Memphis City Council: They will honor Rev Martin Luther King at today’s meeting. And inaugurate the City’s first Dr Martin Luther King Jr Avenue. The meeting’s agenda and the Council’s website.

Memphis City Schools: The assistant principal of Whitehaven High School, Terence Bobo, was arrested on drunk driving charges. He was previously transfered from Melrose High School following an incident there.

Teacher Evaluations: A group of people hand-chosen by SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education) to give their thoughts on recommendations for evaluations will see those points given to the State in a specially written report. More from the Commercial Appeal.

Morgan Keegan: Regions Financial has now completed the sale of Morgan Keegan to Raymond James Finacial. More from the Daily News and the Commercial Appeal.

Municipal School Districts: Expect a lot of legislative action in Nashville this week. Governor Bill Haslam wants the Transition Planning Commission to finish their work before the suburbs act on MSDs.

First Baptist Church Broad Avenue: Senior Pastor Keith Norman has been invited to the White House to be recognised as a “Champions of Change” for Youth Violence Prevention. He was nominated by Memphis mayor A C Wharton.

TN State Budget: Governor Bill Haslam presented a modified final budget yesterday morning. The tax on groceries will be cut to 5.25%. Several other cuts will be restored. WPLN in Nashville has an audio report.

The Tennessee State Employees Association has agreed to back his civil service reforms; more from the Tennessean, the Knoxville News-Sentinel. The letters Haslam and the TSEA sent to State employees.

Memphis Fire Department: Deputy Fire Chief Daryl Payton was secretly recording abusing a lieutenant.

Business: Ben & Jerry’s will be giving out free ice cream cones today at their Black Road location. The deadline for Small Business Association non-profit loans is April 20. Despite the news about Pinnacle and others, the “tea leaves” are saying an economic recovery is brewing. More on Memphis being among the top three cities for new hires in 2011.

Your Commercial Appeal carries People in Business and What to Do; in the Daily News, you’ll find Today’s Events.

ServiceMaster Clean: They have been awarded a patent for their “Capture and Removal” system which doesn’t just stir up dust.

Memphis Housing Authoriity: The TN Supreme Court ruled the MHA is not immune from a negligence lawsuit arising from a shooting involving residents at Jefferson Square tower.

Arlington: The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to freeze property taxes on certain low-income, elderly residents.

DeSoto County: At Monday’s school board meeting, voted unanimously for abstinence-only sex education for County schools; more from WREG and the Commercial Appeal. First-time homebuyers who didn’t realise a tax deadline was near are just out of luck. Plantation Lakes in Olive Branch is stepping up their security. There will be a public meeting on OB to discuss redistricting in the town; they have already approved moving one polling location.

Pink Slime: The manufacturer, AFA Foods, following all the negative publicity, is filing bankruptcy.
 

NEW! INTERNET EXCLUSIVE! Southpaw: When he came to Memphis in the days before his assassination, Rev Dr Martin Luther King saw the city as a launching point for radical change, a point mostly lost to popular history. We can still be those people and that city!

NEW! INTERNET EXCLUSIVE! What Is “Stand Your Ground”? Regular contributor Craig Harper looks at Tennessee’s “Stand Your Ground” law, telling you what it is and what it covers. Clear and factual information.

INTERNET EXCLUSIVE! First-time contributor B. R. Kuhn shares a harrowing tale of mental illness to illustrate the health care model TennCare should be funding.

Allergies: Memphis rated among the top ten worst cities for pollen sufferers.

Shelby County Commission: The attorney hired by the commission to represent them in the County redistricting case, Ronald Krelstein, has resigned.

Easter Holiday: The Commercial Appeal is already listing holiday closings and changes.

Reverend Jesse Jackson: He is in town for the anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, and attended a union rally. He also attended a student rally at Whitehaven High School; a bit more from WMC. He warns students, “Don’t self-destruct.” And he urged them to honor the sacrifices of earlier generations and to vote. Jackson also met with the editorial board of the Commercial Appeal and re-iterated his call for an investigation of fifty companies, many in Memphis and Tennessee.

Rabbi Micah Greenstein: He is the only rabbi from the South to make Newsweek’s list of the nation’s top 50 rabbis. The Flyer with a bit more on why he was selected. More from the Commercial Appeal.

Early Summer: It’s not too early for sunburns, so let’s be careful out there. The March just passed was the warmest-ever for the state. Start now planning for Summer Camps.

Eduardo Marmolejo: He pleaded not guilty in the murder of Suzette York, principal of the Memphis Junior Academy, and was granted a mental evaluation.

Tennessee: Citizens on unemployment benefits are worried about changes being considered in the Assembly; more from the Commercial Appeal. Secretary of State Tre Hargett credits the University of Memphis and the education he received there with laying the foundation of his career.

Second Amendment: “Prominent Republicans” are opposing the “guns in trunks” bill which would allow certain people to keep their rifles and guns in their cars even if their employers forbid carry on premises. More from the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Politics: The bill overhauling the TN Regulatory Authority is in trouble. Governor Bill Haslam says he could sign the bill extending protections to teacher who discuss scientific controversies in the classroom. The “saggy pants” bill sponsored by Memphis Representative Joe Towns passed both sides of the General Assembly by healthy margins. Constance Gee, the wife of a former Vanderbilt University chancellor will testify in the State House committee about medical marijuana. A bill before the governor would disallow public officials from getting pre-trial diversion for their crimes. The bill proposed by Republican leadership in government for judicial selection has stalled. A law banning lapdogs in cars has returned.

Nashville: Mayor Karl Dean is increasingly turning to corporate tax breaks as a means of economic development. New Occupy protesters have returned to the War Memorial Plaza, despite the new law banning overnight encampments.

The Solar Institute: Funded by the same American Recovery and Reinvestment funds that paid for the West TN Solar Farm, these training workshops at the Fogelman Conference Center acclimatise those new to the growing solar industry.

Republican Presidential Primaries: Rick Santorum backers in Tennessee are upset with Bill Haslam for raising money for primary loser Mitt Romney, even though he’s a supporter. State Senator Stacey Campfield will attend this Summer’s Republican convention as a Gingrich delegate after all; more from the Nashville Scene and the Commercial Appeal. Campfield responds on his blog.

Commerical Appeal: Save the Chisca Hotel, and the South Main area, and the Downtown, and the City’s investment in it all, with magic money from somewhere. Putting a good face on the fact that the Memphis Belle was taken from Memphis because we weren’t taking care of it.

Otis Sanford: He welcomes Graduate Memphis and hopes for more adult college graduates. (via WREG)

John Rutherford: If your company is hiring, consider hiring members of the Guard and Reserve. You won’t be disappointed. (via the Tennessean)

Giving Back: A “prayer of support and a personal ‘thank you’” to all our armed forces. (via the Daily News)