Municipal School Districts: Governor Bill Haslam reiterated on Tuesday that he plans to sign into law the bills allowing the creation and funding of suburban schools.

Shelby County Commission: The Daily News reports on the debate over sheriffs using drones and the new County redistricting map. (Download the 2-J map here. PDF document)

Blight: Neighbors and residents in one southeast Memphis neighborhood are focused and determined in their handling of issues that affect them. Students skipping class at Northeast Prep Academy in Berclair are getting into dangerous mischief around the neighborhood. One intersection near Tillman and Sam Cooper Parkway is a breeding ground for snakes and large rodents.

Stella Marris: There are conflicting reports on whether restaurant operator Ronnie Grisanti has severed his relationship with Steve Cooper.

Local Media: The parent corporation of the Commercial Appeal, E. W. Scripps, reported another loss in the newspaper division but higher profits, thanks in part to the new subscriber paywall. Link to the corporate press release.

Collierville: The tragic tale of the destruction of a business and lives by the embezzlement of Kathy Tripp of $1.5 million from Seiler-Nabers Construction Company.

Politics: WMC reports on the law to allow citizens to expunge some crimes from their record by paying a $350 fee.

Nashville: The Beacon Center of TN breaks down Mayor Karl Dean’s proposed tax increase.

Fat City: More than fifty churches and their congregations are participating in the Healthy Church Challenge to lose weight. Fighting obesity is becoming a city-wide effort.

Mississippi: Five Tupelo agencies are studying creating an “entertainment venue” in the Fairpark District. Problems with the State’s public defenders. Repairing the damage to the Tunica Cutoff.

Weather: WREG has a report on tornado patterns in the Mid-South. Memphis is the worst place to live for asthma sufferers.

Gasoline: An unexpected drop in the price of oil means gas will be cheaper than originally feared this Summer. The local average is $3.45/gallon. (via Memphis Gas Prices)

Arkansas: Governor Mike Beebe testified in a federal court about the State’s efforts to preserve black representation in the latest redistricting effort.

Brookings Institution: A new study on geographical patterns in production says the move South is over, but Memphis is a “miscellaneous” economy and so will do better. Read the report.

Real Estate: Memphis-area home sales were up 15% in April. More from the CA. Mortgages were also up, 10%, in April.

Exclusive: Conservatives Cannot Afford To Be Silent and Republicans Cannot Afford To Let Them is the message in this month’s column from our political/financial contributor Chuck Bates. It’s do or die.

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?

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office: They will have an volunteer open house in Arlington to recruit more volunteer reserve deputies, as well as Emergency Services and Senior Services.

City of Memphis: It only took a problem Downtown to get action on broken and blocked sidewalks! More on the City’s new “25-square block” blight-fighting strategy.

Transition Planning Commission: With the merging of two school systems which have different opinions, they will have to decide on corporal punishment.

Memphis in May: Attendance was down almost 10-15%, despite the spectacular weather. Organisers are still upbeat, though, saying the drop “isn’t that significant”.

Downtown: Local food truck owners have organised the Memphis Food Truck Alliance to lobby government and help folks find the trucks during the day. Website here.

DeSoto County: Tourism is proving to be much more profitable than expected. A new committee formed from the success of Spring Cleanup aims to make County beautification a regular thing. More on the “dustup” over the motocross track. Mentors are desperately needed in the juvenile justice system.

Tennessee: April tax revenues were up 9.7%, almost $83 million above estimates. A study shows that rising costs in the past decade are keeping more and more people from seeing doctors.

Business: The National Federation of Independent Business small business optimism index rose slightly in April.

In the Commercial Appeal, you’ll find What to Do. The Daily Journal covers Today’s Events and Memphis Newsmakers. And thanks to the Business Journal, you’ll learn the People on the Move.

GTx: The company widened its losses in the first quarter and saw revenues fall by 80%. More from the CA.

Pinnacle Airlines: The PinnPro Professional Ground Services will take 900 jobs with it when it closes down over the next several months. About 400 of those jobs are in Memphis. More from WMC.

Monogram Foods: They are partnering with Johnsonville Sausage to produce a summer sausage meat stack.

NMissCommentor: A real life, historical example of a sitting president extorting favorable coverage from a major newspaper. Fresh wilted lettuce salad.

Notes from Memphis: Hints at changes to come? Grind fever around town.

Pretty in Pink Megan: New stuff in her blog sale.

Smart City Memphis: How to get people to stop believing the “lousy story” of creationism. Exploring voluntary PILOT payments.

Taming Insanity: The difference between writing and blogging. Zen and the art of being blunt.

The Daddler and Me: This post starts out on racquetball and, by the end, she’s talking enquiring about men’s health-insurance status.

The Soundcheck and the Fury: Thoughts on Cower Corners and writing.

This Classical Life: Thoughts on wanting to be chased.

Vegan Crunk: A report from a vegan dinner with biking and indie zines thrown in.

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

Guerrilla Sales & Marketing: Storytelling is a great sales tool–do you use it well? (via the Daily News)

Reginald Green: A member of the Transition Planning Commission talks about the importance of data. (via the Daily News)

Reverend Kenneth Whalum, Jr: He writes on the need for corporal punishment in schools. (via USA Today) Also, Fox13 interviewed him.

Commercial Appeal: This editorial about young children’s development never once mentions fathers or men. Local colleges and investing in human capital.

John Branston: There are a lot of issues the unified school board, and the two school systems that will form it, need to get serious about. (via the Flyer)

Sid Salter: Micajah Purnell “Mike” Sturdivant was one of the best men never elected governor in Mississippi. (via the Desoto Times Tribune)