Trader Joe’s will officially open its long-awaited Germantown store at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, the company announced Friday, Aug. 31.
34. Wright Medical Files Permit for Expansion in Arlington - Friday, August 31, 2018
Wright Medical Group Inc. plans to expand its operations in Arlington, a new building permit application indicates.
35. Passenger Facility Charge Begins Sept. 1 at Memphis Airport - Friday, August 31, 2018
Memphis International Airport will add $4.50 to the cost of each outbound flight starting Saturday (Sept. 1).
It’s a passenger facility charge, the airport’s first in more than 20 years.
36. Passenger Facility Charge Begins Sept. 1 at Memphis Airport - Friday, August 31, 2018
Memphis International Airport will add $4.50 to the cost of each outbound flight starting Saturday (Sept. 1).
It’s a passenger facility charge, the airport’s first in more than 20 years.
The Federal Aviation Administration approved it July 16 to help pay for modernization of Concourse B between now and 2021.
37. Rock n Roll Sushi Appears Headed to Whitehaven - Friday, August 31, 2018
A rock and roll-themed sushi franchise that serves Elvis rolls could soon be built down the street from Graceland.
A building permit was issued Wednesday, Aug. 28, to Traditional Construction Co. Inc. to build a Rock n Roll Sushi restaurant at 1201 Winchester Road.
38. Brad Pitt Foundation Faces Lawsuit Over New Orleans Homes - Friday, August 31, 2018
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An attorney plans to sue actor Brad Pitt's foundation over the degradation of homes built in an area of New Orleans that was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
39. Plans for Memphis Union Mission Expansion Revealed - Thursday, August 30, 2018
Memphis Union Mission has revealed plans for a new 100,000-square-foot facility Downtown that would serve up to 350 homeless guests.
The expansion plans for the nonprofit’s headquarters at 383 Poplar Ave. were disclosed Wednesday, Aug. 29, in a request for a zoning exception from the Board of Adjustment.
40. Heat Index in Northeast U.S. Tops 100 - Thursday, August 30, 2018
NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of millions of people in the northeastern United States sweated in dangerously high heat Wednesday, with temperatures that felt like more than 100 degrees and prompted emergency measures including school closures and extra breaks for star players wilting at the U.S. Open tennis tournament and school closures.
41. Hotel Occupancy Takes Dip, Local Forecast Not That Rosy - Thursday, August 30, 2018
Memphis hotel occupancy in 2018 has fallen off a torrid pace of recent years, with growth in home-sharing and the convention center’s pending renovation shouldering some of the blame, industry officials say.
42. Council Approves TDZ Financing for Second Convention Center Hotel - Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Memphis City Council members approved the use of Tourism Development Zone revenues Tuesday, Aug. 28, to finance the construction of a second convention center hotel as they delayed any decisions on long-term crowd control and safety measures in the Beale Street entertainment district.
43. How Memphis Can Learn from Detroit: Creating an Inclusive Comeback Story - Tuesday, August 28, 2018
The City of Detroit intends to create the most inclusive comeback story America has ever told.
Detroit is the largest African-American majority city in the country with a population over 400,000. Memphis is the second largest.
44. Memphis City Council Considers Surface Parking Lot at Main and Beale - Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Memphis City Council members vote Tuesday, Aug. 28, on a special-use permit to turn the land on the northeast corner of South Main Street and Beale Street into a surface parking lot with landscaping.
45. Bankruptcy Court Building to Undergo Construction - Tuesday, August 28, 2018
The Downtown office tower that houses U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee will soon be under construction.
Property owner G.P.T. Properties Trust applied for a $600,000 building permit for alterations at 200 Jefferson Ave.
46. Hurricane Lane Floods Parts Of Hawaii After Torrential Rains - Monday, August 27, 2018
HONOLULU (AP) — Hurricane Lane dumped torrential rains that inundated the main town on Hawaii's Big Island as people elsewhere stocked up on supplies and piled sandbags to shield oceanfront businesses against the increasingly violent surf.
47. IP to Begin $8 Million Renovation at Memphis HQ - Saturday, August 25, 2018
International Paper Co. is renovating Tower I at its headquarters in East Memphis primarily to accommodate a new business unit it acquired two years ago from Weyerhaeuser.
48. Renovation Permit Filed For Huey’s Cordova - Saturday, August 25, 2018
A building permit application worth more than $360,000 was filed Wednesday, Aug. 22, for the Huey’s in Cordova.
