Photo Credit: TPC
Readin’, Writin’, Zonin’

 
At today’s Transition Planning Commission meeting, a plan to freeze attendance zones for the Unified school district will be discussed. Also, the organisational structure, post-merger, will be fine-tuned. The Communication and Community Engagement Committee heard from about 450 teachers about their observations. The TPC website. Memphis educators and supporters, and representatives of the Gates Foundation are plugging for the Unified system to use the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative.

Memphis City Schools: An unnamed elementary school is planned for the Hickory Hill area. Educators are looking for more money to fund expanded prekindergarten programs. More on Superintendent Dr Kriner Cash interviewing for the Charlotte-Mecklenberg position in North Carolina.

Memphis Police Department: The Memphis Police Association, the cops’ union, says Mayor A C Wharton is using them as pawns in budget negotiations.

Municipal School Districts: The State House removed a provision that would have allowed suburban elections on MSDs, then took the bill off the House calendar; but a new vote is scheduled for next week. And legislators are assured that the law would only apply to Shelby County. Suburban mayors remain hopeful. Bartlett mayor Keith McDonald is content to let the legislative process play out before exploring other options for a MSD.

FedEx St. Jude Classic’s Championship Pro-Am: The golfing event has already lined up a number of celebrities. It is scheduled to begin on June 6 at TPC Southwind.

DeSoto County: County, and specifically Hernando, officials are pushing for a bigger place at the table of the MS Economic Council. The County Sheriff’s office failed to get the OK for more traffic radar equipment and permission to use it.

Solar Industry: State Comptroller Justin Wilson says that a badly worded revision to tax law means more businesses installing solar arrays will have to pay the solar tax. The state’s largest solar farm, at the West Tennessee Solar Farm megasite, opens today. And the Silicon Ranch solar array at the Agricenter opened on Wednesday; more from Fox13.

Business: Eleven Tennessee companies, three from Memphis, are part of a medical trade mission to Asia next week.

The Commercial Appeal covers People in Business and What to Do. The Business Journal reports People on the Move. And the Daily News handles Today’s Events.

Pinnacle Airlines: Fifty pilots manned a picket line yesterday to protest Pinnacle’s pay delays and errors. More from ABC24 and Fox13.

Apple: Tennessee joins fifteen States and the US Justice Department in a suit against the company. It’s alleged that Apple and five e-book publishers conspired to fix prices. More reports from the Nashville City Paper, the CA.

The Beige Book: The Federal Reserve of St Louis reports the Mid-South region “continued to grow at a modest pace”. Beige Book website.

Foreclosure: The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, was in Memphis this week to explain the massive foreclosure fraud settlement and what it means to homeowners.

National Earthquake Conference: It’s been going on all this week on the bicentennial of the New Madrid Quakes of 1811-12.

Judicial Selection: Conflicting plans for the selection of appellate judges are being considered by the State Senate. But in the House, one plan to popularly elect judges was defeated by a single vote. The othe plan, which retains appointment of judges, but adds assent by the General Assembly, is still alive.

Mortgage: Memphians hold significantly less mortgage debt this quarter.

NEW! INTERNET EXCLUSIVE! Achievement School District Blog: The Communications Director of the ASD, Jeremy Jones, inaugurates an informational blog for us with updates on developments, plans and events for the six schools in Memphis they’ll direct. NEW! ASD Blog #2: A community forum is coming Thursday morning, April 12.

Internet Exclusive! Hotel Chisca: The Downtown Memphis Commission’s Paul Morris makes the case that it’s now or never for the Hotel Chisca. Either we save it now or knock it down!

Downtown: More on the court-ordered razing of 119 Madison Avenue; more from ABC24. Mayor A C Wharton made a rare appearance in Environmental Court over the issue. Sunset Atop the Madison parties start tonight.

SCS Superintendent John Aitken: The State PTA has named him the 2011 Outstanding Superintendent.

Elections: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker surveys the August 2 landscape and gives his pronouncements.

