First Horizon National Corp. has named Dawn Morris executive vice president, chief digital banking and marketing officer.

2. County Mayor-Elect Harris Starts Transition to Office - Saturday, August 18, 2018

Shelby County Mayor-elect Lee Harris told 35 members of his transition team that they will probably continue working through the end of October, two months after he takes office as mayor.

3. County Mayor-Elect Harris Starts Transition to Office - Thursday, August 16, 2018

Shelby County Mayor-elect Lee Harris told 35 members of his transition team that they will probably continue working through the end of October, two months after he takes office as mayor.

4. Last Word: Hotel on the Mall, The Twist in Council Day and Rallings on Surveillance - Wednesday, August 15, 2018

At this point, the second convention center hotel is a bit like the Pyramid was at one point. Before the first dirt was turned on the Pyramid in the late 1980s, there was the discussion about where it should go and there were a lot of ideas on that covering a lot of territory – so much so that then-Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris had a model of a pretty generic looking Pyramid on his desk that had some lego wheels attached to it.

5. Commercial Appeal, Amazon Eying New Locations - Monday, August 6, 2018

262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105

Permit Amount: $412 million

Project Cost: $330 million

6. Election Verdict - Thursday, August 2, 2018

A week into the early voting period, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen was quizzing Democratic nominee for Shelby County mayor Lee Harris about the path of Harris’ campaign to election day. The race between Harris and Republican nominee David Lenoir was already getting dicey, with Lenoir’s attacks on Harris continuing at their debates and moving into mailers, including a controversial mailer featuring a picture of Harris that was noticeably darker than Harris is in real life.

7. Southwind LA Fitness Sold for $10.7 Million - Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Phoenix-based VEREIT Inc. purchased the LA Fitness at 7630 Polo Grounds Blvd. on July 30 from Barclay Holdings XII LLC for $10.7 million, according to the Shelby County Register of Deeds.

8. Students Write Bill to Open Civil Rights Files - Monday, July 16, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Doug Jones introduced a bill this month that would clear the way to open records from civil rights cold cases – a bill written by high school students.

9. Last Word: Bird Is The Word, Governors Quartet and Charlie Morris's Secret - Friday, June 15, 2018

Former Vice President Joe Biden plays the Orpheum Friday evening. Maybe that isn't the right way to put it -- unless there's a drum solo no one is talking about. Free Bird?

I'll take it as further evidence of the new American politics that is evolving and is far from settled at this point. Politicians do paid speaking gigs all the time. And at times it is controversial. But the gigs are usually some kind of speaking fee to make remarks at a corporate function -- not selling individual tickets on line. This is ostensibly to promote Biden's new book and book deals and politicians go way back. But in a lot of cases, those are free events in a book store. When Biden was last here, it was as vice president at the Norfolk Southern intermodal rail yard in Rossville.

10. Morris' Secret Helped Pass Civil Rights Cold Case Laws - Friday, June 15, 2018

Charlie Morris was known for decades as a political operative who defined a brand of grassroots-style campaigning and political involvement in North Memphis. He and his late wife, Alma, operating out of a barber shop in a Quonset hut off Chelsea Avenue, endorsed candidates and worked for them at the polls – going door-to-door in their neighborhood in what was the most basic kind of political organizing.

11. City Turns 22 Major Streets Back Over to TDOT - Thursday, June 14, 2018

A decades-long contract under which the city of Memphis maintains 22 state routes or highways on behalf of the state of Tennessee is coming to an end.

City leaders announced Wednesday, June 13, they will not renew the agreement with the state when it runs out June 30. Under the terms of the contract, the city fills potholes, removes trash, performs drainage maintenance, cuts grass in medians and rights of way, and treat roads in snow and ice on nearly two dozen of the city’s major thoroughfares.

12. Former MLGW Head Morris Joins Friends of the Earth - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Attorney and former Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division president Herman Morris has joined the environmental group Friends of the Earth as an adviser.

13. Digest - Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Memphis Grizzlies Suffer 15th Consecutive Loss

The Grizzlies lost their 15th straight game, 119-110 at Chicago, on Wednesday, March 7.

