VOL. 131 | NO. 54 | Wednesday, March 16, 2016
John R. Butler has been selected as the new president of Agricenter International, officially beginning his position on July 1 of this year. Butler, a fifth-generation farmer who also held various management roles at Cargill, Inc., will succeed retiring president John Charles Wilson.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, a leading figure in the Republican takeover of all three branches of Tennessee state government, announced Wednesday that he won't run for re-election.
Memphis City Council member Berlin Boyd summed up City Hall’s attitude Tuesday, March 15, during the council’s executive session. “Today is the day of bad news,” he said after a briefing from Mayor Jim Strickland on the deannexation bill approved the night before by the Tennessee House.
The Tennessee Legislature’s debate about a proposed deannexation law isn’t a case of Memphis against the rest of the state.
Every week, I Love Memphis blogger Holly Whitfield picks five events to include in her blog’s regular feature spotlighting things to do in Memphis during the coming weekend.
It takes $2.25 million a year to cover the bond payments on what it cost to build Beale Street Landing – $43 million.
“Waving the bloody shirt” – get ready to hear that phrase a lot as a deannexation bill continues to be debated in Nashville – the one that the state House approved Monday evening.
When ioby launched in Memphis in 2014, it brought with it the mantra that things occurring in our backyards in city neighborhoods are precisely what’s desirable.
The Memphis City Council is the latest group to address the disparity of business secured by women- and minority-owned businesses in the city and county.
The city of Memphis now has three offers to buy the old Central Police Station at 128 Adams Ave. and renovate it as a hotel. It will likely have even more offers by the time the Memphis City Council decides who, if anyone, to sell the circa-1910 building to at its April 19 meeting.
At a season-ending press conference on Monday, March 14, Josh Pastner said he considered himself the University of Memphis men’s basketball coach going forward “unless I’m told differently by my bosses.” And following that university president M. David Rudd released a statement saying a review of the program would be conducted.
Keafur Grimes has joined Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc. as transportation project manager, bringing with him more than 35 years of experience. In his new role, Grimes manages transportation planning and construction projects to meet federal, state and local regulations; ensures that projects meet quality compliance and assurance standards as well as customer needs; and are delivered on time and within budget.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
During the week of St. Patrick’s Day, luck is on our minds. We may think, “When will I get my lucky break? When will it be my turn?” We may feel overlooked for things like promotions and raises.
We live in a world of stiff competition with so much noise competing for consumer attention that it can be painfully difficult for brands to get noticed and stand apart from their competition.
There’s a great scene about public records in the movie “Spotlight,” which is based on the true story of The Boston Globe’s investigative reporting of child sex abuse by Catholic priests.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – An effort to raise Tennessee's smoking age from 18 to 21 has been defeated in the state House.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The sponsor of a proposal to end a Tennessee sales tax exemption for newspapers has removed the bill from consideration for the year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A bill to assign letter grades to public schools in Tennessee is headed to Gov. Bill Haslam's desk.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that he supports giving cities and counties the power to levy their own gas taxes to help pay for transportation needs.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee lawmakers have passed legislation aimed at banning religious "indoctrination" at schools.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A proposal to allow public-private partnerships for transportation projects in Tennessee is advancing in the state Legislature after sponsors said it would no longer apply to highway or bridge construction.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) – Prescription painkillers should not be a first-choice for treating common ailments like back pain and arthritis, according to new federal guidelines designed to reshape how doctors prescribe drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) – A robotics expert is warning against a rush toward widespread deployment of self-driving cars, saying they are "absolutely not" ready.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google is disclosing how much of the traffic to its search engine and other services is being protected from hackers as part of its push to encrypt all online activity.