State Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, has one word to describe the state’s proposed school voucher system: rip-off.

The vouchers, as proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam, would allow lower-income students from poorly performing schools to go to any school of their choice.

2. Government: Budget Cuts Already Causing Airport Delays - Tuesday, March 05, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. airports, including Los Angeles International and O'Hare International in Chicago, are already experiencing delays in customs waiting lines as a result of automatic federal spending cuts, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday.

3. Justices Voice Skepticism of Voting Rights Law - Thursday, February 28, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court's conservative justices voiced deep skepticism Wednesday about a section of a landmark civil rights law that has helped millions of Americans exercise their right to vote.

4. Strickland, Carson Given Dunavant Honors - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland remembers putting on his tie in front of a mirror this month after learning he won the Bobby Dunavant Public Service Award.

5. State Budget Will Include Local Medical Community - Monday, February 04, 2013

The two biggest capital spending items in Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s state budget proposal are a $62 million renovation of the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis and a new $60 million Community Health Building at the University of Memphis.

6. Airports and Stock Exchange Reopen After Superstorm Sandy - Thursday, November 01, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Two major airports reopened and the New York Stock Exchange got back to business Wednesday, while across the river in New Jersey, National Guardsmen rushed to feed and rescue flood victims two days after Superstorm Sandy struck.

7. Events - Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cannon Wright Blount will present “Getting Started With QuickBooks: Learn From the Experts” Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at its office 756 Ridge Lake Blvd., suite 100. Cost is $75. Visit cannonwrightblount.com or email quickbooks@cannonwrightblount.com.

8. Holder Marks Meredith Anniversary in Oxford - Monday, October 01, 2012

Civil rights cases pursued by the U.S. Justice Department are defined differently than they were 50 years ago when department attorneys were literally by James Meredith’s side during the integration of the University of Mississippi.

9. Holder Evokes Memories of 1962 At Ole Miss - Friday, September 28, 2012

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder marked the 50th anniversary of James Meredith’s admission to the University of Mississippi Thursday, Sept. 27, during a visit to the Oxford campus.

10. Kennedy to Discuss Latest Book on Memphis Visit - Friday, September 28, 2012

She came to Memphis 35 years ago as a young would-be reporter, an intern for the New York Daily News and looking to cover the death of Elvis Presley.

Caroline Kennedy returns to Memphis next month in the capacity for which she’s more widely known – as the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy and a keeper of the storied Kennedy legacy on the national stage.

11. First and Ten, First Ever - Friday, August 24, 2012

MOVING THE CHAINS. Georgia scored again while I was throwing up. Georgia and I had already done these things several times in the preceding three hours. Like Tennessee, I didn’t think I had anything left. Very late in the fourth quarter, our offense had gone ice cold and we were down by eight – and my temperature was red hot, up by two. Millions were watching on TV and even ABC’s super-saccharine Chris Schenkel thought Uga had this one all wrapped up.

12. Court Upholds Health Care Reform - Friday, June 29, 2012

The Supreme Court has upheld the individual insurance mandate that’s the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s historic health care overhaul.

Chief Justice John Roberts Thursday, June 28, announced the court’s judgment, which will allow the law to move forward with its aim of covering more than 30 million currently uninsured Americans.

13. High Court Rejects Part of Arizona Immigration Law - Tuesday, June 26, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court threw out key provisions of Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigrants Monday but said a much-debated portion could go forward – that police must check the status of people stopped for various reasons who might appear to be in the U.S. illegally.

14. High Court Says No OT Pay for Drug Sales Reps - Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Supreme Court has ruled that sales representatives for pharmaceutical companies do not qualify for overtime pay under federal law, a big victory for the drug industry.

In a 5-4 decision Monday, June 18, the court’s conservative majority concluded that the roughly 90,000 people who try to persuade doctors to prescribe certain drugs to their patients are not covered by the federal law governing overtime pay.

15. Bell Ringer - Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Bricks are not normally seen as a sign of age. But walk past Downtown’s Calvary Episcopal Church and the weathered bricks on the church’s north side begin to tell the story of the oldest public building in Memphis still in continuous use.

16. Court Takes Health Care Case Behind Closed Doors - Thursday, March 29, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The survival of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul rests with a Supreme Court seemingly split over ideology and, more particularly, in the hands of two Republican-appointed justices.

17. Court Rules on Sick Leave - Wednesday, March 21, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states cannot be sued under the Family and Medical Leave Act for refusing to give an employee time off to recover from an illness. One justice said the decision "dilutes the force" of the law that allows millions of working Americans time off to care for sick family members or to have children.

18. Seasonal Focus at Root of Flight Reduction - Friday, March 02, 2012

Delta Air Lines Inc. executives quoted discount airline pioneer Freddie Laker last April when they talked about the market that was causing them the most problems as fuel prices soared.

19. Delta Reduces Memphis to Amsterdam Flight - Thursday, March 01, 2012

Delta Air Lines Inc. will end regular daily service between Memphis International Airport and Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol starting in September.

