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.

2. League of Change - Saturday, July 28, 2018

The South has its advantages. First-year Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead, whose previous head coaching job was at Fordham University in the Bronx, knows this to be true. “Everything being wrapped in bacon, that’s pretty good,” said Moorhead, who had a successful two-year run as Penn State’s offensive coordinator before coming to the SEC, where it is not a stretch to say everything is wrapped in the legacy of Nick Saban.

3. Tennessee Zipper Company in Crosshairs of Buy-American Laws - Thursday, July 19, 2018

DUNLAP, Tenn. (AP) — Robert Kwasnik has a zipper problem — and it has come to the attention of the highest levels of the U.S. government.

Kwasnik is president of Dunlap Industries, a small manufacturing company in Appalachia that for more than 15 years made zippers for U.S. military uniforms — until last year, when a competitor complained that not all of the parts the company was using were from the U.S.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Events - Wednesday, January 31, 2018

NAWBO Memphis will host a reception honoring Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Hattiloo Theatre, 37 Cooper St. The chapter is recognizing Strickland and the city for the progress being made in increasing business and spending with women- and minority-owned businesses. Tickets are $15. Visit nawbomemphis.org.

7. Events - Saturday, January 27, 2018

Novel will host Wintrell Pittman, author of the “Children of the World” book series, for a discussion and book signing Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. at 387 Perkins Road Extended. The 12-book series uses crayon characters to teach children basic morals and values while enhancing reading and comprehension skills. Visit novelmemphis.com.

8. Legislature Moving on Civil Rights Cold Cases - Friday, January 12, 2018

Charlie Morris may be nearing 100 years of age, but he’s never given up on his quest for Tennessee to delve into decades-old civil rights crimes.

9. Latest SEC Football Rankings: 1. Sexton. 2. Saban. - Friday, December 8, 2017

Fourteen schools play football in the SEC. Six of them, or 42.9 percent, now have a different man coaching their football team than they had at the start of the season.

That’s a lot of turnover. It suggests coaching in the SEC is often a battle against personal extinction.

10. The Ties That Bind - Saturday, October 21, 2017

When Big River Crossing was about to open a year ago, Doug Carpenter was asked often where the Tennessee-Arkansas state line is over the Mississippi River.

His marketing firm DCA has overseen publicity for the crossing from concept through construction, so he has learned much about the history of the Harahan Bridge and the mighty river below it. But the stateline wasn't marked

11. Last Word: Las Vegas React, Moral Monday, Who Pays For Beale Security? - Tuesday, October 3, 2017

We open with reaction Monday to the mass shooting in Las Vegas:

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland:

12. Paying Beale Street Security Costs Raises Lease Questions - Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Memphis City Council members vote Tuesday, Oct. 2, on whether the city should start using some of the $378,000 in Beale Street cover charge funds the Downtown Memphis Commission has been holding in two bank accounts since June.

13. Raised From the Dead - Friday, September 22, 2017

GHOST AND SPIRIT. I walked through the town at mid-morning. Like any town you spend a lifetime in, you know people.

I spoke to the guy that owns the coffee shop, Jimmy Lewis, as he walked between customers over cups and conversation. He and I went to the same high school, and I see they’re building a new high school right here in town – going to be trying all kinds of new ideas in there, a public/private, secondary/higher education partnership model for the country I’m told.

14. 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.

15. Patterson Resignation Comes as Council Examines DMC’s Role - Monday, July 10, 2017

Terence Patterson exited the Downtown Memphis Commission last week as the Memphis City Council is about to discuss replacing or restructuring not only the DMC, but the Riverfront Development Corp.

16. 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:

17. 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.

18. Last Word: Railgarten Redux, Raleigh Springs Mall and Forrest Author Speaks - Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Railgarten II, Son of Railgarten, Railgarten, Beyond the Board of Adjustment, Railgarten, Enter The City Council … Take your pick of sequel titles. Railgarten goes back to the City Council Tuesday for at least a committee discussion in which the council considers whether it should take back the special use permit it granted the bar-restaurant. This is a follow up to the Board of Adjustment decision last month to delay any action on approving the other annexes of the business for 30 days.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Convention Center Hotel Proposal Surfaces - Thursday, January 5, 2017

A Denver financier whose work in the last 15 years is in developing and financing convention center hotels has very general plans for a 600-room Memphis Convention Center hotel at Front and Poplar where the Mud Island parking garage is currently.

26. Convention Center Hotel Proposal Surfaces - Thursday, January 5, 2017

A Denver financier whose work in the last 15 years is in developing and financing convention center hotels has very general plans for a 600-room Memphis Convention Center hotel at Front and Poplar where the Mud Island parking garage is currently.

27. Residents Embracing Big River Crossing - Tuesday, October 25, 2016

On the first Saturday morning in which it was consistently autumn by the weather conditions as well as the calendar, political leaders on both sides of the Mississippi River walked from Memphis and West Memphis to meet in the middle of the Big River Crossing.

28. Big Crowds Follow Formal Opening of Big River Crossing - Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Big River Crossing across the Mississippi River opened Saturday, Oct. 22, with a whistle blast from a restored Union Pacific railroad steam engine and delegations from each side of the pedestrian and bicycle boardwalk -- Memphis and West Memphis – meeting in the middle.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. Events - Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development’s mobile Career Coach will be at the Millington Public Library on Wednesday, Aug. 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 4858 Navy Road. Career Coach staff will help people create resumes and register with jobs4tn.gov, where more than 200,000 jobs are available.

32. Last Word: Orlando, Rain Delay At Southwind and Church Health Center's Move - Monday, June 13, 2016

Many of us were watching the streets of our own city closely this weekend – the places where people gather for good times when the weather is warm and the sky is clear. Lately some of those places have been the settings for vivid and sudden reminders that all is not well in our city.

33. 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.

34. Last Word: Redbirds Sold, Memphis Burning and When Old Dominick Was Young - Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Grizzlies over the Cavaliers 106-103 Monday evening in Cleveland despite the pre-game injury story dominating up to tip-off.

35. 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.

36. Cates Wants Detail on Downtown Agreements - Friday, February 5, 2016

From Mud Island River Park across the Memphis harbor to The Pyramid and further east to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – there are a lot of connections as the areas head toward a new incarnation.

37. Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey Producers Toast More Strong Sales - Thursday, February 4, 2016

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Producers of Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are toasting another year of strong sales and revenue growth, led by consumers increasingly ordering high-priced, super-premium brands.

38. After Criticism, Urban Child Institute Ups its Grant Game - Friday, January 8, 2016

The Urban Child Institute has approved a 5 percent annual granting strategy that will equate to giving about $8 million to local organizations to support children’s needs.

The announcement comes out of The Urban Child Institute’s Thursday, Jan. 7, board meeting, at which Jill Crocker, a Bank of America executive, was elected chairwoman.

39. '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.”

40. ‘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.”

41. Strickland Names 6 Chiefs to Report Directly To Mayor - Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Memphis Mayor-elect Jim Strickland rounded out his team of top advisers and division directors with six appointees who will report directly to him – a structural change to how previous mayoral administrations have worked.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 21, 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.

45. 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.

46. Hillary Clinton to Visit Memphis - Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Hillary Clinton is headed to Tennessee next month, with plans to make appearances in both Memphis and Nashville.

Campaign staff for the Democratic presidential frontrunner sent word Wednesday morning that she’ll make her first campaign stop in the state Nov. 20.

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. Beale Authority Ready To Issue Manager RFP In November - Friday, October 16, 2015

The timeline is tight. But with the city of Memphis elections done, the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority is ready to move on several fronts before the end of the year to take control of the entertainment district and hire a day-to-day property manager.

50. 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.

