VOL. 127 | NO. 11 | Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.
Private industry makes large contributions to local economy in 2011
2011 was a billion-dollar year for Memphis and Shelby County.
Last year’s new home permits filed by local homebuilders were unchanged from the year prior, and inventory continued to deplete due to lack of demand.
Local homebuilders filed 60 percent more new home permits during the fourth quarter compared with the same period last year, but as with 2011’s overall total, there were several underlying factors that created artificially high year-over-year totals.
And the first public review of the reports Tuesday, Jan. 17, by the Germantown Mayor and Board of Aldermen indicated the leaders were encouraged by a report that concludes a suburban school district would not have to pay the countywide school system to get buildings within the boundaries of a separate school district they might form.
Feasibility studies for the creation of a municipal school district have been released for three of six suburban municipalities – Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown. These are the full reports from Southern Educational Strategies LLC.
NASHVILLE (AP) – The House has passed a new version of the state Senate redistricting bill that corrects an omission of Tipton County from the Senate plan.
Electrolux North America executives said Tuesday, Jan. 17, the company has awarded $6.3 million of the $15.3 million in contracts so far for construction of its new Memphis plant to local minority-owned firms.
If there’s one thing that’s going on right now in the area of economic development in Memphis and throughout Shelby County, it’s change.
Shelby County Commission members will start over with their once-a-decade redistricting process Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a committee session and a special meeting of the entire body to pass a plan on the first of three readings.
The new mayor of Millington says she doesn’t plan on changing any faces within City Hall now that Richard Hodges is no longer at the helm.
Healthy Memphis Common Table will host a luncheon focused on the state of health equity in Shelby County Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St.
The leader of a charter school company from out of state asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam in Memphis last week if there is anything he and other charter school leaders in the room should know about Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools.
Sometimes the youngest among us say it best. So it was on Monday at FedExForum, where Sherry Knights and her two sons stopped in at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Sports Legacy Symposium before taking in the game between the Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Matthew Nichols has joined Spirco Manufacturing as engineering manager.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
2011 was a banner year for social media marketing as brands large and small began to utilize it proficiently. Four brands in particular executed creative campaigns that generated high levels of targeted consumer engagement.
Rally Quality Check So far, 2012 has struck a bullish tone. However, we should look beyond the pop indices and examine the supporting evidence to determine the quality of the current rally. This column should make you more qualified to translate the “Market Data” page of the WSJ’s Money and Investing section. Let’s take a quick tour and highlight the quality indicators with context. Once you have completed this, you will have earned your rally inspector merit badge.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) – The head of the Tennessee Lottery says players in the state will like changes to the Powerball game because of the larger jackpots.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) – Thought Tennessee's arduous redistricting process was over? Not so fast.
NASHVILLE (AP) – House Speaker Beth Harwell has voiced opposition to efforts to water down Tennessee's open meetings law and has called on a Republican colleague to drop a bill seeking to make changes to the current rules.
NASHVILLE (AP) – With the prickly issue of redistricting now complete, the lobbyists have returned to the halls of the legislative office complex and lawmakers are ready to get down to business.
REGIONAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A Chicago snack food supplier has completed acquisition of an Arkansas ice cream maker and plans to make its products available to retailers across the state.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) – The largest banks must show how they would break up their assets if they were in danger of failing, under a rule approved Tuesday, Jan. 17.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday named Jeffrey Zients as his acting budget chief but held off on nominating him for the permanent job, avoiding a tough election-year battle with Senate Republicans.