Second Amendment: More on this week’s votes in Germantown and Bartlett on “gun carry” in public parks. And late breaking: Germantown votes to opt out and Bartlett delays a vote. The State’s “gun carry in restaurants that serve alcohol” law goes into effect today.

MATA: They want to end bus service to Collierville, stop MATAPlus service to about 50 handicapped people in eastern Shelby County, and much more. Public hearings are scheduled. MATA website.

Collierville: The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a number of projects.

Redbirds: Global Spectrum is the new management group, at the request of bond-holders. No team move is expected.

Memphis Board of Education: A charter school wanted by Superintendent Kriner Cash was held off until more details of cost are presented.

Trash Collection: City officials are basically blaming unexpected bad timing for collection slowdowns. Reaction from South Memphis.

Politics: The chancellor hearing the injunction motion to stop the “gun carry in restaurants that serve alcohol” law has declined to act; she has called for a further hearing in 90 days. The city of Martin (in Weakley County) is the latest to consider the “gun carry” ban. TN House Democratic leader Gary Odom is accusing Secretary of State Tre Hargett of witholding the money to implement the Voter Confidence Act.

The US Senate is considering a 25 employee threshold for offering health insurance.

Arkansas: Benchmark school tests show slight improvements for state students.

Local Hospitals: Medicare’s annual hospital rankings rate local hospitals.

Tennessee: The state lost 7000 millionaire households last year! The Federal government has made available almost $8 million to the State to combat both regular and H1N1 flu strains.

DeSoto County: Why are more and more Shelby Countians moving south to MS? The Regional Utility Authority has received $8 million in Federal money to improve wastewater treatment; more in the Daily News.

June Windstorms: The Obama administration has declared Fayette, Haywood and Shelby counties as disaster areas, freeing up Federal aid.

CareerPlace: Their mission is to help people get off welfare, but the recession only makes the task more difficult.

Blight: About $11.5 million in Federal stimulus money is going to rehab homes in ZIP codes that have been hit by mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures.

Fayette County: The Board of Education has objected to the superintendent’s description of Oakland Elementary as “overcrowded.” Why Oakland Alderman Chuck Wombough voted against a muni-regional planning commission. (via the Oakland News)

UPDATED — Main Street Journal July Issue: From this issue, publisher Jonathan Lindberg looks at Cohen & Herenton, Part 1. You can peruse the Table of Contents for our July issue, which will be hitting mailboxes and newsstands later this week. Watch for articles to be posted here throughout the month.

The Mayoral Change-over: Still no official resignation letter for the City Council. Eyewitness News runs down the list of candidates for mayor. The Daily News looks at Charles Carpenter and Carol Chumney.

Beale Street Caravan: The Memphis music program is having its second annual Blow Out fundraiser to help keep the program broadcasting.

City Councilwoman Janis Fullilove: More on her mystery Facebook fundraiser. She’s not asked about her problems at a public forum, and dodges reporters. More from Eyewitness News.

Joseph Lee: The former MLG&W president is set to receive nearly $500,000 for lawyer’s fees arising from a case against him that was dropped. And now, Memphian Al Thomas is threatening a lawsuit if the City goes forward with that plan.

Memphis Police: To fight a surge in gang crimes, they launch a “Gangs, Guns and Drugs” arrest campaign.

Mississippi: The state’s sales tax holiday is July 31 - August 1; the CA has more. Law enforcement agencies say the State doesn’t have the capacity to store DNA for criminal cases.

Business: The latest St Louis Federal Reserve Bank report shows Shelby County had the highest fourth-quarter mortgage delinquency rate in the Eighth District! Thomas & Betts has laid off five percent of its corporate HQ workforce in Memphis.

People in Business, from the CA.

Immigrants: More on the “international drivers license” scam plaguing local illegal immigrants.

Stanford Finacial Group: A judge set bond for James Davis, former CFO of Stanford, after he changed his plea to guilty. More from the Commercial Appeal.
 

SSR Ellers: The firm has received the Employer of the Year Award from the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, for advancing the engineering profession.

Eating Out: From MidSouthMoms, restaurants where kids eat free or at reduced charge.

Mortgages: The mortgage industry show slight, relative improvements in Q2/2009.

Broadband: The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service are hosting a workshop on public broadband grants and loans this Wednesday. More in the Commercial Appeal.

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital: Virologist Robert Webster is being honored by the Royal Society in London, for influenza research.

Mirimichi Golf Course: They are now taking reservations.
 

Survey Says: Gas prices statewide are trending down, says AAA. A forecast of construction spending sees it staying down into 2010, at least for non-residential construction. Venture capital fundraising is at a 7-year low. Deloitte Research says consumer spending finally went up in June!

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: Lots of Downtowny-ness here and here.

Love is a Movement: “Gentrification with justice” as a model for Memphis. A thoughtful post.

Life as I know it from Memphis: Sunday night is the worst part of the week.

Left Wing Cracker: Steve Cohen needs to support “public option” national healthcare so Willie Herenton doesn’t have a campaign issue?

Jen-sized: In which she learns Spock’s lesson: “You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting.”

Cliff Heegel, Ph.D.: Thoughts on living the serene life.

Commontaries: Baby got Barack! Thoughts on the mayoral candidate forum from last week.

Complacencies of the Peignoir: With the sounds of .38 Special trailing behind them.

Cwabs! Proof of prodigious beer intake. Take a RAGECATION!!

Downtown Memphis Blog: Soon to be in your face.

Fertile Ground: A slide show from the Feastival.

A Right Perspective: Instead of being ashamed of Memphis, we should focus on the good side. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Buck’s Blog: Daughter Danni hosts a tea party!

Bigger Than Your Head: The German wine education continues as he meets die Deutsche Weinkonigin. Local vs international “styling” in wine production. Annnnnd… the Wine of the Week.

Commercial Appeal: People who scam illegal immigrant show why immigration reform is necessary. Teachers need to add “CR” to the three R’s … for conflict resolution.

BEEB: When her little princess, newly minted, crash-lands into the hard ground of reality.

Ashley la Rouge: Notes from New York.

a field guide to urban memphis: She notes that not all progress involves heroes. Sometimes it’s just doing the job at hand.

55-40 Memphis: Do you think there’s a reason the Commercial Appeal’s editors don’t talk about this?

16 Balls in the Air: Today’s smile inducer. Mom has a stroke of genius!

Author of Y’all’s Destruction: Some folks just need some history learning.

The Tale of a Southern Belle: How do you deal with a jealous mother?