Shelby County Commission: With a unanimous vote, the Commission accepts MSARC control by the County; more in the Commercial Appeal. The “yes” vote on the “prevailing wage” ordinance was sharply contested and politically divided; more from the Commercial Appeal.

Memphis City Schools: More on this Fall’s switch to block scheduling and another story on this. Some classes are still cancelled, due to storm damage.

Beale Street: The former Pat O’Brien’s will not re-open as “Liquid on Beale,” a bankruptcy judge ruled.

Downtown: The still under construction Horizon building has already gone into bankruptcy.

Restaurants: From Mid-South Moms, a gigantic list of restaurants where kids eat free or at discounted rates!

Memphis International Airport: Thanks to availability of concourses from the Delta/Northwest merger, AirTran is the new airline on the block.

Politics: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker profiles Terry Roland, running for District 4, Position 3 on the Shelby County Commission. Former Shelby County Democratic Party chair Keith Norman still considering a run against County Commissioner Steve Mulroy.

There are now three budget plans: governor’s, Senate and House. Republican State Senator Diane Black’s executive assistant, Sherri Goforth, forwarded a racist image involving President Obama; she has been reprimanded. The story has gone national now. Speaker of the House Kent Williams is criticising Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey for attending fundraisers over the weekend instead of working on the budget. The New York Times writes up Tennessee’s new pro-gun legislature.

The State House will take up their budget proposal for a full floor vote this week.

Good Morning Memphis: Some gift ideas for Father’s Day. This Thursday and next, the public is invited to give their input area railroad crossings. Fox13’s “political insiders” discuss the Cohen v. Herenton race. Finding farm-fresh fruit. Buying a historic home is a major commitment.

Financial: Grubb & Ellis, a commercial real estate and investment services company, has a new logo.

Father’s Day: Jim’s Place East will, for the first time in nearly 100 years, open its doors on Father’s day for a special luncheon.

Stanford Financial Group: Bargains galore at the auction for luxury office furniture and more from the now-closed company’s Miami office.

Tennessee: More on Kindred Healthcare repaying the State $1.3 million in TennCare overbillings. Last week, 358 jobs were cut in the state. Elder abuse is on the rise in TN. Area Development magazine has awarded the state its “Gold Shovel” for job creation. However, the Center for Education Reform gives the State a “D” for the quality of its charter school laws.

St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital: A million dollar award from Brad Pitt and his family has enabled St John’s Hospital in Springfield, MO, to become an affliate of St Jude’s.

Memphis Area Home Builders Association: A legal glitch has forced them to shut down a first-time home buyer’s program, which helped depress are home sales.

Baptist Memorial Hospital: Today is the groundbreaking ceremony for their new conference center on the campus on Walnut Grove.

Survey Says: Companies are increasing gasoline allowances and offering other incentives to employees. Nine out of ten shoppers have switched to store brands over name brands. The National Association of Home Builders says its housing market index slipped in June.

Memphis City Council: Heated discussions about trimming executive salaries to balance the budget. Will they finish the budget in today’s meeting? The vote is set, but are the numbers?

School Funding Lawsuit: The State Supreme Court has refused to hear the direct appeal of the lower court funding ruling against the City of Memphis. The State Court of Appeals will still hear the appeal. More in the Commercial Appeal.

City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert: How has she been able to get exempted from automobile inspections since at least 2005? The practice has been going on for years, and for the well-connected. Halbert will also be the subject of an investigation by the Memphis Police Department over her intervention in her son’s, Kevin Andre Burrus, citation during a traffic stop for drug possession.

Weekend Storms: (NOTE: For more storm reporting from the weekend, see our post from yesterday. Scroll down a bit.)

Once again, where is Mayor Willie Herenton? Popular restaurant, Dino’s, was closed by the storms for the weekend. More than 53,000 are without power across the Mid-South. The City was far better prepared this time and the storms weren’t as bad as Hurricane Elvis. Commercial Appeal on the storm damage. MLG&W continues working around the clock; similar story from Fox13. City Councilman Myron Lowery has been sending out regular updates of MLG&W milestones; send him an email to join his list. Cleanup crews are hard at work. Sunday’s storms hit South Memphis hard; the CA picks up on that angle.

Why hasn’t Shelby County been declared a disaster area? Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton answers the question for you. More than 50 homes in Bartlett were damaged. Families worry about paying the cost of repairs. In this weather, homes become saunas. As always, folks are angry about the pace of repairs by MLG&W. Criminals love to use disaster and tragedy to run scams, so be very careful of people you hire.

Fox13 viewers send in their photos. Here is the Eyewitness News storm photo gallery. And the same at WMC. Don’t forget the Commercial Appeal.

