Photo Credit: MSJ/County Commission
Tinker, Tailor, Politics
… Incumbents

 
The Shelby County Commission met last night and gave its first approval to a plan to create a 13-member commission with six 2-member districts and a single member district. Two more readings must happen before the end of the year.

Commissioner Steve Mulroy called it an “incumbent protection plan”, and has an alternative district plan that may come up again, which proposes 13 single-member districts.

Commissioner Terry Roland says that legal fees deriving from the City-County school unification are too steep.

Bloomberg Philanthropies: The City of Memphis has announced seven positions it will fill in executing the Bloomberg project, Innovation Delivery Team. You can find the job descriptions here.

Memphis City Council: At today’s meeting, they will elect a new chairman for next year. By tradition, that will be Bill Morrison. The agenda is here; their website is here, including link to live web coverage.

Memphis City Schools: A former student from Millington Central High School was taken into custody, then arrested, after making unspecified threats on Facebook; more from ABC24, WMC. Details of Jamal Smith’s later arrest. And his target, Amber Smith, speaks out. There was also a gang fight near Kirby High School, that police responded to.

Fire Departments: Both the City of Memphis and Shelby County Fire Departments are are accused of misusing sick leave’s badly-designed policy.

Occupy: After Governor Bill Haslam’s request last week, a judge agreed yesterday and all charges against all Occupy Nashville protesters were dropped and their records expunged. Comments from Occupy Nashville spokespeople. Haslam is still defending the Highway Patrol. The THP is confirmed as conducting undercover operations in the run-up to the arrests. More reports from the Commercial Appeal.

City of Memphis: The City has hired consultants to help sort out the sanitation workers’ demands with a leaner budget. Details on the new plan are hard to come by.

Home Refinancing: Although there is a Federal Home Affordable Refinance Program available, many homeowners don’t qualify.

National Governors Association: They are meeting in Nashville this week. Sharing economic development ideas is issue one.

Business-Friendly Tennessee: A report by the Beacon Center of Tennesseenames the business-friendliest cities of the state. The Nashville Business Journal identifies the most friendly (Only Collierville appeared) and least friendly cities (where Dyersburg and Memphis rated high).

Business: A lot of area banks are putting up new offices or expansion branches. Staples will open their first of two Memphis stores on Wednesday.

From the Commercial Appeal, People in Business and What to Do. The Daily News reports Today’s Events.

Gibson Guitars: A Wall Street Journal piece on CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, and how the company is handling the fallout from the government’s raid.
 

FedEx: The new pedestrian bridge will connect employee parking with the FedEx Express hub.

Delta Regional Authority: The chairman of the DRA, Chris Massingill, is urging its member states to find ways to work together more.

Southland Park Gaming & Racing: Construction begins in December on a $10 million renovation and expansion. This includes 200 additional gaming machines and a new sports bar among other changes.

Mississippi: Republicans in the State House are lining up behind Representative Phillip Gunn as their nominee for House Speaker. He would be the first Republican to lead that chamber in 135 years. Six members of the Phi Mu sorority were placed on probation for wearing blackface in a “Cosby Show” skit. A Commercial Appeal report from their press services about the rise of Republican government in Mississippi after last week’s election.

Unemployment Abuse: People who receive government unemployment benefits should also prove they are looking for work, says Lt Gov Ron Ramsey. Governor Bill Haslam agrees in principle but isn’t sure “massive changes” are necessary.

INTERNET EXCLUSIVE: Mississippi Tea Party activist Doctor Ed Holliday supports the Republican presidential candidacy of Herman Cain and says he brings “Rock Splitting Politics” to the race.

Internet Exclusive: Meet Tennessee’s new Small Business Advocate, Lauren Plunk, whose job it is “to help owners of businesses with 50 or fewer employees work through whatever questions or issues they may encounter in dealing with government agencies”.

Internet Exclusive: Our regular contributor, Chuck Bates, has a powerful look at the Republican presidential primary, the Left-leaning press, and the shenanigans you can expect between now and November 2012. A must-read!

Madison Avenue Bike Lanes: Unsurprisingly, with no traffic signs up or painted on the lanes, drivers are pretty confused by the changes.

Memphis v. Nashville: Nashville is also implementing food trucks in their downtown but the usual regulatory issues are fouling things up.

