Public Health Department Funding: The mayors of the other cities and towns in Shelby County don’t like the City Council’s attempt to rope them into paying part of the funding amount in the Pyramid deal. More from WMC, the Daily News.

Treadwell Elementary: School will offer the system’s first both-way language immersion optional classes for Spanish speaking students, beginning this Fall.

TENNESSEE: Although lottery sales are down, scholarships shouldn’t be affected, says Governor Bredesen.

Comcast: This Saturday is their third annual Comcast Cares Day when hundreds of Comcast workers will do public service in the communities.

Memphis City Budget: WREG’s Mike Matthews looks past the Mayor’s surprise announcement and focuses on the budget he presented. In a related story, more on the receiver named to oversee the Beale Street lawsuit. And the budget has no provision for the possibility of paying $57 million to the City schools system.

Memphis City Schools: State House bill to allow MCS to open its own police force dies in committee after legislators learn about the hundreds of crimes and incidents not reported, and other problems uncovered by WREG in a series of reports. Thoughts and opinion from four politcal leaders on Superintendent Kriner Cash’s job performance so far. The special civic committee tasked with finding options for funding City schools will present its findings and recommendations on May 7. The public is invited to attend and offer their input.

Memphis City Council: They and State legislators still differ on the ‘living wage’ legislation and who should have final word.

Kroc Center: The Salvation Army’s new facility at the Fairgrounds got a $25 million boost to its total budget.

Employment: Mass layoffs in TN are still higher than last year, but treding down this year. In Shelby County, unemployment rose to 8.9%. (County unemployment numbers available here. PDF document.) More on State and Shelby County numbers from the Commercial Appeal. National unemployment claims rose, but are also trending downward.

BUSINESS: CTSI is listed as a top 100 logistics information technology company by Inbound Logistics. Q1 net income for UPS fell by more than half. Nucor posts a $189 million quarterly loss. Valero has filed permits for refinery improvements. Hollywood Tunica’s parent company reported revenues decreased only slightly last quarter. UPS 1Q profits plunged 55%; 10,000 jobs cut.

A professional profile of Regina Hubbard, of Lester Hubbard Realtors, in the Daily News. A business profile of Jay Etkin Gallery, from the CA.

People in Business, from the CA.

Memphis Black Business Expo: At Raleigh Springs Mall this Saturday, the expo and showcase will “highlight entrepreneurship, promote cooperative economics, and support the stability and growth of small and minority-owned businesses.” More from the Commercial Appeal.

DeSoto County: A 2006 arrest leads to a $6 million lawsuit alleging violation of civil rights. The Commercial Appeal briefly profiles the candidates for alderman in Southaven. County’s two County Court judges can split their duties to assign Youth Court duties to the least-time-served judge, says State Supreme Court. Hernando’s ‘Give, Grow and Play weekend’ hopes to spur community gardens and outdoor activities.

Dave Ramsey: The financial radio talk show host and adviser hosted a web seminar in Memphis yesterday.

BANKING: SunTrust Banks posted an $815 million loss in 1Q. Synovus Financial lost $136 million in the first quarter and Moody’s downgraded their debt rating to ‘Ba2′. A survey of the extraordinary steps many local banks are taking to help distressed customers keep their homes, from the Commercial Appeal.

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

ONLINE ONLY! Main Street Journal publisher Jonathan Lindberg explains The Politics of Herenton.

Memphis Area Association of Realtors: Their Education Foundation provides funds for realtors to keep up their education and community relations.

Stanford Financial Group: A forensic accountant calls the company’s assets ‘grossly overstated’.

Survey Says: A Kaiser Family Foundation survey has many interesting and conflicting numbers on attitudes to health care, health care reform, taxes and personal choices. According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates are falling. March existing home sales fell by 3%, says the National Association of Realtors.

Shelby County Schools: The school board will vote on the pay and compensation package for incoming Superintendent John Aitken next week.

The MED: They are teaming up with other facilities to offer a conference on traumatic brain injury, scheduled for May 1.

Earth Day Activities: The Mississippi River Corridor TN will have a harbor clean-up this Saturday, April 25, beginning at 9 AM. Volunteers are needed! Sign up here. More information at their website, too. Project Green Fork is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday at Tsunami.

Zombie Massacre: This afternoon, portions of Beale Street will be overrun by zombies — of the pretend kind. The Memphis Zombie Massacre will start this afternoon. Watch out for your brains.

Germantown: The lights from C. O. Franklin Parktennis courts are so strong, neighborhood residents, including an amateur astronomer, are asking the Board of Aldermen to purchase new lights.

POLITICS: Governor Phil Bredesen and other wealthy state Democrats are setting up a fundraising PAC separate from the TN Democratic Party, leaving “grass roots organizing and communications” to party Chairman Chip Forrester; similar story from the Daily News. More on Forrester’s day here. Mike McWherter, son of former governor Ned McWherter, has announced he is running for state governor; more on Fox13, WMC. State Sen. Roy Herron will step down as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus to pursue his run for the governor’s office.

