SINGULAR PERFORMANCE. The White Station Class of 1966, the year ahead of mine, had two Academy Award winners – one you’ve heard of and one you haven’t.

That was some class. Physicist, gray matter repository and best-selling author Alan Lightman was in it. Federal judge and arbiter of public education’s future in Shelby County Hardy Mays was in it. John Vergos, former courageous city council maverick and scion to Rendezvous rib royalty, was in it. Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates was in it.

2. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

5. Eggs And Elmo Take Me Back - Friday, June 22, 2012

PERFECT REMINDERS. I’m reminded. He stared at the target, and on this particular night it seemed larger than ever. He got his signal – same as before – bring the heat. As soon as he let it go, he knew that’s the best I got. Nobody’s touching it.

6. Thomison Joins PGM/Trumbull - Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Dr. John Thomison has joined Pathology Group of the Mid-South/Trumbull Labs LLC.

Hometown: Nashville

7. 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

8. Class of ‘66 Stands Out At White Station - Tuesday, September 13, 2011

There was clearly something special about the 1966 graduating glass of White Station High School.

The graduates that year include an Oscar-winning actress, world-famous physicist and author, owner of a nationally known restaurant, federal judge, attorneys, artists and many others who attained a lot of success at local and national levels.

9. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous Officially Goes ‘Green’ - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Project Green Fork has officially certified Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous as environmentally sustainable.

To be certified sustainable by Project Green Fork, the restaurant must incorporate the following steps into their daily operations: have sustainable products in place, set up a recycling program, compost kitchen waste, replace toxic cleaners with non-toxic cleaners, complete a Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division audit, take necessary steps to reduce energy and water consumption, and demonstrate steps to prevent pollution.

10. New Members Appointed to MED Board - Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Three new board members were recently appointed to the board of the Shelby County Health Care Corp. by Mayor Mark Luttrell.

11. Nevels Takes Reins of BMHC Foundation - Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Jenny Nevels has been promoted to executive director of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation.

12. Interest in Government Started Early for Strickland - Thursday, October 07, 2010

Jim Strickland was 12 years old when he first took an interest in politics.

“It was the ’76 election,” said the Indiana native. “Jimmy Carter ran, and I was really drawn to him as a good and honest and decent man.”

13. Lasting Legacy - Wednesday, March 31, 2010

His name is emblazoned on the modest sign identifying 52 S. Second St. as the home of the world-famous barbecue establishment he founded in 1948.

14. Overton Square Developers Ready for Next Step - Friday, December 11, 2009

It’s crunch time for the future of Overton Square, the 10-acre Midtown landmark where a new retail development anchored by a big-box grocery store has been proposed.

The square’s owners have agreed to delay for 60 days their official request to begin knocking down several old buildings along Madison Avenue. That demolition would pave the way for a roughly 53,000-square-foot grocery store and several smaller retail buildings.

15. ‘Memphis’ Musical Takes Deep-Pocketed Chance - Thursday, September 24, 2009

Broadway producer Sue Frost was so excited to get a shipment of barbecue recently from John Vergos, whose family owns the famed Rendezvous restaurant in Memphis, that she devoured it the next day.

16. Vergos Appointed To MATA Board - Thursday, September 03, 2009

Former Memphis City Council member John Vergos is a member of the board of the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

17. Braking Point: Inside MATA's identity crisis - Monday, August 24, 2009

The bus system in Memphis has an undeserved “mythology,” according to the people who run it. However, some who ride Memphis Area Transit Authority buses everyday – and many who don’t – contend the system is far from perfect.

18. Vergos Appointed To MATA Board, Hooks to Public Service - Thursday, August 20, 2009

A vocal critic of the Memphis Area Transit Authority has been appointed to the MATA board by Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the appointment of former council member John Vergos at its Sept. 1 meeting.

19. Herenton Sticks To Singing School Reform Refrain - Thursday, May 08, 2008

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton tried to talk the City Council down from cutting $93 million in city funding to Memphis City Schools as he talked this week of reinventing and blowing up parts of a school system he said is ripe for change.

20. Ribs Served Before Political Heartburn Begins - Friday, November 30, 2007

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and all 13 City Council members who begin a new term of office next year met at the Rendezvous this week for ribs with a side order of good intentions. The lunch hour session came with a bit of spice from Herenton and incoming council Chairman Scott McCormick that might make for some political heartburn over the next four years.

