Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced Wednesday, Sept. 12, he is appointing Chandell Carr and Kyle Veazey to each serve as deputy chief operating officers to COO Doug McGowen.

2. Haslam: Memphis Has Not Been Ignored During His Administration - Friday, September 14, 2018

On the heels of gubernatorial candidates courting Memphis and calling for increased state involvement, Gov. Bill Haslam is defending his record, saying the Bluff City hasn’t been overlooked on his watch.

3. Haslam: Memphis Has Not Been Ignored During His Administration - Friday, September 14, 2018

State

Haslam: Memphis Has Not Been Ignored During His Administration

Special to The Daily News

On the heels of gubernatorial candidates courting Memphis and calling for increased state involvement, Gov. Bill Haslam is defending his record, saying the Bluff City hasn’t been overlooked on his watch.

4. Last Word: Jagger, Jerry Lee, Whalum & More and Harris' Plans on BTH - Thursday, September 13, 2018

Sir Mick Jagger and Jerry Lee Lewis walk into Sun Studio Wednesday. That’s not the start of a joke. Variety has reported that Jagger’s film company has signed on to the Elvis biopic being made from Peter Guralnick’s definitive two volume biography of the king. You connect the dots or don’t – who knows if there is a connection? Yes, but they aren’t talking.

5. Veazey, Carr Promoted in City Hall Shuffle - Thursday, September 13, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced Wednesday, Sept. 12, he is appointing Chandell Carr and Kyle Veazey to each serve as deputy chief operating officers to COO Doug McGowen.

6. Memphis in May Adds Four to Festival Board - Saturday, September 8, 2018

Memphis in May International Festival is adding four members to its board of directors for the 2019 festival.

They are Dow McVean, principal of McVean Trading and Investments; Al Gossett, president and CEO of Gossett Motor Cars; Ron Cohen, territory account manager for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Pat Kerr Tigrett, chairwoman, president and CEO of Pat Kerr Inc. and a past Memphis in May board member.

7. Last Word: Selling Local Soccer, Football's Arrival and Luttrell's Vetoes - Tuesday, September 4, 2018

So the United Soccer League Memphis franchise is to be called Memphis FC 901. The branding was launched as the Labor Day weekend began with a video that is part Rogues nostalgia, soccer at school memories and a liberal dose of Grit ‘n’ Grind rhetoric from another sports franchise just down the street from AutoZone Park. The combination is another example of sports carrying the banner for the promotion of Memphis in general.

8. The Week Ahead: Sept. 3-9 - Monday, September 3, 2018

Good morning, Memphis. It’s going to be hot today, so take it easy while you are grilling out. Here’s a list of some events going on for this holiday-shortened week. Happy Labor Day!

9. Memphis in May Adds Four to Festival Board - Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Memphis in May International Festival is adding four members to its board of directors for the 2019 festival.

They are Dow McVean, principal of McVean Trading and Investments; Al Gossett, president and CEO of Gossett Motor Cars; Ron Cohen, territory account manager for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Pat Kerr Tigrett, chairwoman, president and CEO of Pat Kerr Inc. and a past Memphis in May board member.

10. Health, Educational and Housing Facility Board Moves to 20-Year PILOTs - Friday, August 31, 2018

Developers of affordable housing say they hope to step up the pace of renovating and building new housing with affordable rents now that the city Health, Educational and Housing Facility Board can grant 20-year tax abatements instead of the maximum 10-year incentives it has been awarding since 2002.

11. MATA’s Lack of Funding Could Result in Route Cuts - Thursday, August 30, 2018

The Memphis Area Transit Authority is proposing several adjustments to its bus network, including the elimination of seven routes. Tuesday night, MATA held a public hearing at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library for the proposed changes, which can be found here. 

12. Mayor-elect Harris Appoints Chief Administrative Officer - Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Shelby County Mayor-elect Lee Harris announced Tuesday, Aug. 28, Patrice Williamson-Thomas will serve as chief administrative officer – Harris’ first major appointment in his administration.

13. Memphis Cashes In On Airbnb Agreement - Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Airbnb booked 87,000 overnight guests in Memphis and generated more than $647,000 in hospitality taxes during the first year of an agreement with Memphis city government.

