The Wharton Administration: Six more employees, mostly directors or assistant directors, were let go by the City.

In a somewhat related story, Wharton touched on a lot of important topics regarding the City in his speech to the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel and Lodging Association.

The MED: They will stay open through at least Monday’s deadline for funding.

Shelby County Races: Heidi Schafer is strongly considering a run for the County Commission. Four of the candidates for sheriff haven’t filed the proper qualifying paperwork. The Flyer’s Jackson Baker files a report on the various races and candidates. Randy Wade, running for sheriff, also works in US Rep. Steve Cohen’s office and the two are helping each other.

Consolidation: The Daily News has a short interview with Jacksonville’s Rick Mullaney.

Memphis Zoo: It’s a dating game for Mwelu, the male gorilla, as bachelorettes number one, two and three are readied for him to choose.

Zippin Pippin: Part of the ride, which is being sold to Green Bay, WI, has collapsed to the ground during dismantling.

Arkansas: The last portion of Federal stimulus funds are due to be awarded to State public schools soon.

West Tennessee: Dyersburg has been chosen a Pioneering Healthy Community, an elite honor. (via the Dyersburg State Gazette) How the decision is made to cancel classes, at leastin Obion County. (via NWTN Today)

Politics: Governor Phil Bredesen isn’t looking very far into his retirement from office. Despite the draconian cuts the budget, he is still proposing $164 million in raises for State employees. Via the Knoxville News-Sentinel, a review of the major Republican and Democratic candidates’ views on education. And the Tennessean looks at Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam’s Pilot Oil fortune. Democratic candidate Jim Kyle claims a “wholehearted endorsement” from the Tennessean.

The Washington Post’s The Fix blog handicaps a handful of Mid-South Congressional races. A blogger is accusing Fourth District US Rep. Lincoln Davis of plagiarising his website design. Why State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh decided not to run in the Eighth District Democratic primary.

The NAACP, in their annual Civil Rights Federal Legislative Report Card, rates Tennessee’s US Congressional and Senatorial delegates. Rep. Steve Cohen of the Ninth District received a perfect score. (via the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle)

The Memphis arts scene is primarily privately funded, not publicly with tax money, as this article demonstrates. A group of Memphians is going to Nashville to lobby for tougher gun crime laws. Washington County, in northeast TN, has not had a single Democrat file for local office!

Stanford Financial Group: Two lower-level employees were acquitted by the judge of charges of hindering the prosecution.
 

Public Relations Society of America: The named Meri Armour as their 2009 Communicator of the Year.

Orphanos Foundation: They work with abused and at-risk children around the world, especially those harmed by the sex trade and war.

Mississippi: A rare, heavy snowfall for the middle of the state. After a thaw, the budget battle heats back up. (via the DeSoto Times Tribue) Controversy continues over a mascot for Ole Miss and the Mississippi University for Women considers a marketing campaign. A look at changing gun laws in the state.

From the Commercial Appeal, Mississippi Outdoors.

Real Estate: A preview of the 2010 Commercial Property Forecast Summit.

Harold Ford Jr: If he’s a New Yorker now, then why isn’t he paying New York taxes. He’s going to take care of that, he says. His official statement. Ford thinks Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a loser this November. The “Draft Ford” petition drive isn’t doing well. Ford’s contract with NBC as a political analyst has been suspended, but he appeared on Sunday’s Meet the Press to answer questions about his Merrill-Lynch bonus. Ford and Gillibrand were expected to appear at a caucus of State minority lawmakers.

NEW: Main Street Journal January 2010 Issue: Senior writer Michael Roy Hollihan delves into his past to answer What is Harold Ford Jr Up To?

Downtown: WREG looks at the proposed panhandling and alcohol sales ordinances being considered.

City School Police Force: Memphis Mayor A C Wharton says he’s against the idea and won’t support it.

Memphis City Schools: The merging of Caldwell into Guthrie Elementary leaves the question of what happens to River City High.

School Menus: The school menus for Memphis City schools and Shelby County schools.

Potholes: An enormous one in Oakhaven, likely exacerbated by all the snow and freezing water, has neighbors worried.

Evergreen Theatre: Playhouse on the Square’s old space has become the new Circuit Playhouse and the old CP has taken on new life as the Evergreen Theatre. A Flyer video report, too.

Pinnacle Airlines: Their on-time average beat the national average.

Business: The December SurveyMemphis report on business attitudes shows a marked negativity. Nucor plans to expand their quality control building. Kroger and Shell Oil are combining to offer gasoline discounts to regular grocery shoppers.

A business profile of the partnership between UT Medical Group and Renal Advantage to open a dialysis clinic in Midtown. A business profile of American Resource Systems, from the Daily News. And another business profile from the CA, of Midtown Framer and Art.