51. Taser Contract Controversy Endures As Election Day Nears - Friday, October 2, 2015

As the city of Memphis closed in on buying body cameras and other associated technology for its police department, the inner circle around Memphis Mayor A C Wharton was concerned.

They were concerned that Taser International, the camera supplier the city had picked, wasn’t getting close to the goal the city had set of at least 10 percent participation by minority- and women-owned business enterprises – MWBEs – in the total project spend.

52. Wharton’s Accomplishments Weighted With Controversy - Wednesday, September 30, 2015

It’s a set of events just about any incumbent would envy during a re-election bid.

Overnight riverboat cruises on the Mississippi River picked up just as Beale Street Landing opened in mid-2014. In late April, the long-dormant Pyramid reopened as a Bass Pro Shops megastore with a hotel and other attractions.

53. 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.

54. 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.

55. Wonder Bread Bakery Under Contract - Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The former Wonder Bread bakery at 400 Monroe Ave. could soon have a new owner.

The bakery, idled by a labor strike before being sold in 2013, is under contract to a potential buyer, according to a commercial real estate broker.

56. 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.

57. 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.

58. Exploring Possibilities - Friday, October 17, 2014

Just a few weeks before construction is scheduled to begin on the Big River Crossing boardwalk on the Harahan Bridge, bicycle riders will gather in West Memphis for a 100-kilometer bike ride designed to showcase what’s on the other side of the bicycle and pedestrian boardwalk across the Mississippi River.

59. 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.

60. 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.

61. 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.

62. Council Gives Early Approval to Solid Waste Fee - Thursday, September 5, 2013

The Memphis City Council sent a proposed lease of Handy Park on Beale Street back to committee Tuesday, Sept. 3, for more discussion about the details.

And the council approved on the first of three readings a restoration of the city’s solid waste fee to $25.05 a month. But there were conflicting explanations about which part of an overhaul of sanitation services the restoration of the fee is supposed to fund.

63. Williams to Lead Marketing at Junior Achievement - Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Priscilla Williams has joined Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South as director of marketing and special events. In her new role, Williams will work to increase the organization’s visibility, funding and branding.

64. Heritage Trail Complexity a Concern - Wednesday, December 26, 2012

As 2012 comes to an end, the most ambitious plan from City Hall for the revitalization of an inner-city area in 15 years of such projects has hit a critical stage.

The idea of a tax increment financing zone for a large swath of the area south of FedExForum as well as the Downtown area itself into South Memphis is being examined closely by Shelby County Commissioners before they commit county property tax revenues with the “Heritage Trail” zone.

65. Council Approves City Tax Collections By Trustee - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Shelby County Trustee’s office will collect property taxes for the city of Memphis under an interlocal agreement approved Tuesday, Dec. 18, by the Memphis City Council.

The agreement negotiated between Trustee David Lenoir and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. comes after several decades of attempts on both sides of the city-county governments divide at such an arrangement.

66. High-Stakes Game - Saturday, December 15, 2012

At week’s end, International Paper Co. appeared ready to move forward with officially applying for a package of tax incentives as part of a plan to expand the company’s headquarters in the city.

67. High-Stakes Game - Saturday, December 15, 2012

At week’s end, International Paper Co. appeared ready to move forward with officially applying for a package of tax incentives as part of a plan to expand the company’s headquarters in the city.

68. Midtown Gears Up for Largest Rock for Love Benefit - Friday, August 31, 2012

From Overton Square to the Hi-Tone Cafe to the Levitt Shell, Midtown Memphis is gearing up to “Rock for Love.”

Now in its sixth year, the annual music-based fundraiser for Memphis’ Church Health Center – the nation’s largest faith-based health care ministry for working, uninsured people and their families – will take place over a four-day period from Thursday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 9.