The home-sharing platform reported Tuesday, Aug. 28, that rentals were up 67 percent year over year, including a significant spike during this year’s Memphis in May International Festival and Beale Street Music Festival.

14. Chamber Seeks Site Improvement Grants for 9 Sites Including Firestone - Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Greater Memphis Chamber has applied for state improvement grants for nine economic development sites in Memphis as the first step in a “Sites and Buildings Plan.”

The list of Memphis sites includes the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant site in North Memphis, which is one of eight applying via the chamber to be part of the Tennessee Site Evaluation Program.

15. Testimony Ends in Federal Case Questioning Memphis Police Surveillance Tactics - Thursday, August 23, 2018

After four days, the federal trial where the ACLU sued the city of Memphis over political surveillance of activists, ended Thursday, leaving the decision in the hands of U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla.

16. Last Word: Rallings Talks Bridge, Bird at U of M and Spec Industrial - Thursday, August 23, 2018

Part of the unofficial job description of an activist can be to be as provocative as possible. And provocative is what the attorneys and the judge in the Memphis Police surveillance lawsuit trial in federal court got Wednesday from Keedran Franklin. Franklin is one of the activists/protesters in the recent wave of protests locally in the last two to three years who was being watched closely by Memphis Police.

17. Memphis Speculative Industrial Building Will Be First in a Decade - Thursday, August 23, 2018

An Atlanta-based real estate development and acquisition company next month plans to start building Memphis’ first speculative industrial space in more than decade, the company announced Wednesday.

18. Economic Development Experts Set Sights On Memphis - Thursday, August 23, 2018

Site selectors from across the country spent time in Memphis this week as local economic development teams touted the area’s available land, industrial and office space for potential companies.

19. Last Word: Bob Smith Talks, Crosstown Anniversary and Grant's Parking Lot - Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Bob Smith’s testimony was a good part of the first day of the nonjury trial that began Monday before Memphis Federal Court Judge Jon McCalla on police surveillance of protesters. Smith was the alias used by Police Sgt. Tim Reynolds – Reynolds acknowledged during his testimony Monday Downtown. The identity was also used by several other officers.

20. Strickland Open to Talks About Idea of City-Only Industrial Development Board - Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he is open to discussing the idea of a city-only Industrial Development Board along with other ideas to be explored by a study group approved by the Memphis City Council last week.

21. County Mayor-Elect Harris Starts Transition with Long- and Short-Term Tasks, List of 142 Positions - Tuesday, August 14, 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.

22. Last Word: Bigger Goodlett, Collierville's Dilemma and Ronnie Grisanti's at Regalia - Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Shelby County Schools officials breaking ground Monday evening on the new Goodlett Elementary School to open a year from now on the grounds of the current Goodlett Elementary at 3001 S. Goodlett. The bigger Goodlett will allow for nearby Knight Road Elementary to close and its students to attend the new Goodlett. GOODLETT.

23. Memphis City Council Could Take Final Vote On Historic Districts Oversight - Tuesday, August 14, 2018

After a two-and-a-half-month delay, Memphis City Council members may be ready Tuesday, Aug. 14, to take a final vote on new rules for historic districts including more oversight by the council.

A vote on third and final reading of the ordinance was delayed in June so the sponsor, council member Kemp Conrad, could meet with all sides of the issue to come up with a compromise. The ordinance follows council votes to grant historic district status, with guidelines enforced by the Landmarks Commission, for the Cooper-Young and Speedway Terrace neighborhoods.

24. Mayor Strickland Hopes County Supports MATA - Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland meets with Shelby County Mayor-elect Lee Harris this week as Harris’ transition team is assembled and begins working toward him taking office Sept. 1.

25. Last Word: Tunica Makes Book, The McCalla Ruling and Bush's Exit as Defender - Monday, August 13, 2018

Monday may be the biggest day in Tunica since the dawn of riverfront casinos in the early 1990s. Sports betting opens Monday morning in Tunica with Mississippi officialdom on hand at Horseshoe Tunica along with NFL and Tigers football star DeAngelo Williams who will be among those making the ceremonial first bets at The Book at Horseshoe Tunica.

