WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.

2. Governors to Trump, Congress: Do More to Solve Opioid Crisis - Friday, January 19, 2018

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) – Less than three months after President Donald Trump declared the U.S. opioid crisis a public health emergency, the nation's governors are calling on his administration and Congress to provide more money and coordination for the fight against the drugs, which are killing more than 90 Americans a day.

3. Trump Opioid Panel Wants Drug Courts, Training for Doctors - Thursday, November 2, 2017

President Donald Trump's commission on the opioid crisis is calling for more drug courts, more training for doctors and penalties for insurers that dodge covering addiction treatment.

The recommendations announced Wednesday stopped short, however, of calling for new dollars to address what Trump has called the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Instead, the panel calls for giving the White House drug czar's office the ability to review federal spending on the problem.

4. Trump Declares Opioids a Public Health Emergency - Friday, October 27, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — In ringing and personal terms, President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged to "overcome addiction in America," declaring the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency and announcing new steps to combat what he described as the worst drug crisis in U.S. history.

5. Low-Key FBI Director Pick Would Lead Agency Through Tumult - Tuesday, July 11, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) – The attorney selected to replace James Comey as FBI director is described by those close to him as admirably low-key, yet he'd be taking over the law enforcement agency at a moment that's anything but tranquil.

6. Tax Reform Group Supports Amended Fuel-Tax Plan - Wednesday, March 22, 2017

NASHVILLE – One of the nation’s most conservative anti-tax groups is supporting a plan by Sen. Mark Norris to offset fuel-tax increases with a reduction in the state’s grocery tax and nix a proposal to tie rates to the Consumer Price Index.

7. Conservative Tax Reform Group Supports Amended Fuel-Tax Plan - Tuesday, March 21, 2017

NASHVILLE – One of the nation’s most conservative anti-tax groups is supporting a plan by Sen. Mark Norris to offset fuel-tax increases with a reduction in the state’s grocery tax and nix a proposal to tie rates to the Consumer Price Index.

8. Tennessee Rep. Blackburn Named to Trump Transition Panel - Monday, November 14, 2016

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has been named to the 16-member executive committee of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.

9. Christie Aide on Trial Says She Told Him of 'Traffic Study' - Monday, October 24, 2016

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff testified Friday in her criminal trial that she told him about a traffic study on the George Washington Bridge before sending an email that it was "time for some traffic problems," which prosecutors say started a political revenge plot.

10. Haslam Still Not Prepared to Endorse Trump Following Meeting - Thursday, June 16, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam still isn't ready to endorse Donald Trump following a New York meeting he helped organize with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

11. Tennessee GOP Fundraiser to Feature South Carolina Governor - Friday, March 18, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Republican Party's annual Statesmen's Dinner fundraiser will feature a keynote speech by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

12. Kasich Draws Memphis Crowd of 700 - Monday, February 29, 2016

Republican presidential contender John Kasich told a group of more than 700 people in Memphis Friday, Feb. 26, the country needs leaders who think as Americans first and Republicans and Democrats second.

13. Clinton Visits Churches, Trump Rallies In Millington - Monday, February 29, 2016

Democratic presidential front runner Hillary Clinton made surprise appearances at two Memphis churches Sunday, Feb. 28, the day after Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump drew a crowd of 10,000 less than 12 hours earlier in Millington.

14. Trump Rallies 10,000 In Millington - Saturday, February 27, 2016

Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump told a crowd of 10,000 in a hangar at the Millington Regional Jetport that the Republican Party is different and larger because of his supporters.

“We’ve got a Republican party but a lot of outsiders are coming in because they like what I say. We’re going to get a lot of people coming in and we don’t care where they’re coming from. We have to win, right?” Trump said. “We’re going to get independents. We’re going to get Democrats. Remember the term Reagan Democrats? … If you don’t get them, you’re really not going to win, folks.”

15. Kasich Draws Memphis Crowd of 700 - Saturday, February 27, 2016

Republican presidential contender John Kasich told a group of more than 700 people in Memphis Friday, Feb. 26, the country needs leaders who think as Americans first and Republicans and Democrats second.

16. Last Word: The First Surrogate, Parkside at Shelby Farms and Manilow Memories - Thursday, February 11, 2016

Here they come, fresh from Iowa and New Hampshire – first the surrogates and in the next two weeks the Presidential contenders themselves.