21. Tinker Works To Out-Fundraise Cohen For His Congressional Seat - Friday, August 17, 2007

In last Friday's edition of The Washington Post, columnist Mary Ann Akers introduced her readers to Memphis congressman Steve Cohen, summing up her interviewee as a "fun-loving hipster in an aging man's body."

22. City Council Looks Ahead To Biggest New-Blood Transfusion In Almost 40 Years - Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A year after voters shuffled the County Commission, it appears the City Council is about to be dealt the same hand.

With a month until the filing deadline for the October ballot, the city election year already promises more change than the council has seen in 36 years.

23. When Pigs Fly - All The Way to Australia - Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Australia is about to experience a taste of Memphis when Charles Vergos' Rendezvous restaurant caters the Fourth of July party at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia.

More than 1,500 people will attend the event, including some of the more prominent politicians, CEOs, athletes and celebrities in Australia.

24. IT'S OFFICIAL: Chumney commits to October mayoral run - Friday, January 19, 2007

Four years after her election to the Memphis City Council, attorney Carol Chumney is preparing to announce formally the first week in February that she is challenging Willie Herenton in the race for city mayor.

25. Commercial Advisors' Jensen Voted Commercial Broker of the Year - Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Larry Jensen has received the 2005 Pinnacle Award for Commercial Broker of the Year from the Memphis Area Association of Realtors' Commercial Council. Jensen is president and CEO of Commercial Advisors LLC. He has more than 30 years of experience in real estate.

26. Archived Article: Real Focus - Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Communication, guidelines paramount for infills

For Agreement on Infill, Communication Is Key

ANDREW BELL

The Daily News

In 1981, the Memphis City Council established guidelines to create an orderly approval process for new commercial an...

27. Archived Article: Law Focus - Thursday, September 25, 2003
Talks begin on new Downtown plan

Downtown Tax Plan Faces Hurdles

ANDREW BELL

The Daily News

In their first official discussion on the topic, Memphis City Council members raised concerns about a Center City Commission-led proposal for a t...

28. Archived Article: Velma (lead) - Friday, May 23, 2003
Infill development OKd, despite parking concerns

Infill development OKd, despite parking concerns

By ANDREW BELL

The Daily News

Five new houses will rise out of a vacant lot in the Cooper-Young district following narrow approval of an in...

29. Archived Article: Trolley (lead) - Friday, April 25, 2003
Not in my back yard, Cooper-Young residents say

Not in my back yard, Cooper-Young residents say

By ANDREW BELL

The Daily News

Memphis ongoing project to connect Downtown with the Memphis medical district via the trolley system has genera...

30. Archived Article: Mba P2 - Friday, November 01, 2002
Bar announces election nominees

Bar announces election nominees

David Wade, Memphis Bar Association president, has released the report of the nominations and elections committee.

The 2003 president is Irma W. Merrill. The vice president is ...

31. Archived Article: Mcc (lead) - Monday, October 21, 2002
Whitehaven golf course on tap

Memphis Council OKs various park improvements

By MARY DANDO

The Daily News

It was Christmas in October for city parks as the Memphis City Council gave preliminary approval to a $2.2 million plan to renovate ...

32. Archived Article: Law Focus - Thursday, October 17, 2002
Later school openings gets mixed response Later school starts get mixed reviews

By MARY DANDO

The Daily News

A suggestion by Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons last week that Memphis and Shelby County students start school...

33. Archived Article: Law Focus - Thursday, July 18, 2002
Memphis voters get to see new redistricting plan

Memphis voters get to see new redistricting plan

By MARY DANDO

The Daily News

Memphis residents will be able to decide for themselves whether the redrawn districting plan for city council ...

34. Archived Article: Law Focus - Thursday, November 15, 2001
Floodplain no obstacle to development says

Opposition to wetland development silent, Vergos says

By MARY DANDO

The Daily News

When is a floodplain not a floodplain? When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says its not.

That seems to be ...

35. Archived Article: Rdc (lead) - Thursday, October 04, 2001
RDC announces foundation gift

Riverfront Development Corp.

announces Hyde foundation gift

By SUE PEASE

The Daily News

At the Riverfront Development Corp.s quarterly board meeting Wednesday, members announced the commitment of a large ...

36. Archived Article: Law Briefs - Thursday, May 17, 2001
David F Weintraub, Stock, Bennett & Grisham PC has relocated its office to the Renaissance Center, 1715 Aaron Brenner Drive, Suite 512. The firm concentrates its practice on representing employees in labor and employment matters. John Sandford w...

