NEW YORK (AP) – Nina Vaca is interviewing job applicants at her staffing company again after putting hiring on hold at the end of last year.

Vaca expects to hire more than 50 people for her firm, Pinnacle Technical Resources, by the end of 2013. Demand is soaring for the high-tech temporary workers it places at large corporations. The reason for her caution: Months of uncertainty about federal taxes and budget cuts has disappeared.

2. S&P Boosts Outlook for US Government’s Long-Term Debt - Tuesday, June 11, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded its outlook Monday for the U.S. government's long-term debt. S&P cited the government's strengthened finances, a recovering U.S. economy and some easing of Washington's political gridlock.

3. Next Goal for City Budget: Consensus - Monday, June 10, 2013

For now, Memphis City Council members have more questions than consensus about which end is up on the proposed city budget for the fiscal year that is three weeks away.

Beyond the questions awaits a significant difference of opinion among council members about the general direction city finances should take with the new fiscal year and beyond.

4. Conflicting Laws, Regulations Feed IRS Confusion - Thursday, June 06, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – The uproar over the Internal Revenue Service's heavy-handed treatment of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status can be traced partly to when New York University Law School went into the noodle business.

5. Red Carpet Tour Courts Site Selectors - Thursday, June 06, 2013

Site selection experts from six nationally known firms got a “red carpet tour” from the Greater Memphis Chamber Wednesday, June 5, in a recruitment effort that included a look at the industrial infrastructure of the Memphis area.

6. Watchdog: IRS Enjoy Luxury Rooms at Conference - Wednesday, June 05, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Already under siege, the Internal Revenue Service was cited by a government watchdog for a $4.1 million training conference featuring luxury rooms and free drinks, even as conservative figures told Congress Tuesday they had been abused for years while seeking tax-exempt status.

7. Wharton Proposes 14-Cent Tax Hike Above Recertified Rate - Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. is proposing a 14-cent city property tax hike on top of the 25 cents added to the current rate of $3.11 to compensate for property value lost in the 2013 property reappraisal.

8. New IRS Head Says Taxpayers No Longer Trust Agency - Tuesday, June 04, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – His agency under relentless fire, the new head of the Internal Revenue Service acknowledged to Congress on Monday that American taxpayers no longer trust the IRS amid a growing number of scandals – from the targeting of conservative political groups to lavish spending on employee conferences.

9. State Concerns Blow Up City Budget - Thursday, May 23, 2013

When the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. went to the state earlier this year for approval of a $112.4 million refunding bonds issuance, it was the second time in four years City Hall had used a debt tactic known as “scoop and toss.”

10. Obama: No Special Prosecutor to Investigate IRS - Friday, May 17, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama dismissed the idea of a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service Thursday, saying probes by Congress and the Justice Department should be able to figure out who was responsible for improperly targeting tea party groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.

11. Post Office Had $1.9 Billion Second Quarter Loss - Monday, May 13, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Postal Service said Friday it lost $1.9 billion over the last three months and warned that losses would continue to mount without help from Congress.

The loss for the financial quarter ending March 31 was narrower than a $3.2-billion loss for the same period last year, thanks to slightly higher revenues and lower payments towards health benefits for workers who will retire in the future.

12. City Council OKs School Funding Talks - Thursday, May 09, 2013

The newest front in the move to the schools merger in less than two months is an old legal claim that continues to pop up as the countywide school board looks for any new funding it can secure.

Memphis City Council members passed a resolution Tuesday, May 7, to start negotiations among the council, the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and the countywide school board.

13. Police Budget Passes Early Council Test - Thursday, May 09, 2013

The Memphis City Council’s budget committee approved the largest budget for any single city division Tuesday, May 7.

But the committee debate before the vote set the stage for what is expected to be more discussion about how much the Memphis Police Department needs to protect and serve.

14. National, Local Leaders Discuss Nonprofit Challenges - Friday, May 03, 2013

Nonprofits need multifaceted ways to inform their stakeholders in a world that has grown more volatile, uncertain and complex, Jacob Herold, the president and CEO of GuideStar, told a sold-out audience at the annual Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence conference Wednesday, May 1.

15. Metropolitan Bank Earnings Up 43 Percent - Friday, May 03, 2013

Metropolitan Bank is starting off its fifth year by reporting another quarter of increased earnings – the 14th straight quarter in which that’s happened.

