His team had just overcome a 17-point first-half deficit and beaten Oklahoma City in overtime to win Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. So someone asked Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins if he was impressed.

2. ‘Old School’ Gasol Feted As League’s Top Defender - Friday, April 26, 2013

The NBA’s new Defensive Player of the Year was remembering another ceremony, more than a decade ago at The Pyramid.

“I was just a little kid watching my older brother be happy to be recognized,” center Marc Gasol said.

3. Pre-Grizz Comments Show Change is Coming - Friday, January 18, 2013

Deadspin.com has been getting a lot of publicity for breaking the story about the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax. But the site also compiled a list that is of far more relevance to local NBA fans:

4. McLain Joins Counterpart in Copywriting Role - Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Rebekah McLain has joined Counterpart Communication Design as copywriter. In her new role, McLain will write copy for print and websites, with areas of expertise including higher education, security and disability law, neuropsychology and hospitality.

5. Grizzlies Proving Life After Mayo Just Fine - Friday, December 28, 2012

It seemed only fitting that on the night O.J. Mayo returned to Memphis with the Dallas Mavericks – averaging 20 points a game and leading the NBA in 3-point shooting – that Mike Conley would break the Grizzlies’ franchise record for career assists.

6. Federal Regulators Charge Eight Directors of Morgan Keegan Funds - Saturday, December 15, 2012

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges Monday, Dec. 10, against eight former members of the boards of five Morgan Keegan mutual funds for “violating their asset pricing responsibilities under the federal securities laws.”

7. SEC Charges Eight Directors of Morgan Keegan Funds - Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges Monday, Dec. 10, against eight former members of the boards of five Morgan Keegan mutual funds for “violating their asset pricing responsibilities under the federal securities laws.”

8. This Den of Grizzlies Players Doesn’t Bluff - Friday, November 16, 2012

They were three words that were perfect for summing up Zach Randolph. Three words that were perfect for describing the Memphis Grizzlies seven games into this NBA season.

“I don’t bluff,” Randolph told reporters when asked about his exchange of unpleasantries with the Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins after the Grizzlies’ 107-97 victory on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Oklahoma City, and on national television no less.

9. This Den of Grizzlies Players Doesn’t Bluff - Thursday, November 15, 2012

They were three words that were perfect for summing up Zach Randolph. Three words that were perfect for describing the Memphis Grizzlies seven games into this NBA season.

“I don’t bluff,” Randolph told reporters when asked about his exchange of unpleasantries with the Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins after the Grizzlies’ 107-97 victory on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Oklahoma City, and on national television no less.

10. Obama Carries Shelby, Cohen Over Flinn and Two Tax Hikes Defeated - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

President Barack Obama carried Shelby County in unofficial Nov. 6 election returns as his Republican challenger Mitt Romney took the state’s 11 electoral votes.

Voter turnout in the most popular election cycle among Shelby County voters was 61.9 percent, about the same percentage as four years ago. But the 371,256 voters is fewer than 2008 when more than 400,000 Shelby County voters cast ballots. The percentage is about the same because there are fewer registered voters in Shelby County than there were four years ago after a purge by election officials.

11. The Magic Of Mental Images - Monday, October 29, 2012

As it turns out, it appears that your brain does not know the difference in real or imagined events. That’s why some golfers practice by imagining golf shots, some tennis players practice by imagining tennis shots and other athletes practice by imagining doing whatever their chosen sport requires them to do well. Pretty much the same brain cells fire whether you are doing something or thinking about doing it; and brain cells firing in unison is one way to describe learning.

12. Milestone Celebration - Friday, October 26, 2012

In a few weeks, a quirky Midtown coffeehouse that brims over with culture, from the poetry readings to the bric-a-brac inside to the owner who loves a good poem and the J.J. Abrams TV series “Lost,” will celebrate a milestone.

13. Prosecutor Probes Ties Between Regions Financial and Fiderion - Thursday, August 23, 2012

A federal prosecutor has opened an inquiry into business ties between Regions Financial Corp. and Fiderion Group LLC.

14. Scott Joins Methodist South as Chief Medical Officer - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dr. Howard Scott has been named chief medical officer at Methodist South Hospital. Before joining Methodist South, which is part of the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system, Scott served as chief medical officer for West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami. He has also maintained an active private practice for 29 years.

15. Grizzlies Must Answer Many Difficult Offseason Questions - Friday, May 18, 2012

In the world of sports talk radio, improving the Grizzlies would be easy. As easy as, say, “Eddie from East Memphis” calling in and suggesting the Grizzlies ship Dante Cunningham, Jeremy Pargo and Quincy Pondexter to the Oklahoma City Thunder for James Harden.

16. Unified Moves To East Pointe Biz Center - Friday, April 20, 2012

An independent forensic engineering and investigations company has relocated its Mid-South Service Center to a more secure location.

Unified Investigations & Sciences Inc. has inked 8,565 square feet in East Pointe Business Center Building D, 3875 Vantech Drive. The Suwanee, Ga.-based tenant was previously located at 3955 Whitebrook Drive, where it serviced Arkansas, North Mississippi and West Tennessee.

17. 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.

18. Morgan Keegan Future Finally Taking Shape - Wednesday, April 04, 2012

A Raymond James Financial Inc. spokesman said as the week began the company has no comment about what additional personnel shifting or cuts might still be to come in the days and weeks ahead, with longtime Memphis financial firm Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc. now officially owned by St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Raymond James.

19. Warmath Nears 50 Years At Allen & Hoshall - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

James “Jim” D. Warmath is approaching 50 years of service at Allen & Hoshall engineering firm. He began as a draftsman after seeing an advertisement for the job. Today he is project manager in the electric utility department.

20. Financier Stanford Convicted in $7 Billion Fraud - Wednesday, March 07, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) – Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford, whose financial empire once spanned the Americas, was convicted Tuesday on all but one of the 14 counts he faced for allegedly bilking investors out of more than $7 billion in massive Ponzi scheme he operated for 20 years.

21. Memphian Testifies Against Financier Stanford - Tuesday, January 31, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) – A former employee for Texas financier R. Allen Stanford says a farm hand and a preacher were among unqualified workers hired as financial analysts in one of Stanford's offices.