The team has not won since defeating the Phoenix Suns at FedExForum on Jan. 29.

14. Last Word: Corker at Lincoln Day, Pre K Trouble and Rye at the Orpheum - Monday, February 26, 2018

The National Weather Service was out Sunday surveying damage from storm damage Saturday evening in eight areas of northwest Tennessee and northeast Arkansas as those communities began recovering from the damage of what appears to be at least one tornado. The areas hit are: Trenton, Tennessee; Weakley County northeast of Martin; Madison County, 5 miles northeast of Jackson; Dresden to northeast of Paris; the Union City and South Fulton areas; and Clay County, Arkansas into the Missouri bootheel.

15. Big Tobacco's Anti-Smoking Ads Begin After Decade of Delay - Wednesday, November 22, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) – Decades after they were banned from the airwaves, Big Tobacco companies return to prime-time television this weekend – but not by choice.

Under court order, the tobacco industry for the first time will be forced to advertise the deadly, addictive effects of smoking, more than 11 years after a judge ruled that the companies had misled the public about the dangers of cigarettes.

16. Goodin Joins Hagwood Adelman As Memphis Managing Attorney - Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Michael T. Goodin has joined Hagwood Adelman Tipton PC as managing attorney of the Memphis office. In that role, he provides legal services to HAT’s clients in matters such as medical malpractice and senior housing litigation for health care providers along the continuum of care, including skilled nursing, assisted living, behavioral health, home health and hospice litigation. In addition, he assists in supervising the attorney and paraprofessional teams.

17. The Week Ahead: Oct. 16-22 - Monday, October 16, 2017

Hey, Memphis! Fall is definitely in the air now, as the slate of festivals and fun outdoor activities continue to roll on in the Bluff City. The Memphis Grizzlies open their 2017-2018 season at FedExForum against Tony Allen’s new team and don’t be surprised if you start seeing some ghosts and goblins by this weekend.

18. Southeast Shelby County Apartments Sell for $56M - Friday, September 15, 2017

Preserve at Forest Creek, a sprawling southeast Shelby County apartment complex, has switched hands for more than $56 million.

In the deal, Blackstone, a New York City investment firm doing business as BRE Piper MF Forest Creek TN, sold the roughly 36-acre property to Columbus, Ohio-based investment management firm Coastal Ridge Real Estate doing business as PFC Memphis Borrowers for $56.6 million, according to a warranty deed filed on Sept. 14 with the Shelby County Register of Deeds.

19. State Panel Sheds New Light on Racial Atrocities - Thursday, August 24, 2017

State Rep. Johnnie Turner has seen what can happen when old wounds are never allowed to heal.

She’s seen it most recently in clashes between neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen and white supremacists and those who resisted their hatred in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counter-protester was killed and 19 were injured when a car was intentionally driven into a group of counter protesters. Two state troopers also died in a helicopter crash that weekend.

20. King’s Daughter Among Freedom Award Recipients - Saturday, August 19, 2017

The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center and a groundbreaking South African jazz trumpeter and composer are the recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual Freedom Awards.

21. Last Word: Night in the Park, Hattiloo Goes Bigger & Cohen on the Republican Soul - Tuesday, August 15, 2017

A gathering in Health Science Park a little before 11:30 Monday evening by a group of protesters who Facebooked that their intent was to take down the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Memphis Police showed up quickly and the police supervisor told those around the statue that the park is a private park and that no one can be in the park after 8 p.m. No arrests but the police did ask for identification from those in the park.

22. Last Word: The List Lawsuit, Charlie Morris on 1939 and New Rules for Democrats - Thursday, July 6, 2017

This looks like the end of Grit ‘n’ Grind as we wait for the other shoe to drop following Zach Randolph’s exit from the Grizzlies to Sacramento. There were a lot of rumors Wednesday, the day after Randolph’s $24 million free agency deal, including some about Marc Gasol and the Celtics. And then Tony Allen dropped a Grizz reference from his Twitter account causing even more speculation.

