The Wharton Administration: Mayor A C Wharton has ordered a 90-day reform plan for the General Services Division. Rick Masson will head up the reform team; more from WREG, WMC, Eyewitness News, Fox13. WMC interviews Masson. Michael Sadler is the new chief of the Fleet Services department. Summary and recommendations of the report. Did former Fleet Services director Arthur Adams use his office and the City to order expensive TVs? City Councilman Myron Lowery says he suspected something was up.

If the Main Street fountains can’t be decontaminated, then they’ll be shut down.

Beale Street: Despite police and gun checkpoints, a man was able to get a gun to a club. More, and differing details, from WMC.

Cohen v. Herenton: US Rep. Steve Cohen responds to an anti-Semitic flyer being circulated. You can see images of the flyer here, here and here. How the candidates spent their holiday.

Shelby County Government: The Mayor’s office helps two elderly sisters get some relief from the heat.

Metropolitan Charter Commission: They are touting all the businessmen and groups lining up to support consolidation. Separating fact and fiction about consolidation. Embarrassed by a lack of non-city public meetings, they are now prodding municipalities to let them hold meetings.

Arkansas: Drought is hitting farmers in the northern part of the state hard. One police sergeant is donating his kidney to another.

Center City Commission: Their Board of Directors has chosen a new chairman — Bobbi Gillis.

Memphis City Schools: When a City school bus runs out of gas, the students were largely left to their own devices.

Business: Target is shifting from gardening to groceries.

A business profile of Brother Juniper’s, the Highland breakfast legend, from the Daily News.

From the Commercial Appeal: What to Do for Monday and Tuesday; People in Business for Sunday and Monday; and What to Do This Week. Also, the Small Business Advocate suggests connection and customer service and the Better Business Bureau warns brides to double-check the reliability of wedding vendors!

FedEx: The company’s battle against easier unionisation regulations could affect many smaller delivery businesses associated with them.

Memphis Latino Leadership Awards: Nominations are being accepted for this year’s inaugural program. Website here.

Nineteenth Century Club: Another Union Avenue building is in trouble and Environmental Court is ordering millions in repairs.

Local Media: WDIA’s popular, long-time host Bev Johnson is hoping to audition for a spot co-hosting with Regis Philbin for one day on Live with Regis and Kelly. You can help.

West Memphis Shootings: The Commercial Appeal has lots of vignettes and histories of the three families that intersected in the West Memphis police shootings, including illuminating background on Joe Kane, the teenager who opened fire.

Tennessee: Even with new funds for education and development, the state still faces a severe shortage of nurses. A new Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission will be implemented through the University of Memphis to train teachers in personal financial literacy. Is the number of illegal aliens in the state dropping? The heat is good for one thing: peaches. A little-discussed new State law prevents group homes for sex-offenders.

Masjid Al-Noor: Is a cancelled appearance by Hamas fundraiser Shaikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti being covered up or is it a bizarre mistake? The source story the Commercial Appeal doesn’t link is here. The event is now removed from the mosque’s calendar. (NOTE: A previous speaker intimidation incident some believe connected to the same mosque. Washington Times story.)

Morgan Keegan: They lost an appeal of an arbitration award of $1.5 million in their mutual funds debacle.

Real Estate: The complex relationships between remodeling, renovating and selling homes when a first-time buyer’s tax credit is also in play. Home sales in Memphis jumped 18% in May. The Carlisle Corp. is ramping up work on its new HQ downtown; more from the Business Journal, the Commercial Appeal.

NEW! Main Street Journal July 2010 Preview: Financial writer and radio news host Chuck Bates profiles the three major Republican nominees for governor of Tennessee.

NEW! Main Street Journal Online Exclusive: Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell, and Republican candidate for Shelby County Mayor, explains what happened at the Latino Memphis forum and his stance on a County-issued ID card.

Memphis City Council: The agenda for today’s meeting. City Engineer Wain Gaskins was summoned before the Council to explain why his department missed a deadline to obtain bike lane funds; more from Fox13.

Shelby County Elections: The Commercial Appeal has biographies of all the candidates. The CA also profiles David Pickler and Ken Hoover, who are running for Shelby County School Board chaiman. La Prensa Latina’s report on last week’s Latino forum and the fireworks the Commercial Appeal created: Google translation here. The Commercial Appeal profiles Democratic nominee for County Sheriff, Randy Wade and looks at the General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 7 race, which has 20 people on the ballot.

Midtown: The Daily News interviews Charles “Chooch” Pickard of the Memphis Regional Design Center.

Foxy Jacky: Bartlett’s best known porn star, Jacquelyn McKee, was arrested for assaulting her husband.
 