16. Questions Kick Off City Budget Hearings - Thursday, April 25, 2013

Memphis City Council members opened budget committee hearings Tuesday, April 23, on the clock and with lots of questions about what seemed to some like different budget numbers from last year at this time by the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.

17. Fallout for States Rejecting Medicaid Expansion - Tuesday, April 23, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Rejecting the Medicaid expansion in the federal health care law could have unexpected consequences for states where Republican lawmakers remain steadfastly opposed to what they scorn as "Obamacare."

18. Pilot Flying J Raid Focuses on Incentive Practices - Friday, April 19, 2013

NASHVILLE (AP) – When Pilot, the country's largest truck stop chain, bought its nearest competitor Flying J out of bankruptcy in 2009, federal trade officials worried the combined entity owned by the powerful Haslam family could corner the market on diesel fuel.

19. Mo’ Money Fraud Sparks Fed Shutdown Effort - Friday, April 12, 2013

Less than a week before the April 15 federal tax-filing deadline, U.S. Justice Department attorneys from Washington went to Memphis federal court seeking to shut down a Memphis-based company that operates five tax preparation companies.

20. Obama Budget: Cover Uninsured, Trim Medicare, Tax Cigarettes - Thursday, April 11, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama's new budget offers Medicare cuts to entice Republicans into tax negotiations, while plowing ahead to cover the uninsured next year under the health care law the GOP has bitterly fought to repeal.

21. Absolutely, Positively Memphis - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

It’s certainly old news to say that the Internet is changing the way we do business today. And most assuredly, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. It’s not so farfetched to imagine a world where virtually everything is delivered, well, virtually. Maybe in the 2060s, the decade in which the futuristic Jetsons cartoon was set. Until then, while eCommerce is having a growing impact on where and how people shop, the fact of the matter is that goods still have to get to the consumer.

22. Council OKs Registry for Blighted Properties - Thursday, April 04, 2013

For months, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and the Memphis City Council had delayed final votes on his proposal to require the registration of property to make it easier for the city to find the owners of blighted property.

23. Mo’ Money Building Facing Foreclosure - Friday, March 08, 2013

The Mo’ Money Taxes building at 5090 Millbranch Road is facing foreclosure, according to a first-run foreclosure notice in the Friday, March 8, edition of the Daily News.

24. Marston Group Grows Globally, Locally - Saturday, March 02, 2013

A growing accounting and finance firm is going global and local at the same time.

While The Marston Group’s clients branch outward, its members share a wealth of business experience with future business leaders here at home.

25. South Main’s New Life - Saturday, March 02, 2013

The history of the South Main Historic Arts District is as colorful as its present-day users, an alternating rhythm of sorts in Memphis’ songbook.

The area has oscillated from its ritzy suburban roots of the 1800s to the industrial era ghost town of the 20th century and now to its current status as Downtown’s flourishing arts and boutique district and the subject of some $100 million in investment. And it’s all due to stakeholders who braved the status quo in distinguishing the southern end of the Central Business District as that funky place with an indescribable vibe.

26. Tax Zone Would Benefit Fairgrounds - Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Tourism Development Zone that Memphis officials will seek in Nashville over the next three months would generate tax revenue from Cooper-Young, the Midtown Union Avenue corridor and Overton Square for the redevelopment of the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

27. Reardon Cautions Downtowners About Heritage Trail - Thursday, February 14, 2013

The University of Memphis professor spearheading the opposition of demolishing the city’s last remaining public housing project in the Vance Avenue neighborhood says that while the Heritage Trail Community Redevelopment Plan appears to be on “indefinite hold,” it is not dead, and Downtowners should beware.

28. Reconsider Your W-4 Withholding - Thursday, February 07, 2013

Ray’s Take It’s that time of year again. Your mailbox is receiving the annual tax form allotment. In addition to filing your income tax, take time to evaluate your withholding. It might be that you should adjust the deductions on your W-4 form to change the amount withheld from your paychecks.

29. Council Tackles Blue CRUSH, Wage Theft - Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Memphis City Council members take up third and final reading Tuesday, Jan. 8, of an ordinance that sets up a local General Sessions Court-based process for settling “wage theft” complaints.