22. Raymond James statement on Morgan Keegan acquisition - Thursday, January 12, 2012

Raymond James Financial's official statement about the Morgan Keegan acquisition:

RAYMOND JAMES TO ACQUIRE MORGAN KEEGAN & COMPANY

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James Financial, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to acquire Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. and related affiliates from Regions Financial for $930 million, expanding both its private client wealth management and capital markets businesses.

23. Recordings Could be Played in Major Drug Trial - Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tobias Pride told Mario Stewart that leaders of the drug organization Pride worked for wanted Stewart dead because they believed he was cooperating with police.

24. Chancery Court Clerk Job Takes Russell ‘Full Circle’ - Thursday, January 05, 2012

The new clerk and master of Shelby County Chancery Court is returning to the world of court administration.

Donna Russell was appointed to the position late last year by the court’s three chancellors following the sudden resignation of clerk and master Dewun Settle in September.

25. Economists: Obama's Policies 'Fair' or 'Poor' - Thursday, December 29, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama gets mediocre marks for his handling of the U.S. economy, and Mitt Romney easily outpolls his Republican rivals in an Associated Press survey of economists.

26. Appraisal Institute Installs Officers - Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Memphis chapter of the Appraisal Institute held its annual officer installation Dec. 8, during its holiday celebration at the historic Daisy Theatre Downtown. The organization’s 2010 National President Leslie Sellers conducted the ceremony.

27. Jeter Joins Accounting Firm Cannon Wright Blount - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Andrew Jeter has joined Cannon Wright Blount as director of assurance and accounting services.

28. Memphian Cobb Joins MIFA As Meals on Wheels Director - Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Trentwood Cobb has joined Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association as director of MIFA Meals on Wheels, which provides hot meals to senior citizens in the greater Memphis area.

Hometown: Memphis

29. Jackson Joins Devcon Security as GM - Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Eric Jackson has joined Devcon Security as general manager of the company’s Memphis branch. Jackson’s primary focus will be hiring and training sales people and technicians, as well as building daily branch operations and acting as the brand ambassador to building partnerships in the community.

30. JLS Enterprises Buys SE Market Warehouse - Friday, September 02, 2011

A 51,000-square-foot industrial building in the Southeast submarket has traded hands. JLS Enterprises LLC purchased 4021 Delp St. in Airport Industrial Park for $850,000. The warehouse currently houses Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and is 100 percent occupied.

31. AP Source: Apple Considering Hulu Bid - Monday, July 25, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Apple Inc. is in talks to potentially bid for video-streaming service Hulu, a person close to the situation said Friday.

32. Gibson Honored as Part of ‘30 Under 30’ List - Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Andre Gibson, chair of the Memphis City Beautiful Commission and vice president of the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals, has been named among Rosewood Hotels’ national 30 Under 30 campaign.

33. Brooks Unreels Film Series - Monday, January 03, 2011

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art this month continues a long-running tradition of adding moving pictures to its collection of visual arts with a series of independent films meant to warm up cold January nights.

34. Conway Services Moves to Cordova - Thursday, December 23, 2010

Conway Services Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has signed a new lease to accommodate space for its growing service team.

Conway Services is moving from 6426 Summer Gale Drive in Memphis near Bartlett to a warehouse on 1220 Big Orange Road in Cordova.

35. Kocsis Named Curator of Gallery Fifty Six - Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Rollin Kocsis has been promoted to curator of Gallery Fifty Six located at 2256 Central Ave.

Hometown: South Bend, Ind.
Work Experience: As an art teacher for Memphis City Schools for 38 years, I taught art classes to grades 7 through 12 at Gragg High School, Lincoln Junior High, Gragg Alternative High School, Overton Creative and Performing Arts High School, Corry Junior High and Westwood Junior and Senior High School.
Favorite quote: “As you think so shall you become.” – James Allen
What drew you to Gallery Fifty Six? I had been looking for a gallery to represent me, and I would drive by Gallery Fifty Six every day on the way home from teaching. I noticed that work was being done to transform the interior into a sophisticated, fine-art gallery, and I was impressed with the results. I decided to present my work to them, and I was accepted as a gallery artist. As time went on, I became the assistant curator and was recently promoted to curator.
As curator, what will your job entail? My job as curator will be to schedule and hang shows; manage the gallery; design printed materials; seek new artists; advise customers and sell art; maintain the mailing list; work with public relations; and promote the gallery.
What do you most enjoy about painting? I love the process of creation, first of all. I love working with paint and colors. I get enjoyment out of making something that other people will like, too. It gives me great satisfaction to sell a painting, knowing that someone thought enough of my work to buy it.
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments? Becoming curator of Gallery Fifty Six has definitely been one of my greatest professional accomplishments. In addition, last year marked a great year for me when an art dealer from New York purchased nine of my paintings. I also won “Best in Show” in the Memphis Arts in the Park Senior Juried Exhibition and also in the Mid-South Teachers Juried Art Exhibition at The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

36. Tennessee Native Earl Keister Joins Thompson & Co. - Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Earl Keister has joined Thompson & Co. as creative director.

Hometown: Knoxville

Education: University of Tennessee, Portfolio Center

Work Experience: Fifteen years in the advertising field. I’m like Johnny Cash: I’ve been everywhere.

37. Drake, masterIT Recognized for Innovation - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Michael Drake is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of masterIT. masterIT has been named one of North America’s Most Innovative MSPs by Everything Channel’s CRN Magazine. The list recognizes the IT industry’s top 40 managed service providers for their ingenuity, leadership and success.

38. A New Era - Monday, October 25, 2010

As the Grizzlies mark their 10th season in Memphis, whispers of “contender” and “dark horse” can be heard in the halls of FedExForum.

The positive outlook is an encouraging sign for a team that sat at the bottom of the league just two seasons ago and has endured a bumpy ride during its decade-long tenure in Memphis.

39. Baptist Wage Suit Loses Class Action Status - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The suit alleging Baptist hospitals in Memphis engaged in unfair pay practices by making automatic meal deductions from employee paychecks and 30-minute payroll deductions for lunch breaks has lost its class action status.

40. Few Engineering Firms Credit Stimulus For Survival - Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The federal stimulus program has been very, very good to the Pickering Firm Inc., a Memphis-based engineering company.

