VOL. 127 | NO. 246 | Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Memphis City Council members get their first look Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the plan to pay for improvements at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to settle the city’s negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department over making the stadium comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Positive national attention and local chamber efforts cap 2012
There’s something newly electric in the air. That’s how the editors of National Geographic Traveler describe Memphis, putting the city in the category of 20 must-see places in 2013.
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday, Dec. 18, an agreement with Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court that will put the Shelby County Public Defenders office in the role of defending juveniles who cannot afford to hire an attorney for court proceedings.
Shelby County Commissioners delayed Monday, Dec. 17, a final vote on a “wage theft” ordinance.
The Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board meets Wed., Dec. 19, to consider a request from International Paper Co. for government tax incentives to support an expansion of its headquarters here.
Makowsky Ringel Greenberg LLC is sharpening the focus of its commercial real estate division to stabilize its existing portfolio as well as build its third-party brokerage in the Memphis market.
Fitch Ratings has made a downward revision to a rating assigned to the largest bank based in Tennessee.
GOVERNMENT AGENDA
The Memphis City Council will meet Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 3:30 p.m. in the Council chambers in City Hall, 125 N. Main St. Click on the meeting icon for a full agenda.
6495 Stewart Road Lakeland, TN 38002
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Last week we explored an easy way we can start planning ahead to make 2013 a Year of Books by working with Shelby County Books from Birth to plant the seeds of literacy and help build a stronger foundation for our future. This week, with the holiday shopping season now in overdrive, it is the perfect time to review some helpful safety tips that will allow us to protect our family and friends and thwart the traditional holiday spike in crime.
I find it very curious that the fiscal cliff was not a topic of any of the presidential debates of 2012. It was not mentioned by the candidates or the moderators. Yet within a week of the election results, it seems as though everyone has heard of the looming fiscal cliff and the black hole that lies beneath it. Ignorance may be bliss, but the unknown can be downright scary. Right now, most of us are staring into the black hole and wondering how this country will address the growing national deficit and in particular, how inevitable changes in tax policy and accounting rules will affect us in 2013 and beyond.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) – Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that he expects the Connecticut elementary school massacre to stir new debate in Tennessee about gun laws, as well as better ways to help those with a mental illness.
REGIONAL
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Amid strong concerns about the declining level of the already low Mississippi River, the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water from an Illinois lake to add to the flow of the Mississippi.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says curbing gun violence is a complex problem that will require a "comprehensive solution" including addressing gun control measures.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Foreign ownership of U.S. Treasury securities rose to a record level in October, a sign that overseas investors remain confident in U.S. debt despite a potential budget crisis.
WASHINGTON (AP) – For the first time, the Census Bureau is giving U.S. households a chance to respond to government surveys over the Internet, part of a bid to save costs and boost sagging response rates in a digital age.