23. Morris Recalls Brother’s Violent Death and Rage - Thursday, July 6, 2017

“Actually, the truth has never been told,” Charlie Morris said this week as he talked about the violent death of his brother 78 years ago in Arlington. Morris, now 96 years old, had family and friends gathered around him at the Memphis Branch NAACP headquarters Monday, July 3, as he marked the new state law that could reopen the investigation into the death of Jessie Lee Bond and other cold cases from the long arc of the civil rights movement.

24. Last Word: Harold Ford Jr. on Change, Tourism Turns a Corner and Sim at UTHSC - Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Very different outlooks along party lines still in our delegation to Washington over the Senate’s version of Trumpcare.

On the day the Congressional Budget Office estimated the proposal would end health insurance coverage for 22 million Americans, Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s reaction:

25. Tennessee Weighs Commission to Examine Jim Crow Brutality - Tuesday, June 27, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Charlie Morris vividly recalls his brother's murder.

Jesse Lee Bond was a sharecropper in Shelby County. Suspicious because his harvests never seemed to cover his debts, in the spring of 1939, Bond asked the local general store for a receipt of his seed purchases.

26. Haslam Scheduled to Sign Civil Rights Cold-Case Bill - Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to sign into law Wednesday, June 21, a bill to investigate unsolved murders from the civil rights era. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Johnnie Turner, a Memphis Democrat, and will create a special joint legislative committee specifically to look into unsolved civil rights crimes and cold cases.

27. Clark Tower Wraps Up $8 Million Renovation - Thursday, May 11, 2017

Commercial real estate firm Colliers International has announced the owner of Clark Tower, In-Rel Properties, has finished an $8 million renovation of the iconic East Memphis office building. Details on that and other top deals in this week's Real Estate Recap...

28. Last Word: Basketball Capitol, Gang Fight in Southwest Memphis and Moving Polk - Monday, March 27, 2017

There is something to be said for hosting a round of the NCAA’s March Madness without having a team in the playoffs. Much to be said against it. But after a weekend of what I think most of us here will call the most compelling of the regionals featured prominently on national television, you really can find very little to complain about. It might even have rekindled the intensity of our civic love of basketball.

29. Political Past, Present Meet as Wharton’s Portrait Joins Hall of Mayors - Friday, March 24, 2017

When A C Wharton Jr. was Memphis mayor, his relationship with the Memphis City Council wasn’t always good. And it would usually get worse whenever he’d call a press conference in the Hall of Mayors on a Tuesday the council was meeting. Some council members thought it was to draw attention from them.

30. Impasse Compromise Wins Council Approval, Union Acceptance - Wednesday, March 22, 2017

No more lottery balls for the Memphis City Council in the spring. The council approved Tuesday, March 21, an overhaul of the city’s impasse procedures – the rules for the council settling stalled contract talks between the city’s municipal unions and the city administration.

31. Last Word: Binghampton Gateway, Beale's Baggage and SoundStage Memphis - Thursday, February 23, 2017

You’ve seen stories here about how difficult it can be to assemble land and financing for a hotel project. Supermarkets have proven much more difficult to pull off at least in Memphis where food deserts are a problem in several parts of town.

32. Last Word: How Do You Get On The List, Sedgwick & Thornwood and Musicals - Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Monday was Presidents Day and thus a holiday at City Hall. But for the occupant on City Hall’s top floor it was anything but a holiday. The list Memphis Police made for who has to have a uniformed police officer next to them to go anywhere in City Hall is turning into a controversy over possible surveillance of citizens participating in the last year or so of protests around the city.

33. Culinary Medicine Takes Center Stage - Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Church Health is ramping up its culinary medicine efforts as it prepares to move to Crosstown Concourse in the coming weeks, efforts that include forming an advisory board to help spread the word about culinary medicine in Memphis.

34. Robinson Takes on Dual Roles At Campbell Clinic - Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Dr. James Robinson recently joined Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics in two roles: as the lead physician for the clinic’s new daytime walk-in program and as a sports medicine family practice doctor treating sports injuries for young athletes and weekend warriors.
The walk-in clinics are offered at all five Campbell Clinic locations, and Robinson staffs the program in the Germantown office. 

