Education Reform: Governor Phil Bredesen’s legislative package cleared both House and Senate committee votes (near-unanimously) and likely face full House and Senate votes today. If matters bog down in K-12 debate, though, House Speaker Kent Williams says he may push the vote back into next week. More from the Tennessean’s In Session blog and the Commercial Appeal.

Bredesen’s own Academy for Math will close next year due to budget cuts.

Second Amendment: In a story about “tourism groups” opposing the “concealed carry in restaurants that serve alcohol” law, the only business owner interviewed doesn’t even appear to understand the law. The story in the Tennessean she seems to be working from. State House Speaker Kent Williams wants to let court cases get decided first before the Legislature passes new or modifying laws.

Memphis City Council: Chairman Harold Collins reiterates that the Council will wait for all legal issues to be settle first, before budgeting MCS funds. The Daily News notes that the appeal court ruling raises other questions.

Head Start: Federal audit of the program finds its benefits disappear by the end of first grade. Executive summary here. (PDF document)

H1N1 Virus: A new national ad campaign is hoping to encourage African-Americans to get their vaccinations.

Memphis Fire Department: They are studying fire risks and response times with an eye to re-allocating their resources among fire houses. Interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford opposes merging the City and County Fire Departments.

Sanitation Workers: Eyewitness News presents time sheets showing workers sometimes work 3 to 5 hours but get paid for a full 8 hour day.

Metro Charter Commission: Commission members are not concerned about the slow pace of their work.

Arkansas: The state’s new area code is 327.

Politics: Former Harold Ford Jr for (TN) Senate adviser Carold Andrews is now advising the campaign of Roy Herron for the Eighth District seat. More on Andrews’ past here.

Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons, Republican gubernatorial candidate, is also promoting his new book, No Surrender! A Battle Plan for Creating Safer Communities. Another Republican candidate, Zach Wamp, will campaign in Memphis this weekend.

The TN Lobbyists Association has chosen the slate of leaders. Rep. Glen Casada has filed bills already for raising the limits on campaign contributions and allowing donations from corporations. Supporter of the “bottle deposit” are trying a new tack in this session.

The Tri-State Defender on the selection of Johnny Turner to fill her husband’s seat in the State House.

US Rep. Steve Cohen claims “3 to 1 positive support” for medical marijuana in Memphis at gala fundraiser for pro-medical marijuana group. The Commercial Appeal repeats this story.

The Flyer’s Jackson Baker has an overview of the SCORE-sponsored forum with the seven major Democratic and Republican candidates for governor on State education on Thursday night.

Tennessee: Thanks to stringent budgeting, Moody’s has raised Sumner County’s bond rating by two levels. TVA has a deal to buy wind power from Illinois.

Fayette County: A new home in Somerville actually generates enough solar energy to sell some back to the utility company!

Millington: A financial audit shows the City ended fiscal year 2009 $862,000 in debt, most in uncollected fees and fines. Still, Water and sewer fee increases are now likely. And the City’s Parks and Recreation Department is increasing its services, in response to civic demand.

Harold Ford Jr: How tense are things between Ford and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand? Look at this photo, from New York magazine. Gillibrand says, “I will take a back seat to no one.” The New York Times interview from Tuesday. Former State Senator Rosalind Kurita, who was once in a similar position to Gillibrand with Ford, talks about her experiences. Is Ford planning an independent run? The Flyer’s Jackson Baker with some Ford background and John Branston with some more.

Peter Beinart calls him an aristocratic drop-in and The American Conservative just calls him an “an elitist, not a statesman”. NY Governor David Paterson calls him a “carpetbagger”. Or is he a diva? National and NY-baseed liberal groups are now gunning for him. The Politico on Ford’s “Manhattan makeover”, including comments by Rep. Steve Cohen.

DeSoto County: County Schools Superintendent Milton Kuykendall warns that dangerously lean times are ahead, budget-wise. The County hopes a new online sign up program will increase participation in the school lunch program. All municipal, County and State offices are closed for Martin Luther King Day.

Memphis Shelby Inform.com: Main Street Journal contributor and the Memphis/Shelby Watchdog Joe Saino is starting the website as a volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan expansion of his government watchdog activities. Website here and press release here.

HAITI: Tennessee Task Force 1 is ready to go; more from Eyewitness News, WREG and the Commercial Appeal. Mid-South American Red Cross volunteers are on stand-by. FedEx is sending aid.

Warnings to be careful of scams: Fox13; Eyewitness News, WMC. A website to verify Haiti charity efforts.

A Memphis doctor with personal ties to Haiti. Memphis dentist worries about family. Another doctor, who treats disabled Haitian children, worries about her patients. A Haitian boy in Memphis waits to hear from his family.

Memphis City Schools: Union bus drivers employed by are protesting a number for firings — for reasons unknown — of drivers. Report cards at some schools have “glitches” — that may affect college acceptance!

The Regional Medical Center: Interim County Mayor Joe Ford debuted a possible plan for a completely rebuilt, $318 million campus. A related story on the “next generation” of health care leaders from Memphis.

