VOL. 131 | NO. 58 | Tuesday, March 22, 2016
The de-annexation bill pending in the Tennessee Legislature was sent back to a Senate committee in Nashville Monday, March 21, after those favoring the bill raised numerous questions about amendments to it.
Stephanie Singley’s Collierville-based home interior and design accessories shop Bella Vita is celebrating its 15th year in business with a good problem to have.
The major violent crime rate in Shelby County over the first two months of 2016 was up 24.5 percent compared to the first two months of 2015 and up 22.2 percent over the same period in the city of Memphis.
EMPHASIS Economic Development

EDGE tables action on chamber’s incentives plan for minority- and women-owned businesses
The role of the private and public sectors in growing minority wealth came to a head at the March 16 board meeting of the Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine.
The medical device industry fuels Memphis’ backbone. With a $2.6 billion local economic impact and nearly 17,000 direct and indirect jobs, original equipment manufacturers like Smith & Nephew, Wright Medical Group, Medtronic Spinal & Biologistics and Microport Orthopedics have made the Memphis area their base for products and medical devices.
So those who support the general concept of de-annexation in the Tennessee state Senate were the most vocal Monday in sending the proposal back to committee for a more intense examination.

Imagine a company coming to Memphis promising to add $140 million annually into the local payroll. This company was not asking for tax breaks or free rent, just the opportunity to come to Shelby County and pump this money into our economy and pay taxes.
Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis CEO David Archer is preparing to leave the hospital in May after 19 years, a departure that will also cap a 30-year career with Saint Francis’ owner, Tenet Healthcare Corp.
When historian Stephen V. Ash went looking for source material on that most difficult of events to piece back together – three days of mob violence in a 19th century Southern city – he expected a challenge.
SPORTS

The University of Memphis decided to go into the next college basketball season with Josh Pastner returning for an eighth year as the Tigers’ coach, per the announcement released by university present M. David Rudd late last week.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
I love the quote by the poet Muriel Rukeyser that says, “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Humans live for stories. We learn from stories at home, school, from friends and also very compellingly at work.
Grant funds are a major source of revenue for many nonprofits. Grant awards are heralded with public fanfare. Gaining – or losing – a grant can have critical implications. Is the grant management process at your organization as proactive as it could be? Consider these two groups of questions as you review your process.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Leading Senate Republicans are discussing plans to make Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge the new lieutenant governor.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Activists who want the state Legislature to expand Medicaid benefits to Tennesseans who lack health coverage are turning up the heat on House Speaker Beth Harwell.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A report released by the state of Tennessee suggests that up to 1.4 million people are at risk of losing their jobs to automation.
REGIONAL NEWS
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Booming Gulf Coast casino revenues continue to buoy Mississippi's statewide totals.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – More than 40 millionaires, including members of the Rockefeller and Disney families, are asking to have their taxes raised to help address poverty and rebuild failing infrastructure.
TECHNOLOGY
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) – Apple unveiled a small new iPhone, a new iPad tablet for business use and price cuts for its Apple Watch at a product event Monday. The announcements, which were largely expected, aim to keep up the company's commercial momentum in the face of mounting challenges.
NEW YORK (AP) – Happy birthday, Twitter. The social media site famous for hashtags and a 140-character "tweet" limit turned 10 years old Monday, having evolved from what was originally billed as a "microblogging" site into one of the Internet's most influential means of communication.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS