Sheriff Mark Luttrell Will Run! Speculation no more as Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell announces he is running for Shelby County mayor! Reports from Fox13, the Commercial Appeal and the Flyer.

Main Street Journal editor and publisher Jonathan Lindberg looks at the game-changing nature of the announcement.

Is County Sheriff Mark Luttrell testing the waters for a run for mayor?

Millington: Given an opportunity, citizens fire back at proposed red-light traffic cameras.

Memphis City Schools: They will hold public hearings today on the proposed closure of Caldwell Elementary and its related school projects.

Memphis Fire Department: The firefighter with a felony record and other charges, Lawrence Batiste, was fired this week.

Mayor A C Wharton’s Administration: His transition team has released their findings, priorities and recommendations in a report. Report here. (PDF document) More from Eyewitness News, WREG, the Daily News and the Commercial Appeal.

DeSoto County: Southaven aldermen are going to reconsider a retail/restaurant center on Church Road. County school student will trade their snow day Friday for President’s Day next week.

Hospitals: TN’s hospitals have a far higher rate of bacterial infections than the national average. The lawyers for the local nurses suing over alleged wage discrimination are appealing.

Business: A business profile of David Clark Construction, from the Daily News. And a business profile of Big River Engineering and Manufacturing, from the Commercial Appeal.

From the Commercial Appeal, People in Business and What to Do This Week.

Advance Memphis: The non-profit’s Staffing Services program is having success helping inner city residents gain real-world work experience.

Delta Air Lines: Over the weekend, they completed the merger of the old Northwest Airlines online reservation system with theirs. More from the Commercial Appeal.

University of Memphis: The newly-reborn College Republicans are hosting State Senator Brian Kelsey to speak on February 5. A new law designed to protect students from taking on too much credit goes into effect later this month. New group Future Alumni of Memphis are pumping up their recruitment efforts. (all stories via the Daily Helmsman)

Second Amendment: At what point does selling guns as a hobby become being a gun dealer, needing a Federal firearms license?

Memphis Symphony Orchestra: Joseph Horowitz calls them an example for other orchestras to follow.

Scam Warnings: The Better Business Bureau is warning to watch for tax refund anticipation loan scams. They also warn you to be careful of whom you hire for storm repair work.

The Med Foundation: They set fundraising and website traffic goals that they met.

Greyhound: Moreon the passengers stranded for days Downtown because of the snow/ice storm.

Financial: First Horizon has closed its institutional research business, FTN Equity Capital Markets. More in the Memphis Business Journal, the Daily News and the Commercial Appeal. The Bank of Bartlett says it’s on the mend.

Entertainment: Live team trivia is the big new fun in Memphis.

Survey Says: Memphis lost 7% of its construction workforce last year.

Tea Party Nation Convention: Rep. Marsha Blackburn comments on the movement. Organisers announce that most of the speeches will be broadcast live.

Harold Ford Jr: Ford has started his own New York blog, run by Chris D. Jackson, also formerly of TN. New Yorker senior editor Hendrik Hertzberg calls Ford “delusional”. Ford insists he’s always supported abortion rights. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has bought ads on Google keyed to searches on “Harold Ford”. An early report on Ford’s appearance on the Colbert Report; more in the CA.

NEW: Main Street Journal January 2010 Issue: Timely in light of Monday’s State budget presentation, senior writer Michael Roy Hollihan looks at the perfect storm of real crisis that could be forming in our State’s higher education funding.

Governor Bredesen’s State of the State Speech: It’s $28.4 billion dollars for the new budget. Local reports: Fox13; the Commercial Appeal, which notes there will be no extra funds for The MED, and another CA report. Bredesen challenges Memphis colleges and universities to step up their research quality.

Reports from around the state: the Nashville City Paper. Pre-speech report from the Nashville Scene, the Tennessean.

Health care activist Gordon Bonneyman says the governer is using TennCare as a “piñata”.

You can read a prepared statement and a text of the speech. (PDF document) More official materials from TN.gov.

The Last of the Ice and Snow: Massive amounts of snowmelt runoff aren’t proving a drainage problem. Parking lots and sidewalks are still dangerous. DeSoto County is still cleaning up, as is Collierville. The fleet of sand and salt trucks was maxed out by the storm. How much will the storm and its cleanup cost you?

Memphis Animal Shelter: Communications lapses and no director in charge led to a shocking on-camera live birth by a loose dog! Mayor A C Wharton promises a new director in days.

