Photo Credit: southdacola.com
Rise of the Machines

 
A City Council committee approved installing speed cameras in Memphis. It must still be approved by the full Council. The already-installed red light traffic cameras will get a software upgrade.

Memphis City Schools: This year’s Summer Intern Program will offer positions to 350 interns. A report on a public forum on the new teacher evaluations, from the Commercial Appeal.

Memphis Budget: At Tuesday’s meeting, citizens turned out to protect their particular City service. There are now four competing budgets. Mayor A C Wharton supports the plan to force auto-inspections on non-residents who are in town frequently.

Miss Tennessee: Nicholas Vestals was found guilty of the crime to “commit unlawful photography in violation of privacy” of Miss Tennessee, Erin Hatley, while she was in a tanning booth. He was trying to photograph her with his cell phone. Her Miss Tennessee webpage. More from ABC24 and the CA.

Memorial Day Weekend: A modest increase in traffic is expected this year. Nashville also expects record-breaking heat this weekend. Be careful, as holiday traffic deaths are on the rise.

Adult Entertainment District: The author of the idea, City Councilman Shea Flinn, got an abrupt thumbs down on creating the district on President’s Island.

Municipal School Districts: Governor Bill Haslam tries to explain his decision to sign the bill allowing creation and votes to fund MSDs. More from Fox13. He calls the move by the suburbs to create separate schools “too hasty”.

Mystery History Update: The mystery of now-20 tombstones that were found in the backyard of Jason Blackburn has been solved by the previous homeowner.

Arkansas: An abandoned cemetery was discovered near West Memphis, now John Russell is maintaining it.

Memphis Fast Forward: A special luncheon was held to announce the end of their first five-year plan. Both mayors, and governor Bill Haslam attended. The MFF progress report. More reports from WREG and the Commercial Appeal.

Business: The average Memphis CEO salary was $172,380. More from WMC.

The Commercial Appeal has People in Business. From the Business Journal, we learn about People on the Move. And the Daily News covers Today’s Events.

Hancock Fabrics: Troubled with million-dollar losses, falling sales and major borrowing, they are bringing in a new management team to turn the company around. More from the CA.

FedEx: The president of FedEx Canada, Lisa Lisson, appeared on the Canadian version of Undercover Boss and found the experience revelatory.

Farmers Market: This Memorial Day weekend, you’ll find a veritable cornucopia of foods to fill your holiday table! Join Michael Patrick, chef/owner of Rizzo’s Diner, for a chef demo. And so much more.

Regional Medical Center: Management expects the City hospital to be profitable in 2013–the third year in a row.

Ticks: More on the early prevalence of tick-borned diseases this year.

Memphis International Airport: Three routes previously cut by Delta Air Lines, to Tupelo, Hattiesburg and Greenville will now be picked up by Silver Airways and routed through Atlanta, instead.

Survey Says! The Trust for Public Lands ranked 40 cities for their parks and Memphis came in 31. TPL website. The League of American Bicyclists ranked us as the 26th most bike-friendly State.

Mississippi: Residents of Senatobia have a signature drive underway to allow liquor sales. More from WMC. Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill that would test 5- and 6-year olds for dyslexia.

NEW! INTERNET EXCLUSIVE: Achievement School District Blog 05: Every student attending Cornerstone Prep is performing at or above national standards for their grade. Cornerstone Prep serves students in the Binghampton community.

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.

Freedom From Religion Foundation: They are at it again, with a demand that the Hamilton County Commission stop opening their meetings with a prayer. FFRF website.

Shelby County Schools: Three Shelby County schools–Germantown High School, Collierville High School, and Houston High School–are among only 11 schools in Tennessee to make Newsweek’s “The Best 1,000 Schools in the Country” list.

Millington: Fox13 looks at the community’s easily escapable, minimum security, Federal prison.

Downtown: A Daily News look at the Downtown Alive music/arts/culture program that is enlivening the downtown.

Rumble on the River: Fox13’s Les Smith looks back at the heavyweight prize fight between “Iron Mike” Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Scale Models Unlimited: They have a contract with NASA to produce two 1/50 scale models of the International Space Station. They are also producing models of the private-enterprise Dragon capsule.

MLG&W: They have transferred a downtown parcel to the Memphis Development Foundation, the folks who run the Orpheum. They will construct a Performing Arts and Leadership Academy building.

Healthy Memphis Common Table: This week’s annual meeting was focused on health and food and themed around “Grocery Stores as Community Partners”.

2012 Presidential Campaign: The man who got 42% of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, John Wolfe, only got seven write-in votes in the prior Tennessee primary. More from WREG.

Politics: The Joint Government Operations Rule Review Committee will consider reducing the workers comensation rate by 5.1%. More on the changes from the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Governor Bill Haslam will spend a part of the Summer campaigning for “friends”. A study calls Nashville one of the most corrupt State capitals. Weighing the costs and the rewards of drug-testing welfare benefits recipients.

Operation Broken Silence: Human sex-trafficking is a problem in the Mid-South and Tennessee, where a number of new anti-trafficking laws have been passed.

Tennessee: Despite an awareness of the problems of prescription drug abuse, pain-killer prescriptions were up 23% last year. Friendship police chief Bill Garrett is healing after being shot when he walked in on a crime.

TN Air National Guard: US Senator Lamar Alexander is blasting the military for expensive delays in mission changes to the ANG units in Memphis and Nashville.

DeSoto County: Southaven mayor Greg Davis and two aldermen are claiming success in their trip to Las Vegas this week to drum up retail business. Southaven was finally awarded the $850,000 grant for walking and bike paths. The 17th Circuit Drug Court won the Adult Drug Court of the Year for the State. The County is considering suing the EPA over its clean air rules. The Regional Utility Authority is working out their budget.

Leslie Jerkins: Social media can “demystify and humanize” your business. (via the Business Journal)

Rays of Wisdom: Don’t get emotional about investments, be cool. (via the Daily News)

I Swear: A legend of the law retires. (via the Daily News)

Sid Salter: He asks questions about the private prison system after the riot at Adams County Correctional Center. (via the Desoto Times Tribune)

Dale Lilly: She is not impressed with abstract art. (via the Desoto Times Tribune)

Bill Minor: He believes this year’s redistricting plan should be named “Dennymandered”. (via the Desoto Times Tribune)

A Fan’s Notes: He gives a quick’n'dirty survey of the area’s public sports facilities. (via the Memphis Flyer)

The Insiders: Ben Ferguson and Tri-State Defender publisher Bernal Smith II discuss the issues of the day. (via Fox13)

Commercial Appeal: They call for a “public/private partnership” to fight the “problem” of food deserts. A pro-Israel movement is birthed in Memphis.

Louis Britt: He opposes the merger of the Mid-South Transplant Foundation with Tennessee Donor Services. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Wendi C. Thomas: Allowing non-violent felons to expunge their records would be a good thing, if it didn’t cost $350. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Because I Said So: Freedom is the best part of Summer parenting. (via the Commercial Appeal)