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Do They Care?

 
Residents of Lakeland, as with the people of Millington, avoided the opportunity of a public forum to discuss issues having to do with forming a municipal school district.

Health Care: A consortium of hip and knee replacement medical providers will institute a new billing system that itemises every part of a procedure with set prices.

Civil Rights: Memphis sanitation worker T.O. Jones has been honored with a certificate of special congressional recognition, posthumously. And living Civil Rights legend Maxine Waters is recovering from a heart operation.

Shelby County Commission: A number of controversial grants may mean review before Mayor Mark Luttrell signs off on the budget. Some details on the new Capital Improvement Plan’s budget.

Memphis Budget: Part of balancing this year’s budget may involve closing as many as seven public libraries. The police union is running ads critical of Mayor A C Wharton and his plan to cut police jobs. The president of the union, Mike Williams, spoke with Fox13. The City Council budget committee met yesterday to iron out final details. Memphians complained about high taxes. And now Councilman Harold Collins has introduced his own alternate budget plan.

Memphis Police Department: The reconstituted gang unit has no shortage of work to do in Memphis.

Transition Planning Commission: In a presentation to the Unified Shelby County School Board, the TPC gave hints of the proposals they’ll present on June 14.

Tennessee: More criticism of the Tennessean/Vanderbilt poll showing Obama competitive in Tennessee. Sandra Dudley will be the first executive director of the State’s new Division of Water Resources.

Mystery History: Overton Park resident Jason Blackburn was working in his backyard and uncovered thirteen headstones, some from people who died in the Sixties. Now it’s sixteen tombstones and at least one has been claimed, though how it got to Blackburn’s yard hasn’t yet been answered. The Memphis National Cemetery says the headstones came from there and may have a partial answer.

Nashville: The Metro Schools are cutting 100 jobs that were funded by the Federal Stimulus. These were special education trained aides. More on the Beacon Center’s alternative budget for Nashville (one that doesn’t raise taxes).

Welfare: Beginning on January 1, 2013, recipients will be drug-tested when there is suspicion of drug use.

“Octodads”: Two Mid-South men have fathered 48 children between them from 35 mothers. The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on the original “octodad”, Desmond Hatchett of Knoxville, who has fathered 30 children with 11 women.

DeSoto County: County Supervisors took a VIP tour of the new County Jail. Official will appeal to the Attorney General to rule on who is responsible for fixing a damaged culvert near Odom Road. Big BBQ winners south of the border this year. WREG continues to report from Las Vegas, where Southaven Mayor Greg Davis is attending a convention; Fox13. County officials have hired “high-powered” legal advice to attack the EPA’s ruling to keep the County under Shelby County’s ozone umbrella.

Politics: The challenger to Republican State Representative Joshua Evans has a drunk-driving arrest on his record, but will it disqualify Lee Harrell? The Republican candidates for the Third Congressional district–Fleischmann, Wamp and Bhalla–met for a primary debate on Monday; link to video. Former State Senator Kerry Roberts, who lost his seat through redistricting, is backing a tea party candidate against Representative Debra Maggart.

The Family Action Council of Tennessee is protesting Governor Bill Haslam’s veto of the resolution opposing Vanderbilt University’s “non-discrimination of on-campus groups” policy.

It’s Just A Drill: Local emergency personnel were involved in a drill yesterday involving the Memphis Post Office and an anthrax alert.

Internet Exclusive! Southpaw: The Tale of Two Covers: Columnist Andria K. Brown notes two very different magazine covers and the articles they represent. One, she thinks, is much more important than the other.

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: Where’s Carol? If you read Otis Sanford’s Sunday CA column, a regular Main Street Journal reader will know they’ve seen Sanford’s points before….

2012 Presidential Race: Is President Barack Obama’s racial gap more determinative than his gender gap?

Charter Schools: One hundred percent of the graudates from Soulsville Charter School are admitted to colleges. Millions in scholarships will help them go.

Probate Court: Two judges adopt a reduced “summer schedule” and work only mornings in the Summer.