20. Delta Makes Amsterdam Flight Seasonal - Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Delta Air Lines Inc. will end regular daily service between Memphis International Airport and Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol starting in September.

21. High Court: Warrant Needed for GPS Tracking - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal suspects.

The decision was a defeat for the government and police agencies, and it raises the possibility of serious complications for law enforcement nationwide, which increasingly relies on high tech surveillance of suspects, including the use of various types of GPS technology.

22. Smith Has Full Plate as 2012 MBA Prez - Thursday, December 29, 2011

The new president of the Memphis Bar Association said a hot topic in the coming year will be how appellate judges are selected.

Some of the debate about changing the process from one of appointment by the governor followed by the next scheduled retention election will come from Nashville, where the Tennessee Legislature will consider bills to change that.

23. O’Brien’s Lens is ‘Passport to the World’ - Friday, November 04, 2011

Michael O’Brien regards his camera as more than just the tool of his profession. O’Brien, a former Memphian who now lives in Austin, Texas, considers it his “passport to the world.”

24. Stone Joins Metropolitan Bank As Mortgage Specialist - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Kent Stone has joined Metropolitan Bank as a mortgage specialist.

25. Pinnacle Reports $2.4M Q2 Loss - Friday, August 05, 2011

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. will begin moving into its new headquarters at One Commerce Square Downtown next week and complete the move from the airport area in December, the regional air carrier’s new CEO told analysts this week.

26. Pinnacle Reports Q2 Loss - Thursday, August 04, 2011

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. will begin moving into its new headquarters at One Commerce Square Downtown next week and complete the move from the airport area in December, the regional air carrier’s new CEO told analysts this week.

27. House and Senate Panels Take Up 3 Trade Bills - Friday, July 08, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – House and Senate trade leaders said Thursday they were looking at a compromise solution to extend a worker assistance program that has become the primary obstacle to congressional approval of free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

28. Turn Weaknesses To Strengths - Wednesday, July 06, 2011

I was reading in Psychology Today about a new book, “A First-Rate Madness,” whose author, Nassir Ghaemi, describes historical figures who exhibited symptoms of mental illness. Among them were Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, who, according to the Tufts psychiatrist, had “an eye for assessing tough situations because of their ‘depressive realism.’”

29. Court: Generic Drug Makers Not Liable for Warnings - Friday, June 24, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that makers of generic drugs cannot be sued for failing to warn consumers of the possible side effects of their products if they copy the exact warnings on the brand-name equivalents of the medicines.

30. Court Imposes Limits on Class Actions - Thursday, April 28, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the ability of people to combine forces and fight corporations together when they want to dispute contracts for cell phones, cable television and other services, a move consumer advocates called a crushing blow.

31. For Real Estate, a Giant Spring Clearance Sale - Monday, March 28, 2011

In suburban Chicago, it's paradise to be a homebuyer.

At the Millbrook Pointe development in quaint and pristine Wheeling, a $269,000, brick-and-stone townhouse comes with $25,000 in free upgrades, including wood-burning fireplaces, all-stainless steel kitchens and marbled bathrooms tricked out with double-bowl vanities and whirlpool soaker tubs.

32. Inspiring City From Stage - Monday, March 28, 2011

Last week we discussed Shelby Residential and Vocational Services, which is helping adults with disabilities enjoy productive lives and pursue their dreams. Now let us turn the spotlight on an organization that is dancing their way across sold-out stages from the famous John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington to Paris and New York, all while pushing our own city to greater heights – Ballet Memphis.

33. Obama Says White House, CEOs Must Work Together - Tuesday, February 08, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama prodded American businesses to do their share to help the economy, calling on executives to “get in the game” and begin investing nearly $2 trillion accumulating on their balance sheets.

34. PR Crisis: The Intersection of Danger and Opportunity - Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series.

You’ve heard the myth that “any PR is good PR.” Considering the many crises U.S. companies faced in 2010, we know this isn’t always the case.

35. Bright Future - Monday, November 15, 2010

The Memphis Sharp Manufacturing plant is maxing out its production capabilities as it rides the growth wave of the solar power industry over the last several years. Sharp Manufacturing Co. of America, one of the nation’s leaders in solar panel production, is seeing increased demand for residential, commercial, governmental and utility-scale applications.

36. Even in Liberal Bastions, GOP Sees Election Chance - Wednesday, October 20, 2010

HYANNIS PORT, Mass. (AP) — In the congressional district that's home to the Kennedy family compound, a Kennedy public skating rink and a Kennedy museum, the heart of liberalism is beating uneasily.

37. Plans Unveiled for Expanded Civil Rights Museum - Thursday, October 14, 2010

The bare bones of an expanded National Civil Rights Museum include three times more space for the Memphis chapter in the story of the civil rights movement, updated technology for exhibits and a more detailed story of how connected the events are over three centuries.