26. McCalla Says City Violated Consent Decree on Political Surveillance of Protesters - Saturday, August 11, 2018

U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla ruled Friday, Aug. 10, that Memphis Police gathered political intelligence on protesters over the last two years in violation of a 1978 federal court consent decree. And if the plaintiffs in the 2017 lawsuit against the city can establish their standing in court next week, McCalla said he is prepared to declare the city in contempt of the consent decree and impose sanctions.

27. Memphis Public Libraries Get More Internet Speed - Monday, August 13, 2018

Comcast Business has completed a network expansion to Memphis Public Libraries, giving the 18 buildings internet speeds up to 1-gigabit per second (Gbps).

The connection provides a private network connecting all of the libraries, which allows them to send data across its branches without involving public internet.

28. Sound System Upgrade, Locker Room Improvements Highlight Renovations to Liberty Bowl - Friday, August 10, 2018

When Memphis football fans file into Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Sept. 1 for the Tigers home opener against Mercer they will hear things a bit clearer, thanks to an upgraded sound system.

The city of Memphis, owner of the stadium, is trying to keep the Tigers’ home stadium as up to date as possible. In addition to the sound system improvements, renovations have come to coach Mike Norvell’s home locker room.

29. A Costly Ride - Saturday, August 11, 2018

Memphis is poised to adopt a transit plan that promises a big economic splash, but first supporters must sell the general public on a $30 million annual price tag before any transformation occurs.

“Everyone in Memphis has an interest in a good, effective transit system,” said Mayor Jim Strickland, already in promotion mode, “even if you never get on a bus.”

30. Sound System Upgrade, Locker Room Improvements Among Renovations to Liberty Bowl - Thursday, August 9, 2018

When Memphis football fans file into Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Sept. 1 for the Tigers home opener against Mercer they will be able to hear things a bit clearer, thanks to an upgraded sound system.

31. Last Word: DEB Comes to Memphis, Collierville's New School and Lamar Avenue - Monday, August 6, 2018

At the end of an eventful week on several fronts, two of those fronts met Saturday evening in Memphis Park. The park, cleared of all remaining Confederate monuments and markers earlier in the week, was the site of the first Le Diner en Blanc in the city. This is an event that takes place in other cities with the Paris DEB 30 years old and still running.

32. Police Documents Show Protest Spreadsheet and Fear of 'Radicals' - Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Memphis Police brass kept a spread sheet over the past two years on whether a protest received a city permit – was “lawful” or “unlawful” – while continuing to collect information on some of the protesters from public social media.

33. Moves to Abolish IRV and City Runoff Provision Remain on November Ballot - Wednesday, July 25, 2018

After intense lobbying by advocates of instant runoff voting, Memphis city council members doubled down Tuesday, July 24, on their decision to put a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot that would do away with the current city charter provision calling for instant-runoff voting.

34. De-Annexation Plan Encounters Council Resistance - Wednesday, July 25, 2018

The Strickland administration’s proposal to de-annex two more parts of the city – Southwind-Windyke and Rocky Point – got bad reviews Tuesday, July 24, in city council committee sessions on their way to the first of three council votes in August.

35. Council Gets First Look at Sanitation Overhaul - Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Memphis City Council members offer their first thoughts Tuesday, July 23, on the reconfiguration of city sanitation services outlined last week by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

36. Restoration Ringleaders - Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Backers of a restored Mid-South Coliseum took stock Saturday, July 21, of a mothballed arena and a city Fairgrounds plan that leaves it inactive for now.

The third Roundhouse Revival over the weekend remained an outdoor event with the Coliseum as a backdrop.

37. Last Word: The Fuse, TnReady on SCS Literacy Efforts and Death By Amazon? - Monday, July 23, 2018

More than 32,000 of you have voted early in advance of the Aug. 2 election day through Saturday and going into the final week of early voting, which runs through July 28. That compares to 37,168 early voters through the first eight days in 2014 for this same election cycle and 41,310 in 2010 at the same point. In 2010 and 2014 there were 21 early voting sites compared to today’s 27. And the Downtown location was the only site open for the first two days of those early voting periods compared to five of the 27 sites open for the first three days of the current period. For the full 2014 early voting period, keeping in mind the differences, there were 82,403 early voters and in 2010 there were 93,700.

