Lights, camera, action. In 1980 the United Negro College Fund launched the Parade of Stars telethon. It became a nationwide fundraising program raising millions of dollars for generations of students, and support for historically black colleges and universities. It became the largest one-day African-American special event in the country. It changed black history – and American history – creating an acknowledged culture of fundraising in the African-American community. America’s largest corporations became engaged. Small churches, teachers, sororities and fraternities became engaged. Donors and volunteers from across the country organized to support UNCF and celebrate black philanthropy.

2. City Schools Chief of Staff Leaves for Chicago Job - Saturday, December 22, 2012

John Barker, chief of staff for Memphis City Schools, is leaving the school system in January to become chief of accountability for Chicago Public Schools.

3. Black Caucus Organization Names New President - Friday, December 21, 2012

Democratic Rep. Joe Armstrong of Knoxville has been selected to be the president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators for the next two years.

4. ‘A Unifier’ - Friday, May 25, 2012

The Levitt Shell recently kicked off its season of free public concerts with its most well-attended opening weekend to date, continuing a 75-year tradition of bringing together Memphians from all walks of life to enjoy music in Overton Park.

5. Miss. House OKs Redistricting Plan Favoring GOP - Monday, April 30, 2012

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi House Republicans pushed through a redistricting plan Thursday that critics say would cut the number of white Democrats in the 122-member body.

House members voted 70-49 for the plan, with 63 Republicans and seven Democrats supporting it.

6. Sumlin: Remembering a Memphis Musical Great - Monday, December 19, 2011

Recent headlines shouted “Chicago Blues Great Hubert Sumlin Dies at 80.” The stories released about the death of Hubert Sumlin were almost correct, but the headlines should have read “Memphis Guitar Great Hubert Sumlin Dies.”

7. Dem Luckett Touts Economic Record in Miss Gov's Race - Wednesday, July 27, 2011

CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) — Bill Luckett still vividly remembers his first work in helping renovate buildings. He was a ninth grader, and he sanded walls for house painters in his hometown of Clarksdale.

8. Harwell Stops Payment for Some Legislator Travel - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

NASHVILLE – House Speaker Beth Harwell, who donates her own legislative expense payments to charity, has moved to curtail the expense money other state representatives collect for out-of-state traveling.

9. Gone Cold - Friday, February 11, 2011

School children welcomed Jack Frost on Wednesday afternoon and the three to five inches of snow he brought with him, but for business owners, the snow that caused hazardous road conditions and closures across the city also caused dollar signs to melt like icicles in the sun.

10. Cash’s Road Manager Reminisces About ‘Life With Johnny’ - Monday, August 02, 2010

Marshall Grant and Johnny Cash were stuck at a train crossing one night in 1955 when they heard one of Cash’s early hits on the radio, prompting the Man in Black to say: “We don’t sound like other people.”

11. ‘Holy Grail’ of Recording Uncovered - Monday, July 26, 2010

A 52-year-old tape recorder described by some as the Holy Grail of the music industry has been discovered in the storage room of the owner of a used bus dealership in Marion, Ark.

But this isn’t just any bus dealership owner. Bob Tucker, owner of Bob Tucker Motors on Interstate 55, is a music industry veteran and one-time leader of the Memphis band that toured with the Beatles in 1964.

12. Architect Honored for Remarkable Achievements - Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Before St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital became the sprawling complex of medical buildings in Uptown Memphis, the original facility was more modest, but no less important to the city’s landscape.

13. FBI Wants Public’s Help in Civil Rights Killings - Tuesday, November 24, 2009

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Over the past three years, the FBI scoured faded documents, interviewed aging lawmen and tracked down witnesses from killings that occurred decades ago, many of them involving white police officers who shot black men or teenagers.

14. SunTrust Exec’s Consulting Role Follows Other Leadership Changes - Monday, June 29, 2009

William R. Reed Jr., vice chairman of Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc., will retire at the end of August to work as a consultant for the bank with a focus on Memphis.

Reed has entered into a contract with the bank under which he’ll be paid $502,000 over the next two years. He’ll get office space in Memphis and will be expected to promote “the business interests of SunTrust and its affiliates both at the corporate level and, in particular, in the Memphis, Tenn., market,” according to SunTrust.

15. Finding Memphis Believers Starts With Media Tour - Monday, June 04, 2007

Four days in Memphis was not long enough for British newspaper reporter Adam Gretton, who toured the Bluff City last fall as part of a quartet of journalists in town from the United Kingdom.

They were flown to town by the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and whisked to a variety of landmarks on their whirlwind four-day tour. They scarfed down lunch at The Arcade Restaurant. The scribes were given a 90-minute walkthrough at Ardent Studios on Madison Avenue.

16. Anniversary Edition of MillionDollar Quartet Coming Soon - Thursday, September 14, 2006
     A cool day in December 1956 and an impromptu gathering of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Recording Studio singing songs like "You Belong to my Heart," "I Shall Not Be Moved," and "Dow

17. Spotlight Brightens on Memphis Cinema - Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Like an independent film competing for attention during Oscar season, Malcolm Pratt's relatively new cinema group might seem overshadowed by other big screen efforts in Memphis.

Just two weeks ago, a public casting call was held for "Black Snake Moan," the latest Hollywood production by Memphis writer and director Craig Brewer. Later this year, the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," also shot in Memphis, opens in theaters. But Pratt's nonprofit group - Cinema Memphis - is more concerned with shining a spotlight on the classics.

18. Archived Article: This Week - Monday, June 27, 2005
SBA Presents Community Express Loan Workshops

SBA Offers Community Express Loan Workshops

June 27

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Service Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE, present Community Express Loan Workshops at 10:30 a....

19. Archived Article: Comm Briefs - Friday, June 01, 2001
Memphis Brooks Museum of Arts first Wednesdays series continues with Southern Fried Jazz from 5 p Memphis Brooks Museum of Arts first Wednesdays series continues with Southern Fried Jazz from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The ensemble will play on the...

20. Archived Article: Benchmark - Thursday, May 09, 1996
05-09 Benchmark Edward Johnson, Vera Lewis and Johnny Clay on behalf of their minor children and on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated vs. Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, interim health officer John H. Kirkley, and d...

21. Archived Article: Calendar - Monday, February 19, 1996
02-19 Calendar Feb. 19 The Roundtable for Women in Foodservice, Memphis chapter, will meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Shelby Place. Judy Patton, senior vice president of Food Insights, will speak on "Understanding Your Customer: The Psychology Be...