38. Cohen: Love Of Government Started Early - Wednesday, October 06, 2010

With fervor for politics at a young age, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, explained his lifelong journey into Congress at the Society of Industrial Office Realtors (SIOR) luncheon Monday.

39. Kennedy Gives Back to U of M School of Law - Thursday, September 16, 2010

When it comes to his inspiration for entering the legal profession, David S. Kennedy, chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee, gives a nod to his father and to Atticus Finch, Harper Lee’s stalwart symbol of fairness for a generation in her novel “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

40. Luttrell’s Staff Filled With Familiar Faces - Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Shelby County Mayor-elect Mark Luttrell is taking some of his team from the sheriff’s department with him when he switches offices Sept. 1

41. Luttrell Assembles Team - Tuesday, August 24, 2010
As interim Shelby County mayor Joe Ford attended his last County Commission meeting, county mayor elect Mark Luttrell began naming the team he will go into office with on Sept. 1.

42. High Court Reins in Prosecutors' Use of Fraud Law - Friday, June 25, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply curtailed prosecutors' use of an anti-fraud law that was central in convicting politicians and corporate executives in many of the nation's most prominent corruption cases. The ex-CEO of disgraced energy giant Enron and a Canadian media mogul, both in prison, are among the figures who could benefit from the ruling.

43. Springdale Fights Back - Monday, June 21, 2010

In the mile of Springdale Street between Chelsea and Jackson avenues there are five churches. That’s not counting the churches on side streets.

On Eldridge Avenue, one of those side streets, between two tiny churches is a pair of identical small houses – both boarded up.

The one closest to the corner has faded blue spray paint stenciled across the plywood.

In inner-city Memphis, the stenciling is as familiar as gang graffiti. It’s the mark of the Memphis Police Department’s Blue CRUSH campaign.

Five years into the crackdown guided by a devotion to crime statistics, crime is down in Memphis.

But the statistical drop in crime has come with lingering questions and concerns in Springdale and other neighborhoods with Blue CRUSH houses.

“Once we board them up, we really have to depend on the community to let us know if drug dealers have broken back into them,” Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons said. “If we don’t know about it, sometimes drug dealers can get right back in there.”

In the neighborhoods, homeowners lament that street level dealers are easily replaced and soon released from jail to resume their place in the neighborhoods – now with a criminal record that makes a move away from drug dealing even more unlikely.

Last year, a team from Memphis that included a police officer, a state prosecutor, a federal prosecutor, a University of Memphis researcher, the head of the Memphis Leadership Foundation and the pastor of one of those five churches along Springdale went to several cities to get training in a new anti-drug strategy.

“We were really interested in changing people’s lives, not locking them up,” Springdale Baptist Pastor Derrick Hughes told The Memphis News. Hughes wasn’t sure at first if he would be part of the Drug Market Intervention (DMI) program.

“It sounded as if possibly it was just another program that was going to possibly just put criminals in jail without rehabilitation,” he said. “And I wanted to make sure that if we were going to be a part of something that it was going to look at rehabilitating the person, changing lives, changing them from a holistic point of view as well as a spiritual point of view.”

Gibbons said some of his prosecutors and some police brass also had their doubts as they looked for an area to test out DMI Memphis style.

“It was based primarily on looking at crime patterns and in particular drug activity in that area,” he told The Memphis News. There was plenty of open drug dealing in the Springdale area.

Drug Market Intervention is picking several street level drug dealers in a community, confronting them with the evidence against them and telling them they have one more chance to get out of the business. The police are involved in making a decision not to prosecute a few as they target dozens of others in an area.

Others on the team are community leaders from the neighborhood. And some are with proven programs to provide job training and other help in getting a legitimate job.

High Point, N.C., was the first stop for the Memphis group because it is the birthplace of DMI. It seems an unlikely example for Memphis with a population of fewer than 100,000. But in 2003, High Point had several open air drug markets. The city’s new police chief, James Fealy, attacked them using what became the DMI strategy.

David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Control and Prevention at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, replicated DMI in other cities with money from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance. The BJA funded the training of the Memphis team and came here.

Kennedy’s philosophy is specific to open air drug markets. It doesn’t pretend to eliminate all drug dealing.

“Open air drug markets are found primarily in our cities and in African-American neighborhoods,” Kennedy wrote in a 2008 article for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Journal. “Although we are loathe to admit it, this issue is soaked in race.”

Kennedy said police complained to him that the families of the drug dealers and others in the surrounding communities knew they were selling drugs, did nothing to stop it and profited from it.

But Kennedy said those living in the communities countered that police were only interested in locking up as many people as they could as part of a conspiracy to destroy the community.

Kennedy said each side had a point and each side was wrong.

“The crime is real and overwhelmingly the arrests are legitimate. But we are destroying the village in order to save it,” he wrote. “And none of this gets rid of the crime. The drug markets and violence continue to exist.”

Kennedy didn’t try to tackle the long-standing racial issues and their lengthy back story. The conversations that formed the basis for the DMI strategy were about drug markets.