The nation’s “first surrogate” – former President Bill Clinton is at Whitehaven High School Thursday evening to rally early voters in the heart of a large reliably Democratic middle class community.
And it is that voter base that was integral to Barack Obama carrying Shelby County in the 2008 Democratic Presidential primary even as Hillary Clinton carried the state that year.
As mentioned here Tuesday, the local Bernie Sanders campaign opens its Memphis HQ over the weekend.
Hillary Clinton headquarters in Memphis and Nashville are on the way soon with the Nashville HQ opening Thursday as the former President is in Whitehaven and the candidate is preparing for another television debate Thursday in Milwaukee with Sanders.
And early voting opened Downtown Wednesday.
The first day's turnout Wednesday was 177 early and absentee voters. Combined with another 645 absentee votes cast before the early voting period, that makes 822 early or absentee votes.
Another Republican contender on the ballot in Tennessee is out of the race. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out the day after his dismal finish in New Hampshire. He did not have a slate of delegates on the ballot here.

17. New Laws in 2016 Show States are Diverging on Guns, Voting - Thursday, December 31, 2015

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – Laws taking effect at the start of the new year show states diverging on some hot-button issues.

Restrictions on carrying guns will ease in Texas, for example, but will get tighter in California. It will be easier to register to vote in Oregon, but there will be another step to take at the polls in North Carolina.

18. Last Word: Drones, Haslam's Year and Bygone Sports Logos - Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Drones. Yes, drones -- which seem to be an odd match for a column called Last Word since there will be many more words written about them and their technological impact.

The FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis has funding for 11 research projects that will includes drones as well as robotics and autonomous vehicles.

19. March 1 Presidential Primary Begins Complex Process - Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Shelby County’s first election of 2016 seems like a simple affair. The Tennessee presidential primaries and countywide primaries for General Sessions Court Clerk are the only items on the ballot.

But the ballot approved last week by the Shelby County Election Commission includes 224 names. Only three of those names are the contenders in the two primaries for clerk. And another 17 are the presidential candidates.

20. Presidential Primary Ballot Set in Tennessee - Thursday, December 3, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When Tennessee voters go to the polls for the March 1 presidential primary, they will be able to choose among either 14 Republicans or three Democrats.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Tuesday released the final list of candidates that will appear on the Super Tuesday ballot.

21. Jeb Bush to Headline Tennessee GOP Fundraiser in May - Friday, February 20, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is headlining the Tennessee Republican Party's annual fundraiser in May.

Chairman Chris Devaney said Thursday that the Statesmen's Dinner speech by the likely presidential candidate reflects that Tennessee will play a key role in the 2016 nomination process.

22. A Word About Reality - Friday, February 20, 2015

“REALITY JUST IS.” I stood in the bathroom in boxer shorts and shaving cream and cheered words coming from my radio – words good enough to overcome that image I just put in your head – words like these:

23. Tennessee Governor Elected Next RGA Chairman - Friday, November 21, 2014

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has been elected as the next chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

He'll take the reins from New Jersey's Chris Christie, who has been on a victory lap at the group's annual meeting in Florida this week after Republicans did especially well in the midterm elections.

24. Tennessee's Corker Won't Rule Out Presidential Bid - Thursday, August 14, 2014

LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker said Wednesday he isn't ruling out joining the field of Republicans running for president in 2016, but any decision would wait until next year.

25. Shinseki Resignation Not Enough, Says Alexander - Monday, June 2, 2014

Word of the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki Friday, May 30, came as U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee campaigned with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in Germantown.

26. Shinseki Resignation Not Enough, Says Alexander - Friday, May 30, 2014

Word of the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki Friday, May 30, came as U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee campaigned with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in Germantown.

27. Christie Slated to Visit Germantown Friday - Friday, May 30, 2014

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be in Shelby County Friday, May 30, to raise money for Republican governors in the 2014 midterm elections and attend the opening of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s local campaign office.

28. Christie Stumps In Germantown For Republican Cause - Thursday, May 29, 2014

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be in Shelby County Friday, May 30 to raise money for Republican Governors in the 2014 midterm elections and attend the Germantown opening of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s local campaign office.

29. Chris Christie to Keynote Tenn. GOP fundraiser - Saturday, March 22, 2014

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to headline the Tennessee Republican Party’s annual fundraiser on May 30.

State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney said the appearance will give voters a chance to form their own impressions about Christie as he considers a presidential bid.

30. Chris Christie to Keynote Tennessee GOP fundraiser - Thursday, March 20, 2014

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to headline the Tennessee Republican Party’s annual fundraiser on May 30.

State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney said the appearance will give voters a chance to form their own impressions about Christie as he considers a presidential bid.