37. Archived Article: Audubon P2 - Tuesday, May 15, 2001
Audubon Park as cancer memorial before council Audubon Park as cancer memorial site before council By MARY DANDO The Daily News Cancer survivors or those battling cancer may soon have a Memphis location that memorializes their struggle. A resolution...

38. Archived Article: Broad (lead) - Tuesday, April 17, 2001
New Sam Cooper Parkway plan comes before city council Council to hear new Sam Cooper plan By MARY DANDO The Daily News The final draft of the Midtown Corridor East Redevelopment Plan will be considered by the Memphis City Council at a public hearing...

39. Archived Article: Cordova (lead) - Monday, November 06, 2000
Cordova Sub-Division Gets Thumbs Down from City Planners Cordova plan gets thumbs down from OPD By MARY DANDO The Daily News A proposal to develop 149 lots in Cordova now heads to the Memphis City Council after being rejected by city planners. The C...

40. Archived Article: Gov't (mcc) - Tuesday, September 21, 1999
Sign of the times, Sign of the times, billboards are issue By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News In the not-too-distant future, an issue may be before the voters but, chances are, it wont get there without a fight. Members of the Memphis City Council will...

41. Archived Article: Ribs Bott - Thursday, August 26, 1999
World-famous Memphis rib joint expands without franchising World-famous Memphis rib joint expands without franchising By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News After nearly 50 years, the Rendezvous is still smoking. And, in this age of pre-packaged, franchise...

42. Archived Article: Gov't (mcc) Bott - Thursday, June 03, 1999
Park's supporter lose battle, still waging all-out war Parks supporters lose battle but still waging war By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News The collision course between supporters of Shelby Farms and supporters of a north-south road through the park wa...

43. Archived Article: Council (lead) - Tuesday, June 01, 1999
By STACEY PETSCHAUER Council considers 2000 budget today By STACEY PETSCHAUER The Daily News Approving the fiscal 2000 city budget will be a major goal of the Memphis City Council at its regular meeting today at 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 12...

44. Archived Article: Riverfront (lead) - Wednesday, May 26, 1999
By LAURIE JOHNSON Riverfront committee plans focus groups, town meetings By LAURIE JOHNSON The Daily News In 1924, a detailed drawing depicting an ambitious development plan for the Downtown stretch of Memphis Mississippi riverfront graced the front...

45. Archived Article: Gov't (lead) - Monday, May 24, 1999
Budget hearings rescheduled More hearings scheduled in face of budget crunch By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News A shortfall in the Health Department budget has sent city finance officials scrambling to make up the deficit. The situation surfaced at the...

46. Archived Article: Gov't (hcd) Lead - Friday, May 14, 1999
HCD operating budget is topic of talks Proposed budget cuts operating funds for HCD By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News Not every department experiences increases in a proposed budget. For example, operating funds for the Housing and Community Developme...

47. Archived Article: Shelby Lead - Thursday, May 13, 1999
By STACEY PETSCHAUER Park road could become issue in budget process By STACEY PETSCHAUER The Daily News With the wrap-up hearing for the City Councils Capital Improvement Project budget committee scheduled for Monday, the issue of widening Walnut Gr...

48. Archived Article: Gov't (bott) - Thursday, February 18, 1999
In the near future, the call of the open road will be heard in northeast Memphis Council allows call of the road to be answered in Appling Center By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News The call of the open road soon will be heard in northeast Memphis. By a...

49. Archived Article: Gov't (lawsuit) - Thursday, December 24, 1998
A hearing set in Chancery Judge D Hearing set for Jan. 6 on property lawsuit By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News A hearing set in Chancery Judge D.J. Allisandratos courtroom Jan. 6 could wrap up a lawsuit several Cordova residents have filed against the...

50. Archived Article: Apt (lead) - Wednesday, November 25, 1998
A proposal to build an apartment complex targeting University of Memphis students will be considered by the City Council Tuesday Apartment complex draws some opposition By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News A proposal to build an apartment complex targeti...

51. Archived Article: Back-mba - Tuesday, November 17, 1998
Bar association releases Bar association releases final slate of candidates The Memphis Bar Association has released its final slate of candidates for 1999 officers and directors. One nomination from the membership Thomas H. Fulton for the board of ...

52. Archived Article: Council - Monday, November 16, 1998
By STACEY PETSCHAUER Council to debate 151-lot development By STACEY PETSCHAUER The Daily News A resolution requesting approval for a 151-lot planned residential development at the corner of Thor and Cully roads in Cordova is scheduled to go before ...

