School Menus: Memphis City schools here and Shelby County schools here.

Mayor Herenton: City Council attorney Allen Wade determines nothing was wrong in mayor’s Downtown land deal and nothing needs be done.

Memphis City Schools: Dr. Marcus Pohlmann of Rhodes College has written a book on the city school system, and it is very depressing. Today is the start of closing arguments in the lawsuit between the City and County over school funds the City witheld last year; more from Eyewitness News. It seems that ’sexting’ is now a problem for schools — explicit pictures and messages sent via text messaging. More from Eyewitness News, WMC.

POLITICS: Rep. Steve Cohen may be proposing changes to bankruptcy law. The County Commission is expected to vote on withholding of taxes for schools from County tax bills. The Shelby County Democratic Party’s exectuive committee is expected to vote on increasing the 66 member body, and setting up the next local convention. Some are asking, “Is Black History Month still relevant?” The TN Assembly opens its session today. A quick look at some of the names starting to surface in the 2010 Shelby County mayor’s race. And also from the Commercial Appeal — the Political Notebook.

TENNESSEE: Mid-way into the fiscal year, tax revenues are still shrinking; more from the Business Journal. Tighter budgets could mean fewer vice-presidents in the University of Tennessee system. The governor and legislators agree that changes in the higher education system are needed, but don’t see it happening soon.

Foreclosure Bus Tour: Why see one house at a time, when you can tour fifteen foreclosed properties?

Regional Medical Center: Some possible strategies the Med might use to deal with cuts.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare: They made a quiet offer for the Regional Medical Center last year! Also, their proposed residential hospice, while fully approved and ready, is still stalled for lack of funding.

FedEx Forum: After a very shaky start with promoters, they are doing a much better job and keeping the facility busy.

DeSoto County: County plans education for employees who will pay more for health care. Heavy rains last Fall in Hernando led to State funding for repairs to area ditches. Hernando is seeking historic landmark status for its water tower. Hernando’s mayor, Chip Johnson, is also the chairman of the legislative committee of the Mississippi Municipal League. Information on the new ‘4 by 4 block’ county school schedule due to start next year. Various conservation agencies will come together Wednesday to try to give away 25,000 trees.

Collierville: After an audit found astonishingly bad bookkeeping, the City has suspended operations of the Collierville Youth Athletic Association. In a related story, ambulance service around the County has markedly improved after the company, Rural/Metro signed a new contract with specified performance standards and penalties for not reaching them.

Lakeland: While other Shelby County cities are having tough budget times, Lakeland is sitting on a quarter million dollar budget surplus.

Student Protest: Students from Memphis will travel to Nashville today to protest the proposed removal of the tuition cap for TN colleges and universities.

Memphis Area Association of Realtors Commercial Council: They are hosting a Commercial Property Forecoast Summit on February 18. Program will include an overview of the past two years or so and a look at what 2009 is expected to hold.

Agriculture: Farm acreage is shrinking as development continues. Arkansas peach and pecan farmers were devastated by the recent ice storm; more from WMC.

Crime: Various City and County leaders — DA Bill Gibbons, City Council members Jim Strickland, Reid Hedgepeth, Shea Flinn and Kemp Conrad, and various State representatives — continue their community push for more laws and tougher sentencing as a cure to Memphis’ crime problems.

BUSINESS: Northwest and Delta Air Lines both see falling traffic. National job losses at 600,000 for January alone; double-digit unemployment seen as possible; more in the Daily News. FedEx is closing a Phillippines facility to move operations directly into China; FedEx Freight has laid off at least 25 dock workers and more may go. Verso Paper is being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. ProLogis is selling about 33 million square feet of industrial and distribution space nationally. Homer Skelton Ford has acquired the Price Ford dealership in Millington.

Seven Memphis cases join the digoxin lawsuit list.

From the CA, business profiles of Pageboy Salon & Spa and Eco-Expo.

People in Business from the CA for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Local Media: Employees of Contemporary Media, publishers of the Flyer, Memphis magazine and more, are taking a pay cut between 4 and 8 percent; 401(k) matching is also suspended. Also, Cable One has suspended negotiations with Clear Channel and is not carrying ABC 24/30 at this time. Statement from Clear Channel here. WREG is announcing they will delay their switch to digital broadcast until June.

Survey Says: Forbes magazine rates Memphis the second most miserable city; more from the Daily News, Fox13, WREG

City / County Funding: The Commercial Appeal looks at the issue of inequities in funding and usage of City and County services, though the story is missing hard numbers.

Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority: Board meeting is today and one of the topics will be awarding the contract for work to Runway 9/27.

MISSISSIPPI: Lawmakers propose to make selling a child a felony. They also gave Riverbend Crossing developers until June 2017 to begin work on the project. Activist group National Council on Teacher Quality rates state a D+ on retaining and promoting quality teachers.

Mississippi Outdoors for February 9, from the Commercial Appeal.

Previously Posted: More, from the CA, on Mid-America Apartment Communities. Memphis lost 15,700 jobs in 2008. Medtronic has completed acquisition of Ablation Frontier. The DeAuntae Farrow case against the West Memphis police officers involved will go forward.

Friend for Our Riverfront: After making this suggestion, Benny Lendermon responds!

Jen-sized: A change of mind may have prevented something worse.

I’ll be the one in heels: Why she blogs.

Mediaverse: Memphis: A new feature article on the shrinking sports desk in local television news.

Mick Wright: A sobering parable of lunch at the Corner Cafe, with free bonus lesson on debt and politics.

Smart City Memphis: Why give taxing authority to bodies that can’t do the job? Thoughts on Bill Gibbons and mandatory sentencing, and local decisions. The Health Department can play politics as well as anyone.

theology & geometry: More on the work road trip.

Myron Mays: Thoughts on finding and promoting Memphis music.

Curtis Person: Taking the collections contract from the Juvenile Court was partly due to the recession, not the Court, and will impact a lot of employees.

Chris Peck: How the local paper decides what important to report on and how much emphasis to give.

Commercial Appeal: In praise of UT Coach Pat Summitt. Is it second thoughts or simple inertia that have held back plans for the Fairgrounds and the Liberty Bowl? Asking for new looks at old ideas for ’solving’ City/County (or ‘metro’) funding problems. MLG&W needs to get its act together. Before the Med acts to make any major cuts or changes, it should wait to see what Federl money might be coming its way.

Wendi Thomas: A plea for donations to the Med’s newborn and infant clothes closet.

Tom Hrach: An outsider’s perceptions of the city are surprisingly mundane and very much like the tourist brand image we put out.

Otis Sanford: Memphis feels more dangerous than New York City.

at home she feels like a tourist: Goodbye to Lux Interior of the Cramps, who passed away last week. They recorded some of their seminal albums here in Memphis.