35. Last Word: The Elvis Tradition, Cordova Brewery and Parkside Path - Monday, January 9, 2017

For about three decades now, there has been a cultural and political tradition around the birthday of Elvis Presley. It used to be a proclamation by the Shelby County Mayor and the Memphis Mayor on the steps of Graceland with a birthday cake.

36. Convention Center Hotel Plan Hinges on Financing - Friday, January 6, 2017

For years the Memphis convention and tourism industry has known which comes first in the chicken-and-egg argument about drawing more convention business. More hotel rooms with meeting space take top priority in an environment where there is just enough political will for a $60 million renovation of the Memphis Cook Convention Center but not enough to build and finance a new convention center.

37. St. Benedict Achieves AP Capstone Status - Saturday, December 17, 2016

St. Benedict at Auburndale High School will be offering Advance Placement seminar and research courses at the start of the next school year and will award AP Capstone Diplomas as part of the program.

38. St. Benedict Achieves AP Capstone Status - Monday, December 12, 2016

St. Benedict at Auburndale High School will be offering Advance Placement seminar and research courses at the start of the next school year and will award AP Capstone Diplomas as part of the program.

39. December 9-15, 2016: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, December 10, 2016

1986: Foreclosure proceedings are underway for the Downtown Radisson on the southeast corner of Third Street and Union Avenue. The $25 million, 284-room hotel had just opened the previous June after a renovation that incorporated the old eight-story Tennessee Hotel facing Third into a new 11-story tower east of that. The Radisson is the second Downtown hotel to have financial difficulties since the start of 1986. Chattanooga developer Franklin Haney had defaulted on interest payments for the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, the hotel connected to the Memphis Cook Convention Center, prompting a refinancing of the deal.

40. Trader Joe’s Developer Seeks $2.5M Permit - Thursday, December 8, 2016

2130 Exeter Road, Germantown, TN 38138 • Permit Amount: $2.5 million 

Future Tenant: Trader Joe’s 

Developer: CAP Germantown LLC

41. Developer Withdraws Plan For Collierville Shopping Mall - Wednesday, December 7, 2016

On Nov. 28, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved on first reading a request to rezone approximately 95 acres near South Houston Levee Road and Bill Morris Parkway for a new mall, but just a week later, the potential developer has withdrawn its application.

42. October 7-13, 2016: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, October 8, 2016

2015: City Council member Jim Strickland upsets incumbent Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, taking 42 percent of the vote in the mayor’s race to 20 percent for Wharton. Wharton becomes only the second incumbent mayor to lose a re­election bid in the history of the mayor-council form of government. And Strickland becomes only the second mayor elected from a seat on the council.

43. Last Word: The Grizz Are Back, Bass Pro Shops Buys Cabela's and Stein at Amurica - Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Some of you will remember the late George Lapides, whom I worked with for a time at WREC, had a policy about pre-season baseball games or what he called the “Grapefruit League.” It was that they didn’t exist. He wouldn’t acknowledge the games much less the scores.

44. September 2-8, 2016: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, September 3, 2016

2011: The Shelby County Commission has a list of 100 citizens interested in being appointed to seven positions on what will be a new 23-member countywide school board.
The board, which will serve in the move to a consolidated public school system for all of Shelby County, includes all nine current Memphis City Schools board members and all seven Shelby County Schools board members. Meanwhile, appointments are also being made to the Transition Planning Commission, which will make recommendations on the structure of the schools merger.

45. August 5-11, 2016: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, August 6, 2016

1986: Election day with nonpartisan Shelby County elections the main item of interest for voters. Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris easily wins a third term of office, defeating challengers Robert “Prince Mongo” Hodges and North Memphis political activist Charlie Morris. Incumbent Sheriff Gene Barksdale loses his re-election bid in an upset by Jack Owens, who runs for sheriff from the chairmanship of the Memphis City Council. The election draws a countywide turnout of 34.6 percent.