City of Memphis: Efforts to bring full-service grocery stores with public assistance. Work will finally begin on renovations to Elvis Presley Boulevard.

DeSoto County: New Southaven Fire chief Ron White is already an old hand. Officials from the US Department of Agriculture are in Southaven to discuss job creation and economic development. Tonight’s meeting of the Olive Branch Board of Mayor and Aldermen may see a ban on “fake Pot”; a Burger King may also be discussed. A new County school policy on harrassment and bullying is coming. More on Hernando mayor Chip Johnson and the MS Municipal League. Opponents of the proposed new jail site plan to present petitions at today’s Hernando Board of Aldermen meeting. Residents in Bridgewater are being asked to limit water use. No new tax hikes are expected for next year’s school budget.

Millington: Veterans are hoping to get a 150-bed VA care home opened on Navy Road. Residents are still trying to recover from last Spring’s floods.

West Tennessee: The Jackson City Council is considering a daytime curfew for students. Problems continue at the Union City animal shelter.

Politics: Rating the various State House and Senate races. The Governor’s Office of Children’s Care Coordination may come under Legislative scrutiny again next session. Candidates in the Eighth Congressional District race are touting their Tea Party connections.

Community Gardens: Fox13 reports on the Park Avenue Garden in Orange Mound.
 

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare: They have a new health blog on their website.

Mississippi: Concerns about a Census undercount. Federal stimulus funds will help sixteen counties get broadband internet access. Legislators hope to pass tough immigration laws next year.

Governor’s Race: The Commercial Appeal’s Richard Locker reports the latest on the gubernatorial campaigns. Republican Bill Haslam and Democrat Mike McWherter will be in Memphis today. The Tennessean looks at Republican Ron Ramsey’s campaign, as does the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Just how “anti-Washington” are the Republican candidates? Republican Zach Wamp sits down with the editorial staff of the Flyer; he also finds some use for Washington money.

Fayette County: The Daily News look at growth and change in the County. Oakland mayor Scott Ferguson says he won’t close the Parks and Recreation Department.

Strayer University: They have filed a permit for a new campus on Appling Farms Parkway.

Germantown: The City has formed a Green Council to work on “sustainability” issues. Planning to allow the conversion of some private streets into public ones. A look at who uses and how much they contribute to the Memphis and Shelby County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The City may commission a study of its fire and ambulance services, if consolidation happens.

MAKE IT HAPPEN: When riding with a bike racing group, where do you try to fit in?

Dining With Monkeys: It’s off to the Cozy Corner, but no fried chicken?

dminmem: A positive recommendation for Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomon.

Cliff Heegel, PhD: First recognising and then figuring out how to change the patterns in your life.

Blue Collar Republican: Is 8th District Republican Stephen Fincher some bizarro RINO stalking horse for agribusiness interests?

Doug Johnson at Work: Broth, Bill Cosby and fireworks but you likely can’t guess the connection yet.

Divers and Sundry: Your bit of humor for the day — paper Tweets.

From the Rainbows: Memphis is in the past, and they are Seattlites now.

Fore Left! Some interesting thoughts on the original tea party.

Left Wing Cracker: Visiting his past.

Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease: She’s planning a blogger meetup for August. Let her know if you’re interested and help spread the word.

Joe Spake’s Weblog: Some tips on making great omelettes. He even has a video!

MemphisShelbyInform: Interested in reading the Beale Street settlement with Performa and learning how much the City is giving away?

Speak To Power: Replacing one insulting cultural stereotype with another, more cryptic, insulting racial stereotype.

3: Learning to love your back-country kin.

Bigger Than Your Head: He is “weary of carefully-calibrated, committee-made cabernets”. On his July Fourth, he drank The Federalist Zinfandel!

John Branston: Ten pressing situations downtown that can be addressed by 2012. (via the Flyer)

Dr Scott Morris: Three words that can do wonders for your health. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Lucie Bridgforth: Using our nation’s history to view some of the issues of today. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Chris Peck: On the Fourth of July, necessary reminders that America is not what it’s cracked up to be. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Otis L. Sanford: Continuing to attack Republicans for mischaraterisations the daily paper intentionally created. (via the Commercial Appeal)

A Right Perspective: Beware the Medicare reimbursement cuts coming this Fall. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Commercial Appeal: A call for more investigations into the General Services Division. Our economic woes are temporary. Government must get involved in the business of supermarkets. Again, Metro Charter Commission failures are tied to the County’s residents. Support for stringent “no-bullying” law in MS? Skepticism for Wain Gaskins and support for another bureaucratic post.

Memphis News: Fayette County must find its own style in its growth.

Lori Turner: Tailor your sales call to the customer. (via the Daily News)

Tom Pease: The business lessons of a clothes dryer (via the Daily News)