30. US Economy Could Handle Short Fall Over 'Cliff' - Thursday, December 27, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The economic threat that's kept many Americans on edge for months is nearing reality – unless the White House and Republicans cut a budget deal by New Year's Day.

31. Fulton Accounting Firm Gets Rebrand and New Owner - Monday, December 17, 2012

Fulton CPAs is a full-service accounting firm that has a new name and is under new ownership.

Previously known as Polsgrove & Fulton, the firm initiated a rebrand in the fall that included the new name after owner and CEO Lynn Fulton assumed full ownership of the business.

32. US Economy Could Withstand Brief Fall Off ‘Cliff' - Thursday, December 13, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – It's the scenario that's been spooking employers and investors and slowing the U.S. economy:

Congress and the White House fail to strike a budget deal by New Year's Day. Their stalemate triggers sharp tax increases and spending cuts. Those measures shrink consumer spending, stifle job growth, topple stock prices and push the economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession.

33. Failures Are Why Public Rejected MATA Funding - Saturday, December 08, 2012

Charles Riley is a Memphian breaking new ground in modern dance.

He’s been written about in The New York Times. YouTube videos of him are widely circulated. And it is a success story that very easily could have never been if Riley, whose stage name in Lil Buck, had to rely on the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

34. Commission to Vote on Industrial Land Sale - Monday, December 03, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners take up the proposed sale Monday, Dec. 3, of 33.6 acres of land in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park in southwest Memphis.

Carolyn Hardy, owner of the Hardy Bottling Co. and consultant to the Blues City Brewery operation that later bought the plant, wants to buy the last available roadside acreage in the industrial park for a business to store and stage modular containers.

35. Garage Demolition First Step for Downtown Project - Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Downtown parking garage attached to the 147 Jefferson Ave. building is being demolished, the first of many steps the property owner is taking to redevelop its adjacent 12-story masonry office building for a proposed mixed-use facility.

36. Gas Tax Supporters Escalate Campaign - Monday, November 05, 2012

On a recent cold fall day, backers of a one-cent-a-gallon local gasoline tax on the Nov. 6 ballot rallied for their cause on the parking lot of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s north end terminal.

37. Premiums for Family Health Plans Hit $15,745 - Wednesday, September 12, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Annual premiums for job-based family health insurance went up just 4 percent this year, but that's no comfort with the price tag approaching $16,000 and rising more than twice as fast as wages.

38. Study: Less Religious States Give Less to Charity - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

BOSTON (AP) – A new study on the generosity of Americans suggests that states with the least religious residents are also the stingiest about giving money to charity.

The study released Monday by the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that residents in states where religious participation is higher than the rest of the nation, particularly in the South, gave the greatest percentage of their discretionary income to charity.

39. Council Mulls Funds for Fairgrounds - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Memphis City Council members take a step closer to redevelopment of the Mid-South Fairgrounds Tuesday, Aug. 21, with $1.7 million in sales tax revenue generated in the Tourism Development Zone that includes The Pyramid.

40. PR Firm Helps Companies Tap Into Hispanic Business - Monday, August 20, 2012

The Memphis metropolitan area has no shortage of public relations and marketing firms, but Dominique Anderson Public Relations helps companies, organizations and government entities tap into the region’s growing but underserved Latino market.

41. Ritz Seeks Countywide Sales Tax Hike - Monday, August 13, 2012

Incoming Shelby County Commission chairman Mike Ritz wants to add a countywide sales tax hike for education to the Nov. 6 ballot.

The move, if approved by voters, would not only trump the half-cent sales tax hikes approved this month for five of the six suburban municipal school districts – it would also lessen the revenue the city of Memphis would get from a half-percent citywide sales tax hike already on the November ballot.

42. Postal Service Reports $5.2B Loss in 3rd Quarter - Friday, August 10, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service on Thursday reported losses of $57 million per day in the last quarter and warned it will miss another payment due to the U.S. Treasury, just one week after its first-ever default on a payment for future retiree health benefits.

43. Gov't Report: Tax Cheats Getting Paid by Medicaid - Friday, August 03, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of Medicaid health care service providers still got paid by the government even though they owed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes, congressional investigators say. A legal technicality is making it harder for the IRS to collect.

44. The State of Green - Monday, July 30, 2012

There are many shades of green.

