VOL. TMN-10 | NO. 32 | Saturday, August 5, 2017
What started as a way to save a little money on utilities has become a green brigade at the Shelby County Division of Corrections
Four years ago, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell was in Knoxville for a college football game. But with several hours before kickoff, he took a side trip to view the green initiatives at the Knox County Jail.
EDITORIAL
A life is a natural resource, more valuable than the resources being conserved at the Shelby County Corrections Center to great effect. So, with inmate levels at the corrections center currently at a relatively low level, we think there is another kind of opportunity for the aging prison.
SPECIAL REPORT
Industry experts searching for answers to stem dicamba dilemma
David Ciarloni plants about 140 acres of soybeans on his 925-acre farm that straddles Shelby and Fayette counties. Those acres of beans are safe right now, but Ciarloni, who took over the family farm after his father recently retired, worries about a recent phenomenon that’s being called “dicamba drift.”
The new chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party is Corey Strong, an attorney and special projects director for Shelby County Schools.
Memphis Light Gas and Water Division president Jerry Collins will retire as president and CEO of the utility company effective Dec. 19, Collins announced Friday, Aug. 4.
On-demand grocery delivery service Instacart is expanding into the Memphis area, offering same-day deliveries from retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Costco, CVS, Petco and Kroger in as little as an hour.
THE MEMPHIS NEWS ALMANAC
1927: Sears Crosstown opens. The catalog order plant and retail store is 53,000 square feet of retail that can process 45,000 orders a day in its catalog center. More than 1,000 people work at the store. Memphis Mayor Rowlett Paine cuts a red ribbon at the North Watkins entrance.
HEALTH CARE
Getting invited to make a presentation at the White House last fall as part of a meeting on drug addiction turned into an epiphany of sorts for Dr. David Stern.
Sinead Miller is the kind of entrepreneur that stakeholders in Memphis’ business ecosystem are hungry to see more of.
EDUCATION
The school year for most students in Shelby County begins Monday, Aug. 7. But teachers and school administrators mentally remain at least a few weeks ahead, if not more – a permanent condition for educators.
Lakeland’s new middle school already has some trophies in its trophy case from summer cheerleading competitions.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
About two weeks after unveiling a concept plan for Memphis riverfront development, Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration has reactivated a dormant city move to redevelop the Mid-South Fairgrounds.
If Binghampton can get a proposal for tax increment financing (TIF) approved by the end of the year, it would mean an immediate $332,000 in capital and an estimated $26 million over the 30-year life of the TIF zone to sustain and further grow commercial and residential development in the area.
REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT
A development group wants to breathe new life into the former Wonder Bread plant that used to fill the Memphis Medical District with the smell of fresh bread before it closed in 2013.
The Charleston, a 284-unit apartment community on the east side of Houston Levee Road just south of U.S. 64, has sold for $27.9 million, marking a new chapter for a property that was built just last year.
The path to preservation status for two Midtown neighborhoods has been cleared by the Memphis Landmarks Commission.
Memphis-based First Alliance Bank has signed a 10-year lease to relocate its Poplar Avenue branch into the recently remodeled Clark Tower office building. -
Memphis-based First Alliance Bank has signed a 10-year lease to relocate its Poplar Avenue branch into the recently remodeled Clark Tower office building.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
For Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, the workday starts around 10 in the morning, when he arrives at Royal Studios to start miking up the drums. He’ll spend the next few hours getting the rest of the instruments set up and “dialing in sounds,” all the technical work that has to be done before the acts and artists show up at Royal and start running through their songs.
They get to play in an orchestra next to world-class musicians. They will have mentors and be mentors for children in the Shelby County Schools system. During their 10-month fellowship, they are paid a stipend and housing is provided at artist friendly Crosstown Concourse.
MEDIA
Eric Barnes, publisher and CEO of The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc., has become the next president of the Tennessee Press Association, the trade association for the state’s newspapers.
The Daily News recently earned six awards, including two first-place wins, at the Tennessee Press Association’s 2017 newspaper contest, co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza has blazed quite a trail over the past five years by growing to five Memphis-area locations, and now co-owners Chad Foreman and Kirk Cotham are turning their sights toward expansion through the southeastern U.S.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Ricky E. Wilkins says he’s not upset about his 2014 loss in the Democratic congressional primary. He calls his loss to incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen “an education.”
Shelby County commissioners called on a charter school that planned to open in Memphis but instead wants to set up shop in Bartlett to stick by its original plan or put off opening Gateway University Charter School next week.
CORPORATE NEWS
Memphis Grizzlies majority owner Robert Pera is having a good week.