38. Every-Other-Week Yard Waste Pickup Leads City Overhaul of Sanitation - Monday, July 23, 2018

After years of changes to the city’s basic system of sanitation services and lots of discussions and pauses between those efforts, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has waded into the fray over the most basic of city services.

39. Arrive Hotel Breaks Ground on South Main Location - Saturday, July 21, 2018

“You can feel the momentum in Memphis,” Mayor Jim Strickland said during his opening remarks at the groundbreaking of Arrive Hotel’s newest location.

40. Arrive Hotel Breaks Ground on South Main Location - Saturday, July 21, 2018

“You can feel the momentum in Memphis,” mayor Jim Strickland said during his opening remarks at the groundbreaking of Arrive Hotel’s newest location.

41. Last Word: MemFix 4's Big Weekend, Early Voting Six Days In and Grizz Moves - Friday, July 20, 2018

A big weekend to avoid the interstate with a rare closing of I-240 between the 385 split and the I-40 split and Poplar over I-240 also closed in both directions. This kicks in Friday evening and runs up to Monday morning’s rush hour as TDOT crews work to replace four bridges in East Memphis using a relatively new process in which parts of the bridges are assembled in advance and then moved into place. The bridges are both Poplar bridges, the Park Avenue bridge and the Norfolk Southern rail bridge. And this will happen all over again in about a week’s time using the same schedule, weather permitting. Weekenders on the interstate already have some experience with a milder version of this with the interstate projects on the south leg

42. Strickland Announces Plan for Every Other Week Curbside Yard Waste Pick Up - Friday, July 20, 2018

UPDATE: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced Friday, July 20, that the city plans to make the solid waste section of the city public works division its own division. And he announced a transition to every other week curbisde pickup of yard waste by the city starting in October. 

43. Big Attraction Not Key to Remaking Mud Island River Park, N.Y. Expert Tells Memphis Group - Thursday, July 19, 2018

Mud Island River Park doesn’t need a master plan or a new big attraction, the former director of Governors Island in New York City told a Memphis group this week.

Leslie Koch said she had neither during her tenure as president and chief executive of the Trust for Governors Island, the organization created to manage the former military base that was turned over to the city of New York as park land.

44. HopeWorks Formally Opening New Facility Thursday - Wednesday, July 18, 2018

HopeWorks will hold a ribbon cutting Thursday, July 19, to celebrate its new facility, located in Binghampton at 3337 Summer Ave. in the former Southern Security Federal Credit Union. The grand-opening event will begin at 10 a.m., with tours of the facility. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will speak prior to cutting the ribbon.

45. Efforts To Grow Black Business Face Wealth Gap - Tuesday, July 17, 2018

The story of a business founded by maxing out personal credit cards or using home equity or both is usually told when that big financial risk works. You don’t hear a lot about when it doesn’t work.

46. More Detailed Fairgrounds Plan Includes Smaller Garage, Lower Priced Sports Site - Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland plans to take a more specific $95 million to $100 million plan for Fairgrounds redevelopment to the City Council and Shelby County Commission in two weeks and the state building commission in Nashville in the fall.

47. Strickland Moves to De-Annex Southwind, Rocky Point - Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says his administration is set to begin the process of de-annexing the Southwind/Windyke area and the Rocky Point area, both in eastern Memphis.

48. Strickland Moves to De-Annex Southwind/Windyke, Rocky Point - Monday, July 9, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says his administration is set to begin the process of de-annexing the Southwind/Windyke area and the Rocky Point area, both in eastern Memphis.

49. District 99 State Rep. Ron Lollar Dead at 69 - Friday, July 6, 2018

State Rep. Ron Lollar, R-Bartlett, who had served Northeast Shelby County in the state Legislature since 2006, died Friday morning in his sleep. He was 69 years old.

Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald, who was at Lollar’s house, was among several people who confirmed the representative’s death in the early morning hours.

50. Review of Mud Island Museum Begins as River Museum Closes Early for Season - Friday, July 6, 2018

The former director of Governors Island in New York and the head of a Colorado company that helps develop outdoor adventure businesses are coming to Memphis this month as part of the process of rethinking the 36-year-old Mud Island Mississippi River Museum.

