The MED: The Board’s finance committee voted to move $5 million in reserve funds to Tri-State Bank, a minority-owned business; further reports from the Daily News. Officials from Shelby County government and The MED were in Nashville trying to convince State government to provide more funding; more from WMC.

Memphis City Council: Councilman Shea Flinn is proposing mandatory spay and neuter for pit bull breeds of dogs.

Peabody Hotel: The disputed bill for the Rev Al Sharpton’s National Action Network stay last year is now at $104,000.

Dr Randeep Mann: The man being accused in the car bombing of Dr Trent Pierce is seeking to delay his trial. More from Eyewitness News.

Goodwill Industries: They have settled a lawsuit for racial bias and retaliation involving a former employee.

Mayor A C Wharton: Because they weren’t expecting the $50 million payment to MCS, Mayor Wharton expect more cuts to services or the budget.

Memphis Fire Department: Eyewitness News continues to report on problems with criminal and felon firefighters. Even those dismissed by the Shelby County Fire Department!

DeSoto County: More on Terry Swatsenberg, a Southaven municipal court employee who pled guilty to embezzlement and from Eyewitness News. County single-family residential building permits were down “only” 19% in 2009.

Attorney General Jim Hood wants to talk with his counterparts in AR and TN before deciding if his State will pursue the water aquifer lawsuit. More from the Daily News.

Homeless: WREG reports on the homeless count now going on.

Business: Valero Energy posted a 4Q loss. Memphis Walgreen’s stores sell beer again. Norfolk Southern’s 4Q profits fell by nearly a third. Thomas & Betts has completed acquisition of JT Packard.

A business profile of Sharp & Robbins Construction, disaster recovery contractors, from the Daily News.

From the Commercial Appeal, What to Do and People in Business.

H1N1 Virus: A Memphis pre-teen has died from swine flu complications. More from Fox13, the Daily News, Eyewitness News, WMC and WREG.

Tennessee Small Business Development Center: The Southwest Tennessee Community Collegecenter is launching a series of workshops aimed at starting and improving small businesses.

Medicare: Reimbursements to doctors are scheduled to drop by 21.5% on March 1, barring immediate action by Congress.

Mississippi: The State’s unemployment rate rose to 10.3% in December. Legislation is moving that would allow colleges along the state’s borders to waive out-of-state tuition; also, banning lighters that look like toys (WREG) and requiring prescriptions for cold medicine. Jackson State University president Ronald Mason Jr is among supporters of merging the State’s historically black colleges and universities.

Harold Ford Jr: Ford campaigned in Buffalo recently. The NY Daily News follows Ford to his NYU Wagner School of Public Service classroom. Ford will meet with the New York chapter of NARAL.

Memphis Sanitation Workers: Nearly one hundred workers are having “fact finding meetings” with City officials over failure to work overtime accusations.

NEW! Main Street Journal: Looking for an outstanding Jewish education for your children? You should seriously consider The Margolin Hebrew Academy. Website here and Rabbi Gil Perl’s blog is here.

Memphis City Schools: Five incidents in recent days with guns in City schools has the police on alert. More on school security from Fox13 and again, Eyewitness News, WMC and WREG. City school officials are being quiet as they consider how to respond to the City plan to pay $50 million. More on school funding from the Daily News.

Collierville: More on the approval of new sewer service fees. (via the Collierville Independent)

Shelby County Commission: Justin Ford has filed a petition to run for his father’s, Joe Ford, seat on the Commission. More from Fox13.

Arkansas: The Attorney General is suing an online payday lender.

Politics: TN Democratic Party chairman Chip Forrester and an aide will receive $25,000 bonuses if the party takes back either house of the Assembly or the governor’s office. (via the Kingsport Times-News) More on the bonuses from the Daily News. Even though he’s not up for re-election for two more years, the TN Democrats are attacking State Rep. Bill Ketron as though he is up this year.

Rep. Stacey Campfield has introduced legislation to stop the State from buying bottled water for employees. More on bottled water, and synthetic urine? State Rep. Frank Nicely is proposing State legislators use their power of redistricting to force the US Congressional delegation to accede to the demands of a full Assembly. New House ethics guidelines would ignore complaints based only on media reports; more in the Commercial Appeal.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Gibbons opposes Rep. Matthew Hill’s proposed legislation to make work on I-69 illegal. Tea party candidate John Farmer confronts Republican candidate Stephen Fincher (both running for the US Eighth District seat of John Tanner) at a Tipton County forum. State Rep. Lowe Finney will be challenged for his seat by his former opponent, Don McLeary, the Democrat-turned-Republican who lost in the last election.

Memphis International Airport: Beginning in May, Air Canada will offer twice-daily flights between Memphis and Toronto. More in the Commercial Appeal, the Daily News. Also, MIA has been designated a “gateway airport” for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The Board will vote today on a FedEx leasing agreement.

Oakland: Information on the new mayoral election currently scheduled for March 30. The City of Oakland’s fund balance decreased by nearly $20,000. (stories via the Bartlett Express)

Tennessee: The State’s Unemployment Trust Fund dipped $20 million in the red, but $300 million in new tax revenues balanced that out. Activist group Good Jobs First rates the State’s stimulus funds tracking website as subpar.

Previously Posted: More on the OSHA fines Mueller Industries subsidiaries must pay.

Financial: How First Horizon (parent of First Tennessee banks) will compensate executives within TARP regulations.

Pyramid: Population: one.
 
 
 
 

Tea Party Nation: The bad news on the Nashville convention next month continues to pile up. Word that US Rep. Michelle Bachmann is reconsidering her appearance; more in the Commercial Appeal.

Reginald Milton’s A Fresh Look: A plug for the Eye on Memphis radio show.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: He answers a reader’s question on whether he should get a computer science / IT major.

polar donkey: A rant about pep rallies and marketing and important things. (Slight language alert.)

Notes from Memphis: The unnoticed closing of The Pier.

Midtown Stomp: An interview with Washington wine maker Casey McClellan.

Memphis Shelby Inform: Some interesting numbers from Councilman Jim Strickland.

The Cakes Report: God bless Rehema Barber.

I’ll be the one in heels: No Blissdom for her….

Fore Left! Noting a disturbing trend in aviation disasters.

Blue Collar Republican: Thoughts on the Commercial Appeal story on the local Tea Parties.

Barefoot in Memphis: More on the passing of his Grandpa.

Commercial Appeal: Rep. Hill’s bill criminalising work on I-69 is a “theatrical gesture”. Funding county-wide issues should be a County issue.

Wendi C. Thomas: Fighting homelessness by identifying the homeless. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Because I Said So: Letting the kids’ imaginations run themselves. (via the Commercial Appeal)