Photo Credit: Paul Ryburn’s Journal
Party Starts Now!

 
The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is already underway at Tom Lee Park, drawing contestants, and partiers, from around the world. The People’s Choice award has been replaced in favor of a Tour of Champions. Ten unconventional BBQ dishes available right here. The Ms. Piggy Idol contest kicked things off Thursday.

Bikes: Today is Bike-To-Work Day. More from WREG. There’s a website. Did you know the City has produced a PSA on using bike lanes, for those not familiar with how they work? The Commercial Appeal explains further.

Transition Planning Commission: They have identified 79 recommendations they will put into their report this Summer.

Municipal School Districts: Memphis wasn’t the first choice for County seat in the 1820’s. County Commissioner Mike Ritz’ presentation on the costs of MSDs got suprisingly little reaction from his peers. Bartlett mayor Keith McDonald thinks the numbers are “lacking”. Ritz says Southern Education Strategies is “low balling” the costs in their estimates. SES defends their numbers. More on the SES angle from WMC.

Memphis City Schools: Memphis Education Association president Keith Williams is interviewed about possible teacher firings for Level 1 teacher evaluations. Both City and County schools students, thousands, will be allowed to walk in graduation even though there is question about their final grades.

Memphis Budget: Is a new fault line opening in City politics, between Mayor A C Wharton and City Councilman Jim Strickland. Will Memphis force non-residents to get City auto-inspections? Millington City Court Judge Vicki Green says, if cited, she’ll sue! The City of Memphis is owed a million dollars for extra police patrols at special events.

Healthy Memphis Common Table: They have expanded their Health Care Quality Matters website, including ratings for local physicians and medical establishments.

Downtown: The Downtown Memphis Commission is asking, “Who will brand the South Main arts district?”

Education Reform: Under the Complete College Act of 2010, State colleges and universities should report graduation data but they often don’t. Tens of thousands of teachers are studying “common core” curriculum this Summer.

Jackson, TN: The Southern Poverty Law Center is threatening a lawsuit against Hardin County Board of Education and Hardin County High School if they don’t stop “censoring students” expressing opinions on homosexuality. Student video on the issue. Jackson’s mail sorting and distribution facilities will be moved to Memphis.

Politics: Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper is seeing growing support for his “No Budget, No Pay” Act. Governor Bill Haslam signed the legislation for FastTrack cash grants to businesses. During this session of the General Assembly business groups, professional and trade groups spent more than $450,000 on social events. Governor Haslam is still signing bills into law. After July 1, certain felons will, with a $350 fee payment, be able to expunge their records.

Two challengers to US Senator Bob Corker, Democrat Larry Crim and Tea party Republican Brenda Lenard, have incidents in their pasts that may force them to drop out.

Real Estate: While the national foreclosure rate trend is downward, in Shelby County foreclosures were up 59% in April. The mortgage rate continues to hit new lows. Memphis realtors were in Washington, DC, to protest changes to the mortgage interest deduction.

Nashville: There is a movement to have all Metro hires live in the city; more from the Tennessean. A Metro Councilman accused the Chamber of Commerce of being a willing pawn of Mayor Karl Dean’s tax increase. If the tax increase doesn’t go through, 200 police officers may lose their jobs, says Dean. The Metro Council gave first approval for Dean’s budget and tax increase on Tuesday. (Three votes are required, like Memphis.)

Golf: The Mid-South’s top five golf courses, according to the Memphis Business Journal. Behind those calculations.

Tennessee: The State’s website has undergone a major overhaul. Country superstar Taylor Swift pledged $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Exclusive: Paul Morris: Hotel Chisca: The effort to save the Hotel Chisca from the wrecking ball is back in the news and we think this column deserves republishing.
 
 

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.

Unemployment: It continues to drop on the State level, to 7.8% for April. Again, we are below the national average. The State’s press release. The drop is attributed to discouraged workers. More details. More from the Commercial Appeal.

Maxine Smith: She has donated personal papers to the public library which called them “one of the two most important collections we have”.

Mississippi Highway Killer: Police are questioning a Yazoo City man, James Lucas, arrested for posing as a police officer who may be related to two killings last week. More details from WREG, WMC, ABC24. Folks traveling to the Tunica casinos are warned to be careful.