69. Grant Entity Files $20M Loan For Collierville Construction - Tuesday, August 7, 2012

25 acres north
Of Shea Road

Loan Amount: $20.4 million

Loan Date: July 31, 2012

Maturity Date: Aug. 1, 2017

Borrower: Westbrook Crossing GP

Lender: Magna Bank

70. Polls Set to Open for Early Voting - Friday, July 13, 2012

Shelby County voters start deciding Friday, July 13, general election countywide races for assessor of property, General Sessions Court clerk, district attorney general and a race for a Shelby County Commission seat. The ballot also includes seven races for district seats on the countywide school board.

71. ‘Unique Setting’ - Friday, June 22, 2012

Bass Pro Shops executives and city leaders marked the beginning of Bass Pro Shops construction inside The Pyramid Thursday, June 21, with a fish fry in the iconic Downtown landmark before the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World begins to take shape.

72. Poag, N.Y. Investor Buy The Avenue - Friday, May 11, 2012

The Avenue Collierville – the largest lifestyle center in the Memphis metropolitan area at Houston Levee Road and Bill Morris Parkway – has been bought by an affiliate of Memphis-based Poag Lifestyle Centers.

73. Poag, N.Y. Investor Buy The Avenue - Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Avenue Collierville – the largest lifestyle center in the Memphis metropolitan area at Houston Levee Road and Bill Morris Parkway – has been bought by an affiliate of Memphis-based Poag Lifestyle Centers.

74. Public Servants - Thursday, February 23, 2012

The two winners of the 2012 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards thanked their coworkers Wednesday, Feb. 22, as they were honored by the family of the late Probate Court clerk and the Rotary Club of Memphis East.

75. MED Fdtn. Names Brandenburg Director of Development - Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Joe Brandenburg has joined The MED Foundation as director of development.

Hometown: Connersville, Ind.

Education: B.A., mass communications, Western Kentucky University; master’s in public administration, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

76. Events - Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Lipscomb & Pitts Breakfast Club will hold the Leading Tomorrow Lunch Series with the University of Memphis Tuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the University Center. The event will focus on sharing a dialogue on leadership concepts, overcoming challenges and looking at opportunities. For reservations, e-mail Jeremy Park at jeremyp@lpinsurance.com.

77. Events - Monday, March 21, 2011

The Lipscomb & Pitts Breakfast Club will hold the Leading Tomorrow Lunch Series with the University of Memphis Tuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the University Center. The event will focus on sharing a dialogue on leadership concepts, overcoming challenges and looking at opportunities. For reservations, e-mail Jeremy Park at jeremyp@lpinsurance.com.

78. Muller Brings Love for Memphis to Chamber - Monday, February 7, 2011

In the eyes of Dexter Muller, Memphis’ shining attribute is that it’s too big for its britches.

Memphis is the smallest city in the country that has a NBA team, an airline hub and a zoo with a panda exhibit.

79. Charities Turn Super Sunday into Day of Giving - Friday, February 4, 2011

Several Memphis-based nonprofits are using Super Bowl Sunday as an opportunity to encourage citizens to give back to their community.

For the seventh year in a row, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis, a nonprofit housing ministry dedicated to providing decent housing for all members of the community, is asking football fans to party with a purpose this Sunday for its annual Home Team Huddle.

80. Bass Pro’s Pyramid Plans Shaken by Seismic Concerns - Thursday, February 3, 2011

It’s always been about the chance of an earthquake.

The biggest hurdle three Memphis mayoral administrations in five years have had to clear was a seismic retrofitting of The Pyramid for its redevelopment by Bass Pro Shops.

81. Pyramid Problems Could Move Bass Pro Shops Project - Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Bass Pro Shops is still committed to a super store and other attractions Downtown, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. told the Memphis City Council Tuesday. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the outdoors retailer is still committed to a conversion of The Pyramid.

82. Council Wants Mediation of MCS Funding Dispute - Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mediation is the latest direction in a complex school funding morass that is getting more complex by the day.