31. Governors Erupt in Partisan Dispute at White House - Tuesday, February 25, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – The nation's governors emerged from a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday claiming harmony, only to immediately break into an on-camera partisan feud in front of the West Wing.

32. Haslam Named Policy Chair Of GOP Governors Group - Saturday, February 1, 2014

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has been named policy chairman of the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee.

The group is the policy arm of the Republican Governors Association. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is the chairman of the 29-member national association, in a release called Haslam “a true pioneer in the public policy sphere.”

33. Haslam Named Policy Chair of GOP Governors Group - Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has been named policy chairman of the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee.

The group is the policy arm of the Republican Governors Association. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is the chairman of the 29-member national association, in a release called Haslam "a true pioneer in the public policy sphere."

34. Damn This Traffic Jam! - Thursday, January 23, 2014

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

“Got it.”

So read an Aug. 13, 2013, email exchange between a couple of New Jersey pols. Why Fort Lee?

Earlier efforts to pluck Democratic endorsements in the Garden State for Gov. Chris Christie’s reelection campaign had failed as to Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark Sokolich. Moreover, the day before, the Democratic state senator who represents Fort Lee had effectively blocked Christie’s reappointment of a Republican state supreme court justice. On Aug. 12, Christie referred to Jersey’s Democratic state senators as “animals.”

35. Same-Sex Couples Challenge Tennessee Marriage Laws - Tuesday, October 22, 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four same-sex couples who were legally married in other states filed a lawsuit Monday challenging Tennessee's laws that prohibit recognition of their marriages.

36. Henneberger Joins First State Bank Small-Business Lending Division - Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Sean Henneberger has joined First State Bank’s small-business lending division as vice president/business development officer in the Memphis market. In his new role, Henneberger will help small businesses pursue loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program.

37. Health Insurers Fear Young People Will Opt Out - Monday, July 8, 2013

MIAMI (AP) – Dan Lopez rarely gets sick and hasn't been to a doctor in 10 years, so buying health insurance feels like a waste of money.

38. Events - Saturday, April 13, 2013

New Ballet Ensemble will present Springloaded Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14, at Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper St. The annual event fuses ballet, contemporary and urban dance with works by local and guest choreographers. Visit nbespringloaded13.eventbrite.com for times and tickets.

39. Obama's Health Care Overhaul Turns Into a Sprint - Friday, November 9, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The long slog has turned into a sprint. President Barack Obama's health care law survived the Supreme Court and the election; now the uninsured can sign up for coverage in about 11 months.

40. Airports and Stock Exchange Reopen After Superstorm Sandy - Thursday, November 1, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Two major airports reopened and the New York Stock Exchange got back to business Wednesday, while across the river in New Jersey, National Guardsmen rushed to feed and rescue flood victims two days after Superstorm Sandy struck.

41. Local Firms Part of Asian Trade Mission - Thursday, April 12, 2012

Three Memphis area companies are among 11 businesses chosen by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) to participate next week in a medical trade mission focused on expanding their businesses into China and South Korea.

42. Online-Gambling Fight Now About When, Who – Not If - Wednesday, January 4, 2012

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The fight to fully legalize online gambling in the U.S. is now less about whether Americans will be able to play and more about who will bring the action to them – and when.

43. State Cuts to Medicaid Affect Patients, Providers - Wednesday, December 28, 2011

ATLANTA (AP) – Just as Medicaid prepares for a vast expansion under the federal health care overhaul, the 47-year-old entitlement program for the poor is under increasing pressure as deficit-burdened states chip away at benefits and cut payments to doctors.

44. Day of Reckoning - Friday, April 22, 2011

Memphis and Shelby County governments are in the process of taking a hard look at the benefits they’ve promised to start paying their several thousand employees once they retire – payments the employees will then get for the rest of their lives.

45. GOP: New Obama Budget-Cutting Offer Too Small - Monday, March 7, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats on Friday detailed their opening budget offer of $6.5 billion more in spending cuts this year, but neither it nor the $61 billion in cuts passed by House Republicans is expected to survive test votes next week.

46. New York Snow: PR Pros or Schmoes - Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series.

I flew into New York City on New Year’s Eve, five days after a historic blizzard – the worst in six decades. The snowpocalypse brought bustling Manhattan and its neighboring boroughs to their knees.

47. VeinViewer Evaluated in Peer-Reviewed Journal - Friday, December 3, 2010

The findings of the first peer review of a vein-viewing device manufactured by Memphis-based Christie Medical Holdings Inc. reports the device improves vascular success and is well-received by patients and staff.