National coverage is leading to even more tips. And police in three States are searching for the suspect. Sifting rumor from fact. Inside the investigation, which still continues. Police are working to find a link, if one exists.

Arkansas: Now that two groups have formed to get the casino amendment before voters, another group has formed to oppose it.

Chattanooga: Enzo’s Market is finally coming to Market and Main, downtown. More from Nooga.com. The city may open its first outdoor sculture museum this Fall.

Germantown: The city is preparing for the municipal school district vote on August 2.

WKNO: They are one of 72 PBS stations nationwide to roll out the Next Avenue senior website program.

Business: Panera Bread comes to Mississippi and Five Guys expands to Bartlett.

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

FedEx: Already having great success in meeting its fuel efficiency standards, the company plans to pick up the pace.

DeSoto County: Various groups in Hernando are having fundraisers this weekend to match a State parks grant. The 38th annual A’Fair is also this weekend.

Copper Thieves: The Platinum Rose strip club was … er, stripped of its copper coils.

Unified Shelby County Schools: Mediaverse has a copy of school board member Martavius Jones’ email criticising the idea of making John Aitken the Unified Shelby superintendent.

Memphis International Airport: More on the million dollar incentive being offered to get competing airlines and better service from the Daily News, WREG, WMC and the CA. Flying out of Memphis ain’t cheap!

The airport had a 16% year-over-year drop in passenger counts for April. Yesterday, Fitch Ratings lowered bonds for the airport, from A+ to A and lower their outlook to “negative”. The Fitch report.

Second Amendment: TN Firearms Association head John Harris’s call for members to “start picking these (GOP Legislative) incumbents off like political snipers” is creating some fuss.

Gay Marriage: “More than a dozen” local black ministers are voicing their opposition to President Barack Obama’s stance, asking him to reverse his position. More from Fox13.

Mississippi: Now that the State’s voter ID reform is law, it must next be approved by the Federal government’s Justice Department, not a sure thing. More on the State’s voter ID law being reviewed. Violent crimes in Clarksdale have police concerned. They have passed their own version of the “saggy pants” law.

Ben Thompson Can Change: Struggling to deal with pain.

Bigger Than Your Head: Five “sippable wines” from 2011. The wine of the week.

Divers and Sundry: Did you know there was a second sequel to The Magnificent Seven? Starring Lee Van Cleef and … Gary Busey.

East Memphis Moms: They recommend mosquito spray services.

I’ll be the one in heels: She answers the question she’s been avoiding until now.

Lean Left: He collects stadia. (Stadiums?)

Notes From Memphis: Two videos of the Mobile Music Machine downtown.

Ina Hughes: She argues, “Democracy and social justice are not about personal beliefs.” (via the Knoxville News-Sentinel)

Knoxville News-Sentinel: Knoxville has a growing number of homeless, especially single mothers and children.

Frank Cagle: There have been only 19 Representatives elected to the US House from Tennessee since 2000. (via the Knoxville Metro Pulse)

John Branston: He’s hopeful the Hotel Chisca can be successfully renovated. He’s deeply skeptical of Facebook’s promises. His thoughts on Tennessee’s organ transplant dispute. (via the Flyer)

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

Jackson Sun: Balancing the city’s $4 million budget shortfall requires “shared sacrifice”.

Dr Gene Davenport: What does the Bible really say about homosexuality? (via the Jackson Sun)

Commercial Appeal: They hear what they want to hear from the Commissioner Ritz presentation (but won’t hear in similar circumstances). Don’t tell us you really believed this?

David M. Mirvis: Regardless of whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is ruled unconstitutional, he argues we have a responsibility to get health care to everyone. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Memphasis: It wasn’t like this in Memphis, it’s better! (via the Daily News)

FUNdraising: How to sustain your non-profit. (via the Daily News)

Tennessean: All opponents of the Nashville tax increase can offer is “No!”

Dwight Lewis: Fifty-eight years after Brown v. Board of Education our public schools are still racially divided. (via the Tennessee)

Chattanooga Free Press: This administration is putting pressure on religious beliefs that has the opposite effect. Election year antics.