46. Events - Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Center for Southern Folklore will host Bill Donoghue for a seminar and Q&A titled “Sonny Boy Williamson II: Rock’s Missing Blues Link” on Wednesday, May 4, at 3 p.m. at 119 S. Main St. Following the seminar, co-researcher Jim Basnight will perform Delta-style selections on his 12-string guitar. Cost is free. For reserved seating, email jlpeiser@gmail.com or call 901-525-3655.

47. Spence Wilson To Keynote Dunavant Awards May 11 - Thursday, April 7, 2016

Spence Wilson, chairman of the board of Kemmons Wilson Companies, is the keynote speaker for the annual Bobby Dunavant Public Servant Awards to be held May 11 at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis.

48. City Ready to Develop Master Plan for Pinch District - Monday, April 4, 2016

The Pinch District, one of Memphis’ oldest neighborhoods, is getting its time in the spotlight.

The Downtown Memphis Commission, the city of Memphis Division of Housing & Community Development and the city-county Division of Planning & Development are coming together to develop the Pinch’s first master plan in to bring the area up to date with mixed-use buildings and streetscape improvements.

49. Shelby Farms Conservancy Makes 2 Executive Hires - Saturday, March 12, 2016

Jen Andrews, the longtime development and communications director of the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is the new executive director of the conservancy.

50. Shelby Farms Conservancy Makes 2 Executive Hires - Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Jen Andrews, the longtime development and communications director of the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is the new executive director of the conservancy.

51. Luttrell Could Impact 2 Races - Thursday, February 25, 2016

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell made a few stops between his first thought this month that he might want to run for Congress and going public with those thoughts Tuesday, Feb. 23.

52. Neil Young, Paul Simon, Modest Mouse Top Beale Street Music Fest Lineup - Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Neil Young, Beck, Paul Simon, Train and Modest Mouse are among the headliners for the 2016 Beale Street Music Festival, April 29-May 1, in Tom Lee Park.

53. Harwell: Durham Scandal Won't Affect Gubernatorial Decision - Thursday, February 4, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — House Speaker Beth Harwell said Tuesday that the scandal surrounding a Republican lawmaker who has gone on hiatus amid sexual harassment allegations shouldn't damage her prospects as a serious gubernatorial candidate in Tennessee.

54. 'Undefeated’ Courtney to Speak at Tigers Baseball Banquet - Saturday, January 9, 2016

The University of Memphis baseball program has never been shy about swinging for the fences when booking speakers for its annual Meet the Tigers Banquet. Past speakers include Hall-of-Famer George Brett, best-selling author John Grisham, and pitcher Jim Morris, who inspired the movie “The Rookie.”

55. ‘Undefeated’ Courtney to Speak at Tigers Baseball Banquet - Thursday, January 7, 2016

The University of Memphis baseball program has never been shy about swinging for the fences when booking speakers for its annual Meet the Tigers Banquet. Past speakers include Hall-of-Famer George Brett, best-selling author John Grisham, and pitcher Jim Morris, who inspired the movie “The Rookie.”

56. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 28, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

57. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Monday, November 23, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

58. The Week Ahead: Nov. 9, 2015 - Monday, November 9, 2015

How was your weekend, Memphis? Here’s our weekly rundown of local happenings you need to know about, from revenge on the Warriors to crime reduction through urban planning…

It’s still election season in 70 percent of the city, which sounds like a weather forecast – part warning and part advisory.
But the seven-day outlook calls for an increased chance of political engagement this week. Early voting in the set of five Memphis City Council runoff races continues this week at eight satellite locations as well as the Downtown site, 157 Poplar Ave.
The runoff elections in council districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 will determine the identity of a council that will have at least six, possibly seven new members. Super District council members Philip Spinosa and Martavius Jones, the two confirmed new faces on the council, were elected outright on Oct. 8.

59. Beale Authority Ready To Issue RFP In November - Saturday, October 24, 2015

Members of the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority board voted Thursday, Oct. 15, to put out a request for proposal Nov. 2 seeking a company to manage the district on a day-to-day basis.