Mississippi: The State House approved a law requiring prescriptions for some cold medicines. They also approved a bill to limit the costs of public records. A bill to restore some of the funding cuts by Governor Haley Barbour has stalled in a conference committee. More on the proposed State lottery and opposition to it. The State Senate passed on a bill to rename the Memphis University for Women. Mississippi Health First Collaborative help Medicare beneficiaries who have diabetes. The state’s professors worry that tenure is under attack.

Mid-South Regional Emmy Awards: Several Memphis media outlets took home awards. Fox13 took home the most, at 7. Sanitation strike documentary I Am a Man won four awards. Mediaverse has the breakdown of who were the local winners.

In a related story, the Commercial Appeal’s Marc Perrusquia won a national award from Governing magazine for a series on former mayor Willie Herenton.

Politics: Legislation to allow wine sales in grocery stores has been filed; more in the Business Journal. Democrats file bill to only feed prisoners twice a day. The cost of a driver’s license could go up. House Speaker Kent Williams is in favor of spending from the rainy day reserves. Legislation has been filed to prevent foreign companies from spending in State elections. More on the anti-”Cornhusker Kickback” legislation. An East TN legislator is still waiting for answers to his questions on red-light traffic cameras.

US Eighth Congressional District candidate, and Democrat, Roy Herron is all for “hunting, asphalt and concrete”; more on Eighth District fundraising. Rep. Lincoln Davis has formally announced for re-election in the Fourth District. In the Ninth District, Rep. Steve Cohen already has one million dollars; more in the Commercial Appeal. Diane Black, in the Sixth District, is claiming a “strong start”. And a report on Rep. Marsha Blackburn and the Seventh District. More on Congressional fundraising from the News-Sentinel.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kim McMillan was last among the major candidates in fundraising. State Senator Jim Kyle’s statement on fundraising; also Mike McWherter.
Campaign finance disclosures are pouring in on a lot of races. More from the Tennessean

Shelby County Government: Interim Mayor Joe Ford’s spokewoman, Rhonda Turner, was taken to the hospital after an auto accident. The Drug Assistance Program has stepped in to provide HIS/AIDS drugs for Shelby Countians not served by the State Department of Health.

Tennessee: The State Department of Education explains which fees parent must pay.

Born-Again Hippies: His long and opinionated Grammy report.

Brain Release Valve: More ice pictures.

Bring me penguin dust: Why does Tara want you to marvel at her FIERCE BUNS?

Buck Daddy’s Blog: Eat some IHOP pancakes and do some good for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Downtown Memphis Download: Mmmmm … Denny’s Grand Slam…. Her weekend update, snow & ice edition.

Gilmour Girl Goes Memphis: The havoc of snow and ice in the South. It is our Kryptonite.

Weeden Arts Watch: A proposal to make the Pyramid a contemporary arts museum.

Vegan Crunk: San Francisco fine dining… vegan style! And other vegan eats in the city.

I Love Memphis: She loves her some Peanut Shoppe. Also, her collection of Memphis t-shirts; do you have some others?

Joy’s Life and Times: She missed all the excitement here by participating in the Jackson (MS) triathlon and she brings you the report.

(Lang Wiseman) Random Thoughts: He solicits your thoughts and opinions on tipping.

Midtown Stomp: Friends, food and more than a few bottles of good, interesting wines.

Paul Ryburn’s Journal: He responds to his critics.

Commercial Appeal: A new, mostly-free study confirms what an old, $700,000 study said. Asking for more government spending when there is literally no money left to spend.

Steve Basar: Praise for Mayor A C Wharton’s first one hundred days. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Chick Chat: In tragedy, try to find the joy. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Blue Collar Republican: John Farmer has all kinds of surprising news from the Eighth and Ninth (!) Congressional District races. A must read.

Wow. Really? Huh. The value of a therapist.

The Soundcheck and the Fury: What happens to his story after it’s written.

The Chockley Blogs: Pictures from ICYHELL 2010. They make a breakthrough with reading-avoidant Connor.

Smart City Memphis: Is the Beale Street Landing better than the “no Beale Street Landing” alternative? Take a history-laden tour of the Parkway.

short + rose: What do you do when you’re iced in? Cook! And knit.

Rustmeister’s Alehouse: Destroying Memphis’ reputation, one damnfool security guard at a time.

Running With Dice: He’s looking for an RSS feed reader with very specific abilities. By the way, meet his daughter Piper.