48. Lasting Legacies - Monday, September 27, 2010

Consider the continent as it was when Memphis was founded in 1819. No railroads crisscrossed the land and Tennessee roads would not be paved until after World War I.

For a city to thrive and prosper, transportation would be paramount. For Memphis, the Mississippi River, an integral artery of commerce and communication in America, would be its gateway to greatness.

49. States Cutting Benefits for Public-Sector Retirees - Thursday, September 16, 2010

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – William Liberty began as a trash collector in Lindenwold 37 years ago and worked his way up to public works supervisor. Until recently, he figured he would hold on to the job until he turned 65.

50. Christie Medical Turns Reshuffle Into Fundraiser - Monday, July 19, 2010

Christie Medical Holdings Inc. found opportunity in a recent renovation to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis.

51. Christie Medical Debuts New VeinViewer - Thursday, May 6, 2010

Christie Medical Holdings Inc. has updated the vascular imaging device it acquired from Luminetx Corp. with the VeinViewer Vision, a more compact model that has a broader range of options.

52. Alliance Medical To Distribute VeinViewer - Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Memphis-based Luminetx, a subsidiary of Christie Medical Holdings Inc., has reached a national sales distribution agreement for its VeinViewer product with New Alliance of Independent Medical Distributors Inc.

53. Christie to Keep VeinViewer Operations in Memphis - Thursday, January 7, 2010

Christie Digital Systems, the new owner of the VeinViewer technology, will keep jobs associated with the medical imaging device in Memphis, company officials said Wednesday.

Christie announced it had acquired “substantially all the assets” of Luminetx Corp. and will create a new medical products business called Christie Medical Holdings Inc. Luminetx shareholders approved the acquisition last month.

54. Christie to Keep VeinViewer Operations in Memphis - Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Christie Digital Systems, the new owner of the VeinViewer technology, will keep jobs associated with the medical imaging device in Memphis, company officials said today.

Christie announced it had acquired “substantially all the assets” of Luminetx Corp. and will create a new medical products business called Christie Medical Holdings Inc. Luminetx shareholders approved the acquisition last month.

George Pinho, previously the company’s senior director for business product development, is now the president of Christie Medical.

Pinho is in Memphis this week but will oversee operations here from the Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc. headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario. The company also has a U.S. headquarters in Cypress, Calif.

“We’re excited by the potential of this acquisition,” Pinho said. “Christie’s goal is to diversify into emerging markets and we saw a unique opportunity to enter the medical imaging industry.”

The VeinViewer allows medical practitioners to easily see subcutaneous veins by projecting a real time image of their location onto the surface of the skin. Christie, a global visual technologies company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ushio Inc. of Japan, has expertise in projectors and visual technologies used for entertainment and educational purposes.

Medical imaging will be a new product line for the company.

“Our combined teams will create exciting growth opportunities through our collective capabilities and complementary technologies,” Pinho said.

Although the headquarters for the newly created Christie Medical Holdings Inc. will not be in Memphis, that does not mean jobs will be moved from here, said Dorina Belu, senior manager of media and communications for Christie.

“There is no change to the service, support and distribution of the VeinViewer business,” Belu said. “Customers are going to get the continued service, support, distribution and all of that, which began in Memphis. There is no change to that at all.”

Luminetx employed less than 100 people in Memphis.

Herb Zeman, a now retired professor from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, invented the VeinViewer technology and founded Luminetx. The technology was heralded as one of “the Most Amazing Inventions of 2004” in Time magazine.

But the company was hurt by management turnover, boardroom conflicts, the downfall of one of its major investors, Stanford Financial Group, and legal fights with a new competitor.

Luminetx was running out of operating cash and was losing money when shareholders approved its acquisition. Christie, which had already loaned Luminetx $1.5 million, paid $15 million for the company and forgave the loan.

It did not acquire all of Luminetx’s patented technologies. Luminetx shareholders retained the company’s Snowflake Technologies Corp. subsidiary, which is developing a biometric identification product.

Luminetx last month terminated the employment of Richard Kindberg, who had been the company’s chief executive officer for nine months, when the board of directors voted in favor of the acquisition. Kindberg has filed suit against the company because of his dismissal.

Chris Schnee, who took over as interim chief executive officer, will remain on board with Christie Medical Holdings Inc. He will serve as general manager and vice president of sales and marketing.

Schnee said new opportunities arise with the new ownership.

“Christie’s extensive history and expertise in visual displays will offer exciting opportunities and applications for the VeinViewer technology platform,” Schnee said. “Christie’s global presence and world-class manufacturing and engineering know-how in visual display technology will enable us to expand our products into multiple new markets and to continue advancements in bettering patient care the world over. We look forward to finding new and better ways to improve health care delivery.”

