Shelby County Industrial Development Board: Of the 65 companies reviewed in 2008, 73% were found to be in compliance with the terms of their PILOT.

Shelby County Government: Now Mayor A C Wharton is warning of possible layoffs in his next budget.

Easter & Passover: WREG has an entire special section on their website for both religious observances and their holidays.

Heal the Hood: The Foundation will have a 24 hour fundraiser beginning Friday, at the Cook Convention Center, to be broadcast locally on MCS cable channel 19.

TENNESSEE: Tax revenues for the State were ten percent below expectations in March. The State is struggling to maintain its parks system, and failing. The ‘Access to Justice’ panel is beginning work on reforming the State’s legal system to help everyone have access to the law.

University of Memphis: Last week’s layoffs at FedEx are reverberating across campus. Invited speaker Jessica Pettitt appears to have upset some folks, though it’s not clear why. A story on some of the experiences of international students in America and Memphis.

Living Wage Protest: The West Tennessee chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors is protesting the ‘living wage’ requirement in Shelby County, for County-contracted work, as “helping [organised labor] compete using their costly and archaic model.”

ARKANSAS: Family of DeAunta Farrow upset by toy-gun ban bill. A Little Rock church will try holding its Easter Sunday services in a bar; Eyewitness News also reports. The first round of bids for ’shovel ready’ work projects funded by Federal stimulus monies all come in under budget! Both the House and Senate have given final approval to the State’s $4.5 billion dollar budget, and the State revenue surplus spending plan. And a joint committee has approved the final wording of a proposed constitutional amendment to change laws on consumer loans. The House has voted down a bill to fund a study of prisoners transitioning back to society.

Memphis Union Mission: Having outgrown its old location on Poplar, they are planning to move to a new facility at Lamar and Knight Arnold. Except neighbors in the area, and businesses, are already complaining!

Survey Says: Mergers and acquisitions by law firms jumped 33% in 1Q 2009, according to Alton Weil. Foreclosures in Memphis fell by about one-sixth as well in the same period, according to Responsible Lending Collaborative & Chandler Reports. Turnover among CEOs rose in the last month but fell overall in the quarter, says an industry consulting group. Grant-making foundations gave more than $45.6 billion, an increase. Seventy percent of employers remain skeptical of the job market this year, reports the Society for Human Resource Management. The Commerce Department says wholesale inventories had their steepest drop in 17 years.

Memphis Athletic Ministries: This after-school program helps ‘highly mobile’ students to keep up with studies after their latest move. (Via WMC.)

MISSISSIPPI: Governor Haley Barbour is keeping his silence on the debate between the State House and Senate over setting new, higher cigarette taxes; more on that from WREG.

Mid-South Minority Business Council: They are beginning a new campaign to promote diversity and inclusion in area businesses and workplaces.

Television News: The Commercial Appeal reports the lastest Neilsen numbers for local evening and morning news.

Dr Randeep Mann: The doctor has been indicted on a single charge of possession of grenades. He is a licensed firearms dealer, and so his machine guns aren’t being prosecuted.

Memphis Food Bank: A new Jackson-Hewitt partnership food drive is now running through next Wednesday.

Dr Trent Pierce: He continues to mend after being discharged from The Med.
 

Memphis City School Funding: Chancellor Kenny Armstrong grants a stay to the City of Memphis, meaning the City doesn’t have to pay the Memphis City School system until the case is heard by the Court of Appeals. More from WMC, Eyewitness News, WREG, Daily News and the Commercial Appeal. The Commercial Appeal looks at the school system’s dependence on City money.

City of Memphis: Mayor Willie Herenton says he’ll explain his generous budget in two weeks. How did the financial situation go from possible layoffs to raises all around? More from Mayor Herenton. After yesterday’s vote to change PILOT rules, city and county should see an increase in business recruitment and retention.

POLITICS: The Flyer reports on Senator Lamar Alexander’s speech before the Rotary Club this week.

Another Democrat has tossed his hat into the race for governor. State Senator Roy Herron, of Dresden, will make a formal announcement soon.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett has offered to pay the $20,000 cost of a proposed abortion amendment to the State’s constitution. Much more detail and background from the Nashvillepost.com’s Post Politics site.

