The Main Street Journal Website

News - Wednesday March 17, 2010

Memphis City Council: Councilman Shea Flinn attempts to mediate between both sides of the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance discussion. More from WREG and the Commercial Appeal.

Shelby County Races: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker with part one of his report on the County mayoral debate Monday. The Daily News also reports, as does WREG.

Memphis City Schools: The results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the CDC show what students today are doing. About 740 students will be affected by rezoning around Southeast Shelby County. WREG examines the link between truancy and student criminality.

The board of education commissioned a feasibility study for a separate police force; more from Eyewitness News, WMC, the Commercial Appeal and another CA story.

Memphis Police Department: WMC has a copy of the warrant that got Malcom Shaw shot by Bartlett police while in North Memphis, and again. More on the issue of police departments selling confiscated weapons.

Head Start: Question about the Georgian Hills facility in Frayser after a raccoon is found in the kitchen.

Mississippi: More on withdrawing Ole Miss’ Colonel Reb merchandise from sale, to help disappear him; reports from WMC. As State budget negotiations wind down, education is a primary focus; more from the CA. Governor Haley Barbour signs into law the ban on “toylike lighters” and a law that devolves control of strip clubs to the Counties.

Politics: State Rep. Susan Lynn says she’s in her race for the State Senate to stay.

A pair of bills in the House, debated hotly in subcommittee, would strip parties of the ability to control their tickets; more here, from WMC, the Nashville City Paper. A bill to create a new “superspeeding” offense; more in the CA. A bill to prevent “coersion to have an abortion” has been delayed a week. Another bill, to require evenly split custody in contentious divorces, is drawing national attention and a lot of heat. The House Judiciary Committee passed the “gun carry in restaurants” bill. The Senate voted unanimously to ban the sale of “intenational driver’s licenses”.

The TN Libertarian Party will have their 2010 convention in Nashville on March 27. Correction: Vice President Joe Biden is only scheduled, not confirmed, to be the keynote speaker at the TN Democratic Party’s Jackson Day dinner. The Farm Bureau versus animal right activists over a proposed animal cruelty bill. The TN Bureau of Investigation is asking legislators to allow it to charge fees for services, to stave off budget cuts. States are expanding gaming and lotteries to increase revenues.

Republican candidate for governor Bill Haslam would create a “small town czar” if elected. And more reports on his door to door campaigning. On the Shelby County campaign trail with Republican Zach Wamp and Democrat Kim McMillan; more in the Daily News. Candidate Bill Gibbons notes he’s also got a March Madness bracket.

Former state senator Ward Crutchfield, convicted of bribery in Tennessee Waltz, was warmly received on Capitol Plaza.

Methodist University Hospital: They are working with social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to help demystify treatments and procedures for new patients.

Memphis Regional Design Center: This Thursday they are hosting a new semester of “Urban Design 101″ for those wanting to learn more. More in the Commercial Appeal.

Red Light Traffic Cameras: The Knoxville News-Sentinel rounds up some recent stories on the negatives of the RLTCs.
 

Arkansas: An update on the financial audits and questions surrounding the towns of Sunset and Jericho. Seven of the eight Republicans running for the US Senate seat held by Democrat Blanche Lincoln were at a debate last night.

 NEW! Main Street Journal March 2010 Issue: Senior writer Michael Roy Hollihan interviews County Commission candidate Chris Thomas in the first of an ongoing series on various County candidates. Table of Contents is here.

NEW! Main Street Journal: Mick Wright looks at the two major factions of the tea party movement in Shelby County.

Reappraisals: A comparison of the values of the area’s major malls from the Daily News.

Beale Street: They are as close to capacity as they’ve ever been!

Downtown: The Center City Development Corporation will vote on two retail forgivable loans today. The Big River Engineering and Manufacturing building will be open tomorrow to showcase their LEED Silver certification. PETA had an “almost” nude protest.

Consolidation: The Metro Charter Commission tentatively identifies the County Sheriff as the top metro law enforcement officer.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: The 52nd annual game will move back to New Year’s Eve, a Friday afternoon. The teams are the University of Arkansas and East Carolina University.