55. 2010 - Monday, January 4, 2010

Is it over yet? That may be the most frequently asked question in the New Year. “It” is the worst national economic recession since the Great Depression.

Accurately reading the indicators will not be easy. Some will predict the recession is about to end, just as new indicators point to continuing economic agony for thousands of Memphians.

56. Fired CEO Sues Luminetx - Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Richard Kindberg, the former chief executive officer of Luminetx Corp., is suing the company after being fired this month following the announcement of a buyout.

57. Joint Venture - Monday, December 21, 2009

Charles Redden remembers getting the call in April.

A sales associate for Smith & Nephew, Redden worked hospitals and clinics in Dallas – among the most lucrative regions for the British medical device maker whose U.S. headquarters is in Memphis. On the other end of the phone line was Redden’s boss, Jon Hebel, a former minor league baseball player and an area sales manager for Smith & Nephew.

58. Luminetx Sale To Christie Approved - Friday, December 11, 2009

The shareholders of Luminetx Corp. voted today to sell the company for $15 million to Christie Digital Systems Inc., said Herb Zeman, the company’s founder and one of its largest shareholders.

59. Sale of Luminetx Proposed as Company Flounders - Friday, December 4, 2009

Luminetx Corp. is operating in the red and may soon run out of money unless its shareholders agree to sell the company to Christie Digital Systems Inc.

60. Sale of Luminetx Proposed as Company Flounders - Monday, December 7, 2009

Luminetx Corp. is operating in the red and may soon run out of money unless its shareholders agree to sell the company to Christie Digital Systems Inc.

61. Races an Early Test of Obama Influence - Wednesday, November 4, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a very early test of President Barack Obama's political influence, two states are choosing whether to continue Democratic rule while voters elsewhere elect a handful of congressmen and big-city mayors.

62. Luminetx Uses Patents as Loan Collateral - Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Memphis-based Luminetx Corp. has signed over the patents for the technologies behind its VeinViewer products to a Japanese company that has loaned it money.

The company assigned its “Contrast Enhancing Illuminator,” “Imaging System Using Diffuse Infrared Light” and “Imaging System Using Diffuse Infrared Light” patents over to Christie Digital Systems Inc., according to the U.S. Patent Office online database. The “security agreement” conveyance occurred after Luminetx announced this summer that it had settled a lawsuit alleging infringement on those same patents by another company, Accuvein LLC of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

Chris Schnee, executive vice president of global marketing and international sales for Luminetx, said the conveyance was to secure a loan.

“When a technology company such as ours enters into a loan secured against the assets of the company, the creditor is given a security interest in the company’s assets, which includes the intellectual property and therefore the patents,” Schnee said. “The security interest in the physical assets is established with a filing at the Secretary of State’s office and the security interest in the IP, which requires a filing at the USPTO. This is an ordinary course transaction, and the intellectual property remains an asset of the company but is pledged to secure the repayment of the obligation as and when due.”

He did not disclose the amount of the loan. Luminetx is not a publicly traded company so its finances are not public record.

Herb Zeman, the inventor of the patents and the founder of Luminetx who was fired from the company in 2007, remains one of its major stockholders. He said he did not like the company going into debt with Christie. Christie is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ushio Inc., a Japanese company.

“At the stockholders meeting, there was a group of us who wanted to change the board and take over and get investor money,” Zeman said. “We failed at that effort. The group that was going to try to take over the board was going to essentially pay off the Christie loan.

“Christie lent the company money, and we were going to put up other money to pay off that loan. I suppose, then, the people lending the money would have gotten that same kind of listing on the USPTO Web site. That doesn’t mean that they really have the patent. It means they would get the patent if the loan defaulted.”

Under terms of the settlement agreement between Luminetx and Accuvein LLC, Accuvein agreed to license the Luuminetx technology that allows veins to be viewed easily underneath the skin. Other terms of the agreement were confidential.

Luminetx sued Accuvein last year after it announced it was launching a competing product. Luminetx began selling the VeinViewer in fall 2006 for about $25,000 a unit.

63. Ward Named Judge of the Year by Bar Association - Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Criminal Law Section of the Memphis Bar Association recently presented Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward its judge of the year award. Ward presides over Division 9 of Shelby County's 30th Judicial District. Ward was appointed to the bench in 2004. Prior to that, he worked as an assistant public defender and in private practice. Ward's bachelor's degree in law enforcement and his law degree are both from the University of Memphis.