From the Commercial Appeal, People in Business for Saturday, Sunday and Monday; What to Do for Sunday and Monday; and Done Deals.

In the CA, the Small Business Advocate says small business owners are a lot like Olympic athletes.

FedEx: In a first, they are working with ProFlowers for Sunday deliveries.

Senior VP of FedEx Solutions, Tom Schmitt, will speak this week at the quarterly luncheon of the Southaven Chamber of Commerce.

Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center: A progress report on the new facility’s construction.

The Law: Getting full and accurate information on the business and employment of the local law industry is tough to do.

Lester Street Massacre: Defense attorneys for Jessie Dotson are requesting a change of venue due to heavy publicity of the killings. More from Fox13.

DeSoto County: A report on Angela McGlowan’s campaign kickoff this weekend, and a minor kerfuffle. More in the DeSoto Times Tribue.

Banking: Seeing a grim near future, local community bankers are preparing to ride it out.

Tennessee: The State is getting tens of millions in Federal stimulus funds to, among other things, update the State’s electronic health information technology. The University of Tennessee’s endowment fund is still well below its previous high, but is recovering. The Nashville mosque that was vandalised has been restored with some community support. A Federal judge has invalidated a North Carolina law on fuel blending very similar to a new TN law. Many of the documents involved in the TNInvestCo project have been filed under seal. How Medicare’s troubles are filtering down to your local clinics; how strong lobbyists are helping out. CoverKids has re-opened their enrollment.

University of Memphis Students are showing their support for the Museum of Contemporary Art proposal for the Pyramid. Marking the Chinese New Year. An interview with U of M grad and Tea Party Nation leader Judson Phillips.

Local Media: The Commercial Appeal has selected a new business editor, Roland Klose. Here’s a breakdown of the media spending by the Bill Haslam gubernatorial camdpaign; Memphis came in second.

Bless the Printing Press: The adventure with the bad gasoline.

Akiddo: His life is now a very complex yet humorous equation.

A. C. Kleinheider: More thoughts on and goodbyes to Nashville is Talking. (via the Nashville City Paper)

Virginia Trotter Betts: The commissioner of mental health says mental health and disability services will not suffer with the coming State budget cuts. (via the Tennessean)

Wendi C. Thomas: Lobbying for pre-kindergarten education. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Commercial Appeal: Make sure the Metro Charter Commission spells out the annexation reserves. County Commissioner Mike Ritz acted precipitously in filing his discrimination complaint. On earthquakes, Haiti and the Memphis connection. Charging all college students one rate — in-state tuition — is a good idea. Using a crisis to slip in a controversial way of dealing with students?

Otis L. Sanford: He returns yet again to his bete noire, Willie Herenton. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Chris Peck: Valentine’s Day is the right time to talk about … sex and politics? (via the Commercial Appeal)

Lee Harris: Considering the possible impact of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Benjamin O. Sperry” He reviews the decades of birth of the American presidents for meaning. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Randy Rayburn: Tennessee works best with part-time citizen legislators. (via the Tennessean)

Ryan Poe: Keep your eye on the tea party movement. (via the Daily Helmsman)

The Memphis News: A strong call for Shelby County consolidation.

Gail Kerr: Did you know that political advertising is all about creating catchy images? (via the Tennessean)

Smart City Memphis: Zoning regulations were plans for cities, but they were wrong, it turns out. Thoughts on Mayor Wharton and the people he keeps in City Hall.

Shaun Fossett: Don’t compare Memphis snow reactions to other cities’ reactions, OK? Just … don’t.

Secret Agent Mom: She’s back from a brief hiatus with unhappy medical news (maybe) and tales of the Terrible Twos.

The Tale of a Southern Belle: That previous post about being fine with turning thirty?. Yeah, forget it.

theology & geometry: A neat desktop app that turns your mouse wanderings into “action painting” art. Pretty cool.

The Intersection of Madness and Reality: Valentine’s Day-inspired reflections on love, marriage, fatherhood and men of a certain age. Also, thoughts on discrimination at work.

Pulled Before the Push: A photo of her great-grandfather leads us down some family and Memphis history.

Ashley La Rouge: She’s a hibernatin’ bear.

Commontaries: Harold Ford Jr’s timing is off.

Doug Johnson at Work: An apprecition of Karen Carpenter. Wait, what?

Jerm’s Baby Blog: A story about poop.

Lang Wiseman: Random Thoughts: Your Emily Dickinson quote for the day.

Memphis Matthews: Happy Valentine’s Day from the Matthews family.

North Mississippi Commenter: A couple of local but non-Memphis entrants in the endless best BBQ joints in the world contest. A recommendation to a blog on Civil Right-era cold cases, of the murder variety.

What’s Going On Back There: God versus Megatron.