The request, which gives applicants a detailed idea of what is involved, is being fine-tuned from a draft reviewed last week.

60. Clinton Campaign Names Tennessee Supporters - Saturday, October 17, 2015

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and outgoing Memphis Mayor A C Wharton are among the Memphis Democrats who have formally joined former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

61. Clinton Campaign Names Tennessee Supporters - Thursday, October 15, 2015

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and outgoing Memphis Mayor A C Wharton are among the Memphis Democrats who have formally joined former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

62. Permanent Replacement Sought for Ousted Ole Miss Chancellor - Monday, October 12, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — College Board trustees begin interviewing candidates next week to find a permanent replacement for a popular chancellor at the University of Mississippi who the board forced out by declining to renew his contract.

63. Morris Retires from Role At Shelby Farms Park - Saturday, October 10, 2015

Laura W. Morris, the executive director of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy for the last five years, is retiring.

Morris announced her retirement Tuesday, Oct. 6, saying the organization needs new leadership now that it has completed a $70 million capital campaign with $15 million in projects within the park complete and open to the public.

64. Morris Retires from Role At Shelby Farms Park - Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Laura W. Morris, the executive director of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy for the last five years, is retiring.

Morris announced her retirement Tuesday, Oct. 6, saying the organization needs new leadership now that it has completed a $70 million capital campaign with $15 million in projects within the park complete and open to the public.

65. Bolding is Only Tennessean to Teach at 2015 NeighborWorks Institute - Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Tim Bolding, executive director of United Housing Inc., is the only Tennessean selected to teach at NeighborWorks America’s 2015 NeighborWorks Training Institute. Bolding has taught coursework at the training institutes, which focus on providing high-quality training to nonprofit housing professionals, for more than 10 years.

66. Early Voting Turnout Up 76 Percent So Far - Saturday, September 26, 2015

Early voting in the 2015 Memphis elections is running ahead of the pace from four years ago but behind the pace from 2007 and the special mayoral election of 2009.

The early voting period in advance of the Oct. 8 election day runs through Saturday, Oct. 3, at 16 locations across the city.

67. Patterson Approved as DMC President - Saturday, September 26, 2015

Terence Patterson is the new president of the Downtown Memphis Commission.

The Downtown Memphis Commission board unanimously approved Patterson’s appointment Thursday, Sept. 24.

68. Terence Patterson Approved as DMC President - Friday, September 25, 2015

Terence Patterson is the new president of the Downtown Memphis Commission.

The Downtown Memphis Commission board unanimously approved Patterson’s appointment Thursday, Sept. 24, just hours before its annual street party, held this year in the South Main Historic Arts District.

69. Memphis Early Voting Turnout Up 76 Percent So Far - Friday, September 25, 2015

Early voting in the 2015 Memphis elections is running ahead of the pace from four years ago but behind the pace from 2007 and the special mayoral election of 2009.

The early voting period in advance of the Oct. 8 election day runs through Saturday, Oct. 3, at 16 locations across the city.

70. Bona Fide - Thursday, September 10, 2015

When the Bona Fide Blues Festival takes a set of stages in Overton Square and the Cooper-Young neighborhood next month, it will mark a return that’s been a long time coming.

But it also will offer something new.

71. Overton Square To Host October Blues Festival - Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Overton Square will host a two-day blues festival in October billed as the first of its kind in the city since 1969.

The Bona Fide Blues Festival on Oct. 2 and 3 is being presented by the Memphis Blues Society and will feature two free outdoor stages in the entertainment district. It also will include blues performances in four Overton Square businesses using $25 wristbands. A $100 VIP wristband includes admission to a party before the two-day festival.

72. Carriage Ride - Monday, August 3, 2015

Carriage Crossing is experiencing strong leasing activity and rising sales numbers as it prepares for multinational clothing retailer H&M to open its first Memphis-area location this month.

In recent months, the Collierville lifestyle center landed the H&M store, which the Swedish retailer says it plans to open Aug. 13, an Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse and a Hickory Tavern restaurant.