Shelby County Government: The Clerk’s office reports one million dollars in bad checks have been passed to the County. A bill being considered in the Legislature would offer foreclosure mediation to troubled homeowners.

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital: The annual ROCK103 Ronald McDonald House Telethon raised over $300,000.

Tennessee: A statue honoring former governor Ned McWherter will be unveiled later this year. Federal stimulus spending is mostly done now, and most jobs have already been created.

Memphis Animal Shelter: Suspended employee Ivan Russell is bragging on his Facebook page about living it up while suspended!

Transportation: Two big seminars on cargo transportation in the area are coming to Memphis next week.

Delta Air Lines: They are curtailing jobs and operations at their Cincinnati hub. Slightly related news about the FAA Reauthorization Bill.

Business: Wal-Mart is expanding its bank-like MoneyCenters. Mapco is replacing its Grille Marx with Quizno’s. Elvis Presley Enterprises saw a one-third increase in revenues from licensing and royalties; more in the Commercial Appeal. Nucor is projecting a good 1Q.

A business profile of Total Control Logistics, a New Business of the Year winner of the Memphis Black Business Association, from Fox13.

From the Daily News, People in business. Also People in Business with What to Do, from the CA.

Morgan Keegan: They are combining their equity capital markets and fixed income capital markets departments into a single division of investment banking.

Better Business Bureau: They are partnering with Census 2010 to boost participation.
 

The University of Memphis: A report from the Daily Helmsman on the grand opening of the University Center.

DeSoto County: A law enforcement tactical training site is causing consternation among its proposed neighbors. Federal stimulus funds are going into businesses, not just roads. The Board of Supervisors has handed down responsibility for flooding on Steve Fogelsong’s property to the City of Hernando. (previous stories via the DeSoto Times Tribune) Preparing for an earthquake in … Southaven. The Olive Branch Board of Aldermen votes against annexing the Lewisburg area.


Picture of the Day

Madeline probably would like you, from Meredith Jubilee and Madeline Jane by Kate Lareau. © 2010.


Opinion and Blogs

Downtown Memphis Download: Rebecca and Brian combined their birthday celebrations into one massive weekend of fun! Many, many pics of all the people involved. A celebration so big it took two posts to cover it all, as Brian finishes the tale.

Egotistical Whining: Repeating dreamscapes.

Fertile Ground: She’s giving away a business idea: gobstopper pants.

Left Wing Cracker: He’s challenging the Democrats running for governor to court his vote.

Bigger Than Your Head: Ahhh … our civilised respite thanks to the wine of the week.

Brain Release Valve: The details are scant, but apparently he’s now an adult. That’s AD-ult. Also, a little bit of Japanese high weirdness for you. Safe for work, but not for your mind.

Downtown Memphis Blog: Several random pics from Downtown, Sunday.

Mediaverse: He wonders why the “baby falling down the 11 story trash chute” story got so much uncritical media coverage?

 short + rose: A new haircut, a new book and a fun weekend. Also, a raspberry tart you’ll want to eat right off your monitor!

Memphis Lagniappe: The picture you won’t see in the Memphis news: the “nearly nude” PETA protest downtown. Don’t worry, it’s work safe.

Midtown Stomp: Only an upcoming evening of wine-tasting and theater will get him out to the suburbs.

Commercial Appeal: They lay the responsibility for the shooting of Malcolm Shaw squarely on Bartlett police. Siding with the City Council when it comes to creating and setting salaries for City employees.

Geoff Calkins: He goes looking for the ten people who wanted Joe Ford to run for County mayor. (via the Commercial Appeal)

John D. Lovelace: He touts Early Head Start in Shelby County. (via the Commercial Appeal)

Jackson: The tea party movement must decide what it wants to do next. This is Sunshine Week, reminding citizens that open, transparent government is essential for good government.

John Branston: He runs through all the issues in consolidation and compares them to facts from Louisville’ and Indianapolis’ experiences. (via the Flyer)
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