of trying extortion’ later.

Chip Saltsman has dropped out of the race for Chairman of the Republican Party.

Emergency Services: EMTs have new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control helping them decide which local hospital to send people to. Some people with pre-existing conditions that flare up may be affected.

MLG&W: Facing cutoff? The Shelby County Community Services Agency might be able to help.

Exchange Club: Their family center help families with domestic violence, counseling and mediation. Tough economic times have slowed donations, but that hasn’t stopped them.

Previously Posted: The Business Journal on the effort to build a Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare hospital in Olive Branch. Starbucks is cutting 6700 jobs and closing 300 stores; more from the Commercial Appeal. The cigarette tax increase has passed the MS Senate. WMC reports on the Mid-South Fair’s 2009 problems. International Paper takes huge hit in 4Q.

City of Memphis: The Memphis Flyer has a cover story on homelessness. And John Branston interviews John Elkington and Robert Lipscomb over Beale Street.

Survey Says: December new home sales their lowest since 1963. Shelby County unemployment for December was 7.5%.

Germantown: Alderman Mike Palazzolo conducted a town hall meeting this week.

Collierville: City is moving surplus property sales online. Mayor Stan Joyner outlined his plans at a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Shelby County Juvenile Court: They plan to fight the State’s effort to take control of child support payment collections.

Freedom Sisters: A new exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum honoring twenty women of the civil rights movement.

Chick-fil-A: The modified designfor the new store on Union Avenue, that preserved the facade of the church already on the site, was approved.

Memphis World Trade Club: The new president, Bob Goodson, is profiled by the Daily News.

Main Street Journal: Many of our January stories are now online. Mick Wright looks at resilience in tough times. Jonathan Lindberg reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. “Where Playhouse on the Square Is Headed” by Michael Roy Hollihan. Joe Saino’s “My Memphis Budget Wish List”.

TENNESSEE: State’s share of Federal ’stimulus’ money could be more than $1 billion! The chancellor of UT Chattanooga believes a proposed 7% tuition increase won’t be enough.

Arbors at Schilling Gardens: Planned assisted living facility files for construction loan.

Center City Development Corp.: They may extend their new-business forgivable loan program to existing Downtown businesses.

FedEx: Thursday, they rolled out new technology that allows real-time shipment tracking.

BUSINESS: International Paper’s net earning were donw 95%! AutoZone’s Pitt Hyde bought over 100,000 shares of GTx stock; his purchase is not unusual.

Morgan Keegan is the top municipal bond underwriter in Memphis and the South central region.

Jobless numbers keep rising. US Labor Department reports that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is at an all-time high; the CA has more. Some coping strategies for the economic downturn from the Memphis Unemployment Office. New home sales plunged 14.7% in December.

People in Business for Friday, from the CA.

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority: Planned meeting was rescheduled for February 6, due to the weather this week.

Benihana: Customers are definitely happy to see them back in business.

Memphis Botanic Gardens: It’s time for the annual Winter Plant Sale, coming up next weekend!

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis: For the second year in a row, they receive the Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center: The UT Research Foundation has selected five teams to receive technology development grants.

Shelby County Schools: The county school board voted not to turn over Dexter Elementary and Middle schools to the City until 2011. Chimneyrock is still undecided.

Memphis in May: The official poster for 2009, designed by Pam Cobb, has been unveiled. Official website here. Unsigned copies are $30.

Shelby Farms: The first of a planned one million trees is being planted.

Crichton College: President Larry Lloyd has resigned just one week after a major overhaul of the school’s schedule and curriculum.

Toilet of the Day: Gang grafitti on a toilet tank lid? Welcome to Memphis. (Link is work- and lunch-safe.)

The Soundcheck & the Fury: Reading a book versus a blog.

The Chockley Blogs: She catches us up on the year to date.

Confessions of a West Tennessee Liberal: Some strong thoughts on homelessness in Memphis.

You Won’t Believe What I Saw Today: A rather sarcastic report from the Memphis Jewelry and Gift show.

vibinc: No one in Washington seems to really be a fiscal conservative; after eight years of unrelenting vitriol is it really now the era of ‘post-partisanship’?

The Gates of Memphis: In a response to this post from John Weeden’s blog, he urges a greater awareness of ‘with’. Go read both posts.

Notes From Memphis: Language lessons and the Grizzlies.

Tri-State Defender: They have a pair of bloggers reporting from the Inauguration.

Radio Sweethearts: Progress report on the news hiatus and the fun of podcasts on your iPhone!

Thaddeus Matthews: The back and forth story of trying to get a community meeting to happen at a City school.

Smart City Memphis: Is annexation masking the real problems for the city?

My Midtown Memphis: It’s not looking good for a Midtown Target store.

Lee Meredith: He applauds the City Council’s reversal on police residency.

Commercial Appeal: It’s no surprise that DHS took child support collections from the Shelby County Juvenile Court. The US Postal SErvice going to five-day delivery is not a good idea.