41. 20 Glankler Brown Attorneys in Best Lawyers in America ‘11 - Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Twenty attorneys from Glankler Brown PLLC have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2011.

42. Incoming BP CEO: Time for 'Scaleback' in Cleanup - Monday, August 02, 2010

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) – BP's incoming CEO said Friday that it's time for a "scaleback" of the massive effort to clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but he added that the commitment to make things right is the same as ever.

43. Baptist Seeks To Declassify Class Action Suit - Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Lawyers for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp., who have filed a motion to have class action status removed from a lawsuit alleging unfair pay practices, scored a victory on Monday.

44. Kit Helps Homeowners Lower Tax Bills - Thursday, May 27, 2010

Real estate information company Chandler Reports has introduced a 2010 Tax Kit homeowners can use to help lower their property taxes.

The MyChandlerReports.com Tax Kit, which can be downloaded online, includes all the reports needed to file an appeal of the Shelby County Assessor of Property’s appraisal to the Shelby County Board of Equalization (SCBoE).

45. Gubernatorial Hopefuls Point to Memphis to Boost Campaigns - Monday, May 10, 2010

No one from Memphis is among the four major contenders for Tennessee governor.

But the four candidates are making more than the usual amount of campaign noise about how important Memphis is to them.

46. Noel Becomes ABA Delegate From Tennessee - Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Randall D. Noel has been elected as the Tennessee delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates.

Noel is a member of Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC’s Commercial Litigation Group. Noel is a Fellow of the American, Tennessee and Memphis Bar Foundations and has served as president of the Tennessee Bar Association.

47. Glankler Brown Names Bradley Chief Manager - Wednesday, March 03, 2010

William R. Bradley Jr. has been named chief manager of Glankler Brown PLLC.

Bradley’s primary practice areas include intellectual property, maintenance and litigation, antitrust counseling and litigation, business litigation, and construction litigation.

48. New Apartment Owner Files Loan on Property - Wednesday, February 03, 2010

The new owner of the Hunter’s Ridge Apartments at 3108 New Allen Road in Raleigh has filed a $1.2 million deed of trust, assignment of leases and rents and security agreement through Texas Capital Bank. The loan closed Jan. 7 but wasn’t recorded with the Shelby County Register of Deeds until last week.

49. 2009 Year In Review - Monday, December 28, 2009

2009 was a year without a script – and plenty of improvising on the political stage.

It was supposed to be an off-election year except in Arlington and Lakeland.

2008 ended with voters in the city and county approving a series of changes to the charters of Memphis and Shelby County governments. Those changes were supposed to set a new direction for both entities, kicking into high gear in 2010 and ultimately culminating two years later.

50. Harris Shelton Attorneys Honored in SuperLawyers - Thursday, December 17, 2009

Five attorneys from Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC have been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of Mid-South SuperLawyers, and four attorneys have been named Rising Stars.

51. Hunter’s Ridge Sells For $1.2M After Foreclosure - Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Hunter’s Ridge Apartments at 3108 New Allen Road in Raleigh sold back to the lender following the property’s second foreclosure in three years. Hunters Ridge Property Holder LLC, an entity related to lender USAM I FUND LLC, bought the 141-unit complex for $1.2 million Oct. 30 on the Shelby County Courthouse steps.

52. Stanford Receiver to Investors: Don’t Expect Much Back - Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Under the most optimistic scenario, as much as 20 cents on the dollar could be returned to victims of the investment fraud that brought down Stanford Financial Group.

That’s among the findings in a status report filed in the Texas court where federal regulators are trying to prove Stanford was a financial house of lies built on an illusion of wealth. The status report was prepared by Dallas attorney Ralph Janvey, the court-appointed receiver whose team is mopping up what’s left of the network of assorted companies under the Stanford nameplate.

53. Dishmon Joins UT Medical Group - Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Dr. Dwight “Dan” Dishmon has joined the Department of Medicine at UT Medical Group.
Dishmon is an interventional cardiologist and cares for adults with ischemic heart disease and peripheral arterial disease.
He earned his medical degree and completed his internal medicine residency and general cardiology fellowship training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He later completed additional fellowship training at Michigan State University’s Borgess Medical Center. 

54. After the Fall: The messy cleanup of Stanford Financial - Monday, September 28, 2009

R. Allen Stanford, the Texas billionaire now passing time in a Texas jail for his role in what U.S. regulators have called a “massive Ponzi scheme,” once told a roomful of his employees they ought to have three priorities in life.

55. Dress Newest Pathologist At Pathology Group of the MidSouth - Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Dr. Matthew A. Dress has joined Pathology Group of the MidSouth PC as its newest pathologist.

Before joining Pathology Group of the MidSouth, Dress served as the chief resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Tennessee. He then completed a fellowship in hematopathology at the University of Rochester Medical Center-Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. 

56. Stanford Receiver Wants Money Back from Advisers – Including Stanley - Monday, August 31, 2009

The court-appointed receiver in charge of what remains of jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford’s business is going after money former Stanford advisers made from selling bogus certificates of deposit.

57. Plea Deal Reveals New Details About Swindle Case - Monday, August 31, 2009

HOUSTON (AP) – The former finance chief for jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford said his boss created a business empire where blood oaths were taken to secure loyalty, bribes were paid from a secret Swiss bank account and investor profits were more fiction than financial genius.

58. Accused Financier Stanford Hospitalized - Friday, August 28, 2009

HOUSTON (AP) – Texas financier R. Allen Stanford, jailed on charges of bilking investors out of $7 billion, has been hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat and high pulse, the judge in his case said Thursday.

59. Runaway Receiver at Odds With SEC in Stanford Case - Monday, August 17, 2009

DALLAS (AP) – The attorney who’s supposed to clean up what the government says was Texas businessman R. Allen Stanford’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme is managing to anger just about every party involved in the case.

60. Construction Specifications Institute Elects Davidson President of Memphis Chapter - Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Pam Davidson has been elected president of the Memphis chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute. Davidson will serve as the third female president in the organization’s 50-year history.

61. Three Memphis Firms Honored In 2010 Best Lawyers - Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Three Memphis law firms have attorneys who have been honored in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC had four attorneys from its Memphis office honored: Donna K. Fisher, Thomas L. Henderson, Charles V. Holmes and Frederick J. Lewis were named to the list as top lawyers in labor and employment law. All four previously have been recognized by Best Lawyers.

