Downtown: The recession has beset Downtown on all sides, but several factors are creating a situation where change will be inevitable. The new Memphis College of Art’s graduate program downtown is asking the Center City Development Corporation for financial incentives; more on this from the Business Journal and the Commercial Appeal. The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law exceeded its $12 million fundraising goal.

Bartlett: A City-owned boat, used in rescue operations, will be moved to a fire station.

Mayor A C Wharton: He was scheduled to meet with First Lady Michelle Obama while in Washington for the US Conference of Mayors. Did he plead the case to get her to attend the Le Bonheur grand opening celebration later this year?

National Civil Rights Hall of Fame: The funeral director charged with handling the body of Dr Martin Luther King Jr was inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Fayette County: The County Election Commission has set a date for the do-over of the mayoral election in Oakland and Mayor Bill Mullins has been asked to vacate the office. A coalition of volunteers, working with Fayette Cares, will conduct a tally of the homeless next week.

Politics: Republican candidate for the US Eighth District, Stephen Fincher, responds to criticisms of his family taking Federal farm subsidies. Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp was in Huntsville, Alabama, seeking donations.

Harold Ford Jr: Does the Coakley loss in Massachusetts portend good news for Ford’s possible run? TN Democratic Party chairman Chip Forrester calls Ford a “progressive leader”. Former Clinton adviser Ann Lewis disputes that. Some black and minority leaders are not happy that Ford didn’t meet with them before floating his Senate trial balloon. Ford has now come out in favor of corporal punishment in school.

Ford is now on a leave of absence from Bank of America Merrill Lynch; more in the Commercial Appeal. Analysing the dress and social style of Ford. Media Matters criticises Ford’s issues-free interview with The New York Daily News.

MLG&W: They’ve reopened their satellite office on Summer Avenue, in the Binghampton area.

Better Business Bureau: They are seeing an increase in complaints filed against gyms and fitness centers.

Media: The Nashville Tennessean has donated three times — $15,000 – to a pro-convention center group. (That would be roughly analogous to the Commercial Appeal donating to the “Memphis Now!” lobbying group while writing pro-Grizzlies editorials, when the Grizzlies / FedEx Forum move was being debated.) Speaking of which, more in the Daily News on the coming layoffs at the Commercial Appeal.

Mississippi: Angela McGlowan will decide next month if she willrun against Rep. Travis Childers for the 1st US Congressional District seat. Bankruptcies rose by nearly a quarter last year. Governor Haley Barbour wants a commission to study consolidating school districts and he wants three private groups to pay for it. The State House is balking at giving the governor special budget-cutting powers. A Senate proposal, via Sen. Merle Flowers, to combine State IT services, which might lead to outsourcing.

DeSoto County: The Commercial Appeal checks in with new Walls police chief Gary Boisseau.

Sanitation Workers: Solid waste fees in local utility bills have doubled, but Eyewitness News asks if Memphians are getting their money’s worth.

West Memphis 3: The judge hearing the retrial request of two of the defendants is expected to rule today.

American Cancer Society Young Cancer Survivors: The Mid-South chapter will offer $1000 scholarships to cancer survivors who seek higher education.

NEW! Main Street Journal: Commissioner Mike Ritz looks at The MED and offers some ideas on what to do.
 

Tennessee Education Reform: The State’s application for “Race to the Top” Federal funds was sent into yesterday; much more in the Tennessean. More local reporting from Fox13. And, an Associated Press story on the legislation. Governor Phil Bredesen hopes to tie receiving State education funds to rates of graduation from secondary schools.

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey thinks the reform package may not pass during the special session. An amendment to Bredesen’s original research funding proposals, that assuages Memphis colleges and universities, has been proposed. Memphians want to create a Memphis Research Consortium.

Interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford: He says he’ll make a decision soon on running for his office in 2010.

Shelby County Clerk’s Office: Notary public Angelica Tejeda, who works in the Clerk’s office, has reportedly pled guilty to falsifying documents. More in the Commercial Appeal and on WREG.