And the use of the term “green” to describe public policies, business practices and other decisions designed to improve or sustain natural surroundings and our connection with them touches on so many other considerations.

45. US Poverty on Track to Rise to Highest Since 1960s - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

46. How Apple's Phantom Taxes Hide Billions in Profit - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – On Tuesday, Apple is set to report financial results for the second quarter. Analysts are expecting net income of $9.8 billion. But whatever figure Apple reports won't reflect its true profit, because the company hides some of it with an unusual tax maneuver.

47. Council Passes Sales Tax Hike Ballot Question - Thursday, July 19, 2012

The pair of questions the Memphis City Council is considering for the Nov. 6 ballot is another chapter in the council’s nearly five-year debate about the size and role of city government.

The council Tuesday, July 17, approved on third and final reading the referendum ordinance that puts a half percent local option sales tax hike proposal to Memphis voters.

48. Film Industry Can’t Count on Incentives - Monday, July 16, 2012

The discussion about film and video production incentives has come a long way from the days when incentives meant pile up the cash and push it across the table at the folks from Hollywood.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam was lobbied hard when he was a candidate in 2010 to match what Louisiana was doing in film incentives. And to his credit, he took a hard line saying Tennessee shouldn’t get caught up in what amounted to an arms race for film and television production.

49. MATA Drops Poplar Ave. Express Service - Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Memphis Area Transit Authority will discontinue the Poplar Avenue express bus service it started just this past December.

The route called the 22 Poplar Avenue Express will be discontinued effective Aug. 12.

50. Council Lowers Property Tax Rate, Approves $609M Budget - Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Memphis City Council members approved a $3.11 city property tax rate Tuesday, June 5, to fund a city operating budget of $609,802,357 and Memphis City Schools to the tune of $64,819,307.

The split council vote came nearly 14 hours after the council’s day started at City Hall with a budget committee session in which the basic elements of the ultimate budget compromise were mapped out before noon.

51. US Employers Still Waiting for Sales to Pick Up - Monday, June 04, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy suddenly looks a lot weaker.

Only 69,000 jobs were added in May, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate rose from 8.1 percent to 8.2 percent.

52. USDA to Spend $32 Million on Wetland Restoration - Wednesday, May 23, 2012

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A $32 million set of projects across seven states in the Mississippi River Basin will restore a variety of wetland types, from Iowa to Louisiana.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it will work with state agencies and private groups to embark upon the water quality and wetland restoration projects.

53. Commission Nears Budget Conclusion - Monday, May 21, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners could end their budget season Monday, May 21, with votes on two budget resolutions.

One is a $1.1 billion consolidated operating budget. The other is a five-year Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) budget that totals $36.9 million in the first year – the fiscal year that begins July 1. The plan through June 30, 2017, totals $326.9 million.

54. Budget Talks Turn to MCS Funding Issue - Monday, May 14, 2012

If the city of Memphis has one more fiscal year of funding Memphis City Schools, it could be one-time-only funding instead of raising the city property tax rate.

After several years of Memphis City Council members debating the use of one-time-only funding to cover continuing expenses in the city’s operating budget, the coming schools consolidation that begins in August 2013 has prompted some new scenarios.

55. Chandler Event To Highlight Q1 Housing - Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Shelby County home sales increased 20 percent from January to March compared to last year, but that number requires some reading between the lines.

That’s why real estate information company Chandler Reports is hosting its “Master Your Market: First Quarter Update” event for local agents, appraisers, builders, investors and bankers Thursday, May 3.

56. Aging Transit Systems Grapple With Repair Backlog - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Driven by high gas prices and an uncertain economy, Americans are turning to trains and buses to get around in greater numbers than ever before. But the aging transit systems they're riding face an $80 billion maintenance backlog that jeopardizes service just when it's most in demand.

57. Food Tax Cut Added to Haslam Budget - Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has said his budget amendment includes funding for a more rapid decrease in food tax cut and extra money for local jails.

Haslam also announced this week that weekend negotiations resulted in an agreement from the Tennessee State Employees Association to support the governor’s plan to overhaul state civil service rules.

58. A Few Simple Rules For ‘Brown-Bagging’ - Monday, March 19, 2012

We don’t hear the term “brown-bagging” much now. It was a holdover from the time when the city of Memphis did not allow liquor by the drink in restaurants, so if patrons wanted a cocktail, they had to bring their own liquor to the restaurant, often inside a brown paper bag, and pay for set-ups. The city did not rescind that ordinance until 1972.