It was hard for some on the Memphis team to believe that hardened drug dealers would respond when the threat of arrest, prison time, drive-by shootings and gang turf tripwires hadn’t discouraged them from the life.

Nevertheless, when they returned to Memphis, the planning began for several months of undercover drug buys in the Springdale area by the police Organized Crime Unit. For months, the officers bought repeatedly from dozens of street dealers in a two-mile radius of Springdale. And they recorded the drug buys on video – not just one buy but multiple buys.

Prosecutors reviewed the cases against more than 60 men and women and prosecuted 51 of them. Five were indicted on federal drug charges. Six others – five men and a woman – were the first candidates for the Memphis DMI program.

“It was taking a look at individuals who obviously were involved in drug trafficking, but a little more on the periphery – not an extensive drug record,” Gibbons said.

A few days after New Year’s Day, police descended on the Springdale area serving the arrest warrants and putting up a fresh crop of plywood with blue stenciling on the drug houses in the area. The neighborhood grapevine buzzed anew about the heavy police presence.

It was still buzzing when on the coldest day of the year – Jan. 8 – the Memphis group knocked on six doors in the Springdale area. The temperature never got near freezing and was in single digits part of the day.

No one inside the six houses knew they were coming. No one approaching the doorsteps knew what the reaction inside would be.

It was the first indication the six people involved and inside those homes had that they had sold drugs to undercover Memphis police officers and had been recorded on video making multiple drug sales to the officers.

The father of one of the six was among those who had been arrested.

When the DMI team knocked on his door, his grandmother answered.

“He did not want his grandmother to know why we were standing at the door,” Peggie Russell, the DMI coordinator and a University of Memphis researcher and community resource specialist, said. “He said, ‘It’s OK grandmother.’”

Howard Eddings, president of the Memphis Leadership Foundation, said the young man didn’t deny he was a drug dealer.

“He wanted to basically shut the door,” Eddings told The Memphis News. “She might not have known exactly what he was doing. She was an older lady. He didn’t like the fact that we were knocking on her door.”

He and the other five got a letter asking them to come to Springdale Baptist Church a few days later. If they came, the letter from Police Director Larry Godwin said they would not be prosecuted this time.

For Hughes the pledge was crucial. He wanted to be able to say, “I give you my word, you will not be arrested,” with certainty and conviction.

Five of the six showed up at Hughes’ church where the congregation and other community leaders were waiting in the sanctuary. On the walls were posters of the 51 defendants who weren’t getting the chance they were about to get. The posters included the possible prison sentences those defendants faced.

The five “guests” sat in a reserved front row with a friend or family member.

Their faces blurred in a video of the event, they listened as Assistant District Attorney Amy Weirich told them, “We’ve had it,” and called their names individually. “The Memphis Police Department is tired of picking up dead bodies in the street.”

Russell remembers some denying they had done anything wrong. Then police showed the video.

They watched video of themselves selling drugs numerous times to undercover police officers.

The woman’s denials stopped.

“She got caught during the first time. I don’t necessarily know that we believed it was the first time,” Eddings remembered. “But she was so embarrassed as a mom who had small kids who was put in the spotlight. … All of her junk is coming to the forefront.”

Russell said some of the others were telling those who came with them that they had no idea why they were summoned to the church.

“You’re sitting there and you’re telling your family member, ‘No, I didn’t do it,’” Russell said. “Then the tape started rolling … and you see yourself. It’s reality. You can’t hide it. I think that was a turning point for most of them.”

Hughes told the group of five that the church cared about them and was willing to help.

Some of his congregants spoke up too.

“Our congregants said, ‘Listen, we’re tired of watching you sell drugs. We’re tired of being afraid of coming in and out of our communities. We want our community back,’” Hughes recalled. “During the call in, some of our residents had an opportunity to look in their faces and say, ‘We are tired of the way you’ve been running down our communities. This used to be a wonderful community where people had pride, where people had hope. … Now a lot of us are afraid.’”

After the tough talk and the confrontation came a commitment to work with the five DMI candidates. Eddings emphasized there are no guarantees.

“We were careful not to promise them that we were going to get them jobs or that even if we could get them a job that it was going to pay them something comparable to what they were making on the street,” he said. ”We said the opposite. We can’t do that at all. But one thing we do know for sure. If you stop doing what you’re doing, you don’t go to jail.”

Russell, who gets much of the credit for pushing to give DMI a try and has become the program’s de facto coordinator, described the response as “something totally new.”

“It’s not about those five,” she said. “They are supposed to stay out of trouble for two years to make the necessary transition in their lives. But it’s really about the Hollywood Springdale community, changing the response of the community to open air drug sales.”

Eddings was surprised by the response.

“Most of these guys’ mamas know what they’re doing. But to know now that other mamas and other grandparents and other church leaders and the community have their eye on you, it has a different motivation,” he said. “Some of these guys are hardened. They’ve been doing it for a while and they’ve been out there on the streets. So, not much embarrasses them. But I could tell by looking at them and even some of the denials.”

