Photo Credit: South DaCola

Despite reassurance by the daily paper, red light traffic cameras are still challenged by transportation experts as “unsafe practices being monetized by our government”.

Municipal Schools Districts: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker reports on the local excursion to Nashville by a team of interested MSD advocates. There is little time left in Nashville for the issue of MSDs. More from Fox13.

Memphis Budget: A letter from Memphis mayor A C Wharton notes that Memphis has been losing $17 million a year in property tax revenue since 2009!

Transition Planning Commission: They are preparing to propose their recommendations for the new unified school system. They may nominate 21 schools for closure before the merger.

Tennessee: The commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Bill Hagerty, wants the state to see some innovation returns on its research and development investments. More reports from the Commercial Appeal.

Blight & Crime: Residents feel they have an uphill battle against crime. One home on Grand Opera Cove is full of pests and animals.

Business: The long-moribund Chicago Pizza Factory on Madison will soon become a Mexican restaurant, Chiwawa. Memphis is missing out on many of the nation’s rising top fast-casual restaurant chains.

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

Merry Maids: A brand in the ServiceMaster roster, this locally owned business is on a Forbes list of the nation’s best franchise opportunities.

Delta Airlines: They surprised analysts with a first quarter net income of $124 million but still managed to lose $39 million. CEO Richard Anderson says, “We like the trajectory we are on”. The high cost of airfare in Memphis was the topic of discussion at a Washington DC conference hosted by the New America Foundation.

Pyramid: What will become of the commemorative bricks that Memphians donated over $600,000 to? The news isn’t good.

Strong Towns: The head of this advocacy group for cities and urbanism, Charles Marohn, was in town this week and spoke on investing in cities and disinvesting in sprawl. More from Fox13.

Leadership Memphis: They will hold their annual Celebration and Awards Reception next week. Elliot Perry will receive their Leader of the Year Award.

Mississippi: A study says that State taxes hit the poor the hardest.

Memphis Bioworks: They are putting the “finishing touches” on the array at the parking garage at Dudley Street and Union Avenue, and hope to train hundreds from the area.

Memphis Police: Attorney Javier Bailey claims the police have a department-set quota for officers to ticket speeders, as discipline.

Gas Prices: Prices fell for the ninth week. The local average is $3.64/gallon. (via MemphisGasPrices.com)

Severe Weather Preparedness Week: Last April was the worst month for tornados in history and 2011 was a noteworthy year.

NEW! INTERNET EXCLUSIVE! Our Tea Party contributor, Ed “Doc” Holliday has a monumental post likening the 2012 election campaign to the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War! And President Barack Obama is…General Robert E. Lee?

Internet Exclusive! Southpaw: Andria K. Brown looks at abstinence-only education, as enacted by the State, and wonders at their “modesty proposal”.
 

Shelby County: The cost of repairs for the Vasco Smith Administration Building could easily top $20 million.

West Tennessee Solar Farm: The Franklin County site will be one of the recipients of $1.5 billion in road work over the next few years.

American Queen: The steamboat pulls in to her home port for only the second time, today. More from WMC.

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy: They are still objecting to the long-in-the-planning parkway through the park.

MLG&W: They are seriously considering suspending free water provision to Memphis schools, post-merger.

DeSoto County: Olive Branch’s first prayer breakfast is this Friday. Under redistricting, the County will gain two State House seats. Hernando is using a State grant and a private donation to build a community track.

Mo’ Money Taxes: The IRS has executed a search warrant on their St Louis headquarters. More from WREG, WMC, ABC24 and Fox13.

Elvis Presley Boulevard: Plans for renovation of the neighborhood are “on track and moving forward”, says City Councilman Harold Collins.

Memphis Music Foundation: They will collaborate with SoundExchange to get more musicians the royalties they are owed.

Politics: Governor Bill Haslam’s $31 billion spending plan is headed to the State Senate for a full vote after Democratic charges of “pork barrel” politics almost derailed it. Legislation that would have parents grade themselves on their involvement in their childrens’ education continues its steamroller, bipartisan progress. And the State House approved a bill requiring a higher minimum age for kindergarteners; more from the CA. The bill toughening penalties for domestic violence is headed to the governor. Further legislative briefs. The Tennessee Works Act has passed the Senate and now faces a House committee. and will Drug testing for welfare recipients is now closer to being a reality. Many local projects are now “imperiled” by the last minute rush to finish the General Assembly session. Bills signed into law by the governor.

Summer Prep: Memphis Light, Gas, and Water is teaming with the Neighborhood Christian Center to provide 200 AC units to elderly and needy.

Second Amendment: The “guns in parking lots” bills are dead for the session. More from the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Memphis Floods: Local and State officials are teaming up on a networks of river gauges and weather stations to help mitigate future floods. More from ABC24.

FedEx Forum: Beeeeeees!

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

matters of merrymaking: Cutting and a blog milepost. How she handles illness.

Daily News Blog: Nostalgia for the Wonders Series. A departing MCS media person pens an open letter to the Memphis press!

MEMPHIS ROCK-N-ROMP: Rock-n-Romp Camp is back this Summer for two sessions.

MemphisShelbyInform: An interesting $2 million factoid about health care costs in the upcoming merged school system.

Memphis Connect: What does a wolf call a party?

Mr. Brame’s Blog: April is almost over but he’s still honoring National Poetry Month as his blog. Plenty of great, short poems to catch up on!

My Midtown Memphis: Someone is an enormous cricket fan! Not many of them in Memphis.

NMissCommentor: The last Thacker Mountain Radio show of the season is also going to be a collaboration with the Oxford American. A round up of interesting bits gleaned from the Net.

Rays of Wisdom: Vacations at all-inclusive resorts can be a welcome time off. (via the Daily News)

I Swear: Entertaining police blotter stories. (via the Daily News)

Commercial Appeal: Seeing the “wisdom” of not “subsidising” Shelby County sprawl. Lauding the successful who leave Memphis for remembering their roots.

Because I Said So: The road brotherhood of traveling parents. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Ben Ferguson: He discusses the top issues of the day. (via Fox13)

Notes From Memphis: It looks like she’s warming up to restart her blog! And, a great thought for the day.

polar donkey: Mapping the ages of Memphis and Shelby County. Fascinating….

The Intersection of Madness and Reality: He’s pleasantly shocked to find there really is a black, Mormon Republican in Utah who is also the child of immigrants!

Lean Left: Explaining Mormonism, radical Islam and anti-Islam, politics, families, dumb people and eating dogs.