UPDATE: Main Street Journal: From our April 2009 issue, another article now online: Mick Wright gazes upon Obama’s Brave New World.

Previously posted: Shelby County historian Ed Williams III writes on The Way Things Were: The Shelby County Courthouse and Keeping Lean: What can we learn from Collierville? by Senior Writer Michael Roy Hollihan. Also, publisher Jonathan Lindberg on Deja Vu: What the Governor’s race of 2010 and the Senate race of 2006 have in common. You can read the Table of Contents here.

COGIC: Was the bad economy the leverage the church needed to get a better deal from St Louis? Mayor Willie Herenton has more to say about COGIC’s departure.

Child Impact Statement Reporting System: A look at the new initiative to better design and execute policies to help children. See press release here.

POLITICS: New State Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice Holder makes some blunt statements on elections, judges and the public. Swift, negative reactions, including the possibility of an official complaint, led her to release a statement. More on the kerfuffle, from the CA. The Flyer’s Jackson Baker on speculations about the governor’s and County mayor’s races and something on the County Commission and yet more.

The State Senate passed the gun carry in establishments that serve alcohol bill, 26 - 7. Breakdown of votes here; Democrats Ophelia Ford and Reginald Tate were among the ‘yes’ votes. More stories from Fox13, the Daily News and the CA.

MemphisInvest.com: Their two-day conference this week on convincing investors to move from Wall Street to property investment — especially in Memphis — drew people from nine states.

MLG&W: Memphians pay the nation’s ninth lowest utility bill! Press release is here. More on Fox13.

MISSISSIPPI: Ban on texting while teeneaged and driving is soon to become law. Governor Haley Barbour agrees to fund a state cybercrime unit.

University of Memphis: Taser assailant is arrested. The Mid-South Planning and Zoning Conference is today, and will discuss sustainable forms of development in rural areas. A look at the pasty and donut shops around the campus area. The Emerging Leaders junior class will host three financial workshops for students, beginning today. One-time Washington Post writer and departing Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism professor, Bob Levey takes the Flyer’s John Branston on a tour of the campus. A graduate class is teaming up with the Food Bank to identify areas of real need and improve the Bank’s ability to respond effectively.

Port of Memphis: They voted yesterday to hire an engineering firm to begin the work to eventually improve rail access to Pidgeon Industrial Park.

REAL ESTATE: While home prices and sales continue to slide, there are hopeful signs. TN foreclosures were up in March, but trending down for the year. The Laurels Condominiums will have a special open house this Sunday, but with some unique differences. Property sales through auction houses are on the rise.

MIFA: One of their long-time partners and sponsors, ServiceMaster, is recognised for their outstanding dedication through money, involvement and volunteers.

Good Morning Memphis: Tips and advice for those planning a wedding. Are ‘bailout bonds’ the modern-day equivalent of World War II’s victory bonds? The Women’s Foundation of Greater Memphis is encouraging women to take greater leadership roles in the community. We’re entering bad weather season and preparedness is key. The Maria Montessori School is having a benefit duck race this Saturday. Questions on workplace injuries. The name may be shortened, but the St Jude PGA golf tournament is still coming.

Memphis International Airport: Both cargo and passenger numbers were down for March. The Airport Authority approved the construction of a new seven-floor garage.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: It seems Harold Ford Jr will get involved in local politics, just not in Memphis. Gubernatorial candidate and Shelby County DA Bill Gibbons has hired a Middle TN campaign director, Laura Roberts.

Memphis City Council: A quick look at the new fines you can be assessed for breaking some laws.

Christian Brothers University: They launched a ‘Family Business Forum’ to help bolster small, family-owned businesses.

Memphis Farmers Market: A reminder that the market re-opens for the season this Saturday downtown. Also, there is now an online way to shop for produce locally. Also, a look at the community farms part of Shelby Farms.

Collierville: A report from this week’s public forum on proposals and needs for the new Hinton Park.

Consolidation: The mayors of the six suburban town met with the editorial board of the Commercial Appeal to discuss the subject, in response to County Mayor A C Wharton’s campaign in favor of it.

ARKANSAS: State Supreme Court has upheld a dismissal of a lawsuit claiming spending State money on bilingual drivers licenses was illegal; more via WREG. The Court will hear a case next month challenging the way lethal injection executions are carried out. The Secretary of State’s office is, for the first time ever, releasing the state’s Historical Report, a compendium of every elected official in the State’s history.