Education Reform: There is a bill in the House that would allow the Education Commissioner to suspend State law in order to grant schools greater flexibility.

Broad Avenue Arts District: The Spring Art Walk is coming this Friday night. Music and art, food, children’s activities and more.

Mulch: A zoning clash between a mulching company and a residential neighborhood is turning heated.

Taxes: The Tax Foundation rates Memphis and Nashville high on sales taxes nationally. (But remember, TN has no income tax!)

Economic Development: A bill to make secret information given to the State by businesses seeking State grants has quietly died. More from TN Report, the Associated Press.

Politics: The sponsor of the commercial horse slaughterhouse bill in the State Senate has withdrawn it. The House passed the “suspicion-based” drug testing ordinance for welfare recipients; more from the Knoxville News-Sentinel. A bill is progressing that would set a maximum age for children entering kindergarten. It may soon be illegal to release “wild-appearing swine”.

Governor Bill Haslam: The State House passed the TEAM act, reforming civil service practices, on a 74-19 vote. Nine Democrats voted yes on the bill. More on that from the Tennessean, the Associated Press. Now that the State is showing tax revenue surpluses, the plans to spend the money come out.

Nashville: Backers of charter schools for Metro Nashville are growing impatient with and untrusting of the charter approval process. “Affordable car services” must still charge a minimum $45, says a judge; more from the Tennessean. The zoo set both single-day and March attendance records.

Millington: The American Legion Fair is leaving town because, the claim, a spoken promise from former mayor Richard Hodges isn’t being honored.

Mississippi: The director of the MS Development Authority could potentially make up to $2 million/year if a bill in the Legislature is passed. The charter school movement got a “second wind” in the State Senate on Wednesday. Recovery one year after last year’s flooding is slow for Tunica. And, the Tunica Animal Shelter is in desperate need of volunters and money. There are more pregnant teens in the state than any other.

Second Amendment: The four bills, collectively referred to as “guns in trunks”, have survived hostility from the Republican leadership but are now on the edge of passage in the House.

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!

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.

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

Commercial Appeal: The Wolf River Harbor is the City’s front door? The University of Arkansas was right to fire Coach Bobby Petrino.

Tamala R. Boyd: Publicising teachers’ evaluations would be “demoralising”. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Because I Said So: Four years of writing this column haven’t made him an expert in child-raising, he admits. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Rays of Wisdom: For your family’s sake, plan ahead for your funeral. (via the Daily News)

I Swear: Lawyer advertising wasn’t the “total abasement of the profession” that was predicted. (via the Daily News)

Martha M. Lafferty: The public having and understanding correct information on service animals would be helpful. (via the Tennessean)

Dining With Monkeys: Did you know Ferraro’s has $5 pizza? Genius: The Revivial food truck, in Overton Park, on a holiday.

Evilblog: Thoughts on Republicans and voter turnout. And, with Rick Santorum out of the Republican race, he retires the blog…for now!

Biking in Memphis: The April cyclist of the month is Jason Potter.

Cara Notestine: She and her puppy, Didgeridoo, hit the trails along the Wolf River. They took some amazing photos. And she learned some things, too.

Ben Thompson Can Change: Do you and your spouse participate in Marriage Fight Club? You’ve heard of “rehab” but what about prehab?

Andrea Fenise: Style in the City is a new thirty day challenge to highlight everything good, local, stylish and fun in Memphis, like these things. Then there’s Day Two, Day Three….

All That and a Box of Rocks: Move your feet and lose your seat. A two-photo post.

Air Traffic Mike: April might be his favorite month. Thoughts on Newt Gingrich and small business.

A Merry Wife: Things she learned in the process of getting married, plus a ton of links to prior posts on the subject of getting married. Is there something she hasn’t covered?

a belle, a bean, and a chicago dog: If it weren’t for bad luck she’d have no luck at all.

Creme de Memph: Grand apartment buildings that were proposed but never built. The first in a series!