Overton Park: A bill is being introduced in the Legislature by two Memphis politicians to create an Old Forest State Natural Area in the “old-growth forest” area, to protect it from development plans.

The Memphis Regional Medical Center: Dr Reginald Coopwood has signed for three years as their new chief medical officer, beginning in March. In a related story, the County’s decision to increase funding to The MED will impact other parts of the County budget.

Memphis Fire Department: More on the reassignment of resources being studied.

Arkansas: State Senator Larry Teague is proposing to increase taxes on business to repay Federal unemployment insurance benefits. Governor Mike Beebe announced he will run for re-election.

Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare: They are opening a specialised child care center for employees with sick infants & children. Also, they are teaming up with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for Creative Leadership and others to create a fellowship program to develop local community health leaders.

Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies: They will have their regional freight conference, “Moving Our Region’s Business”, in Memphis next week.

FedEx: They are working with the American Red Cross and others to get relief into Haiti.

Business: The Teamsters rejected a proposal to outsource some jobs at the Union City Goodyear Tire plant. Marshalls is closing a Memphis store. The Mellow Mushroom is opening its first local store Monday, in Germantown. To reduce its carbon footprint and increase delivery times, Con-way Freight has made major route network changes. Cooper-Young restaurant Dish will close for good on January 31.

A business profile of the CaramelCorn Shop and a business profile of Patton Computers, which is expanding, both via the Commercial Appeal.

People in business, from the Daily News and the same from the Commercial Appeal. Also from the CA, What to Do.

First Horizon National Corporation: They saw revenues and incomes fall in 4Q/2009. More in the Commercial Appeal.

AutoTrader.com: They raised over $40,000 through ad donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross: They combined with several local media outlets to raise $91,000 for Haiti relief.

Crye-Leike Realty: From the Commercial Appeal, how they are working through a very tough year and moving into 2010. Their housing forecast for 2010.

Rustmeister’s Alehouse: An interesting question on “public domain”, concealed carry and your rights. Join the discussion.

Pretty in Pink Megan: A video review of Shampowder.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: In the wake of the hacking of Google, some good security advice.

One Half Amazing! Twitter haiku!

The Gadfly: If men’s genitals were as prominent as women’s breasts, it would be a different world. (Possibly mildly NSFW.) (via the Flyer)

Commercial Appeal: Support for the MS commission studying combining school districts. They call President Obama’s leadership “bold and productive”.

Lean Left: The “less versus fewer” debate, revisited.

Left Wing Cracker: He’s back to blogging and angry at President Obama, sorta….

Memphis Shelby Inform: Joe’s article on MLG&W and “profits” gets a response from Jerry Collins! Also, the intersection of pension boards, charter commissions, Rebuild Government and consolidation.

MemphisConnect: Zach is taking a “culinary safari” around Memphis and he begins with Pete and Sam’s.

Jen-sized: Here’s your literary joke of the day.

Joy’s Life and Times: She travels to Vickburg for a marathon and discovers that the city is built on bluffs much taller than Memphis’. Much taller….

Doug Johnson at Work: His long auto-repair nightmare draws to a perplexing close.

dminmem: How to write your own mission statement!

Cliff Heegel Ph.D. He volunteers to “Give An Hour” of mental health services to the rescue folks working in Haiti. And he starts a series on how he lost his weight as quickly as he did.

Bring me penguin dust: You never think about the letter “v” until, well, you have to. Also, she recently went to her first wedding expo.

Newscoma: The body language of Willie Herenton and getting schooled on Memphis politics.

Boys In The ‘Hood: Walt (this blog used to be called “Walt’s World”) is now five years old.

Born-Again Hippies: Thoughts on Rep. Steve Cohen’s appearance before the Marijuana Policy Project alongside Cheech and Chong.

bitter/books: Dave is back to blogging with a notice of an impending book sale.

Andrew Earles: If he ran a record label….