The new CEO of ServiceMaster Global Holdings Inc. said his first priority at the helm of the Memphis-based domestic and commercial services provider is to fix the company’s Terminix division.
Memphis-based self-storage financing company Jernigan Capital Inc. has “had an outstanding first half of 2017.” That’s according to its namesake chairman and CEO Dean Jernigan.
RETAIL
East Memphis residents now have a new option for getting rid of unneeded kids’ clothing, toys and other equipment as retailer Once Upon A Child recently opened its doors at 6100 Primacy Parkway near St. Francis Hospital-Memphis.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
During David Waddell’s yearly “State of the Union” presentation to clients gathered earlier this year at Shelby Farms’ FedEx Event Center, “winning” and “economic growth” were the themes.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Sarah Henning has been promoted to director of population health programs at HealthChoice. Henning previously served as manager of the department. In her new role, Henning is responsible for designing, implementing and managing population health and wellness initiatives and programs for the HealthChoice network.
SPORTS
Wide receiver Anthony Miller is holding a football, says he just picked it up in the equipment room. Which is a little surprising because the usual way a football gets in Miller’s hands is for quarterback Riley Ferguson to throw it to him.
The old adage holds that if you have two quarterbacks you really have none. Are you listening, Butch Jones?
The NFL can be a cold and cruel business. In such a high-risk business, one injury or a sudden drop in production can put a player’s very livelihood in jeopardy. NFL, in such situations, really can mean “Not For Long.”
Riley Ferguson stands with American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco.
Admit it: If you first saw news of a Lawson suspended at the University of Kansas, you assumed it would be K.J. It was K.J, after all, who exited the University of Memphis giving coach Tubby Smith double-bird via social media, saying inappropriate things, and let’s not forget this: playing with a selfishness on the court that could make you wince.
Barry Odom’s first season as coach at Missouri did not go like he envisioned. A former defensive coordinator at the University of Memphis (2012-2014), Odom’s first Missouri team led the SEC in total offense last season (500.5 yards per game) while finishing last in total defense (479.7 ypg).
Growing up, guard Kareem Brewton remembers watching the University of Memphis play via a small television in his kitchen. Well, actually, he doesn’t recall much about John Calipari’s team – that those Tigers could play lockdown defense was news to him – but he remembered how dazzled he was by Derrick Rose.
SNAPSHOT
Memphis Police Department director Michael Rallings speaks Tuesday, Aug. 1, with an attendee at National Night Out, an event for citizens to meet local law enforcement officers and voice their concerns about crime.
VIEW FROM THE HILL
Bryan Rippy, 38, chuckles when he says he’s in the prime of his life. But sharpening his skills is no laughing matter, and he understands the importance of raising his value in the job market.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
“WHAT TRUMP COULD HAVE SAID.” After Trump’s narcissistic impolitic/political rant/speech at the Boy Scout National Jamboree, I didn’t know what to say. But when my daughter sent me an opinion piece from LNP in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I realized it had already been said.
Ray’s Take: Training to run a marathon and creating a financial plan have a lot in common if you’re going to succeed. An overall plan includes short-term and long-term goals and the ability to stick to the plan through thick and thin. No pain, no gain. Right? And that applies to money as well as running.
Cities have to be in a constant state of problem solving in today’s world, especially when you consider that the shelf life of leading industries is shortening in dramatic fashion. Consider that it took 55 years for the automobile to spread to a quarter of the country, 35 years for the telephone, 22 years for the radio, 16 years for the personal computer, 13 years for the cellphone, and only seven years for the internet.
Provence conjures images of great food and wine, fields of lavender, Rhone Valley vineyards and ancient hillside villages, all tucked into an unforgettable romantic package.
In the past week, two interesting things have happened. First, I was asked the question, “What advice would you give your younger self?” Then, I attended my high school reunion. Walking through the old halls of my high school brought back memories of where it all started. Needless to say, both moments made me think about the past and what advice I would give a young person today.
We tell ourselves that the use of clever, intentional phrasing designed to encapsulate thoughts as succinctly as possible is the perfect method for communicating with our audience. But are we telling ourselves the truth?
Editor’s note: This column is the third in a three-part series. If you are struggling to decide if being an entrepreneur versus a person who prefers a corporation or organization, ask yourself this question: Why do you work?
Nonprofits play a critical role across the Mid-South. They represent, serve and advocate for a great diversity of individuals, families and causes. They improve the quality of life, generate innovations, and give voice to the challenges unseen and needs still unmet. They are joined in this work by foundations and corporations who provide money, resources, connections and technical assistance.