Dave Brown: WMC celebrated local weather legend Dave Brown’s 35th year of broadcasting for WMC yesterday.
 
 
 

Food Deserts: Experts spoke with WREG’s Live@9 about the pheomenon. Although recent studies have questioned whether they exist as thought. The idea is now being replaced by “food swamps”. A predictable call for “public/private partnerships” to deal with the problem.

Chattanooga: The City Council believes they need a local resolution to curb the tree-cutting work of TVA.

Southern Baptists: The chairman of the committee, Rev Steve Faith, investigating ethicist Richard Land, has resigned.

Invest Tennessee: At their second annual Equity conference next month, three major Memphis companies–FedEx, International Paper and AutoZone–will be featured presenters. More information at their website.

Economic Development Growth Engine: New president has four areas of focus as he gets EDGE underway.

Business: The TN Technology Development Corporation announced their first round of investments through the INCITE Co-investment Fund.

From the Daily News, Today’s Events and Memphis Newsmakers. The Commercial Appeal covers What to Do. And the Business Journal reports People on the Move.

AutoZone: Continuing a strong growth trend into the third quarter, they increased net sales by 7%. But the Memphis-based Spinal & Biologics business was down. Two stories from the Commercial Appeal, here and here.

Medtronic: Sales were up in the 4th quarter and earnings grew by a whopping 28%. More on the CA.

Delta Air Lines: In their new labor deal, the pilots’ union is asking for raises that will boost pay by 18.5% through 2015.

Cracker Barrel: Third quarter profits were up by a quarter, beating estimates.

I-269: The Memphis Urban Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting the four-stop I-269 TN Regional Vision Study to gather public input.

Summer: Your sunscreen could cause cancer!

Mississippi: Governor Phil Bryant has signed into law the bill limiting the attorney general’s powers; more. The State top Democratic U.S. Representative, Bennie Thompson, is calling for a Federal investigation of the weekend’s riot at Adams County Correctional Facility. A deadline looms for farmers to apply for Federal aid.

Smart City Memphis: A transportation planner has thoughts on Kirby Parkway passing through Shelby Farms Park. Taxes and the Shelby County suburbs.

Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease: Her migraines are “interesting” to her doctor and a biologist remarks she’s a “drug-interaction study waiting to happen.”

Steve’s Nude Memphis Blog: Some random blog thoughts for a Wednesday.

Taming Insanity: Another entrant in the “I Was a Senior Hottie” contest, and she’s still hot!

The Intersection of Madness and Reality: He sort of identifies with the man who is protesting an “all you can eat” policy at a local restaurant. It’s finally here, the fear of a black planet.

The Conservative Zone: As he weans himself off his meds, every day is a struggle now.

The Suggs: Princess Hadley’s third birthday party.

Time Flies: Suddenly…lilies! And your moment of cute overload.

Vegan Crunk: Her experience with Bike to Work Day. She reviews Vegan Cooking for Carnivores.

Yeah, and another thing: Her hilarious conversation with Karma.

Weeden Arts Watch: The use of limited liability corporations in funding artworks.

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

Art Carden: The things he’ll miss about Memphis as he moves to Birmingham. (via the Forbes)

Guerrilla Sales & Marketing: The jury’s still out about advertising on Facebook. (via the Daily News)

The Worldly Investor: Greece is the big European question. (via the Daily News)

Jackson Sun: Higher education must be aligned with the needs of state business .

Tennessean: They are again protesting the public’s “right to know” in a case with celebrity angles.

Sid King, MD: TennCare PLUS “threatens to unnecessarily put the health of our state’s most medically needy patients at risk”. (via the Tennessean)

The Insiders: Reverend Ralph White, pastor of Bloomfield Full Gospel Baptist and Dr Warner Dickerson, of the NAACP, discuss gay marriage. (via Fox13)

Commercial Appeal: Naturally, they find the “middle way”, that simultaneously embraces while acknowledging criticisms, of I-269. They claim to be happy to see “a solid and improving” Bob Corker running for a second US Senate term.