62. Feds Try to Halt Civil Case Against Stanford - Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The U.S. Department of Justice wants a federal judge in Texas to put the brakes on the first stages of a civil fraud case filed in February against Texas financier R. Allen Stanford and several former subordinates.

63. Attorney Says Stanford CFO Makes Plea Deal - Thursday, July 02, 2009

HOUSTON (AP) - The former chief financial officer of indicted Texas financier R. Allen Stanford's business empire will plead guilty to charges alleging he helped swindle investors out of $7 billion, his attorney said Wednesday.

64. Billionaire Stanford Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud - Friday, June 26, 2009

HOUSTON (AP) – Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion as part of a massive investment scam.

Stanford entered his plea during his arraignment in federal court. Authorities have alleged that Stanford used his international banking empire as a pyramid scheme, which typically operates by paying off earlier investors with money collected from later investors.

65. Stanford Receiver Relentless On Legal Fees - Thursday, June 25, 2009

When the court appointee in charge of what’s left of Stanford Financial Group asked a judge’s permission last month to pay invoices of almost $20 million for the work he’s done so far, it wasn’t a popular request.

66. More Details Emerge After Stanford Indictment - Monday, June 22, 2009

Federal prosecutors and financial regulators have unveiled new civil and criminal charges against disgraced Texas financier Allen Stanford and several former subordinates.

The charges include new details about the case against Stanford made public four months ago when regulators put the powerfully built Texan at the center of an alleged $8 billion investment fraud.

67. Stanford Attorneys Bail On Humbled Financier - Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Several attorneys working for the billionaire namesake of Stanford Financial Group have filed notice with a Texas court of their intent to withdraw from the case.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s former chairman, R. Allen Stanford, has another opponent chomping at the bit to enter the latest legal fray against him: his estranged wife, Susan.

68. Holt First In Stanford Financial Trio To Be Indicted - Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The chief investment officer for Texas financier Allen Stanford’s business empire before regulators shut it down three months ago is now the first Stanford executive indicted after a sweeping probe of the organization.

69. First Indictment In Stanford Financial Probe Names Holt - Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The chief investment officer for Texas financier Allen Stanford’s business empire before regulators shut it down three months ago is now the first Stanford executive indicted after a sweeping probe of the organization.

70. Stanford Receiver Details Finding - Monday, April 27, 2009

The court-appointed receiver who’s been working to untangle the complicated financial web of the Stanford Financial group of companies last week gave a detailed look into what he’s done so far and why.

71. Stanford Receiver Details Findings - Friday, April 24, 2009
The court-appointed receiver who’s been working to untangle the complicated financial web of the Stanford Financial group of companies last week gave a detailed look into what he’s done so far and why.

The status report Dallas attorney Ralph Janvey filed in the Texas court where a sprawling federal case is unfolding against Stanford provides new details about the motivations, goals and progress of Janvey’s efforts. Janvey was appointed as Stanford’s receiver in February shortly after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil suit claiming the Stanford business empire was built on secrets, deception and a multibillion-dollar investment fraud.

Fighting back

Details of Janvey’s efforts come at the same time Stanford’s Chairman Allen Stanford, a billionaire Texan with a towering physique and a penchant for the game of cricket, has begun to raise his media profile. In an interview he gave to The New York Times, Stanford told the paper he can’t use any of the credit cards in his wallet, his bank accounts are frozen and he’s been locked out of his apartment on the island of St. Croix.

Far from pulling his punches in light of a looming criminal indictment, Stanford in the interview also blasted the SEC for “squandering” the assets of the assorted Stanford companies. He also called Janvey a “jerk” whose aides “can’t find their rear end from a hole in the ground,” according to The Times.

Stanford filed a sharply worded memorandum this month in the Texas court answering some of the charges against him. He said the Stanford receiver has seized all of his money, important records, most of his clothing and personal possessions.

The Stanford companies “provided service to thousands of valued clients,” his memo reads. “They employed thousands of honest, hard-working people. Stanford’s companies were real companies with real assets, real profits and real employees serving real clients.”

CD dealing

Meanwhile, Janvey’s report last week attempts to shed light on some of the things he has found.

He writes, for example, that Stanford’s operation consisted of more than 100 companies spread across the globe, with locations spanning 15 U.S. states and 13 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Canada and Latin America.

Partly based on the work of a forensic accountant, the Stanford receiver believes the purpose of the combined Stanford operation was simple: bring in outside money through the sale of CDs issued by Stanford’s offshore bank. And to do that, brokers were paid handsomely through a compensation structure that made the whole enterprise unsustainable without the money generated from CD sales, according to the receiver.

“To the outside world … these financial businesses appeared to be independently viable,” reads the receiver’s status report. “The receiver believes, however, based on his investigation to date, that the principle purpose and focus of most of the combined operations was to attract and funnel outside investor funds into the Stanford companies through the sale of the CDs issued by Stanford’s offshore entity (Stanford International Bank).

“Once CD funds entered the Stanford companies, they were dispersed to Allen Stanford or to other Stanford-owned entities or used to purchase private equity and other investments, to pay CD redemptions and interest or to pay expenses and obligations.”

Following the trail

The receiver appears to believe Stanford’s far-flung operation – which included a now-shuttered Memphis office – arguably owed its continued existence to money brought into the organization via the CD sales. The Stanford empire had a strong Memphis connection, with an investment brokerage office here as well as offices at one time for both Stanford’s chief financial officer James Davis and chief investment officer Laura Pendergest-Holt, both of whom were named in the SEC complaint.

As of Feb. 22, the receiver’s data show about $7.2 billion worth of CDs were outstanding and in the hands of approximately 21,500 holders around the world. But much of the cash received from CD sales apparently cannot be found.

The receiver also has asked the accounting firm of Ernst & Young to compile balance sheets for Stanford’s companies because the receiver states almost all non-cash assets listed on Stanford’s Dec. 31 balance sheets are substantially overstated.