The Memphis Leadership Foundation already works with convicted felons trying to make the difficult transition after prison. There are even fewer guarantees for those with a substantial prison record.

Marcus, who didn’t want his last name used, vented about how hard it’s been to find a legitimate job since he did prison time in 2006 for felony drug dealing.

“It’s not like people want to sell drugs,” he began. “On a lot of applications they are saying they don’t discriminate. They’re lying. … They’re ready to end the session right then. They might tear up the application in your face.”

If drug dealers like him bring blight to areas like Springdale and violence and a hard life for law-abiding citizens, Marcus said society has responded with its own brand of hardness.

“They ain’t reaching out anymore,” he said. “They expect for the world to be better because we’re building more jails. We’re putting more cops out. If somebody killed me today – the person who killed me, they want to put him in jail. But why put him in jail when y’all treating this man he killed like he’s a nobody anyway.”

Eddings said with criminal records or without, street level drug dealers have problems as they get older because they have no legitimate work history. He started to say there aren’t transferable skills before thinking about it.

“Actually, some of the skills do transfer. They’ve just got to get access,” he said. “It’s really a reshaping, a little bit more recognition that they need to deal with in terms of how they see themselves and how they can use those skills that they utilize on the streets to do something positive and pursue a legitimate way of life.”

The young man Eddings is working with seems not to have hit the wall that Marcus is at yet.

“He is simply trying to figure out how to put one foot in front of the other. They go from having some source of income to having no source of income,” Eddings told The Memphis News. “We’re convincing him now that getting his GED ought to be a decision that he ought to make. He’s been a little slow in that.”

Hughes said he would get the occasional dope boy showing up at his church before DMI.

“Very rarely. I did hear one or two stragglers you come across who say, ‘Yes, I do want to change.’ Often times, it’s usually because of a pending trial or they are in trouble,” he said. “Since that time, we’ve had a lot of people coming, wanting to change their lives.”

Gibbons is reviewing some neighborhoods where DMI might go next but he’s not saying where because of the undercover police work involved. He wants to see it replicated based on lessons learned in Memphis and he hopes to get a federal grant to hire a full-time coordinator.

The sixth man given a chance in the DMI program didn’t come to the church and was prosecuted. He pleaded guilty to five counts of selling drugs and was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $10,000. But the sentence was suspended and he was put on a diversion program.

Weirich recalled Criminal Court Judge John Fowlkes asking the man why he didn’t respond. He told Fowlkes, “It sounded too good to be true.”

44. Obama Walk in Sand is Prelude to Primetime Speech - Wednesday, June 16, 2010

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Laying the groundwork for an evening speech to the nation, President Barack Obama walked a pristine stretch of sand on Florida's shoreline Tuesday and pledged to "fight back with everything we've got" against the spreading oil lurking offshore.

45. High Court Rules Out Life Sentences For Juveniles - Tuesday, May 18, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers may not be locked up for life without chance of parole if they haven’t killed anyone.

By a 5-4 vote Monday, the court said the Constitution requires that young people serving life sentences must at least be considered for release.

46. Obama Promises Quick Court Replacement for Stevens - Monday, April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The retirement of John Paul Stevens, the U.S. Supreme Court's leading liberal but a justice who also could find conservative allies, will set off an election-year political battle over President Barack Obama's second high court pick.

47. High Court Looks at Reach of Second Amendment - Wednesday, March 03, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court appeared willing Tuesday to say that the Constitution's right to possess guns limits state and local regulation of firearms. But the justices also suggested that some gun control measures might not be affected.

48. Outsider Image So Hot Even Ex-Insiders Want It - Friday, February 26, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) - Ask national Republicans to name a model 2010 congressional candidate, and they're likely to mention Stephen Fincher. A 37-year-old farmer and gospel singer from Frog Jump, Tenn., Fincher has raised more than $675,000 in his bid to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. John Tanner.

49. State Lawmakers Bash Congress to Gain Voter Favor - Friday, February 19, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - With tax collections tanking and jobless rates at record highs, state legislators hundreds of miles from Washington have found an easy way to appeal to conservative voters: Bash the federal government.

50. Bayh Cites Strident Partisanship in Leaving Senate - Wednesday, February 17, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two-term Sen. Evan Bayh says ever-shriller partisanship and the frustrations of gridlock made it time for him to leave Congress. Republicans aren't buying it, saying he and fellow Democrats sense that voters will be after their heads this fall.

51. Obama Meets With GOP - Wednesday, February 10, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – Appealing for bipartisanship in a town where it's hard to find, President Barack Obama sat down with Democrats and Republicans Tuesday to spur cooperation on job creation, deficit reduction and health care overhaul. He promised to do his part – but warned he would take Republicans to task if they don't do the same.

52. Brown's Independence Could Face Senate Test - Monday, February 08, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scott Brown says he's a different kind of Republican, a centrist willing to work with Senate Democrats to fix health care and the ailing economy.