51. Graceland Again Files Suit Over Whitehaven Arena Plans - Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Graceland’s third Chancery Court action in less than a year was its most anticipated. Elvis Presley Enterprises filed a complaint in Shelby County Chancery Court June 29 seeking a declaratory judgment on whether its plans for an arena in Whitehaven violate the noncompete agreement city and county governments have with the part of the Memphis Grizzlies that runs FedExForum for both local governments.

52. Inland Waste Parent Company Says City Throwing It 'Under The Bus' - Monday, July 2, 2018

The president of the Sarasota, Florida, company that owns Inland Waste says the company is being “thrown under the bus” by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland over its contract with the city to pick up yard waste and other trash in Cordova.

53. Former MPD Director Melvin Burgess Dies - Saturday, June 30, 2018

Former Memphis Police Director Melvin Burgess Sr. died Thursday, June 28.

Burgess, the father of Shelby County commissioner Melvin Burgess Jr., served as police director from January 1992 to May 1994. He was appointed by then-Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton in one of his first actions as mayor.

54. Former MPD Director Melvin Burgess Dies - Friday, June 29, 2018

Former Memphis Police Director Melvin Burgess Sr. died Thursday, June 28.

Burgess, the father of Shelby County commissioner Melvin Burgess Jr., served as police director from January 1992 to May 1994. He was appointed by then-Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton in one of his first actions as mayor.

55. Building Diversity - Friday, June 29, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has been looking for a good deal on cars. “City Hall, as you can imagine, buys a lot of vehicles,” he told a group of 300 gathered Wednesday, June 27, at the city’s third annual symposium promoting a larger share of city contracts for local, minority- and women-owned businesses.

56. Mayoral Security Comes with Controversy and Price Tag - Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Some mayors and other elected officials have referred to it as “fan mail.” It ranges from explicit threats of violence to vague statements that could be taken as threats of physical harm or a prediction of defeat in the next election.

57. City Minority Business Effort Goes For One-on-One Talks - Wednesday, June 27, 2018

The business of awarding city government contracts is a very formal process with information given out about a contract up for bid at a specific time with so many days to respond in writing.

City Hall’s move to award more of those contracts to local, minority- and women-owned businesses will place business owners new to the government contracting process across the table from city division directors on Wednesday, June 27.

58. Last Word: The Clean-Up, Strickland On Security and Memphis Urbanism - Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Clean up from weekend storms was the first order of business at the top of the work week and that continues into Tuesday around the city. As Monday became Tuesday, MLGW reported 123 power outages it was working on affecting 2,121 customers.

59. Strickland Defends Police Overtime for Personal Security - Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he was reluctant initially to increase his security when he took office in 2016. Now in his third year of a four-year term, that has changed to include 24-hour police security on his home.

60. WIN Memphis Region Office Shifts to County in July - Monday, June 25, 2018

The federally funded Workforce Investment Network office for the Memphis region shifts from city government to Shelby County government with the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

WIN gets federal funding for workforce training efforts in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton and Lauderdale counties.

61. Fitch Upgrades Memphis’ Bond Rating to AA - Saturday, June 23, 2018

The city’s bond rating has been upgraded by Fitch Ratings to AA, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Wednesday, June 20.

62. Fitch Upgrades City Bond Rating to AA - Friday, June 22, 2018

The city’s bond rating has been upgraded by Fitch Ratings to AA, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Wednesday, June 20.

63. City Bond Rating Boosted to AA - Wednesday, June 20, 2018

The city’s bond rating has been upgraded by Fitch Ratings to AA, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Wednesday, June 20.

64. Few Ripples to End City Hall’s Budget Season - Thursday, June 7, 2018

The Memphis City Council gave final approval Tuesday, June 5, to a $685 million city operating budget, an $87 million capital budget and a $3.19 city property tax rate.

The votes ended City Hall’s budget season with few changes to the budget proposed by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

65. City Council Approves $685M City Budget, Takes City Tax Rate to $3.19 - Wednesday, June 6, 2018

The Memphis City Council gave final approval Tuesday, June 5, to a $685 million city operating budget, an $87 million capital budget and a $3.19 city property tax rate.