“Preliminary analysis of Stanford’s available financial records indicates that a very substantial amount of cash received upon sale of (the bank’s) CDs over the last few years … cannot be accounted for,” the receiver’s report reads. “Some of this cash may have been spent in ways that are not reflected in any of the available financial records … such as cash that may have been loaned to Allen Stanford or distributed to him as sole shareholder and then spent on personal consumption by him.

“This preliminary analysis suggests that the aggregate amount of such unaccounted-for cash may be in the range of $1 billion.”

72. Local Advisers Named in Suit to Recover Stanford Money - Friday, April 17, 2009

The court-appointed receiver who’s taken charge of the Stanford Financial Group’s business empire filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to recover more than $40 million Stanford paid 66 financial advisers. Five of the advisers are from the Memphis area.

73. Local Advisers Named in Suit to Recover Stanford Money - Thursday, April 16, 2009

The court-appointed receiver who’s taken charge of the Stanford Financial Group’s business empire filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to recover more than $40 million Stanford paid out to 66 financial advisers. Five of the advisers are from the Memphis area.

That group collectively has $1.6 million in compensation the receiver is looking to get back:

Jon Barrack: $241,751

Norman Blake: $233,858

Charles Brickey: $212,709

Chuck Hughes: $301,074

Scott Notowich: $679,932

Ralph Janvey, a Dallas attorney operating as Stanford’s receiver, is looking to recover Stanford assets and secure the company’s business operations and holdings. The money he’s seeking via the lawsuit was paid as commissions and other compensation for the sale of Stanford’s certificates of deposits.

Those CDs are at the heart of what the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission believes is an $8 billion pyramid scheme. The SEC in February filed a civil complaint against Stanford, its chairman and two executives that, among other things, alleged the CDs were sold by promising inflated and near-impossible returns.

“Over just a two-year period, these financial advisers received commissions ranging in amounts from $2.6 million to $200,000, along with other incentive compensation, to promote the sales of CDs,” reads Janvey’s complaint filed this week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Janvey contends the money is appropriate for him to recover because it was paid to Stanford employees who continued to bring new investors in to buy the company’s allegedly fraudulent products.

Stanford chairman R. Allen Stanford, chief financial officer James Davis and chief investment officer Laura Pendergest-Holt “kept their fraudulent scheme going by using the (financial advisers) to lure new investors,” the complaint reads. “The commissions, loans and other compensation paid to (the advisers) came not from revenue generated by legitimate business activities, but from monies contributed by defrauded investors.”

As part of its U.S. presence, Stanford operated a brokerage office in the East Memphis Crescent Center, and the company’s chief investment officer and chief financial officer at one time both worked there. The closure of Stanford’s Memphis office as a result of the broader investigation meant the loss of 50 jobs, according to information from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

74. SEC Sued by Fox Over Stanford-Related Info - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Fox Business Network, a cable news channel and spinoff of the Fox News Network, has filed a lawsuit in New York against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to the collapse of Stanford Financial Group.

75. IRS Files $226M Claim Against Stanford - Tuesday, March 17, 2009

As a Texas receiver sifts through claims against Stanford Financial Group, one creditor has asked to skip toward the front of the line – the Internal Revenue Service.

In a motion filed Friday “at the direction of the Attorney General of the United States,” the IRS claims R. Allen Stanford and soon-to-be-ex-wife Susan Stanford owe more than $226 million in federal income taxes, an amount that includes penalties and interest.

76. Miami Meetings at Center of Stanford Woes - Monday, March 16, 2009

Thomas Sjoblom, an attorney at the international law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, walked into the office of a female Stanford Financial Group executive in Miami after a tense series of private meetings earlier on a February day with Stanford’s top brass.

77. Stanford Exec’s Lawyers Claim Gov’t Attorneys Mistreated Her - Thursday, March 12, 2009

Lawyers for Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group whom federal investigators believe helped perpetrated a massive investment fraud, fired back in court this week.

78. Doubt Cast on $50 Billion Figure in Madoff Case - Monday, March 09, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - Bernard Madoff and $50 billion.

His name and that number have become inseparable in describing the enormity of what has been called the largest white-collar fraud in history. It's a figure that has helped demonize Madoff and relegate big-time money managers charged in subsequent securities schemes to mere "mini-Madoff" status.

79. Stanford Accounts To Remain Frozen - Tuesday, March 03, 2009

A federal judge ruled Monday that thousands of investor accounts with Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford’s financial companies will remain frozen for another 10 days, and a court-appointed receiver said he’s developing a plan to return some of the money to its owners.

80. SEC Calls Stanford "Massive Ponzi Scheme" - Monday, March 02, 2009

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed an amended complaint in Texas against three executives of the Stanford Financial Group family of companies charged last month by the SEC with defrauding investors.

81. UPDATE: SEC Calls Stanford "Massive Ponzi Scheme" - Friday, February 27, 2009

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed an amended complaint in Texas this afternoon against three executives of the Stanford Financial Group family of companies charged last month by the SEC with defrauding investors.

82. Stanford Chief Investment Officer Charged, in Custody in Houston - Thursday, February 26, 2009

Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of the Stanford Financial Group family of companies who was charged last week in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil case, now faces criminal charges.

83. Red Flags Abounded During SEC Probe Of Stanford Cos. - Tuesday, February 24, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – As with the Bernard Madoff case, the scandal surrounding billionaire R. Allen Stanford now seems clear and obvious in hindsight. Yet Stanford managed to run his alleged scheme even while the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators investigated his businesses.

84. Scope of Stanford Scandal Vast, Deep - Tuesday, February 24, 2009

When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in federal court last week accusing Stanford Financial Group of defrauding billions from investors, the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay.

85. Questioning Stanford’s Returns Could Get You Fired - Monday, February 23, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – While R. Allen Stanford’s investors were swallowing claims of vast returns on safe investments, some of his employees weren’t so sure.

86. Stanford Attorney Quits Following CIO’s Testimony - Monday, February 23, 2009
Facing five representatives of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, the chief investment officer of the Stanford Financial Group family of companies – a woman with close ties to Memphis – raised her right hand.

It was a little after 1 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 10, in the SEC’s office in Fort Worth, Texas. After being put under oath, SEC branch chief Michael King asked Stanford’s chief investment officer Laura Pendergest-Holt to spell her name for the record.

