Race to the Top: Tennessee was one of two states to win the Education Department grants. It means $500 million for the State. Offical State press release here. More reports from the Associated Press, Nashville City Paper, the Tennessean, the Memphis Business Journal, the Flyer, Fox13, WMC, the Daily News and the Commercial Appeal.

Former US Senate Majority Leader, now education activist, Bill Frist comments. Governor Phil Bredesen celebrates; his press release. More reactions from other political leaders.

DeSoto County: New legislation allowing charter and “new start” schools shouldn’t affect the County’s schoolsor funding. Judicial corruption activists will protest in front of the courthouse in Hernando.

Fire Department: The firefighter responsible for posting the triptych of Mayor Wharton, Osama and Hitler, Samuel Locastro Jr, has been demoted; two others were reprimanded.

Shelby County Commission: The vote on stricter strip club ordinances expected yesterday has been delayed; more in the Commercial Appeal. The fate of a parcel of land on Lamar sparks acrimony and more cries of racism.

Easter / Passover: WREG has a large online section of stories on the holiday and information.

Memphis in Memphis: The national touring company of the play Memphis will be coming to the Orpheum in October of next year. The AP story, from WMC; more from WREG and the Commercial Appeal. Orpheum website here.

Police Department: Is the sergeant’s exam far too easy? Supporters of terminated police officer (and MPA president) J. D. Sewell are calling on Mayor A C Wharton to “do the right thing”; more from WMC, WREG and the Commercial Appeal.

Arkansas: The State is petitioning the US Supreme Court to allow the execution of Jack Harold Jones Jr to proceed. Scrap metal prices are on the rise.

Memphis City Schools: More on the audit of spending in the Office of Coordinated Health.

Better Business Bureau: How to avoid dishonest moving companies.

Business: Dollar General will now carry Hanes brand underwear; they also promoted two executives. Gibson Guitars is looking to the East for growth. Worldcolor is closing its Dyersburg plant over the next year, taking nearly 800 jobs. Elvis rights-owner CKX Incorporated is in talks to be sold; more in the Daily News and the Commercial Appeal.

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

FedEx: They are adding the first all-electric delivery vehicles to their Los Angeles fleet. More in the Commercial Appeal.

Tennessee: The 2010 Arbor Day Poster Contest winner was announced. The Enchanced TN511 was unveiled, with additional features and services. The TNInvestco suit to open government documents will get an expedited hearing. State construction employment fell over 13% in February.

Survey Says: Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of Top 100 Hospitals for 2010 includes a number of TN hospitals, but none in Shelby County. Memphis ranks 41 out of 50 among metro areas for finding a job. Memphis gas prices fell 8 cents/gallon last week.

Opera Memphis: The Daily News talks with artistic director Michael Ching as he prepares to leave and looks at the changes on OM in recent years.

Main Street Journal: Jonathan Devin takes us inside The Grove as Faith Baptist goes to camp.

RebuildGovernment: Anti-consolidation group Save Shelby County (website here) have offered an ethics primer to the “Metro Charter Commission discussion support” group.

City of Memphis: A delegation of French trade and economic development officials are in town this week, studying the aerotropolis; more from the Commercial Appeal. NATO officials also met here. Mayor A C Wharton shows in two charts Memphis’ tax base problems. SCLC president Dwight Montgomery is urging Mayor Wharton to find non-penal alternatives to minor juvenile offenses.

Cohen v. Herenton: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker talks with Willie Herenton about his campaign and “the race card”. Related story from the Daily News.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center: The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is hostingNanoDays, about nanotechnology and medicine, today.

Mississippi: Legislators hope to extend the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program by another year.

John Ford: The former State Senator, has been transferred to a facility in Oklahoma.
 

Shelby County Sheriff: A Commercial Appeal report on confiscated guns and rifles now being held.

Oakland: Voter go to the polls today to re-elect a mayor. Former mayor Bill Mullins, now convicted of felonies, is still on the ballot.