State Senate committee passes wine shipment bill; full vote upcoming. The gun carry in some restaurants bill also is headed for a full Senate vote; more from WREG. A House bill to allow corporate contributions to political campaigns died in committee. A new House bill would limit lottery winnings by people on a wide array of State and Federal assistance to just $600. And, a bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote is headed for a full Senate vote.

The Downtown Mural: The huge arts project, in collaboration with Rhodes College, is taking meaningful shape and nearing completion.
 

Better Business Bureau: They are warning potential customers to check the credentials of any locksmiths you want to hire. Scams are happening.

BUSINESS: The Fogelman Management Group has received nearly 1700 contracts on six apartment complexes including two in Memphis; the Daily News has more. The New York Times has a story on the questionable bond practices of Morgan Keegan in selling, advising on bonds to small towns. The second phase of renovation and conversion to Central Garden Square condominiums has begun. Intermodal Cartage Company is investing in employee health directly to help lower insurance costs. The Imperial Toy warehouse was sold, but it was an intra-company sale. Wright Medical Group has extended the contract of their CEO and president, Gary D. Henley, until 2012.

A professional interview with tax collections attorney Pamela Johnson of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, from the Daily News.

Summer Jobs: It’s going to be a tough market this year.

Collierville: The suburban goat story is still kickin’.

Beale Street: The Daily News’ Bill Dries gives a summing up of the state of affairs in the various lawsuits and power plays regarding the entertainment district.

DeSoto County: More on DeSoto County Supervisor Allen Latimer and his wanting stricter sex offender ordinances; Eyewitness News has more. The County will have fifty temporary jobs this summer. The County and three municipalities will share a $214,000 grant for law enforcement needs. Southaven Alderman Paul Ollar has been fined $500 for accepting money from a firm doing business with the town, and apologised. A Horn Lake Alderman has proposed putting a list of daily crime reports online. The Three Rivers Planning and Development District expects $2 million initially to buy and renovate and resell foreclosed homes in North Mississippi.

Land Use Control Board: They are meeting this morning. The developers of the Canale Grove project will present their new plans at that meeting.

2010 Census: Beginning next week census workers begin going door to door!

Fertile Ground: “Reason #1009 why Facebook is awesome.”

Commercial Appeal: Was a one-day suspension punishment enough for an officer whose judgment led to a civilian death? The Mayor’s new budget doesn’t raise property taxes, but what’s he going to do about re-appraisals?

16 Balls in the Air: Some life lessons, courtesy of the kids.

a field guide to urban memphis: A real life example of why you ought to know CPR.

BEEB: Some shameless self-promotions: husband and magazine.

Brain Release Valve: Fear of North Korea and not connecting to the person you used to be.

Buck’s Blog: The Peabody’s Rooftop Parties return today! A shortcut to winning 100 free Disney points. iTunes’ new pricing doesn’t win a new fan; Walmart and Amazon react.

Complacencies of the Peignoir: Mixed emotions upon coming to the fork in the road.

Fore Left! Some oddities in the suicidal flight of this weekend’s airplane thief.

Jen-sized: A post about new UM Coach Josh Pastner and her cat.

Left Wing Cracker: Join the Tennessee Democratic Party and get a free blog!

Love is a Movement: Urban gardening in Memphis.

MAKE IT HAPPEN: First, she proves she has a life and then, it’s all about the knee.

Wendi Thomas: Pardon the poor for dreaming, with the help of State and Federal assistance.

Mediaverse: On the coverage of the hiring of Coach Pastner; WMC’s Brooke Sanders is leaving; WKNO-TV goes all digital.

Notes From Memphis: Lots going on downtown.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: And from the other Terrible Twin of downtown blogging, yet more to do downtown!

Radio Sweethearts: NPR notices them! Thoughts on their First and Second Amendment rights.

Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease: In which a random conversation on the Internet (courtesy of Omegle.com) leads to hilarity. (Slight language alert!)

The Chockley Blogs: Is it advisable to speak really truthfully about the changes in a woman’s body after pregnancy?

The Shelf Life: A personal review of Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

On the Beach: A bit of personal history and thoughts on the collapse of news.

Memphis Rock-n-Romp: A new season starts on April 25! Sign up now.