Business: Looking for global retail expansion opportunities? Try India. Extended Stay Hotels filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Goldman Sachs analyst has downgraded Wal-Mart to “Neutral.” Vaco, the local consulting and placement firm, has a new website for folks in certain high-power careers.

Business achievement, from the CA, for Tuesday.

Arkansas: Using Federal stimulus monies, the State is hiring 400 temporary workers. Amtrak wants to build a new stop in Hope, former president Bill Clinton’s birthplace.

Delta Air Lines: They are teaming up with SunTrust Banks for an affinity check card.

University of Memphis Campus School: In TCAP scores, they are the number one elementary school in Memphis!

DeSoto County: Here’s a list of County dump sites for storm debris. From Fox13, a cleanup report; similar story from Eyewitness News. Also, cleanup at County schools hit be storms. A report on the damage, from WREG. 2400 without power on Monday morning. Olive Branch emergency sirens never went off Friday. Olive Branch mayor Sam Rikard toured the damage. Horn Lake may buy a third heavy truck to deal with the debris.

Southaven police are now enforcing the teen curfew. More on the resignation of Olive Branch police chief Art Heun. New aldermen in Horn Lake learn the parliamentary and legal ropes before taking the oath of office. The County has been approved for almost $20 million in Federal Recovery Zone stimulus funds. Musical chairs involving the DeSoto County Board of Education and the Olive Branch Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Mississippi: The University of Mississippi has a new chancellor: Dr Dan Jones; more from WMC and the Commercial Appeal. The budget disagreements between legislators in both houses of the Legislature are coming down to five issues.

Local Media: WREC radio’s former afternoon talker, Mike Fleming, has found a new gig at Fox13!

Complacencies of the Peignoir: Following an interrupted robbery and some major stress, she’s taking a break from blogging for a while.

joelarkins: You run into the most memorable people in Midtown. Oh, and he rates the weather reports on TV.

Life as I know it from Memphis: She puts on her realtor’s cap (not that she has one) and markets the heck out of someone’s house.

Lean Left: Thoughts on the Sherri Goforth email, and they believe the Republicans are losing it.

MemphisConnect: The Urban Arts Commission is hosting an event on mural arts and graffiti this Wednesday. Brent educates you on our catfish-based culture.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: He reminds you that this Saturday is Tube Top Night at the Voodoo Room. And there will be a “Best Toga” contest
at the showing of Animal House at the Orpheum on Friday.

Doug Johnson: It was a satisfying weekend, and Twitter, Facebook, blogs and storms — oh my!

Midtown Stomp: They ventured out to Restaurant Iris and had some incredible food. And wines, of course.

Notes from Memphis: She ventures “Out East” and discovers the Jerusalem Market and Restaurant.

Eskapadez: Thoughts on personal branding in the Internet Age.

Memphis Toilet Tour: He takes a trip to New Orleans and documents the toilets down there. Some pictures require a strong stomach, but nothing is NSFW.

A Right Perspective: Praise for City Councilman Jim Strickland. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Bigger Than Your Head: The Wine of the Week!

Storm Pics: As you’d expect, tons of pictures from the storms: Downtown Memphis Blog; Paul Ryburn’s Journal; Notes from Memphis; video from madmolecule; flickr photos from alisa; Joe Spake; the Downtown Memphis Blog has a short video of Sunday morning’s storm.

Steve’s Nude Memphis Blog: After recounting a long, long tale of life in the redneck suburbs, he’s finally fed up.

Smart City Memphis: Why we should turn out city green. There are numbers involved.

Secret Agent Mom: Extreme Makeover: Cubicle Edition.

Shane of Memphis: A quick update on his life. Eating a lot plays a role.

Commercial Appeal: Be patient with MLG&W right now. Former Olive Branch police chief Art Heun will be missed.

The Chubby Vegetarian: Four days without power.

The Conservative Zone: Mr. Blandings is another step closer to owning his dream house.

The Lynnster Zone: Two cute tabby kitties need a home. Running out of time, running out of options, but an endless supply of hope.

Radio Sweethearts: On moving boxes, Pong and crazy NPR mike skills.

THE INTERSECTION OF MADNESS AND REALITY: Thoughts on Republicans and race. Reminiscences about the zoo.

vibinc: Thoughts on the County takeover of MSARC.

Brian Kelsey: The first pro-”gun carry in restaurants that also serve alcohol” column in the CA, State Rep. Kelsey points out many good features of the new gun carry law. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Chick Chat: The best gift to give on Father’s Day? Your time. (via the Commercial Appeal)