Memphis Police Department: MPD Director Toney Armstrong has resigned as chairman of the board from the Memphis Police Foundation due to the ongoing investigation and audit of Organized Crime Unit.

School Vouchers: Legislators expect an enormous battle against teachers, their unions and the school districts of the State’s four largest Counties in the next session. The Speakers of the House and Senate have diverging views.

Presidential Politics: A poll by Vanderbilt University says that Tennesseans like Herman Cain as a presidential candidate and all Republicans tie or beat Obama. Conservative blogger Bill Hobbs points out there as issues with the poll. Vandy Research website; some of the poll question can be downloaded here. (PDF document) The liberal slant from the Nashville Scene.

The Tennessean has a package of stories from the poll and its results: They claim Tennesseans support more taxes on the “weathy”; we’re sour on the economy; support for Herman Cain; lukewarm about a third party.

MLG&W: The deadline to apply for the “winter moratorium” is this afternoon. There are age and ability restrictions.

NBA/Grizzlies: The NBA players union rejected the latest offer and may disband their union, effectively cancelling the season. How arenas will be affected by the cancellation isn’t known. More from ABC24, the Commercial Appeal, WMC, WREG. Some Grizzlies players may head overseas. But FedEx Forum workers will just lose their jobs.

Greenline: Thanks to a Federal grant the Shelby Farms Greenline can be extended into Cordova.

Politics: State House Speaker Beth Harwell has appointed Representative Bob Ramsey as Chairman of the House State and Local Government Committee. Representative Curry Todd was the previous chairman. For the fifth straight month, State tax collections are up, through October.

State Education Reform: Tennessee’s original waiver request for the No Child Left Behind Act has grown from 7 pages to a 70 page document. The State has officially requested to be waivered out.

Collierville: A public forum looking at the Town’s planned annexation of 4300 acres drew only positive comments. More from Fox13.

DeSoto County: A lot of the new construction in Olive Branch is being built by Linkous Construction, like the Wedgewood Commons center. The House District 25 race, where Republican Gene Alday appears to have beaten incumbent Democrat John Mayo, is still in question. Mayo leans to accepting defeat. Mark Fenton will be talking “walkable communities” in Hernando next month.

Southaven mayor Greg Davis has collected receipts totaling $53,000. The Southaven Board of Aldermen met last night and discussed Davis’ problem. Details of Davis’ rather extravagant spending on your dime.

Forest Hill Cemetery: The embezzlement trial of Clayton Smart is wrapping up.

Voter ID: Democrats in the US House are holding unofficial hearings about the “problems” with voter ID. One couple in Smyrna got theirs after an hour of waiting in line.

TVA: There will be a 2.8% increase in fuel costs for December.

Bartlett: Reports on the Better Bartlett Schools forum from the Commercial Appeal. Citizens just want hard numbers.

Kevin Huffman: The Education Commissioner explains why leaving NCLB behind is good for Tennessee and her children. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Dr Manoj Jain: “Medical tourism” has important lessons to teach, if we will listen and pay attention. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Commercial Appeal: Farewell, Highland branch library. When government is as big, sprawling, capricious and poorly documented as Memphis’, is it any wonder its full of confusion and conflict?

Bruce Wood: Today is America Recycling Day and there are real alternatives to landfills. (via the Tennessean)

Tennessean: America should reform its immigration laws to improve its business standing around the world.

Smart Stuff 4 Work: Can you answer this question: What do my customers really want? (via the Daily News)

Rays of Wisdom: Make sure your credit cards pay you. (via the Daily News)

Joe Spake’s Daily Buzz: The rest of the day’s news, from all sorts of eclectic places.

AlphaPatriot: Abraham Lincoln explains the petrodollar to a Founding Father.

Andrea Fenise: She records a vlog of the six things she’s obsessed with right now.

artbutcher: You have been warned.

Biking in Memphis: The tale of his Wedneday commute.

Commontaries: Thoughts on the rise of Newt Gingrich.

Dinner Belles: A recipe for an enormous amount of cheap, and tasty, hummus. Try using it as a replacement dip on chips!

Divers and Sundry: Another potential gene pool dropout. Her experiences as a pedestrian.

I’ll be the one in heels: Your guide to dressing like a chic Torontonian.