The ’slavery regret’ resolution has been pulled by its sponsor in the State House. More from Fox13. The ban on texting while driving passed the Senate. A Senate committee has delayed action on the gun carry in public parks bill. The House and Senate versions of the gun carry in restaurants bill will need to be reconciled; the Commercial Appeal over-dramatises things. An attempted ban on open alcohol containers fails in a House committee. Although both the Senate and House have passed versions of the gun carry in restaurants bill, Governor Bredesen is staying mum.

Musical chairs at the Shelby County Election Commission, as new officers come in and others get new jobs. The Flyer’s John Branston breaks down the numbers on people employed by either the City or County or related agencies and finds about 40,000 employees!

Downtown: The mural “A Note of Hope” will debut on Sunday, at about 80% complete.

Memphis Police Department: An extension of the COPS program by Congress will allow the MPD to fund 125 additional cops for the next two years.

University of Memphis: The school’s chapter of the American Society for Civil Engineers floats a concrete boat … for science. The Ned McWherter Library has a comic book collection? On the 10th anniversary of Columbine, teachers and researchers take sides on the role of video game violence in school shootings. More on the investigation into the Center for Research in Educational Policy and the $1.8 million in ‘long-term conflict of interest’.

MATA: Drivers are being distracted or are sloughing off on the job.

Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare: More on the moving of administrators and the push to make an Olive Branch hospital happen.

Art Theft: A Midtown artist, Kyle Smith, left a number of paintings of superheroes outside in his yard and, sure enough, they’ve now been stolen.

ARKANSAS: Nordex USA, a wind power company, is building a plant in Jonesboro, beginning this Summer. New law allowing DNA collection upon arrest for certain crimes, instead of after conviction, is drawing criticism; more on Eyewitness News.

Memphis Union Mission: The controversy continues over plans to move to the Knight-Arnold / Lamar area.

Theatre Memphis: The Amazing Raise. Our Theatre. Our Town. is their kickoff event for the 2009 - 10 subscription season. It begins this Saturday, April 25. Original PR release is here. (DOC document)

Tennessee Right to Life: Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is now pushing a bill, dormant two months, to give priority to public women’s health clinics over private ones such as Planned Parenthood. (via the Tennessean’s Tennessee Politics blog) TN Right to Life applauds the move; Ramsey’s press statement. More from Fox13, WMC, Eyewitness News.

Tennessee Right to Life responds to claim against Memphis Planned Parenthood. Tax-funded agency caught circumventing State laws on suspected sex abuse of minors, parental consent on abortion. More links and information at the NashvillePost’s PostPolitics site.

Ericson Group: They received a $25,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development to train 7 people in sales and products.

Shelby County Election Commission: The incoming chairman of the Commission, Bill Giannini, is seeking to weaken the new law requiring all elections to have paper ballots, saying multi-zone precincts will complicate voting.

On Location: Memphis International Film Fest: A film produced by Morgan Freeman, Prom Night in Mississippi, about a MS high school’s first integrated prom — in 2008 — will premiere along with nearly 100 more films in Memphis this weekend at the On Location: Memphis International Film Festival. More on the OLMIFF from the Commercial Appeal.

MISSISSIPPI: The First Choice Speech Program helps families dealing with autism.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: The Beale Street Wine Race is this Sunday, and a whole lot more is going on Downtown this weekend!

vibinc: He speaks on why he opposes consolidation but not for any reason you might suspect.

On the Beach: The anxiety of unemployment is beginning to catch up to him.

That’s My B: They are a two DVR household. And, is it the Commercial Appeal or The Onion?

Random Thoughts (Lang Wiseman): The kerfuffle he’s having with Corey B. Trotz.

16 Balls in the Air: A field trip to the Memphis Botanic Gardens.

Bigger Than Your Head: I won’t even attempt to summarise this massive post, except to say wine lovers will be fully absorbed, I’m sure.

Brain Release Valve: His blog posting is down because of work, so he shares some of what he’s working on. The evolution of superheroes from antiquity, via Twitter?

Commontaries: Thoughts on the subject of the day: Herenton v. Cohen. Can a real-life pirate be a kid?

Downtown Memphis Blog: A picture of the raved about pizza at Black Diamond on Beale.

Fertile Ground: The new year’s first Rock-n-Romp is this Saturday.

Rustmeister’s Alehouse: Wow. Some of the most opportunistically creative evil payback I’ve heard of.

From the Rainbows: Scenes from an early riser / night owl marriage.

garage sale of ignorance: Gross boy humor and … feminism?

Lie as I know it from Memphis: Addicted to Cakesters!

MAKE IT HAPPEN: An old injury returns and other training news.

Panacea: Coffee thoughts and a window box garden of medicinals.

Commercial Appeal: The video presented by TN Right to Life is imperiling funding for Planned Parenthood as Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey jumps on the issue.

Secret Agent Mom: Mr Baby discovers the razzberry.

Megan Harris: Dreading the high school reunion. (via the Daily Helmsman)

Smart City Memphis: Probably the sharpest and most succinct observations on the Herenton announcement you’ll read.

Thaddeus Matthews: He figures race and demographics will be the factor in a Herenton v. Cohen matchup, but it will be good for Cohen to face a serious challenge.

Stephanie Fitzgerald: Teachers aren’t the problem in the Memphis City Schools system. (via the Commercial Appeal)