Exactly one week later – the following Tuesday – the SEC raided Stanford offices in multiple cities, including the company’s plush East Memphis digs in The Crescent Center. The agency charged Pendergest-Holt, along with chief financial officer James Davis and Chairman R. Allen Stanford with “a fraud of shocking magnitude” that involved defrauding and luring investors with inflated claims about the company’s products including its certificates of deposit.

Eyes on Texas

The timing of the SEC’s movement against Stanford is related to what happened in that Fort Worth office Feb. 10 – possibly in more ways than one.

For almost four hours, the SEC officials quizzed Pendergest-Holt, who in 2006 was named to the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40, a ranking that honors the area’s local business leaders. In the room with her was Thomas Sjoblom, an attorney with the international law firm Proskauer Rose LLP who represented the Stanford company.

Whether the testimony he heard Pendergest-Holt give that day influenced an action he took the next day is unclear. But with little explanation, Sjoblom officially quit representing Stanford Financial’s affiliated companies the day after Pendergest-Holt’s testimony, according to court records the SEC filed last week along with its complaint against Stanford.

Before entering private practice, Sjoblom had worked for the SEC for 20 years. From 1987 to 1999, he was an assistant chief litigation counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement – the same division of the agency whose representatives were peppering Pendergest-Holt with questions Feb. 10.

After she was put under oath, Sjoblom immediately got down to business.

Pre-empting the SEC officials, according to a transcript of the day’s testimony, he asked: “First of all, has there been a criminal referral in this matter?”

King told him that he and his client had been provided with an SEC Form 1662. Among other things, that form reads, “The commission often makes its files available to other governmental agencies, particularly United States Attorneys and state prosecutors. There is a likelihood that information supplied by you will be made available to such agencies where appropriate.”

At press time, criminal charges had not yet been filed against the three executives who were the subject of SEC civil charges last week.

Sjoblom followed that up with another question about whether the SEC is currently working with the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Texas or elsewhere.

“Mr. Sjoblom, I just referred you to SEC Form 1662,” King replied.

Objections

Sjoblom pressed on. Before Pendergest-Holt began her testimony, he brought up a question of whether the SEC had authority to probe matters related to Stanford’s banking arm, which operates on the Caribbean island of Antigua.

The SEC complaint alleges that most of the bank’s investment portfolio was purportedly monitored from Memphis.

“OK,” Sjoblom said. “Next, before you start asking questions ... there’s certainly an issue here whether or not the certificates of deposit are securities. So I have an objection to the purported jurisdiction of the SEC over this instrument.

“Secondly, it’s my view that the bank is located – that’s Stanford International Bank – is located outside the jurisdiction of the United States and there is no jurisdiction by the SEC over that bank and its product lines and, hence, over the information that, I’m sure, you’re going to seek to elicit today.”

Nevertheless, the testimony proceeded. The line of questioning from the SEC officials focused on filling in both personal and professional details about Pendergest-Holt.

They learned, for example, that she was about 23 years old when she joined Stanford in June 1997. They also learned enough to allege in their complaint that she trained employees below her to mislead investors.

The SEC’s complaint says Pendergest-Holt supervised “a group of analysts in Memphis, Tupelo and St. Croix, (U.S. Virgin Islands).”

Cutting ties

The Stanford lawyer in the room while Pendergest-Holt gave her testimony, however, soon removed himself from the picture. He gave notice to the SEC Feb. 11, the day after her testimony, that his firm was no longer Stanford’s counsel.

He followed that up with a Feb. 12 fax to Kevin Edmundson, the assistant regional director in the SEC’s Forth Worth office, and left a voice mail message for him the next evening.

Finally, Sjoblom typed a note on his BlackBerry to Edmundson a little after 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. It read: “Kevin, this will advise the SEC, and confirm my voice message last evening, that I disaffirm all prior oral and written representations made by me and my associates ... to the SEC staff regarding Stanford Financial Group and its affiliates.”

Three days later, the SEC swung into action, charging the Stanford officials with what Rose Romero, regional director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office, called a “fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world.”

87. Stanford Bank’s Investors Go Home Empty-Handed - Friday, February 20, 2009

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) – Venezuela on Thursday seized a failed bank controlled by Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford after a run on deposits there, while clients were prevented from withdrawing their money from Stanford International Bank and its affiliates in a half-dozen other countries.

88. Stanford Deployed Web of Lies, Documents Show - Friday, February 20, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – Disgraced banker R. Allen Stanford’s pitch to investors was equal parts glamour and flattery.

89. Details Emerge in Stanford Fraud Case - Thursday, February 19, 2009

Word of the $50 billion Ponzi scheme perpetrated by a New York businessman was still a hot topic in the investment community when a note to depositors appeared on Stanford International Bank’s Web site.

90. STANFORD SHOCKER - Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a Texas billionaire whose family of companies has deep ties to Memphis with an $8 billion securities fraud.

Asking for “emergency relief to halt a massive, ongoing fraud,” a complaint issued by the SEC Tuesday alleges the businessman, R. Allen Stanford – chairman of the Stanford Financial Group of companies – schemed to sell about $8 billion worth of certificates of deposit that promise higher returns than would have been available with genuine CDs offered by traditional banks.

91. Stanford Financial Chairman Charged With $8B Fraud - Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a Texas billionaire whose family of companies has deep ties to Memphis with an $8 billion securities fraud.

Asking for "emergency relief to halt a massive, ongoing fraud," a complaint issued by the SEC Tuesday alleges the businessman, R. Allen Stanford – chairman of the Stanford Financial Group of companies – schemed to sell about $8 billion worth of certificates of deposit that promise higher returns than would have been available with genuine CDs offered by traditional banks.

Also named in the Texas complaint are James Davis, the chief financial officer of Stanford Financial Group Inc. who works in East Memphis’ Crescent Center, as well as Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group. She supervises a group of analysts in Memphis, among other places, according to the SEC.

"Stanford and Davis have wholly failed to cooperate with the commission's efforts to account for the $8 billion of investor funds purportedly held by SIB (Stanford International Bank, the banking unit of the family of companies)," the SEC's complaint reads. "In short, approximately 90 percent of SIB's claimed investment portfolio resides in a 'black box' shielded from any independent oversight."