Stanford Financial Group: The court-appointed receiver has named five Memphians among people he’s suing, seeking to recover money. More in the Commercial Appeal.

BUSINESS: Securities litigation is still increasing. The Leroy-Somer plant in Lexington, makers of industrial generators, is laying off 200 workers today. When economic times get tight, ad and promotional spending go down, and the marketing industry gets hit; their trade industry association (Memphis Advertising Federation) reacts. AbitibiBowater, producer of newsprint, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Meridian Life Science reports both income and sales growth. Bankruptcy filings in West TN were up 15% in 1Q 2009.

Regions Financial will report a profit for 1Q.

A professional profile of Amy Howell of Howell Marketing Strategies, from the Daily News; also, Mary Caywood, a marketing and supply chain management professor at the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics.

People in Business, from the CA, for Friday.

Buckeye Technologies: released a report saying they reduced greenhouse gasses and derived most of their energy needs from biomass.

Better Business Bureau: A Fox13 story reminding you to check with the BBB when you do business with someone for the first time! Website here.

Idlewild Presbyterian Church: The Midtown church building is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital: They were awarded a $2 million grant by the National Cancer Institute, for tumor research. Also, a Trike-A-Thon at Hernando Elementary is raising money for the hospital.

DeSoto County: The city of Southaven is installing emergency sirens in newly annexed area. WMC looks at the online components of the Southaven mayoral campaigns. The 5th Annual Mud Bug Bash Saturday night will raise money for Palmer Home for Children, a non-profit foster home. The Southern States Police Benevolent Association, North MS chapter, has made endorsements in various county alderman and mayoral races. Beginning May 9, MDOT and Keep Mississippi Beautiful are teaming up for the largest volunteer day of cleanup ever.

TENNESSEE: All three bond rating agencies call State bonds stable and good risks. However, the state’s unemployment rate is just shy of 10 percent for March; more on Eyewitness News and the CA. More on the ACLU lawsuit over school web-filtering block on GLBT sites.

Disaster Preparedness: General Russel Honore visits the city and calls us unprepared for a major disaster.

Dr Randeep Mann: He is now suing the AR Medical Board and its individual members, claiming bias. More from Eyewitness News. WREG story has many links to history and background on this.

Survey Says: The National Retail Federation says spending on Mom this Mother’s Day will fall about 10%. Premium air travel fell in February, says the International Air Transport Association. Workers who believe they will have a comfortable retirement are fewer today, says the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Downtown: Fox13 looks at the history of the trolleys. A new apartment building that towers over its neighbors is raising concerns the Medical Overlay District zoning ordinances are being weakened.

Notes From Memphis: Two walls downtown and some gelato news.

Pearl Eva Walker: A reminder of COGIC saints’ visits to town in days past. (via the Tri-State Defender)

Commerical Appeal: Praise for Youth Villages is deserved. City needs to be included in President Obama’s high speed rail plan.

Lean Left: Taking George Will to task over class consciousness.

Mediaverse: He notes the Commercial Appeal has turned off comments on all online stories about COGIC leaving Memphis and chides them for it.

Rustmeister’s Alehouse: Your motivational poster for the day. And cigar blogging!

16 Balls in the Air: The payoff in teaching boys to express feelings.

Buck’s Blog: He links to Rosetta Stone’s free seven day offer to learn around 30 languages.

Commontaries: Thoughts on the COGIC move with a little blame for everyone.

Fertile Ground: The Junkyard cometh. The musical instruments her kids’ school built will be in Williamson Park Saturday afternoon.

From the Rainbows: An update on the home remodelling and cleaning.

Joseph Russell: Is Josh Pastner really Coach McDreamy? (via the Daily Helmsman)

Vegan Crunk: Nacho heaven.

Haaaaave You Read My Blog? Quick reviews of three new television shows.

On the Beach: The career assessment process.

Sly Brand: Some samples of the work he loves doing. Very nice work, too.

The Chockley Blogs: The one word and the category of words a parent dreads hearing.

Persian Pit Bull: OK, it’s not nice to do this to a dog, but maybe this makes up for it?

Thaddeus Matthews: “COGIC got their forty acres, now the want the mule too.”

Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease: The bucket list and the … well, the other one. She’s also enchanted by Susan Boyle’s video and some other Britain’s Got Talent people.

Smart City Memphis: Memphis is not on the competitive, infrastructural grid.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: A pair of Downtown updates.