73. Building Boom Strains Labor Pool, Supply Chain - Saturday, July 4, 2015

Middle Tennessee’s red-hot construction boom is becoming a victim of its own success. Architects, contractors and everyone in between, including Metro Codes, are up to their necks in work.

It’s a happy time of an industry that also can see long, slow periods of stagnation.

74. 100 N. Main Keeps Power On for Another Month - Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The head of the Downtown Memphis Commission says the skyscraper at 100 N. Main St. suffers from “weak” ownership and that the building would probably be better off with a new, deep-pocketed owner.

75. Pyramid Promises - Thursday, April 30, 2015

It took about 25 years for an elevator ride to reach the top of The Pyramid.

That’s how long several generations of political leaders – three county mayors and three Memphis mayors as well as a changing group of city council members over seven elections – have been seeking a Pyramid with a ride to the apex.

76. Bass Pro Announces Opening Week Lineup - Friday, April 17, 2015

Bass Pro Shops has unveiled the celebrity lineup and schedule for its opening festivities, kicking off with a free Evening for Conservation event Wednesday, April 29, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Here is the press release from Bass Pro:

77. Ford Talks Then And Now Of Politics - Friday, March 27, 2015

Former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. still talks about his early political schedule as a first-time candidate in 1996 speaking to Memphis kindergarten students.

Now he is 45 and has been out of elected office for nearly nine years. Ford is at a point where he can talk about “kids” in the public policy class he teaches at the University of Michigan.

78. Morris to Leave Downtown Memphis Commission - Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Paul Morris will leave his post as president of the Downtown Memphis Commission late this year to become president of his family’s business, Jack Morris Auto Glass.

79. Wharton: Tourism Is Serious Business - Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Sometimes in tourism, it is the little things that count. But “little” is relative. Consider the digital LED display screen on the west wall of the Memphis Cook Convention Center – big enough to be seen by eastbound traffic on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge – which local leaders debuted this month after three years of planning.

80. Size of Mayoral Field Shadows Race - Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Nobody running for election on the Oct. 8 ballot can even pull a qualifying petition to get on the ballot until April, yet February is shaping up as the month when it is determined what kind of challenge and how many challengers incumbent Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will face.

81. Tennessee’s Health Problem - Saturday, January 10, 2015

For years, the concept of “wellness” or “preventive health” measures has been the “eat your vegetables” mantra of a growing national discussion on health care that has focused primarily on the cost of such care and who should pay for it or try to control it.

82. Health Leaders: Improvement Possible - Thursday, December 18, 2014

Tennessee’s place in the 2014 America’s Health Rankings makes one thing very clear: There’s a lot of room for improvement.

Tennessee ranked 42nd among all states in the annual analysis of the health of the nation conducted by UnitedHealth Foundation.

83. Ban Sought on Children Working on Tobacco Farms - Wednesday, September 24, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thirty-five House Democrats are urging the Obama administration to prohibit children from working on tobacco farms, citing concerns about ill health effects.

The lawmakers, led by Reps. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., made their plea in a letter to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

84. July 18-24: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, July 19, 2014

2003: Hurricane Elvis, a storm featuring straight line winds that damaged more than 300,000 homes and cut power to 750,000 households in Shelby County. Seven people died as a direct or indirect result of the storm and property damage was estimated at more than $500 million.
Approximately 1,000 utility poles were snapped in the storm that clocked a top wind speed of 102 miles an hour Downtown. Three-fourths of the traffic signals in Shelby County were out or malfunctioning and the Northwest Airlines hub at Memphis International Airport closed.

85. ‘Significant Headwinds’ - Saturday, July 5, 2014

When Gov. Bill Haslam joined local economic development and civic officials at FedExForum in January to announce that Conduit Global would open a call center in Shelby County that would employ 1,000 people over the next three to five years, it provided a much-needed boost to the local office real estate sector.

86. Local Connection - Friday, June 6, 2014

When The Chinese Connection Dub Embassy takes the stage in Handy Park on Beale Street Friday, June 6, the band’s reggae beat and style will be something new for a park that has seen everything from church choirs to jug bands to blues bands playing “Mustang Sally” and similar hits for tourists.