The votes ended City Hall’s budget season with few changes by the council to the budget proposed by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

66. $71.2M Federal Grant Awarded for Long-Sought Lamar Avenue Upgrade - Wednesday, June 6, 2018

A $71.2 million federal transportation grant announced Tuesday, June 5, in Washington, D.C., will fund long-planned and awaited infrastructure updates to the city’s major freight corridor.

Funding under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation goes for repairs and upgrades to Lamar Avenue from Getwell Avenue to the Mississippi state line.

67. Commission Approves Graceland Resolution in Forum Non-Compete Controversy - Tuesday, June 5, 2018

The Shelby County commission dipped its toes in the roiling waters of the Graceland-Grizzlies arena flap with a vote Monday, June 4, to conditionally endorse the idea of a 6,200-seat Whitehaven arena built by Elvis Presley Enterprises on the Graceland campus.

68. City Council Faces Final Vote on Tax Rate - Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Memphis City Council members could start to wrap up the budget season Tuesday, June 5, with third and final-reading votes on the city property tax rate and a resolution approving the city’s capital budget.

69. Last Word: Storm Damage, Overton Square Parking and Corker's Tariff Plan - Monday, June 4, 2018

The week begins with recovery across the river in Arkansas where high winds, possibly tornadoes, did quite a bit of damage Saturday evening – the Delta Regional Airport just outside Colt in St. Francis County destroyed, by the National Weather Service preliminary damage estimate Sunday.

70. Strickland Working Toward Garbage Pickup Overhaul - Monday, June 4, 2018

By the fall, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland hopes to have a plan to overhaul city sanitation services – specifically the yard waste curbside pickup that has caused a lot of citizen complaints.

71. 100 North Main - Saturday, June 2, 2018

The city’s tallest building, the 37-story 100 North Main Building – may or may not become the city’s second convention center hotel. But the skyscraper that has been vacant for four years and counting is the centerpiece of a 3-acre planned commercial complex anchored by a 600-room hotel, no matter where it winds up in the footprint. The complex, as much as the hotel, promises to change more than the city’s convention business.

72. Last Word: Kim Kardashian's Plea, The Duran Stay and Mid-Term Moves - Thursday, May 31, 2018

A drug case from Memphis federal court in the early 1990s was the reason Kim Kardashian West was at the White House Wednesday. Kardashian West is among those pushing for a presidential pardon for Alice Marie Johnson – serving a life sentence on a federal drug and money laundering conviction. Here is the Associated Press story.

73. Minority Business Growth Aim of 'The 800 Initiative' - Thursday, May 31, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is proposing $500,000 in city funding each of the next three fiscal years to help fund a new initiative to bolster the city’s 800 minority-owned businesses that have paid employees.

74. Council Delays Ordinances To De-Annex 2 Areas - Saturday, May 26, 2018

The Memphis City Council on Tuesday, May 22, again delayed votes on third and final reading of two de-annexation ordinances. One would de-annex uninhabited flood plain land in southwest Memphis, while the other would de-annex the part of Eads within the Memphis city limits.

75. State Approves Expansion Of Downtown TDZ - Saturday, May 26, 2018

Plans for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s move Downtown and a new aquarium took a major step forward as the State Building Commission’s executive subcommittee approved the addition of Mud Island and the riverfront to the city’s Downtown Tourism Development Zone on Tuesday, May 22.

76. TDZ Expansion Seen As Catalyst for 'Public Realm' Work - Friday, May 25, 2018

In the five weeks since the Riverfront Development Corporation became the Memphis River Parks Partnership, Greenbelt Park on Mud Island and Martyr’s Park on the Memphis mainland have gotten some rehabbed park benches. The bench work includes the Bluffwalk as well as work on the RiverLine trail that runs behind the flood walls on the other side from the Pyramid.

77. Beale Street Bucks Comeback Recommended as Lawsuit Dismissed - Thursday, May 24, 2018

Almost a year after all cover charges to get in the Beale Street Entertainment District were dropped, the cover charge program known as Beale Street Bucks could be making a comeback.

The suggestion is sure to renew a vocal debate about whether charging a cover after 10 p.m. on Saturdays during the summer is an effective security measure or selective crowd control on the street that gave birth to the blues, where Saturday night crowds are a part of its history. 