Politics: The state’s best political news aggregator website, Post Politics, underwent a change Monday as its webmaster, A. C. Kleinheider, was let go by SouthComm. Competition from The Westview, recently purchased by Memphis’ The Daily News, is to blame.

State Finance Commission chair David Goetz says general fund revenues will be $75 million short next year. Speaker of the House Kent Williams says the session won’t end until late May now. The “income tax amendment” passes the State Senate (25-7) and goes to the House; several Memphis legislators were among the “nos”; more in the Commercial Appeal. The Speakers of the House and Senate are quarreling over the bill to hand political party power to the Secretary of State, and the bill now appears dead.

US 5th District Congressman Jim Cooper talks about the politics and votes of health care reform, and share some thoughts on other politicians. US 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen is promising to help small businesses get government contracts.

The Fox13 Political Insiders talk Bill Gibbons, MCS security and more. And Bill Dries, of the Daily News, has a wide-ranging interview with Gibbons about the campaign.

Eighth Congressional District: The co-chairman of Republican candidate Stephen Fincher’s campaign, Danny Ellis, is leaving the area to take a job in Knoxville; Ellis is also a Jackson City Councilman.

TN Governor’s Race: Republican Ron Ramsey, claiming that jobs and sanity will return to the state, filed his petition yesterday. More from the Tennessean’s blog, In Session.

Financial: SunTrust is looking to gain market share this year.

Real Estate: FHA changes, some coming next week, will affect the Memphis market, but no one’s sure how. American Esoteric Laboratories has formally closed the deal for their new $14 million lab and HQ. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, is bullish on the near future of the real estate market.

Bigger Than Your Head: The wine of the week.

Born-Again Hippies: A long rant on the coming Armageddon of political violence.

Blue Collar Republican: Embracing the coming Brick War.

cbduke: A report on the loss of running trails as construction begins in the Lucius Birch recreational area.

Commercial Appeal: Farewell to Charlie Vergos. They call on Bill Mullins, should he be elected mayor of Oakland today, to refuse to take office.

Chick Chat: “It takes confidence to be the butt of the joke. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Air Traffic Mike’s: Splitty the Maul celebrates St Patrick’s Day nine days too late and then there’s grilled, marinated prok tenderloin on the grill.

The Seaberry Experience! Markus inaugurates his new blog with a weekend roundup post.

a field guide to urban memphis: She shares a TED.com talk by Sam Harris about a factual basis for moral questions. As always with TED, it’s challenging, mind-expanding stuff. Did she find the perfect crabcake?

16 Balls in the Air: After 4 births, it was time for the varicose veins to go! While the boys all love baseball, she’s a bit less so. An easy-to-make breakfast pizza!

Midtown Stomp: Thoughts on wine lists and one specific recommendation.

North Mississippi Commenter: A former MS Supreme Court Justice is helping start a Tea Party group in Oxford.

MemphisConnect: A long and comprehensive list of Holy Week activities in Memphis leading up to Easter Sunday.

Gilmour Girl Goes Memphis: A report from her first race of the season, the Rebel Man Race.

Doug Johnson at Work: He’s a wrestling fan?!

Dining With Monkeys: It’s New York v. Chicogo-style pizza battle and after talking about the Hi-Tone’s lunch buffet, they all head out to Jimmy’s to chow down.

Smart City Memphis: Some thoughts on budget priorities and wise spending in the City’s budget. Finding important lessons in Bill Gibbons’ withdrawal speech.

The Conservative Zone: He’s noticed the story on “smart grid” technology and its security dangers.

Thoroughly Modern Medusa: Harlow is three, but also feverish.

Lean Left: He’s looking for some suggestions for good, interesting podcasts, on any topics.

vibinc: Thinking about what other people are thinking about their lives.

Andrew Earles: When the economy goes bad, music reviewers turn fluffy?