87. Across the River - Saturday, May 3, 2014

The Arkansas land between the bridges across the Mississippi River at Memphis doesn’t have a name, at least not yet.

If graffiti is any indication, lots of people go there. And they cross numerous boundaries on dirt and gravel roads and paths that can end abruptly and are posted with “no trespassing” signs and other warnings as well as railroad video cameras.

88. Harris Files Ford Challenge at Deadline - Thursday, April 3, 2014

Memphis City Council member Lee Harris is challenging Democratic state Sen. Ophelia Ford in the August primary for District 29, the Senate seat held by a member of the Ford family since 1975.

89. Beale Street Music Festival Lineup Announced - Thursday, February 27, 2014

The bill for the three-day Memphis in May Beale Street Music this year features a new night of late night dance music from a stage in Tom Lee Park and a 69-act lineup in which Memphis artists are nearly a third of the diverse set of performers.

90. Tour Shows Work Progressing in Pyramid - Thursday, February 20, 2014

The opening date for Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid is still tentative.

But it appears to now be in December depending on who you talked with this week as the outdoors retailer offered a look inside The Pyramid.

91. Council Tours Pyramid, Weighs City Offices In Two Malls - Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Memphis City Council members heard Tuesday, Feb. 18, that the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. wants to move some city government offices into the Soulsville Town Center in South Memphis and is weighing whether to renovate or tear down and build anew on the site of the Southbrook Mall in Whitehaven.

92. Luttrell Begins Re-Election Bid for Mayor - Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell made it official Tuesday, Feb. 11, filing his qualifying petition with the Shelby County Election Commission to run for a second term of office.

93. Smaller Manufacturers Feel Device Tax - Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Controversy continues to swirl around the new medical device excise tax that went into effect on Jan. 1.

The flat 2.3 percent tax is applied to every dollar of sales for medical device manufacturers, and for many small- to mid-sized companies the tax is crippling their ability to grow and invest much needed funds into other areas like research and development, sales and marketing, and hiring additional staff.

94. Local Health Care Changes Limited So Far, Doctors Say - Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Oct. 1 start of enrollment in health care exchanges may be the most visible part of the Affordable Care Act so far.

But changes to insurance and health care nationally already are about something other than lowering health care costs or widening access to health care and health insurance coverage.

95. Intermodal Conference to Tackle Freight Issues - Friday, September 20, 2013

The Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute at the University of Memphis will host its seventh annual Intermodal Freight Conference at the FedEx Institute of Technology on the University of Memphis campus Tuesday, Sept. 24.

96. August 23-August 29, 2013: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, August 24, 2013

2012: Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell vetoed a referendum on a half-cent countywide sales tax hike and the Shelby County Commission overrode the veto putting the item to voters in the city of Memphis and the unincorporated county on the Nov. 6 ballot. Voters defeated the sales tax hike.

97. August 2-8, 2013: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, August 3, 2013

1993: Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris kicked off his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1994 with a series of press conferences in each of the state’s major cities, starting with Memphis.

98. State Delays Office Lease Announcement - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Groups hoping to garner the state’s real estate needs Downtown will have to wait a little longer to find out if they placed the winning bid.

The state had originally planned to issue a notice of awarding the lease for its office space needs Tuesday, July 23, but that date has been changed to Aug. 19, when the executive subcommittee of the State Building Commission meets.

99. Downtown Offices Gain Attention - Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The Downtown Memphis Commission focuses on living, working and playing Downtown.

Downtown has experienced tremendous success in the living and playing areas over the years, but the “work” part of the equation still needed a boost. So Downtown officials have launched several efforts to bring more workers to the area and promote and capitalize on existing commercial real estate successes.

100. Five Groups Bid for State Office Space - Monday, July 8, 2013

Five groups have submitted bids to become the new home to roughly 900 state workers.

JP-Memphis, Memphis Commerce Square Partners, Peabody Tower GP, Peabody Place Gold GP and Hertz Memphis all submitted bids for the state’s real estate needs.