59. Not Apples to Apples - Monday, March 19, 2012

The weak demand for housing, coupled with the stout foreclosure inventory, has translated into vast price declines in nearly every one of Shelby County’ 34 ZIP codes, affecting the bottom lines of homeowners and the city alike.

60. Job Creation Driving Highway Bills in Congress - Tuesday, March 06, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The lure of roads, bridges, buses and trains isn't enough anymore to drive an expensive transportation bill through Congress. So to round up votes, congressional leaders are pitching the bills as the hottest thing around these days: job generators.

61. Calvary Kicks Off Lenten Festivities - Tuesday, February 28, 2012

In a Memphis tradition dating back to 1928, locals from all walks of life gather each weekday during Lent at Calvary Episcopal Church to nourish their bodies with warm, home-cooked meals and their souls with the word of God and the fellowship of neighbors.

62. IRS Says 18K Tennesseans Could Get 2008 Refunds - Monday, February 27, 2012

As taxpayers prepare their income tax returns for 2011, the Internal Revenue Service is still holding millions that are owed to Tennessee residents from 2008.

IRS spokesman Dan Boone said the funds can’t be refunded because more than 18,000 Tennesseans it should go to haven’t filed returns from three years ago.

63. IRS Says 18,000 Tennesseans Could Get 2008 Refunds - Friday, February 24, 2012

NASHVILLE (AP) – As taxpayers prepare their income tax returns for 2011, the Internal Revenue Service is still holding millions that are owed to Tennessee residents from 2008.

IRS spokesman Dan Boone said the funds can't be refunded because more than 18,000 Tennesseans it should go to haven't filed returns from three years ago.

64. Unions Gearing Up to Spend Big in 2012 Election - Thursday, February 23, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Unions are gearing up to spend more than $400 million to help re-elect President Barack Obama and lift Democrats this election year in a fight for labor's survival.

Under siege in state legislatures around the country – and fearing the consequences of a Republican in the White House – union leaders say they have little choice as they try to beat back GOP efforts to curb collective bargaining rights or limit their ability to collect dues.

65. Obama's New Budget: Higher Taxes for the Wealthy - Tuesday, February 14, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan on Monday that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade but does little to restrain growth in the government's huge health benefit programs, a major cause of future deficits.

66. Turning Point - Monday, February 13, 2012

In World War II, it was the beaches of Normandy. During the Great Recession, it was the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” it's the reaction of Claudius when he storms out of the play that Hamlet staged in an attempt to guess whether his uncle killed his father.

67. Tax Reform in This Election year: It's Not Likely - Tuesday, February 07, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Tax reform sounds like a good idea to lots of people, but where to start? Eliminate the popular deduction for home mortgages? End the write-off for charitable contributions? How about expanding the Social Security payroll tax?

68. Obama's Health Overhaul Lags in Many States - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Here's a reality check for President Barack Obama's health overhaul: Three out of four uninsured Americans live in states that have yet to figure out how to deliver on its promise of affordable medical care.

69. All 2011 Unemployment Insurance Benefits Taxable - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The jobless rate is dipping, but millions of people are still out of work. And that could have implications when they file their income tax returns.

Collecting unemployment insurance benefits? All that you received in 2011 is taxed as income. Unless you requested that federal taxes be withheld, you could be in for a big surprise when you calculate taxes owed.

70. Retail Sales Weaken in Dec. But Cap Record Year - Friday, January 13, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – America's retailers enjoyed a record 2011 and their first $400 billion sales months ever. But the final month of the year was a dud.

Sales eked out a 0.1 percent increase in December, to a seasonally adjusted $400.6 billion.

71. Watchdog: Growing IRS Work Hurting Taxpayers - Thursday, January 12, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Internal Revenue Service can’t keep up with surging tax cheating and isn’t sufficiently collecting revenue or helping confused taxpayers because Congress isn’t giving it enough money to do its job, a government watchdog said Wednesday, Jan. 11.

72. IRS Reviving Program Seeking Offshore Tax Cheats - Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Internal Revenue Service is reviving a program that lets Americans hiding their money abroad pay back taxes and penalties while avoiding criminal prosecution, an effort that in recent years has netted the government billions of dollars.