Memphis City Council members Tuesday voted to have their attorney file a motion in Chancery Court seeking non-binding mediation on how and how much the city should pay the Memphis City Schools (MCS) system in a two-year funding dispute.

83. Commission Approves New Morgue - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The legal agreements are in place for the construction of a new Regional Forensic Center.

The Shelby County Commission approved this week the agreements between Shelby County and the state for the construction of the new morgue.

84. Commission Debates Charter Stand, Approves Terms For New Morgue - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Shelby County Commissioners talked Monday about consolidation, education funding and minority business contracts during a session that also included a debate about building a new morgue.

A resolution approving the agreements between Shelby County and the state for the construction of a new Regional Forensic Center passed on an 11-0 vote. Commissioner Heidi Shafer abstained and Commissioner Justin Ford, who is a funeral director, recused himself from the vote.

85. Honoring Heritage - Friday, September 3, 2010

Judy Peiser has a good idea of how Memphians define Memphis, but the catch is that her definition lasts only one year at best.

This weekend, the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, hosted by the Center for Southern Folklore, gives Memphians a chance to live Memphis’ identity and cultural legacy on the streets of Downtown.

86. Bass Pro Founder Sees Vital Partnership with DU - Thursday, July 29, 2010

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris said this week he hopes Ducks Unlimited will be a partner with his company in the planning of attractions for The Pyramid.

87. Rout Brings Experience, Leadership To BankTennessee - Friday, July 23, 2010

Jim Rout was an elected official in Shelby County for nearly 30 years and served two terms as the county’s mayor, beginning in 1994.

It’s safe to say he’s a very experienced public speaker, but back in 1961, as a freshman at then-Memphis State University, the prospect of speaking in front of a few of his college classmates was so daunting that he walked out of the class and never came back.

88. Pyramid to Become ‘Cypress Swamp’ - Thursday, July 22, 2010

Memphis City Council members seem ready to put Bass Pro Shops in The Pyramid, as the council will vote on a lease between the company and the city next month.

The council this week got its first detailed look at the lease as well as some new drawings for what The Pyramid would look like with the outdoor retailer calling it home.

89. Wharton Hagale Sign Bass Pro Shops Lease For Pyramid - Wednesday, June 30, 2010

There is a lease agreement to reopen The Pyramid as a Bass Pro Shops superstore with other attractions in the structure and around it.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and Bass Pro Shops CEO and President Jim Hagale signed the 20 year lease with seven renewal options of five years each Wednesday at the end of a City Hall press conference to announce the deal five years in the making.

90. Bass Pro’s CEO To Meet With Wharton - Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Bass Pro Shops CEO Jim Hagale is due in Memphis Friday.

Hagale’s name turned up on Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s list of public meetings and appearances for this week.

Hagale is scheduled to meet with Wharton as well as City Attorney Herman Morris.

91. Pyramid, Bass Pro Talks Move to Lease Terms - Tuesday, April 20, 2010
 

City of Memphis leaders and executives from Bass Pro Shops meet Tuesday to begin talking lease terms for The Pyramid.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. included a draft lease in an April 13 letter to Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and president Jim Hagale.

A city delegation was in Nashville Monday to review the project for the State Building Commission. The commission’s executive committee approved an extension of the use of revenue from the Downtown Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) to include The Pyramid.

The resulting tax increment financing will help finance the public infrastructure improvements around the site.

Before Monday’s expansion of how the tax money within the zone was used, it could only be used to retire the debt of the Memphis Cook Convention Center over 30 years. The financing is in its eighth year.

Tuesday’s meeting in Memphis will also include representatives of developers Poag & McEwen. The firm is involved, Wharton said, because Bass Pro executives want to see some kind of plans for developing the surrounding Pinch District.

The outdoor retailer plans to build a super store within The Pyramid and develop other attractions, including a hotel either inside The Pyramid or attached to the former arena.

Other items on the agenda are defining terms in a lease agreement, a list of landlord contributions for the city to accomplish, a task list for Bass Pro Shops, construction standards and timelines for construction as well as the flow of money into the project.

