VOL. 128 | NO. 45 | Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Memphis Federal Court Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays appointed former city of Memphis Chief Administrative Officer Rick Masson Tuesday, March 5, as special master overseeing the federal court consent decree on the merger of Shelby County’s two public school systems.
Food truck owners eye bountiful spring months
The winter months can be tougher on food truck vendors as cold temperatures often keep paying customers inside. But as spring approaches and nicer weather resumes, many local operators are getting set to ramp up operations.
The first formal notices of 2013 Shelby County property values in the once-every-four-years reappraisal for taxation purposes were mailed Monday, March 4, to owners of commercial and industrial cost properties as well as homeowners in Hickory Hill, Whitehaven and parts of Southwest Memphis.
The 37th annual Memphis in May International Festival is a salute to Sweden, a country whose climate differs greatly from the host town but perhaps has some parallels in its rich history.
The group with the most direct role in what a consolidated school system will look like and how it will operate is now the group at the center of the ongoing federal lawsuit over the merger and the reactions to it.
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and its Public Action Law Society are sponsoring the fourth annual alternative spring break next week.
The MetLife Foundation and Partners for Livable Communities recently selected the Plough Foundation and Memphis to participate in the City Leaders Institute on Aging in Place, a national pilot project striving to help people aged 65 years and older to live independently in their homes.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Justin Fink has joined Diamond Cos., an International truck dealership holding company, as senior vice president, truck sales. In the new role, Fink oversees new and used truck sales, and helps develop programs and processes to grow customer relationships, sales and profits.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Countless studies have proven that it’s generally six to eight times more expensive to attract a new customer than to sell more product or service to an existing customer. Why, then, do so many view sales as a linear process, which ends when the sale is closed?
The “final” privacy regulations (Final Rule) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) apply to certain medical data held by health care providers, insurance companies and health plans.
Brainstorming sessions can easily devolve into a contest of strong egos or a parade of old, tired ideas and their accompanying resentments. Worse, meetings around ideation or innovation sour when there is lack of good manners.
MEMPHIS AREA
MEMPHIS (AP) – A new exhibit opening at Graceland showcases Elvis Presley's strong connection to Las Vegas, where he performed and vacationed.
STATEWIDE
THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan-based silicon products company says it's making permanent the layoff of 400 workers at sites in Michigan and Tennessee, a move forced by a supply glut and trade conflicts with China.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) – A proposal to allow student identification issued by state higher education institutions to be used for voting is advancing in the Senate.
REGIONAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have approved a $220,000 contract with a consultant to review Medicaid and other public assistance programs, despite objections from Democrats over the way the agreement was handled.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – ConAgra Foods is combining its North American flour milling business with that of a joint venture of Cargill and CHS Inc. to create a new business that will be called Ardent Mills.
NEW YORK (AP) – Home diva Martha Stewart testified in court on Tuesday that she did nothing wrong when she signed an agreement to open up shops within most of J.C. Penney's stores across the country.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – House and Senate Democrats want to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, more than a dollar higher than President Barack Obama proposed in his State of the Union address.