78. Council Delays Ordinances To De-Annex 2 Areas - Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Memphis City Council on Tuesday, May 22, again delayed votes on third and final reading of two de-annexation ordinances. One would de-annex uninhabited flood plain land in southwest Memphis, while the other would de-annex the part of Eads within the Memphis city limits.

79. Last Word: Bike Second Line Protest, Loeb's Portrait and SCS Budget Notes - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

“Get on your bikes and ride.” The local bike share program begins Wednesday at 60 different Explore Bike Share stations at different points around town. The bike rental program is considered a milestone in the city’s bicycle culture. And like all milestones there has to be a ceremony. This effort to make it easier to mix bikes into your daily journeys will kick off Wednesday morning in Court Square at 9:30 a.m.

80. State Approves Downtown TDZ Expansion - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Plans for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s move Downtown and a new aquarium took a major step forward as the State Building Commission’s executive subcommittee approved the addition of Mud Island and the riverfront to the city’s Downtown Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) on Tuesday, May 22.

81. City Council to Deal With Employee Contract Impasses - Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Memphis City Council members move closer to setting a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 with a set of impasse recommendations involving 13 groups of city employees.

The full council votes Tuesday, May 22, on recommendations from eight separate impasse committees – each has three council members appointed to resolve contract negotiation impasses between unions and the city administration.

82. Graceland Arena Controversy Shows Strings as it Broadens - Monday, May 21, 2018

Elvis Presley Enterprises and City Hall got together last week in Whitehaven on neutral ground to talk about Graceland’s expansion plan, specifically a 6,200-seat arena. And from a distance you could barely see the strings from the arena attached to the 1,000-job manufacturing facility Graceland has also talked about starting on Brooks Road.

83. Memphis to Rebid Cook Convention Center Project - Thursday, May 17, 2018

The city will be rebidding the $175 million renovation of the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Tuesday, May 15.

84. Last Word: Being Fourth, Barbecue and Davos on the Delta and Steamboat Exit - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Not. Top. Three. The Grizz got the fourth pick of the NBA draft in Tuesday’s draft lottery in Chicago. Grizz president of business operations Jason Wexler had probably the best reaction on Twitter: “So for the next 5 weeks we are in a window where everyone can be wrong and everyone can be right at the same time.” The memory of Hasheem Thabeet’s arrival in Memphis looms large in this uncertainty and draft day is the only thing that can make that memory fade. At least for now, that image just got a bit sharper. And it becomes more vivid every time between now and the draft in June that you start a sentence with “The Grizz could still…”

85. Convention Center Overhaul and Renovation to be Rebid - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The city will be rebidding the $175 million renovation of the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Tuesday, May 15.

86. Last Word: Mimeo Move, Food Fight and Sundquist for Blackburn - Monday, May 14, 2018

There aren’t any renderings just yet of what a second convention center hotel with the 100 North Main Building as its centerpiece would look like. That’s probably a good thing for now because some of the specs and the footprint are still in flux. The developers of the proposed convention center hotel said as the weekend began that they plan a 600 room hotel and a complex that includes two 30-story towers in addition to the 37-story tall 100 North Main Building – the tallest building in the city. And the foot print will likely jump Second Street to take in the vacant Jefferson Plaza building. Here is the update and some perspective on how we got to this point.

87. Former Bears Legend Mike Singletary to Lead Memphis Football Franchise - Monday, May 14, 2018

If Memphis is going to have another pro football league that won’t be confused with the NFL – and it is – it can’t hurt for the first head coach to be a pro football Hall-of-Famer, a feared former linebacker who made the Chicago Bears proud.

88. Second Convention Center Hotel Has Footprint Beyond City’s Tallest Building - Monday, May 14, 2018

After four years as an emptied out eyesore and lots of promises with very little follow up, the city’s tallest building is at the center of a tentative deal to make it the second convention center hotel.

89. 100 North Main To Become Convention Center Hotel Via Letter of Intent - Friday, May 11, 2018

The city of Memphis has signed a letter of intent for the redevelopment of the city’s tallest building as a convention center hotel.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced the letter of intent for the 100 North Main Building Thursday, May 10, with THM Memphis Acquisitions LLC and Loews Hotel Holding Corporation.