73. IRS Says Audit Rates Have Grown for Wealthy - Monday, January 09, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – If you earn less than $200,000 a year, there's a strong chance you don't have to worry about an Internal Revenue Service audit. But if you make more than $1 million annually, the odds have been rising that you'll be hearing from the tax man.

74. UT President's Advice to Vols Fans: Be Patient - Friday, December 23, 2011

CHATTANOOGA (AP) – After almost a year as president of the University of Tennessee, there is no hiding Joe DiPietro's enthusiasm for his system-wide strategic plan, his efforts to streamline the replacement of outdated learning facilities and promote all the campuses.

75. Postal Service to Delay Cutbacks Until Mid-May - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday agreed to delay the closing of 252 mail processing centers and 3,700 local post offices until mid-May.

In a statement, the cash-strapped agency said it would hold off on closings by several weeks to give Congress more time to pass legislation that would give it more authority and liquidity to stave off bankruptcy. The Postal Service, which is expected to default Friday on a $5.5 billion payment to the Treasury, is forecast to lose a record $14.1 billion next year.

76. Money Fund Assets Rise to $2.639 Trillion - Monday, November 14, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets rose $16.46 billion to $2.639 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds fell $2.35 billion to $933.62 billion, the Washington-based mutual fund trade group said. Assets of taxable money market funds in the retail category fell $1.96 billion to $740.38 billion. Tax-exempt retail fund assets fell $390 million to $193.24 billion.

77. Law Isn’t Holy - Friday, November 11, 2011

WE DON’T SPEAK FOR HIM, GOD KNOWS. When I write about politics and religion – lately, the same thing – questioning the judgment of some of our elected officials and self-anointed saviors, I’m apparently not only risking their self-righteous wrath, but the very wrath of heaven. Or, as we say around here, I am going straight to hell. So here goes.

78. Casada Weighs In on Anti-Bias Legislation - Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is an occasional series that profiles Tennessee’s state legislators. Credit his friends – and the inspiration of Ronald Reagan – with starting state Rep. Glen Casada on the road to public service.

79. Money Fund Assets Rise to $2.639 Trillion - Monday, October 10, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets rose $4.87 billion to $2.639 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose $5.73 billion to $942 billion, the Washington-based mutual fund trade group said. Assets of taxable money market funds in the retail category rose $3.86 billion to $748.84 billion. Tax-exempt retail fund assets rose $1.88 billion to $193.16 billion.

80. Address Unknown - Tuesday, October 04, 2011

For anyone in Memphis – and across Tennessee – who uses the U.S. Postal Service to send and receive bills, to get things like newspaper subscriptions by mail and DVDs from Netflix or just to write an old-fashioned letter on paper, things are about to change.

81. Shutdown Averted, but Deep Differences Linger - Thursday, September 29, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – After the U.S. avoided a government budget crisis in the nick of time for third time this year, the public seems fed up with the nonstop partisanship that led to the close calls.

82. US Senate Nears Final Vote on Key Worker Aid Bill - Friday, September 23, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – A standoff between the Obama administration and congressional Republicans over free trade agreements could take a major step toward resolution Thursday with a Senate vote on legislation to help American workers who fall victim to foreign competition.

83. Obama Endorses Ending 1 Day of Mail Delivery - Tuesday, September 20, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama said Monday the U.S. Postal Service should be allowed to reduce mail delivery to five-days-a-week to help cut its massive losses.

The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing even more red ink this year as the Internet siphons off large amounts of first-class mail and the weak economy reduces advertising mail.

84. Council Takes Closer Look at Dollar Signs - Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Memphis City Council members could vote Tuesday, Sept. 20, to add another item to the Nov. 8, 2012, election ballot topped by the presidential general election.

Council members vote on third and final reading of an ordinance that would put to city voters a requirement that two-thirds council approval – or nine votes – is required for any city property tax hike that is, as a percentage, higher than the percentage of the rate of inflation.

85. Nearly 1 in 6 Americans in Poverty, Census Says - Wednesday, September 14, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The ranks of the nation's poor have swelled to a record 46.2 million – nearly 1 in 6 Americans – as the prolonged pain of the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work. And the number without health insurance has reached 49.9 million, the most in over two decades.