Martin Luther King Holiday: A schedule of events for the day.

MATA: They unveiled a new comprehensive evaluation plan and other innovations they plan to implement. However, they have a chicken and egg problem to solve first.

Trucking Industry Defense Association: The Commercial Appeal interviews Leo Piovarcy, the association’s new president and its first from TN.

Higher Education: The Memphis Flyer offers help to adults looking to return to school, deciding what your purpose is in going to school and choosing the right area school for you.

Collierville: Town planners have unveiled their Downtown Collierville Small Area Plan. (Link to plan in story.) Assistant town administrator David Smoak is leaving to take a promotion in Farragut.

Business: Corrections Corporation of America, which also manages TN prisons, has lost one of its contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. More on the delegation from Manitoba touring Memphis’ logistics and transportation industry.

People in Business from the Commerical Appeal.

FedEx: The company rolled out its first Boeing 777 for its new non-stop Memphis to Shanghai service. More from the Daily News

Memphis International Airport: Customer with complaints will now find the Department of Transportation’s website easier to navigate.

Grizzlies Academy: They are teaming up with Bosco’s Squared to offer a “pizza and beer” promotion that raises money for school scholarships.

University of Memphis: The new Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law welcomed its new students this week. The university is pushing to increase its enrollment to 23,000. (via the Daily Helmsman)

Real Estate: Memphis’ November foreclosure rate was up, year-to-year; related story on Shelby County numbers. Tennessee residential foreclosure filings were down in 2009, according to RealtyTrac. Record year nationally, driven by unemployment. The sale of the failed renovation project Bella Vista may lead to renewed attempt.

Mississippi: The State Economist briefed the Legislature on the sluggish economy. Toyota isn’t making payments to the State on expensive State-issued bonds and legislators are getting angry. State Senator Doug Davis proposes to merge the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges with the board of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Lakeland: The City has created a YouTube channel for all its City videos and for future announcements and proceedings.

Bartlett: Via the Bartlett Express, the Year in Review, Parts One and Two.

Survey Says: Retail sales fell by .3% in December to finish a very bad year overall. Retail sales for the holiday season alone, however, were up 1.1%. More in the Daily News.

West Tennessee: Dyer County (with other counties around the state) are concerned about new rules regarding paying for juveniles in State custody. Today begins the third anual Food Pantry Feed the Need drive. The Dyer County Regional Planning Commission may revisit the County’s major road plan. (all via the Dyersburg State Gazette) Architects are in Union City to see about restarting construction on Discovery Park of America. (via NWTN Today)

Financial: SunTrust will converts its debit cards to MasterCards. Bankruptcy filings up 2% in 2009, although Q4 filing drop slightly.

Tea Party Nation: Founder and TPN Convention organiser Judson Phillips responds to the charges made by former co-campaigner and website administrator Kevin Smith.

Previously Posted: A Tri-State Defender report on last weekend’s Men’s Forum. More on the postponing of The Madonna Circle’s antique show.

Bigger Than Your Head: Frederic reviews the Fifty Great Wines of 2009.

Barefoot in Memphis: A revised version of his wedding voews.

at home she feels like a tourist: She mourns the passing of musician Roland S. Howard and, it turns out, is a huge fan of The Birthday Party!

Air Traffic Mike’s: Condolences on the passing of his brother, Bruce Andrew Walker.

55-40 Memphis: He reports the result of his survey on a la carte basic cable choices.

Ryan Poe: The new editor-in-chief is proud of his newspaper. (via the Daily Helmsman)

George E. Hardin: The lives of our centenarians tell of the profound changes in our country. (via the Tri-State Defender)

Renee S. Frazier: Learn to hate the sugar. (via the Tri-State Defender)

John Branston: What some of the other property owners of Overton Square think. (via the Flyer)

The Flyer: They’re happy with the way the County Commission is behaving of late.

Commercial Appeal: Intervention is better option than incarceration in fighting drugs. City Council should just pay the Memphis City Schools and get it over with.

Ray Brown: Memphis needs a “vision plan” to attract “young creatives”. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: Exactly why he’s proud to be a Downtowner.

Memphis Rock-n-Romp: The next show is this Saturday, with Gustafer Yellowgold, The Kindergarten Circus and the Yazoo Shakes.

Mediaverse: Looking over the local news coverage of the Haiti tragedy.

Lean Left: A short course on fallacious arguments from authority.

16 Balls in the Air: Her bathroom has been invaded by prehistoric creatures.

Blue Collar Republican: John thinks the TN tea party movement has lost its way.

Fertile Ground: Oops! Forgot to post!

Friends for Our Riverfront: A reminder about the open community meeting on a Midtown redevelopment “template” or “overlay”.

From the Rainbows: Allan gets good news on the eye exams and they get ready to finally sell the house.

I’ll be the one in heels: She notes that its National Delurker Day, so go over there and delurk!

Joy’s Life and Times: She’s listening to her body and taking a break from Ironman triathlons this year.