NEW - Gas Shortages: Following last week’s panic buying, Nashville gasoline stations are empty! Tightened supplies, higher demand equals … this!

NEW - MLG&W: With the approaching cold, the utility is offering free pilot light inspections until the end of the month.

NEW - TMG Home Concepts: Unique homebuilder showroom opens store in Southaven.

NEW - Oakland: Real estate news from Fayette County.

NEW - Lunch Break: Is yours getting shorter? Survey says yes!

UPDATED - Mid-South Fair: Opening today!

Memphis City Schools: Clearing up misconceptions about the job situation. Superintendent Cash begins to reveal his reforms for the schools.

POLITICS: Is Obama coming to Memphis? Jackson Baker writes up the Rosalind Kurita ouster.

Herenton also addresses the speculation on A. C. Wharton’s possible City mayoral run.

Resolution to the Mississippi ballot crisis — Senate race will be moved up the ballot. A report from WREG.

Rep. Steve Cohen, continuing his careening-pinball bafflement, attacks Nikki Tinker after she apologises for her campaign.

A brief profile of Criminal Court Division Judge John Fowlkes from the Daily News.

The Daily News has a story on the County Commission and any possible Pyramid deals.

Former Vice-President Al Gore will come to TN for a fund-raiser for Democratic Senate candidate Bob Tuke.

The Federal government will release $1.3 million to low-income Tennesseans for winter heating bill assistance.

Fayette County: A last-minute extension for animal rescue shelter.

Mid-South Fair: Plans for the Tunica version of the Fair are unveiled, reactions explored. The official Mid-South Fair website. The Commercial Appeal bittersweetly reports.

Central Gardens Association: Neighborhood receives Level 3 arboretum certification. That’s a good thing.

Memphis Flyer: Conservation Nation, their big “green” issue. Have they also changed to a smaller size?

New Convention Center: Mayor Herenton wants a commission to study building a new convention center. Commercial Appeal report on yesterday’s press conference. WREG’s Mike Matthews looks into things. The Daily News also reports.

Voting Rights: Large numbers of felons are motivated by this year’s presidential campaign to get their voting rights restored.

Memphis Charter: A forum, co-sponsored by the Charter Commission and Change Memphis, is planned for Orange Mound next Wednesday. Change Memphis website.

Centennial Commons: Developer acquires more of the Polo Grounds for new retail center.

Urban Land Institute: A Commercial Appeal profile.

Grace-St. Luke’s: With nearly $10 million, they are expanding.

Memphis-Shelby County Port Commission: They will consider selling the port terminal.

Major League Baseball: The Civil Rights Ballgame is moving from its “permanent” Memphis home to … Cincinnati? Shades of the Oilers/Titans. More from WMC and the Commercial Appeal and the Business Journal.

Important: Please remember that all this is speculation at this point. David has not been directly linked to the Palin email hacking, nor has he been charged or brought in for questioning.

More blog reactions: Wired; Volunteer TV; Rep. Stacey Campfield; LeftWing Cracker, The World According to Oatney, Newscoma, The Other McCain, Terry Frank. (Frank is having bandwidth limit problems.)

An MSNBC discussion board on the topic. MSNBC’s only mention of the story otherwise is a single sentence at the end of this page.

Sharon Cobb has updated her post, saying that as of 2:30PM Friday, no law enforcement agency has contacted either Kernell. She also mentions that David Kernell now has a lawyer.

David’s MySpace page, which has been reset to “private.”

Technorati search results.

Someone else has already noted that the person who did the Palin email hack changed her password to “popcorn.” Kernell = popcorn?

Is this David Kernell on YouTube? (Account now closed and video removed.) David’s old website. More information here and here. Gateway Pundit’s take, with another picture of David, matching the one above.

The Commercial Appeal’s story and a later, updated story with more caution about the identification of Kernell. And their sister paper in Knoxville, the News-Sentinel. Reports from My Eyewitness News, WMC, WREG. NEW - The Flyer reports in.

Rep. Kernell’s official webpage. He represents the 93rd District. His House Democratic Caucus webpage.

Local Comment: Cherry Blossom Special wonders if it was an inside job. Mediaverse: Memphis says, “Enough!” and reports confirmation from WREC AM600’s Mike Fleming that David is being investigated.

NEW ISSUE - MAIN STREET JOURNAL: September 2008 issue is available now.

BUSINESS: Tennessee’s unemployment rate jumps 1.9% in August. Education jobs (i.e. going back to school) helped the numbers.

St. Clair Foods doing well in rough times because, well, people gotta eat!

Lessons from the Depression and opportunities for Memphis? WREG has advice on weathering the storm. Regulating ice cream trucks?

Sharp Manufacturing Company in Memphis is America’s largest solar panel manufacturer.

Wal-Mart and Dillard’s seek tax holiday for Arkansas. J.C. Penney to open new store in Shelby County.

As Northwest/Delta merger moves along, Delta agrees to pre-pay $300 million in loans.

FedEx says income in Q1 was down 22%, but earnings were as expected. The Commercial Appeal gives more details and a slightly different take. The Daily News also covers the story.

Previously Posted News: Foxy Jacky was wearing (at least for a bit) a Shelby County sheriff’s shirt, from My Eyewitness News. More on the DeSoto County visitor’s center, via WMC.

Day Care: Child returns home with a broken collar bone; day care center doesn’t know why.

Memphis Police Department: Questions about “undercover officer” Regina Thompson via Thaddeus Matthews and WREG.

West Memphis, AR: A new teen club hopes to keep teenagers from criminal activities.

Muslim Socity of Memphis: An inter-faith dinner to mark the end of the day’s fasting during Ramadan.

DeSoto County: The old “bookmobile” still exists, of course in a more modern form. DeSoto Appeal (a Commercial Appeal paper) wins the right to carry lucrative legal notices.

Millington: The race for mayor enters the home stretch. A mixed-martial arts program is cancelled because it turns out the Tennessee Athletic Commission hasn’t set the rules and costs for the sport.

Lakeland: At last, action on New Canada Road begins.

Germantown: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church is sponsoring forums for all the candidates in all the alderman races.

Christopher Blank: A fond farewell to the Mid-South Fair.

Commercial Appeal: New surveillance tools, if used properly and cautiously, will be a needed crutch to help police, if they don’t abuse it.

John Branston: A contrarian view of Wall Street’s current problems.

Commontaries: Thoughts on Ghana and President Bush.

Complacencies of the Peignoir: A two-fer! Thoughts on the Souther “identity” and a new car: a 2007 black Mustang!

rural free delivery: A retort to LeftWing Cracker on Obama.

Gilmore Girl Goes Memphis: Timely advice for combatting mosquito bites!

The Chubby Vegetarian: Vegetarian “cheese” cake for dessert!
 
 
 
 

Fore Left!: The President Conundrum, with a glass of “hatorade.”

Rustmeister: Iraq finally signs an oil deal. Guess with whom.

Midnight, and I’m still not famous: Gotta get your feet wet sometime.

irishoaks: Columbo has some questions for Obama.

Integrityforus1: Which team would you hire?

canyudigit: Comparing Obama and McCain, with a side of Phil Gramm.

Paul Ryburn: Much going on this weekend, per Paul. Find out more here and here.

Tony Nichelson: Kids, cell phones and unnecessary troubles.