53. Court Eases Business, Union Election Spending Rule - Friday, January 22, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – A major ruling Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court could change how presidential and congressional campaigns are funded, possibly opening the floodgates of money from corporations, labor unions and other groups.

54. 3 Democrats – 2 Senators, 1 Governor – to Retire - Thursday, January 07, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor – all Democrats – ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama's party.

55. Ashby Brings Immigration Knowledge To Donati Firm - Thursday, October 29, 2009

Bryce W. Ashby recently rejoined the Donati Law Firm LLP after clerking for Judge Bernice Donald in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Ashby, who is fluent in Spanish and has worked extensively as an advocate and organizer in Latino and immigrant communities, practices in labor and employment law and civil rights law.

56. Congress Acts to Extend Hate Crimes to Cover Gays - Friday, October 09, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House voted Thursday to make it a federal crime to assault people because of their sexual orientation, significantly expanding the hate crimes law enacted in the days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968.

57. Mass. Senate Delays Debate on Kennedy Interim Bill - Monday, September 21, 2009

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts Republicans temporarily blocked Senate debate Friday on a bill allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to name an interim appointment to the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward Kennedy.

58. Airline Trade Group Predicts $11B Loss for ’09 - Wednesday, September 16, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Global airline losses are headed for a worse-than-expected $11 billion this year and it’s not clear when lucrative business travel will rebound to pre-recession levels, a trade group reported Tuesday.

59. Congress Probing SEC's Madoff Failure - Friday, September 11, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is reopening its inquiry into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's failure to detect the multibillion-dollar fraud conducted for more than a decade by Bernard Madoff, this time seeking answers from the agency watchdog and potential lessons for lawmakers in crafting new financial rules.

60. U.S. Supreme Court Receptive to Freer Election Spending - Thursday, September 10, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court signaled Wednesday it may let businesses and unions spend freely to help their favored political candidates in time for next year's elections.

In a case that began with a movie attacking Hillary Rodham Clinton, newly seated Justice Sonia Sotomayor jumped right into the questioning. She appeared skeptical about taking the far-reaching step of lifting the ban, a move urged on the court by a lawyer for a group that made the 90-minute movie that sought to undermine Clinton's presidential ambitions.

61. Reid: No Health Care Vote in Senate Until Fall - Friday, July 24, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday abandoned plans for a vote on health care before Congress' August recess, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama's ambitious timetable to revamp the nation's $2.4 trillion system of medical care.

62. Court: AG Must Go to Court to Probe National Banks - Tuesday, June 30, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that state attorneys general can investigate national banks for discrimination and other crimes, but only with a court’s help.

The high court ruled that a state attorney general cannot on his own issue a subpoena against a bank that has branches in that state and others. However, the court said national banks are subject to some state laws under the National Banking Act, and an attorney general can go to court to enforce those laws.

63. Senate Off to a Rocky Start on Health Care - Thursday, June 18, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Wednesday began writing legislation to revamp the nation's health care system, but its historic first step was overshadowed by partisan anger and cost problems that troubled lawmakers on both sides.

64. Dodd's Wife Serves on Health Care Company Boards - Monday, June 15, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The wife of a senator playing a lead role on a national health care overhaul sits on the boards of four health care companies, one of several examples of lawmakers with ties to the medical industry.

65. Kennedy Health Plan Aids Elders, Young Adults - Thursday, June 11, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Proposals that would help disabled seniors and healthy young adults are among dozens of provisions tucked into sweeping health care legislation that senators will begin considering next week.

66. US Senate Dems to Start Work Next Week on Health Care - Wednesday, June 10, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats announced plans Tuesday to begin committee work next week on health care legislation designed to assure coverage for millions of Americans who now lack it, a key objective of the Obama administration.

67. Judges Must Avoid Appearance of Bias, Court Rules - Tuesday, June 09, 2009

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that elected judges must step aside from cases when large campaign contributions from interested parties create the appearance of bias.

By a 5-4 vote in a case from West Virginia, the court said that a judge who remained involved in a lawsuit filed against the company of the most generous supporter of his election deprived the other side of the constitutional right to a fair trial.

68. White House Frames Health Care As Economic Problem - Wednesday, June 03, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – A U.S. Senate chairman who has a major role in writing health care legislation said Tuesday he hopes to convince President Barack Obama that taxing some employer-provided benefits will help control escalating costs.

69. White House: Obama Wants to Cut $17B from Budget - Friday, May 08, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama asked Congress on Thursday to eliminate or trim 121 federal programs for a savings of $17 billion in the coming budget year. Many of the proposed cuts have already been rejected by Obama's allies in Congress, including some programs that his predecessor, President George W. Bush, repeatedly sought to end.

70. House Passes Obama's Economic Stimulus Bill - Monday, February 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Handing the new administration a big win, the House Friday passed President Barack Obama's $787 billion plan to resuscitate the economy.