The particulars

Stanford's banking unit claims $8.5 billion in assets, and its brokerage unit reportedly has about $50 billion in assets. The SEC alleges the bulk of the banking unit’s investment portfolio was monitored by two people – Stanford and Davis.

The company and its executives cast a long shadow in Memphis, as does the sprawling complaint unveiled this week.

Law enforcement personnel Tuesday entered Stanford offices in the U.S. in more than one city, including Memphis. Memphis FBI officials could not be reached Tuesday afternoon, but were believed to be seizing records there.

The day before the SEC’s allegations were unveiled, a Stanford Financial Group spokesman told The Daily News the company was cooperating with investigators.

“Both FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and the SEC have stated to us that their recent visits to our offices were part of a routine examination,” said Brian Bertsch. “We have provided U.S. regulators with the information requested and intend to comply fully with any findings or recommendations they may issue.”

Bertsch would not confirm if the company’s Memphis office was one of six locations visited in January by the SEC and FINRA.

Far-reaching operation

More than three dozen police officers and other law enforcement officials entered two Stanford Group office buildings in Houston Tuesday morning, according to The New York Times.

Several key aspects of the case, meanwhile, point to activities of the company that unfolded in Memphis or are related to the Bluff City.

"SIB's multi-billion (dollar) portfolio of investments is purportedly monitored by SFG's chief financial officer in Memphis, Tenn.," according to the SEC. That executive, James Davis, refused to appear and give testimony in the SEC investigation.

Meanwhile, “The bank's (senior investment officer) was trained by Ms. Pendergest-Holt to tell investors that the bank's multi-billion (dollar) portfolio was ‘monitored’ by the analyst team in Memphis,” the SEC’s complaint reads. “In communicating with investors, the SIO followed Pendergest's instructions, misrepresenting that a team of 20-plus analysts monitored the bank’s investment portfolio. In so doing, the SIO never disclosed to investors that the analysts only monitor approximately 10 percent of SIB's money.

“In fact, Pendergest-Holt trained the SIO ‘not to divulge too much’ about oversight of the bank's portfolio because that information ‘wouldn’t leave an investor with a lot of confidence.’”

One spark that may have added fuel to the fire concerns allegations from former Stanford employees.

D. Mark Tidwell and Charles Rawl last year filed a wrongful termination suit in state court in Texas alleging “various unethical and illegal business practices, including overstating the asset value of individuals in a manner designed to mislead potential investors and purging electronic data from computers in response to an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission,” according to a court filing in the Texas case. “According to Tidwell and Rawl, they left the company after realizing that they could possibly be implicated in the alleged illegal acts.”

Wellspring of support

The charges cast a dark cloud over a company that has been a generous benefactor of several causes in Memphis.

In the most recent edition of the Stanford Eagle, the in-house magazine of Stanford Financial Group, Stanford is shown seated among a quartet of children who all appear to be patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. All of them are smiling, and one is sitting on the businessman’s knee, cradled in his arm.

St. Jude is among the many local causes supported by Stanford's business interests. The annual Stanford St. Jude Championship alone has raised more than $19 million for the hospital since 1970. Stanford signed on as the major sponsor in 2007 after FedEx shifted its involvement.

The Houston-based financial services company, which operates an investment brokerage office in Memphis, provides financial support to the hospital as its “corporate charity of choice,” according to the magazine.

In the most recent edition of the magazine, Tony Thomas, the son of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, said Stanford’s chairman “has been a blessing for us and for the children and patients of St. Jude. … His support has resulted in $15 million in the last three years.”

Among the Memphis causes it supports, the Houston company is a corporate sponsor of the National Civil Rights Museum and a contributor to the Greater Memphis Arts Council, the Boys and Girls Club of Memphis and the Ave Maria Foundation of Memphis, according to a report from Stanford about its community investments. Stanford’s charitable foundation also is based in Memphis.

A reception several years ago to celebrate the company’s growth in Memphis was held at the home of local fashion designer Pat Kerr Tigrett, with guests including Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, according to news accounts of the event.

92. Influence 1 Foundation Names Hartsfield COO - Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Felicia Hartsfield has been named chief operating officer of Influence 1 Foundation.

Hartsfield will oversee the continued stability and growth of the foundation’s fiscal, strategic, organizational and operational functions. Her duties also will include building and maintaining relationships with community leaders, as well as creating collaborations, which will enhance the foundation’s strategic model.

93. Appeals Court Removes GOP From Injury Lawsuit - Friday, January 23, 2009

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that a man struck by a falling flag and flagpole can’t sue the Republican Party.

The incident occurred Nov. 2, 2004, in a ballroom at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville.

94. McDowell Named Radiology Director At Methodist University Hospital - Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Tina McDowell has been promoted to director of radiology at Methodist University Hospital. She served as the manager of diagnostic radiology at MUH for the past six years.

95. UT Medical Group Names Martin VP of Corporate Compliance - Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Linda Martin has joined UT Medical Group Inc. as vice president of corporate compliance.

96. Boyle’s Halperin Receives Realtors Commercial Alliance Award - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Mark Halperin of Boyle Investment Co. has received the 2008 Realtors Commercial Alliance National Award from the Realtors Commercial Alliance.

97. Events - Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Memphis Area Legal Services will hold its first MALS Fundraiser today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bardog Tavern, 73 Monroe Ave. Give a suggested donation of $10 at the door to MALS and get complimentary cocktails.

98. Election Totals: Better Late Than Never - Monday, November 10, 2008

Two days after the Nov. 4 elections, the final unofficial totals were finally posted by the Shelby County Election Commission. The long vote count involved absentee ballots whose count was delayed because of problems with an optical scanning machine.

99. Final Unofficial Shelby County Election Results Posted - Friday, November 07, 2008
Two days after the Nov. 4 elections, the final unofficial totals were finally posted by the Shelby County Election Commission Thursday evening. The long vote count involved absentee ballots whose count was delayed because of problems with an optical scanning machine.

The count shows over 400,000 Shelby County voters participated -- a record setting turnout for Shelby County in the most popular election cycle historically with local voters. However, it amounted to a 62 percent voter turnout for Shelby County.

These are the unofficial election results in selected races including the ten charter amendment referenda.