90. New County Leaders Face Big Funding Decisions - Friday, May 11, 2018

The new Shelby County mayor and County Commission elected in August will have some major budget decisions to make once they take office Sept. 1, including a new Regional One Health Center building that could cost more to build than the $250 million FedExForum and a permanent source of county funding for the universal prekindergarten effort.

91. Not Taking Sides - Friday, May 11, 2018

Elvis Presley Enterprises’ push to get city and county officials to back its plans for a Whitehaven arena hasn’t made very much progress, judging from discussions this month by the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission.

92. Commission To Consider Overriding Adviser Veto - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Shelby County commissioners vote Wednesday, May 9, in special session on whether to override a veto by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell of their decision to reappoint attorney Julian Bolton as the commission’s “legislative policy adviser.”

93. Last Word: Making Memphis Easier, Strickland on Graceland and Construction Jobs - Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Some of the BSMF reviews in from this past weekend are thumbs up for the way Memphis In May has ramped up what you might call its infrastructure around Uber, Lyft and little items like muddy boots for the increasing number of Memphians and visitors who are ready to go no matter what the weather is doing. And they may opt for some other way into Downtown beyond driving a car and finding a parking place and walking, especially when there’s a drop off at the northern end of the music festival. Even a fire hydrant water flow to take the mud off your boots. We can make Memphis easier with less effort than we think at the outset.

94. Strickland: City Given Enough For Entertainment - Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he would support some kind of incentives for the manufacturing facility Graceland wants to open in Whitehaven. But not if it’s linked to a greater share of city and county property tax revenue for a 6,200-seat arena Graceland also wants to build.

95. 3D Realty Plans to Bring Additional Mixed-Use Communities to Memphis - Saturday, May 5, 2018

Fresh off the Shelby County Board of Adjustment’s April 25 unanimous vote to advance 3D Realty’s mixed-use community underneath the iconic Broad Avenue water tower, James Maclin says the company doesn’t intend on slowing down anytime soon.

96. Last Word: BSMF Opens, Germantown's New Elementary and Links at St. Jude - Friday, May 4, 2018

The Beale Street Music Festival opens Friday and the clouds appear right on cue. But that, in and of itself, doesn’t stop the proceedings in Tom Lee Park. Lightning is another matter, of course. Poncho and boots are a part of the Memphis In May identity. And one day there will be a digital map of the park’s terrain that shows the areas that are the mud pits and those that are largely mud proof. That’s for some of you to avoid them and others among you to find them and “celebrate” them.

97. Last Word: About The Election Turnout, Luttrell's Last Budget and Gold Records - Thursday, May 3, 2018

It turns out election turnout in Tuesday’s county primary elections was up from the same election cycle four years ago – almost 19,000 more voters – a 14.9 percent turnout if you only go by the number of “active” voters – 13.4 percent if you go with combined active and “inactive”. Yes, when last we met, I said it was a decrease from 2014. It’s not. And here is how that happened.

98. Luttrell Proposes Adjusting Down County Property Tax Rate - Thursday, May 3, 2018

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is proposing a rollback of the $4.11 county property tax rate to $4.05 in his last budget proposal to the Shelby County Commission.

Luttrell will formally present the $1.3 billion consolidated county government budget to commissioners at Wednesday, May 9, committee sessions. The proposal, known as the budget book, was delivered to individual commissioners Monday.

99. County Commission Urges Haslam to Veto Immigration Bill - Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Shelby County commissioners approved a resolution Monday, April 30, urging Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to veto a bill that would require local and state law enforcement agencies to work with federal immigration and customs enforcement agents on immigration matters.

100. Last Word: Trolleys Roll, Primary Election Day and The Rise of South City - Tuesday, May 1, 2018

MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld likes to joke that the new trolleys are quieter since the transit authority decided to change from using square wheels. Transit humor. They really are quieter. And that may be because MATA wasn’t doing much of anything in the way of maintenance on them four years ago and even less in the way of record keeping when a second trolley car burst into flames causing MATA to shut down everything it ran on rails. So the trolley that rolled out of the MATA barn on North Main Street Monday morning and into service was symbolic of more than getting a trolley or three ready for service. It was about building a new system around the operation of the trolleys.