The bill was passed 246-183 with no Republican help. It now goes to the Senate where a vote was possible late Friday to meet a deadline of passing the plan before a recess begins next week.

71. Obama Presidency Inspires Artists - Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The celebration of Barack Obama becoming president today transcends political slogans and mass-marketed collectibles for people like Charlie Dyer.

72. Senate Panel Backs Clinton as Secretary of State - Friday, January 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted overwhelmingly on Thursday for Hillary Rodham Clinton to become the next secretary of state, with lawmakers saying they were hopeful her leadership would mark a turn from warfare toward diplomacy.

73. Cohen Puts Own Spin on White House Dustup, Reflects on ‘08 - Thursday, December 18, 2008

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, told the Memphis Rotary Club this week he was never asked to leave the White House. And he did find the Memphis ornament by local artist Carol DeForest on one of the White House Christmas trees before a run-in with an usher.

74. Tenn. Electors Cast Votes In Presidential Race - Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Tennessee delegation to the Electoral College on Monday joined other states around the nation in officially casting ballots for president and vice president of the United States.

The 11 Tennessee electors met in the Legislature’s House chambers and voted for Republican John McCain in what’s considered to be a mostly ceremonial procedure, but one mandated by the Constitution.

75. Bush Trying Again to Stem Holiday Flight Delays - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Anticipating another holiday travel crunch, President Bush said on Tuesday that his administration was taking steps to prevent frustrating flight delays during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

76. Presidential Debate a Who’s Who of Tennessee Pols - Friday, October 10, 2008

Its setting was the geographic center of Tennessee’s political universe.

And at Belmont University in Nashville for this week’s second of three highly anticipated presidential debates, it was probably natural the spotlight would turn to the Tennesseans on hand who normally are fixtures in state and federal halls of power.

77. Tobacco Bill Unlikely to Pass This Year - Wednesday, September 10, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Landmark legislation that would give federal health authorities the power to regulate the tobacco industry is unlikely to pass this year.

The House overwhelmingly approved the bill this summer, and a majority of senators, including presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, support the legislation. But President Bush has threatened a veto, and the prospect of a drawn-out debate will probably keep the Senate from taking up the measure as it races through a tight schedule this month, senior congressional officials of both parties said.

78. Rock Star vs. Maverick - Thursday, September 04, 2008

Newsweek magazine senior editor and columnist Jonathan Alter came to Memphis in November 2006 to plug his new book on the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope.”

79. Jury Awards Mattel Inc. $100 Million in Bratz Suit - Thursday, August 28, 2008

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A federal jury awarded Mattel Inc. $100 million in damages Tuesday after a serious girl fight between the house of Barbie and the maker of her chief rival, the pouty-lipped Bratz dolls.

80. Federal Policy Will Let Airports Charge Landing Fees Based on Time of Day, Traffic Volume - Tuesday, January 15, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congested airports nationwide can charge landing fees based on the time flights land and traffic volume instead of on the plane's weight, according to a federal policy introduced Monday.

81. Supreme Court LooksAt FedEx Discrimination Case - Thursday, November 08, 2007
     The Supreme Court signaled Tuesday that employees who claim job discrimination should not suffer because of mistakes made by the federal agency charged with investigating their allegations.
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82. Supreme Court Looks at FedEx Age Discrimination Case - Wednesday, November 07, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court signaled Tuesday that employees who claim job discrimination should not suffer because of mistakes made by the federal agency charged with investigating their allegations.

83. From Overton Park to Shelby Farms, Newman No Stranger to Conservancy - Thursday, October 11, 2007

Had he stopped with the famous case he helped win more than three decades ago, Charles Newman's legal career already would have reached a zenith other lawyers could only dream of matching.

As a young attorney in 1971, Newman fought Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The stakes were high; at issue was a decision by then-U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe that would have seen the completion of Interstate 40 in Memphis slice through Midtown's Overton Park.

84. Democrats Hope CongressWill Consider Bankruptcy Bill - Thursday, September 27, 2007
     Democrats say they intend to get Congress, before the end of the year, to consider legislation that would make it harder for companies reorganizing in bankruptcy to slash workers' pay and benefits.
   

85. Charges of Default - Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Depending on what a federal bankruptcy judge decides, two Memphis apartment properties struggling to make debt payments while trying to overcome insufficient occupancy rates and rental revenue may be put up for sale.

86. Legal Defender of Bush War Policies To Appear in Memphis - Friday, August 03, 2007

Chances are, most people don't recognize his name. But any American over the last few years who's read about, opined on or debated the so-called war on terror - whether they've done so in coffeehouses, college campuses or the halls of Congress - knows full well his legacy.

87. Opening of Universal Commercial LLC Fulfills Professional Dream for Cobbins - Friday, July 20, 2007

Two months ago, Darrell Cobbins opened the doors to Universal Commercial LLC, marking the realization of a longtime professional dream.

"It's always been my ultimate goal to have my own real-estate company," said Cobbins, 34.