U.S. President

Shelby County results

All 274 precincts reporting

Barack Obama 255,541 64%

John McCain 145,137 36%

U.S. Senate

Shelby County results

All 274 precincts reporting

Lamar Alexander 189,471 51%

Bob Tuke 173,354 47%

Memphis City Council Super District 9 Position 1

All 114 precincts reporting

Kemp Conrad 47,739 42%

Paul Shaffer 37,594 33%

John Willingham 23,070 20%

Arnett Montague III 5,293 5%

Memphis School Board At Large Position 1

All 231 precincts reporting

Freda Williams 83,429 44%

Cynthia Gentry 81,766 43%

Menelik Fombi 22,108 12%

Germantown Board of Aldermen

All 13 precincts reporting

Position 3

Mike Palazzolo 15,022 72%

Donna Chandler Newman 5,842 28%

Position 4

Mark Billingsley 11,117 54%

Frank Uhlhorn 9,375 46%

Position 5

Ernest Chism 10,364 51%

Gary Pruitt 5,316 26%

James A. Danielik 2,550 13%

David J. Spann 2,002 10%

Collierville Mayor

All nine precincts

Stan Joyner 11,891 58%

Brannon Howse 5,130 25%

Tom Allen 3,609 17%

U.S. Cong. 9th District

All 208 precincts reporting

Steve Cohen 198,265 88%

Jake Ford 10,973 5%

Dewey Clark 10,013 4%

Shelby County Charter Amendment No. 364

Five countywide offices become charter offices with no salary petitions for four of five offices.

All 274 precincts reporting

Yes  237,032 68%

No  112,438   32%

Shelby County Charter Amendment No. 365

Term limits of two consecutive four-year terms for those elected sheriff, county clerk, trustee, register and assessor.

All 274 precincts reporting

Yes 276,531 79%

No 75,104 21%

Memphis City Charter Ordinance No. 5232

Provisions for the recall of a City Council member.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 171,489 77%

No 50,210 23%

Memphis City Charter Ordinance No. 5265

City residency requirement for division directors and other city appointees.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 161,205 72%

No 64,013 28%

Referendum No. 1

Term limits of two consecutive four-year terms for those elected to City Council and city mayor post.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 179,844 78%

No 49,852 22%

Referendum No. 2

Staggering City Council terms and moving city elections to even-numbered years in November every two years.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 145,606 72%

No 55,063 28%

Referendum No. 3

No sale of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division without approval by city voters.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 156,570 80%

No 39,116 20%

Referendum No. 4

Any elected or appointed city official indicted or charged with corruption is suspended with pay.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 167,369 75%

No 55,080 25%

Referendum No. 5

Instant runoff voting as an option in school board and City Council district races.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 154,269 71%

No 64,016 29%

Referendum No. 6

Mayoral vacancy process in which council chairman becomes interim mayor.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 188,608 85%

No 33,250 15%

100. Final Unofficial Shelby County Election Results Posted - Thursday, November 06, 2008

Two days after the Nov. 4 elections, the final unofficial totals were finally posted by the Shelby County Election Commission this evening. The long vote count involved absentee ballots whose count was delayed because of problems with an optical scanning machine.

The count shows over 400,000 Shelby County voters participated -- a record setting turnout for Shelby County in the most popular election cycle historically with local voters. However, it amounted to a 62 percent voter turnout for Shelby County.

These are the unofficial election results in selected races including the ten charter amendment referenda.

U.S. President

Shelby County results

All 274 precincts reporting

Barack Obama 255,541 64%

John McCain 145,137 36%

U.S. Senate

Shelby County results

All 274 precincts reporting

Lamar Alexander 189,471 51%

Bob Tuke 173,354 47%

Memphis City Council Super District 9 Position 1

All 114 precincts reporting

Kemp Conrad 47,739 42%

Paul Shaffer 37,594 33%

John Willingham 23,070 20%

Arnett Montague III 5,293 5%

Memphis School Board At Large Position 1

All 231 precincts reporting

Freda Williams 83,429 44%

Cynthia Gentry 81,766 43%

Menelik Fombi 22,108 12%

Germantown Board of Aldermen

All 13 precincts reporting

Position 3

Mike Palazzolo 15,022 72%

Donna Chandler Newman 5,842 28%

Position 4

Mark Billingsley 11,117 54%

Frank Uhlhorn 9,375 46%

Position 5

Ernest Chism 10,364 51%

Gary Pruitt  5,316 26%

James A. Danielik 2,550 13%

David J. Spann 2,002 10%

Collierville Mayor

All nine precincts

Stan Joyner 11,891 58%

Brannon Howse 5,130 25%

Tom Allen 3,609 17%

U.S. Cong. 9th District

All 208 precincts reporting

Steve Cohen 198,265 88%

Jake Ford 10,973 5%

Dewey Clark 10,013 4%

Shelby County Charter Amendment No. 364

Five countywide offices become charter offices with no salary petitions for four of five offices.

All 274 precincts reporting

Yes 238,771 68%

No 113,337 32%

Shelby County Charter Amendment No. 365

Term limits of two consecutive four-year terms for those elected sheriff, county clerk, trustee, register and assessor.

All 274 precincts reporting

Yes 278,659 79%

No 75,538 21%

Memphis City Charter Ordinance No. 5232

Provisions for the recall of a City Council member.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 172,834 77%

No 50,437 23%

Memphis City Charter Ordinance No. 5265

City residency requirement for division directors and other city appointees.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 162,344 72%

No 64,475 28%

Referendum No. 1

Term limits of two consecutive four-year terms for those elected to City Council and city mayor post.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 181,235 78%

No 50,099 22%

Referendum No. 2

Staggering City Council terms and moving city elections to even-numbered years in November every two years.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 146,872 73%

No 55,390 27%

Referendum No. 3

No sale of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division without approval by city voters.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 158,022 80%

No 39,296 20%

Referendum No. 4

Any elected or appointed city official indicted or charged with corruption is suspended with pay.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 168,635 75%

No 55,401 25%

Referendum No. 5

Instant runoff voting as an option in school board and City Council district races.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 155,388 71%

No 64,467 29%

Referendum No. 6

Mayoral vacancy process in which council chairman becomes interim mayor.

All 231 precincts reporting

Yes 190,113 85%

No 33,367 15%