86. H&R Block Won't Offer Refund-Backed Loans in 2012 - Wednesday, September 14, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – H&R Block Inc. said Tuesday that it won't offer refund anticipation loans next tax season because it's getting more new clients and the appeal of the high-cost loans is shrinking.

87. No More Mail? What Would Ben Franklin Think? - Tuesday, September 13, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Imagine a nation without the Postal Service.

No more birthday cards and bills or magazines and catalogs filling the mailbox. It's a worst-case scenario being painted for an organization that lost $8.5 billion in 2010 and seems headed deeper into the red this year.

88. Obama Tax Cut Would Boost Typical Pay by $1,500 - Monday, September 12, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Typical workers would get an extra $1,500 in their paychecks next year under a plan by President Barack Obama to expand a payroll tax cut that is scheduled expire at the end of the year. Higher paid workers would get more, and businesses would get tax breaks, too.

89. More People Applied for Unemployment Benefits - Friday, September 09, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up slightly last week, evidence that the job market isn't improving.

Weekly applications for unemployment benefits rose 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 414,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

90. Find Real Cost of Retirement Communities - Thursday, September 08, 2011

Ray’s Take: As the Boomer generation ages, more and more retirement communities are in development. They are an attractive option to many, with choices ranging from permanent cruise living to college-based communities to developments with traditional apartment amenities. But before you start packing, there’s a lot you need to investigate to protect your physical, mental and financial future.

91. Wharton Seeks Compromise on Madison Bike Lanes - Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. is considering a compromise in the Madison Avenue bicycle lane controversy that would leave some parts of the avenue between Cleveland and Cooper streets without dedicated bicycle lanes.

92. More to FAA Shutdown Than Air Service Subsidies - Friday, August 05, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – On the surface, the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration is about whether to cut $16 million in air service subsidies, a pretty small amount in this town. Underneath are layers upon layers of political gamesmanship that, at its heart, is about whether Democrats or Republicans get to call the shots in Congress.

93. Southwest Posts Q2 Profit of $161 Million - Friday, August 05, 2011

DALLAS (AP) – Southwest Airlines Co. set records for full planes, and higher fares boosted revenue as the summer vacation season kicked into high gear.

94. Economy Slowed Sharply in First Half of Year - Monday, August 01, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy expanded at a meager 1.3 percent annual rate in the spring after scarcely growing at all in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department said Friday.

95. Delta Sticks to Guns on Reduced Capacity - Friday, July 29, 2011

Even with earnings down 58 percent in the second quarter of 2011 compared to a year ago, Delta Air Lines Inc. CEO Richard Anderson remained locked this week on the message that Delta’s capacity reduction is at the right level and is the right thing to do.

96. Post Office Ponders Closing 1 in 10 Retail Outlets - Wednesday, July 27, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Postal Service is considering closing more than 1 in 10 of its retail outlets including a number in the Memphis area.

Six Memphis-area post offices are under review: Peabody Place (38103 ZIP code), Hollywood (38108), Lamar (38114), Mallory (38109) and Frayser (38127), plus a Naval Support Activity Mid-South location in Millington (38054).

97. Tennessee Protesters Urge Congress to Act on Debt - Wednesday, July 27, 2011

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — Protesters in Franklin said Tuesday that lawmakers in Washington are "holding America hostage" as they argue over increasing the nation's borrowing authority.

President Barack Obama and Republican lawmakers are at an impasse in negotiations to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. The federal government is at risk of defaulting on its debt after Aug. 2 if an agreement isn't reached by then.

98. More Airlines Raise Fares to Grab Tax Savings - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

DALLAS (AP) – The great tax holiday of 2011 for air travelers is just about over.

By Monday, most U.S. airlines had raised fares to reap the benefit of lower federal taxes on airline tickets. A few airlines that were passing the savings on to consumers changed their minds.

99. Orion Hits ‘Home Run’ With REO Placement Program - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Memphis woman is getting a second chance at owning her own home, thanks to a rare program that takes hard work into account over credit scores. For Blondell Phillips, it’s the American Dream, Take 2.

100. EDGE Keeps Memphis ‘In the Ball Game’ - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

For the longest time, elected leaders and local economic development officials have lamented a missing ingredient surrounding what Memphis and Shelby County can do to prime the pump for business investment in the area.