88. Memphis Businessman TappedFor Study of Black Leaders - Thursday, July 12, 2007
     Memphis businessman Darrell Cobbins has been selected to participate in a national study of black leaders by a group of public policy experts from the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at Harvard University's

89. Alexander, Corker Bargain for Votes to Revive Stalled U.S. Senate Immigration Bill - Tuesday, June 19, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two Tennessee Republicans are co-sponsors of a compromise in the U.S. Senate that could help keep an immigration reform bill alive.

Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have co-sponsored a provision crafted by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to toughen a requirement that unlawful immigrants seeking green cards return home to apply for permanent legal residency.

90. Supreme Court Decision Could Shed Different Light on Patents - Thursday, May 31, 2007

A recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could change the way Memphis businesses look at patents.

One thing is for sure, it will definitely change the way attorneys look at them.

In a unanimous ruling on a patent case in late April, the court used a new, more flexible standard that favors competition and ultimately will make it more difficult to get - and keep - patents on new and existing products.

91. Mallory Alexander HonoredFor Exporting Excellence - Wednesday, May 30, 2007
     Memphis-based Mallory Alexander International Logistics was presented the Presidential "E" Award for excellence in exporting. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined President
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92. Art Student Galvanizes Others To Shore Up 'Broken Windows' - Thursday, May 03, 2007

More and more police departments around the country, including the one in Memphis, have begun subscribing to the "broken windows" theory of law enforcement.

A single broken window, the theory goes, might encourage vandals to break more windows until the building and surrounding area are overrun by a variety of criminal acts. In law enforcement or any other instance, small problems thus are confronted before they have a chance to metastasize.

93. Swarovski Crystal Shop To Open at Wolfchase - Thursday, April 19, 2007

The retail chain famous for its line of
merchandise bedecked with shimmering crystal - and which boasts a world-renowned brand name - is opening a store in Memphis next month.

Swarovski, which traces its corporate history all the way back to an inventor working in the Austrian village of Wattens at the end of the 19th century, is opening a roughly 1,200-square-foot retail space inside Wolfchase Galleria May 4.

94. Get Ready, Memphis: Star-Studded Cast On Tap at Media Reform Conference - Friday, January 12, 2007

It's not every day a person gets to see a member of the Federal Communications Commission jam onstage with a local band like the North Mississippi Allstars.

But attendees can expect that and more at the 2007 National Conference for Media Reform, which kicks off today and continues through Sunday and which will bring to Memphis guests including Hollywood personalities, academics, activists and political celebrities.

95. Luggage Machines Take Screening Process From Snail Pace to Fast Clip, Airport CEO Says - Wednesday, December 13, 2006

With the holiday season in full swing, millions of Americans are traveling by road, rail and air to visit friends and family.

While the Wednesday before Thanksgiving traditionally is the busiest air travel day of the year with about 2 million people flying, Dec. 27 and New Year's Eve each see about 1.7 million in the air, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Generally, as more and more people pile into airports, lines get a little slower and waits get a little longer, testing the patience of travelers and airport personnel alike.

96. Lawler Uses National Recognition To Teach About Youth Villages - Friday, November 10, 2006

Patrick Lawler keeps a list of about 20 questions he asks successful businessmen. The questions he feels are most important have stars beside them.

"Who do you learn from?" "How often do you meet with your top people?" "Do you have a crisis plan?"

97. Freefall - Thursday, July 20, 2006

John Madsen - a painter, a craftsman of all things metal, jewelry and woodwork, and an unashamedly proud grandfather - probably thought he couldn't lose.

In July 2005, he began selling his work out of a new art shop and gallery space he opened in the heart of Midtown's Cooper-Young neighborhood. He dubbed the store Dylan Blue in honor of his then-infant grandson of the same name. A garrulous, storytelling man with a thick handlebar moustache and a passion for one-of-a-kind, handmade art, his store broke even in its first 30 days.

98. Duck, Duck Goose Egg: Ducks Unlimited speaks out on watered-down Supreme Court ruling - Thursday, July 06, 2006

Ducks Unlimited Inc., a wetland and waterfowl conservation organization headquartered in Memphis, has spoken out against a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could muddy the waters of 1972's Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act.

99. Former FBI Agent, Attorney, Lobbyist, Security Expert to Appear on WKNO Program Monday - Thursday, June 08, 2006

William "Bill" Carter says he's never planned anything; things just seem to happen in his life. Carter's career, so far, spans some 50 years, from serving as a Secret Service agent during President John F. Kennedy's administration to waging a legal battle with the U.S. government on behalf of the Rolling Stones, to acting as executive producer for a recent documentary on religious icon Billy Graham that was endorsed by the Graham family.

100. CARE Program Seeks to Curb Debt Before It Snowballs - Tuesday, May 30, 2006

These days, it seems, everyone is in the red.

The national debt limit Congress allows has been raised four times since 2001, and two months after last hiking the debt ceiling, lawmakers are poised again to max out the government's proverbial credit card.