53. Archived Article: Gov't (burkle) - Tuesday, November 10, 1998
A slate of committees are set to meet today in preparation for next week's City Council meeting Northeast police service on committee agenda By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News A slate of committees are set to meet today in preparation for next weeks Ci...

54. Archived Article: Law Offices - Thursday, November 05, 1998
Local bar association Local bar association nominees announced The Memphis Bar Association has released the report of its nominations and elections committee for 1999 offices. The 1999 president will be Dorothy J. Pounders and the vice president wil...

55. Archived Article: Calendar - Monday, October 26, 1998
Oct Oct. 26 The League of Women Voters will meet at 7 p.m. at the Poplar-White Station Public Library, 5094 Poplar Ave. The topic will be Shelby Farms. The speakers will be Dr. Steve Eppel, a member of Friends of Shelby Farms, and City Council membe...

56. Archived Article: Shelby Farms - Tuesday, March 24, 1998
By SUZANNE THOMPSON Citizens to oppose road through Shelby Farms By SUZANNE THOMPSON The Daily News Citizens who love Shelby Farms thought their worries about a proposed roadway were over in 1994 when the Tennessee Historical Commission recommended ...

57. Archived Article: Parking - Tuesday, October 28, 1997
By SUZANNE THOMPSON Board to examine Downtown parking By SUZANNE THOMPSON The Daily News Many people believe finding a parking place in Downtown Memphis is much like searching for a needle in a haystack. And while some parking officials say parking ...

58. Archived Article: Comm Focus - Thursday, July 31, 1997
By SUZANNE THOMPSON City Wants Violators to PAY UP City Court Clerk Thomas Long starts debt recovery initiative to begin collecting $35 million due city in fines and fees By SUZANNE THOMPSON The Daily News When Thomas Long took office as City Court ...

59. Archived Article: Real Fcs (nehemiah) Lj - Tuesday, March 18, 1997
lj 10/5 cates 2,000 by 2000 Work progresses on the Nehemiah Housing Initiative, Shelby County Interfaiths plan for affordable housing By LAURIE JOHNSON The Daily News In Memphis, the creation of quality affordable housing for low- to moderate-income...

60. Archived Article: Govt Briefs - Friday, February 07, 1997
The city of Memphis recently implemented a new Motorola 800mhz trunked radio system The city of Memphis recently implemented a new Motorola 800mhz trunked radio system. According to city officials, radio frequency scanners and portable radios now in...

61. Archived Article: Calendar - Monday, February 03, 1997
Feb Feb. 4 The Mid-South Quality-Productivity Center will sponsor a workshop titled "How to Implement ISO 9000" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday at State Technical Institute. The presenter is A. George Vrooman Jr., quality systems c...

62. Archived Article: Co. Com - Thursday, January 30, 1997
1-29-97 Co. Com. notes.gs City, county to lobby legislators for rewrite of transportation act By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News On the heels of the County Commissions adoption of a resolution asking legislators to give urban centers a bigger sh...

63. Archived Article: Great Amer Music - Wednesday, January 29, 1997
1-29 notes Great Amer. Music Cohen bill could drive the great American music tour By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News Sen. Steve Cohens bill to rename a segment of I-40 "Music Highway" could be the spark that ignites the Great American ...

64. Archived Article: Club - Thursday, December 05, 1996
12-5 notes Sierra Club.gs Sierra salutes Club honors three officials for contributions to environmental protection By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News The Sierra Club is recognizing a county commissioner and a member of the city council Friday ev...

65. Archived Article: City Council - Wednesday, November 13, 1996
notes 11-12 city council.gs Council approves convention center planning, delays $49.5 million By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News A City Council budget committee approved on Tuesday the transfer of $500,000 to begin the planning process for a new...

66. Archived Article: Vergosgreatmusic - Friday, October 25, 1996
Notesgrandmusic Blues meets country Proposal would combine international flight, music heritage to promote state tourism By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News As a prelude to unveiling his Great American Music Tour, City Council member John Vergos ...

67. Archived Article: Floodplain Meeting Chg - Tuesday, May 28, 1996
Local politicians hold meeting to dicuss floodplain management Local politicians hold meeting to discuss floodplain management By CAMILLE H. GAMBLE The Daily News City councilman John Vergos and county commissioner Mark Norris will chair a joint Pub...

68. Archived Article: Govt Briefs - Friday, February 09, 1996
02/09 Govt briefs A District 5 town hall meeting will be held Saturday at East High School, 3206 Poplar Ave., at 10 a.m. City councilman John C. Vergos will be joined by state Sen. Steve Cohen, state Rep. Carol Chumney, city school board Commissione...