Orpheum: Investors are being sought to take Memphis to Broadway.

The Special Mayoral Election: Now, pundits and observers are calling the mayoral race anyone’s guess. Herenton himself calls it a “crapshoot”. Would Joe Ford become the interim Shelby County mayor, if A C Wharton wins the City election? City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert wll make an announcement this week on her candidacy; more in the Commercial Appeal. City Court Clerk Thomas Long is now a declared candidate.

The Herenton Legacy: Herenton’s last day, from the Tri-State Defender. It may be years before it’s fully known.

Lindenwood Christian Church: They have chosen Dr Ron Buck as their new senior pastor.

Politics: Gubernatorial candidate Bill Gibbons is again stressing cleaning up the TN Highway Patrol. Democratic candidate Mike McWherter comes down squarely on both sides of the “gun carry in restaurants” issue. State Senator Bill Ketron wants to start work this Fall on a new “wine in grocery stores” bill to be introduced in … January 2011! Many of the candidates for governor in 2010 are raising campaign money they will legally never be able to spend.

DeSoto County: Mississippi’s largest school system is preparing for the new school year and some changes. Also, the County school system got a 5.5% funding boost over last year. A report on last week’s round of tornadoes in Olive Branch; more from WMC. Video of that tornado passing nearby, from Fox13. Olive Branch residents are trying to close off streets before commercial construction moves in. A group trying to turn the Coldwater River into a “blueway” has now formed a committee.

“Plug In”: A networking event sponsored by American Advertising Federation Memphis, AIGA Memphis and the Public Relations Society of America will be this Thursday at Minglewood Hall, for marketing, advertising and branding professionals.

Public Housing: The Feds like how Memphis has rehabilitated and redesigned its public housing units into mixed-income complexes.

Hnedak Bobo Group: They are dissolving their partnership with Bullock Smith & Partners.

Forest Hill Funeral Home: In Indiana, another guilty plea by a principal in the theft, securities fraud and embezzlement case.

Local Media: The Nielsen ratings for the July sweeps for local news are out.

Downtown: A Cotton Row alley will be renamed after Jack L. Tucker, the architect who helped save it. Two extended quotes from Center City Commission President Jeff Sanford’s recent speech on moving Memphis ahead.

Arkansas: State Senator Sue Madison is calling for a repeal of the new lottery law. The US Postal Service may close eight post offices across the state.

Collierville: A new land-use plan is beginning with small teams hosting community meetings to talk with people directly.

University of Memphis: The School of Nursing will receive $2 million in Defense Department funds to train battlefield nurses. More on other Dept. of Defense contracts for the U of M from the Business Journal.

NEW! Main Street Journal July Issue: The controversial feature article: Progress & Preservation: Can Memphis afford to look the same? by Michael Roy Hollihan. Also, publisher Jonathan Lindberg looks at Cohen & Herenton, Part 1. Table of Contents for July.

Real Estate: From the Commercial Appeal, Done Deals. A recovery in 2009 in the real estate market is unlikely. Foreclosure and auction rule the roost in commercial real estate. After a bidding war between Performa Entertainment and Loeb Properties, the bank ended up buying Pat O’Brien’s; more from Eyewitness News.

Shelby County Schools: System-wide survey shows cafeteria meals, funding and classroom interruptions are a concern. From the Memphis News, a look at getting to a compromise on school funding.

Shelby County Commission: One item of business this week will be increasing film industry ties between Memphis and Berlin, Germany.

Property Taxes: Friday was, unfortunately, the last day to file an appeal of your Shelby County property tax appraisal. Appeals are expected to set a record this year.

McKensie Morrison: The intern who was involved with State Senator Paul Stanley spoke with a Nashville TV news station Friday to tell her side of the story. The Commercial Appeal writes up that story. More on Fox13. Lt Governor Ron Ramsey suggests laws or policies may need to be changed to prevent future problems.

Business: Medtronic is being sued by a model in a prostate ad for improper and defamatory use.

A business profile of L’Ecole Culinaire, a new cooking school in Cordova, from the CA. A business profile of Camp Bow Wow, a dog kennel, from the Daily News. A business profile of The Bagel Company of Memphis, in the CA.

The Small Business Advocate begins a series on how best to use the new social media for your company.

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

Tennessee: Thirty-one jobs were eliminated Friday by the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, of a planned 345 total. The Whiteville Correctional Facility will stay open one more year, thanks to legislators.

Mississippi: A report on the weekend’s sales tax holiday. The State has formed the Graduation Task Force to improve college graduation rates. The past year, the State Legislature has cost the State over $21 million!

Mississippi Outdoors, the hunting, fishing and wildlife news, from the Commercial Appeal.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference: The local chapter is unhappy with the planning process and the lack of focus on the young. More on the struggles, from Fox13.

Summer Drive-In: A look at the role of the drive-in in popular culture and the still-popular Summer Drive-In specifically.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center: Their new “telehealth” program allows doctors in Memphis to assist in diagnosing and treating rural patients from neighboring states. Both Memphis Health Center and Church Health Center will be involved.

Memphis Botanic Garden: A new garden aimed at children, My Big Backyard, will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony this Saturday.

A & R Bar-B-Q: And now the restaurant, owned by State Senator Reginald Tate and his wife, is being sued by the victims of the alleged food poisoning incident.

Financial: Managers of the Longleaf Partners mutual funds say they are optimistic to recover last year’s losses.

Downtown Memphis Blog: A slideshow of last week’s storm damage.

what would you ax it? Summer 2009 was brutal on a personal level, but tomorrow is coming soon.

:Commontaries: Thoughts on Otis Sanford’s race problems. For Sidney Chism, it will never be the same. Myron Lowery is The Man.

Cliff Heegel Ph.D. Some slogans to pep up your day!

16 Balls in the Air: Counting the days until school starts.

a field guide to urban memphis: Do tax holidays in neighboring states end up costing Memphis tax revenues?

at home she feels like a tourist: She’s packing and leaving Memphis. Take some time to go through her blog archives and see what Memphis is losing. She’ll be missed.

Bigger Than Your Head: Biodynamic wine making and what that means to us normal joes and janes.

Left Wing Cracker: A friendly goodbye to Mayor Herenton?

bitter/books: A visit to the MIFA thrift store since the remodeling.

Born-Again Hippies: Thoughts on Memphis police and racism.

dminmem: Keeping the old spirit of Overton Square.

Jen-sized: Thoughts on Memphis politicians, race and the Gates arrest.

Commercial Appeal: Memphis should look to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for change. On Mayor pro-tem Myron Lowery’s first day. Government should get involved in pre-K education … for the kids’ futures. If Congress decrees is a thing, is it true? They look at the Supreme Court confirmation votes of four of six Mid-South senators regarding Judge Sotomayor.

Otis L. Sanford: The shootings of Antonio Burks and Fidal King involve the whole city. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Chris Peck: Words have power; “socialism” isn’t a bad word. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Tom Hrach: “Thoughtful study” is called for in placing the Civil War into a proper historical context in the South. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Wendi C. Thomas She looks at pre-K in the city, and what the City and State have done and pronounces it not nearly enough because its so important. (via the Commercial Appeal)

The Memphis News: School funding should not be an “us vs. them” issue.

Reginald Milton’s A Fresh Look: With all the passion in the Shelby County Democratic Party, why all the discord and conflict?

Only in Memphis: He notes that Memphis’ problems didn’t end with a new mayor.

Notes from Memphis: Aliens have landed and in Memphis to boot! Scimitars and waves. Downtown Memphis on a Friday night and a reminder that WKNO’s documentary Memphis Memoirs: Downtown premieres tonight at 7PM.