VOL. 132 | NO. 192 | Wednesday, September 27, 2017
For almost two years, the exposed five-story frame of the former Benchmark Hotel in Downtown Memphis stood in somber contrast to the vibrant landmarks, such as the Peabody Hotel and AutoZone Park it shares the corner of Union Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard with.
Shelby County commissioners again delayed passage Monday, Sept. 25, of a resolution that would allow the city of Memphis to use surplus hotel-motel tax revenue for Memphis Cook Convention Center renovations.
Memphis making strides in increasing transit options, stakeholders say
Memphis’ desire to land Amazon’s multibillion-dollar second headquarters faces several headwinds. While many critics have pointed to the city’s insufficient labor pool and lack of direct flights to the West Coast as the most likely deal breakers, Memphis lags behind many of the consensus top contenders in another area: connectivity.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee says he will not seek re-election.
The Memphis Grizzlies recently held a small reception at FedExForum to show off improvements, and the biggest one – literally – was a new video board hanging over the court that offers four times the amount of display space as the previous scoreboard.
And with a brief, carefully-worded written statement Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Senator Bob Corker has blown up the forming-2018 race for the Senate seat he will give up at the end of 2018 and that probably applies to the 2018 race for Tennessee Governor. That’s even if Corker doesn’t follow Tuesday’s announcement by getting into the race for Governor at some point. Corker said nothing about what is next beyond his remaining time in office.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed attorney David M. Rudolph as the newest Shelby County Circuit Court Judge.
Ahead of an increasingly tentative vote on the latest Republican health care proposal in the U.S. Senate, about 100 critics of the Graham-Cassidy bill rallied Downtown Monday, Sept. 25, to call for U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to vote against the proposal.
Dr. Mark Hatley, a pediatric oncologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is on the front lines of trying to change the fact that almost 2,000 children die of cancer each year in the U.S.
On the way to a comprehensive city development and land use plan by 2019, those putting together the plan have heard one priority from citizens over and over: better public transportation.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Latoria Taylor has been named vice president of development for Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South. She oversees all fundraising and marketing efforts for the nonprofit, which is dedicated to teaching children “how business works” and inspiring them to own their economic success.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Have you ever received a call from a headhunter or recruiter out of the blue? Sometimes, they’ll call your work phone and leave a voicemail you weren’t expecting. They’re recruiting for a new position. It’s one you haven’t heard about, but they want to speak to you. You don’t know how they got your name or phone number. The recruiter says, “I have a new position I’m trying to fill. I wanted to reach out to see if you know anyone who might be interested.”
By 2019, mobile ad spending will likely represent 72 percent of total U.S. digital spending (source: eMarketer). In 2016, mobile became the primary type of device used to access websites. That’s a huge milestone and the reason properly optimizing your website for mobile users is a critical brand priority. It can create a highly coveted competitive advantage.
MEMPHIS AREA
WASHINGTON (AP) – A man arrested near the White House Sunday morning is a former Memphis police officer who had an arsenal of weapons in his car and believed the CIA had implanted a chip in his head, according to court documents.
STATEWIDE
FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (AP) – Authorities say police in Tennessee fatally shot a man who drew a gun on officers.
REGIONAL NEWS
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas has filed an emergency motion to stay a circuit court ruling that ordered the state prison system to disclose labels that will identify the maker of a lethal injection drug.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) – Equifax CEO Richard Smith stepped down Tuesday, less than three weeks after the credit reporting agency disclosed a damaging hack to its computer system that exposed highly sensitive information for about 143 million Americans.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Lots of pop songs have hooks. This one has loops, too. Velcro Cos. this week released a music video with a message it hopes will stick as well as its products: "Don't Say Velcro."
LEGAL AFFAIRS
NEW YORK (AP) – In one of the biggest crackdowns on the corrupting role of money in college basketball, 10 men – including a top Adidas executive and four assistant coaches – were charged Tuesday with using bribes to influence star athletes' choice of schools, shoe sponsors, agents, financial advisers, even tailors.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump vowed to deliver on a major tax cut for middle-class Americans on Tuesday as the White House and congressional leaders prepared to release details on a tax overhaul proposal that would slash the corporate rate and simplify the nation's tax code.
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. senators from both parties on Tuesday grilled the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission – the agency responsible for policing Wall Street – on its handling of a 2016 data breach that was disclosed only last week.
US ECONOMY
CLEVELAND (AP) – Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen acknowledged Tuesday that the Fed is puzzled by the persistence of unusually low inflation and that it might have to adjust the timing of its interest rate policies accordingly.
WASHINGTON (AP) – American consumers feel a bit less confident this month, their spirits pulled down by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.