The goal of both sides is to complete the deal and sign a lease in the next month.

A signing could come as early as an April 29 meeting in Springfield, Mo., at Bass Pro Shops headquarters. The meeting there is scheduled to “draft the final versions of the lease/development/improvement agreements,” according to the city’s letter.

92. City, Bass Pro Clear Hurdles For Pyramid Store - Thursday, April 15, 2010

When Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. sits down next week with executives from Bass Pro Shops, The Pyramid will be the central topic.

But developers from the Memphis firm Poag & McEwen also will be at the table to talk about developing the surrounding Pinch District.

93. Bass Pro Shops Sets Nov. 2011 Pyramid Opening - Wednesday, April 14, 2010
 

Bass Pro Shops executives have set a November 2011 opening date for their planned renovation of The Pyramid as a retail store with other attractions.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. announced the date to City Council members this afternoon.

During the council’s executive session, Wharton circulated a letter he sent today to Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and CEO Jim Hagale.

The city and Bass Pro Shops could have a lease for the redevelopment of The Pyramid signed by the end of April with work beginning almost immediately.

The letter from Wharton includes a draft lease agreement between the city and the outdoors retailer.

“As we have jointly identified and removed … critical barriers, we are now prepared to move forward and finalize the lease terms relative to this key redevelopment project,” Wharton wrote.

The city and Bass Pro executives are to meet April 20 to “discuss and finalize our negotiations of the business terms for the project.

Wharton told the council developers from Poag & McEwen also will be involved in the meeting next week to answer questions about possible development of the surrounding Pinch district.

An April 29 meeting is also set in Springfield, Mo., at Bass Pro headquarters to draft final versions of all of the agreements.

The “barriers” cleared this week include:

•An agreement that the floodwall system and maintenance program around The Pyramid are “sufficient” to protect it in the future.

•Using FM Global standards as the benchmark for seismic efforts as specific plans for the building are designed.

•An expansion of the Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) that now covers the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The TDZ status is essential for tax rebates or refunds to finance the Pyramid project.

The city of Memphis will remain the owner of The Pyramid.

94. UPDATE: Bass Pro Shops Sets Nov. Opening Date For Pyramid - Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Bass Pro Shops executives have set a November 2011 opening date for their planned renovation of The Pyramid as a retail store with other attractions.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. announced the date to City Council members this afternoon.

95. Events - Friday, April 2, 2010

Launch Memphis will host a seminar titled “Bootstrapping: Business Plan Boot Camp” Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 516 Tennessee St. Cost is $40. To register, visit bootcampmem.eventbrite.com.

96. Events - Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Greater Memphis Chamber will hold a breakfast forum today from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Memphis Marriott East, 2625 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Meri Armour, president and chief executive officer of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, will speak. Cost is $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers. To register, contact Ericka Milford at 543-3518 or emilford@memphischamber.com.

97. Events - Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Mid-South Minority Business Council will present the seminar “Strategies for Business Development” today from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at MMBC, 158 Madison Ave., Suite 300. Cost is $15 for members and $25 for nonmembers. To register, call 525-6512.

98. DeSoto Officials Eye I-269’s Potential - Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Interstate 69 is dubbed the “NAFTA Highway” after the North American Free Trade Agreement because it will course through the central U.S. from Canada to Mexico, connecting the continent’s three nations.

99. Events - Thursday, December 24, 2009

Heartsong Church will host a Christmas Eve celebration featuring local singer Alexis Grace today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Heartsong, 800 N. Houston Levee Road. For more information, contact Michelle Worth at 755-6332 or e-mail mworth@heartsongchurch.net.

100. Events - Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Memphis Bar Association will present a continuing legal education seminar titled “Summary Judgment in Tennessee, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” today from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the MBA office, 80 Monroe Ave., Suite 220. To register, visit www.memphisbar.org.