Traditional Construction Co. Inc. applied for a $363,531 building permit for “alterations, renovations to existing restaurant” at 1771 N. Germantown Parkway.
49. Renovation Permit Filed For Huey’s Cordova - Friday, August 24, 2018
A building permit application worth more than $360,000 was filed Wednesday, Aug. 22, for the Huey’s in Cordova.
Traditional Construction Co. Inc. applied for a $363,531 building permit for “alterations, renovations to existing restaurant” at 1771 N. Germantown Parkway.
50. San Francisco's $2.2 Billion 'Grand Central' Terminal Open - Thursday, August 23, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Spanning three city blocks, San Francisco's $2 billion transit terminal is open after nearly a decade under construction.
Coined the "Grand Central of the West," the new Salesforce Transit Center near the heart of downtown is expected to accommodate 100,000 passengers each weekday, and up to 45 million people a year. It welcomed its first passengers and visitors this month.
51. Mississippi Governor Calls Special Session on Transportation - Thursday, August 23, 2018
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday issued the official document to call lawmakers into special session Thursday to discuss more money for roads and bridges.
The plan outlined by the Republican governor includes diverting some taxes on internet sales to cities and counties, creating a state lottery, using proceeds from a tax on sports betting and borrowing up to $300 million.
52. Tennessee Gives $15M to Parks, Trail Projects - Thursday, August 23, 2018
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials say $15 million in grant money will help fund parks and recreational trail projects in communities.
Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Shari Meghreblian say the department will award about $13.5 million in Local Park and Recreation Fund grants to 51 communities across Tennessee.
53. IP to Begin $8 Million Renovation at Memphis HQ - Tuesday, August 21, 2018
International Paper Co. is renovating Tower I at its headquarters in East Memphis primarily to accommodate a new business unit it acquired two years ago from Weyerhaeuser.
54. Crosstown Concourse Leaders Switch Financing - Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Crosstown Concourse now has permanent financing that replaces a complex mosaic of financing from dozens of institutions that allowed the renovation and readaptation of the 1.5-million-square-foot landmark.
55. The Week Ahead: Aug. 20-26 - Monday, August 20, 2018
Good morning, Memphis! Fall is just around the corner and the weather later this week may give a you a more convincing notion of that. Here is a list of events and meetings that may be of interest as you get the week started.
56. Stocks Jump as Hopes Rise For Progress on China Trade Talks - Monday, August 20, 2018
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are higher Friday as investors hope for more progress in trade talks between the U.S. and China. The Wall Street Journal reported that the countries hope to resolve their dispute by November.
57. Fayetteville Residents Sell Parking to High School Students - Monday, August 20, 2018
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Enterprising neighbors may need to go through some hoops if they want to keep charging Fayetteville High School students to park on their property.
As a result of the chronic shortage in student parking, several properties are being used for off-site parking, with some converted into gravel parking lots, according to the notification the Planning Department sent to more than 50 homes. Two lots directly across from the school have about a dozen spots each.
58. David Hawk Seeks Speaker post - Monday, August 20, 2018
Republican state Rep. David Hawk, an opponent of the 2017 IMPROVE Act and gas-tax increase, delivered the second shot for the House Speaker’s post, entering a race expected to hotly contested as the 111th General Assembly prepares to convene.
59. Fogelman Completes $67 Million in Acquisitions - Saturday, August 18, 2018
In a joint venture partnership with Dallas-based Thackeray Partners, Memphis-based Fogelman Properties completed $67 million in acquisitions this month with the purchase of Legends at Charleston Park (in Charleston, South Carolina) and Westridge (in Jacksonville, Florida).
60. Memphis Union Mission To Begin $16.5M Expansion - Saturday, August 18, 2018
Memphis Union Mission this week submitted a building permit application for an expansion of its men’s emergency shelter in Downtown.
The application estimates construction at 383 Poplar Ave. will cost $16.5 million. The organization six years ago initiated the purchase of the nearby 3.1 acres bounded roughly by Poplar on the north, Danny Thomas on the west, Washington on the south and High Street on the east.
61. Trader Joe’s Moves Closer To Germantown Opening - Saturday, August 18, 2018
After years of waiting, anticipation and uncertainty over reports of Trader Joe’s arrival in the area, the California-based business is on the verge of opening its Germantown location.
The red-lettered Trader Joe’s sign recently was erected above the entrance to the former Kroger location at 2130 Exeter Road. The store is one of the main tenants in the Germantown Collection Shopping Center undergoing a makeover near the northeast corner of Exeter and Poplar Avenue.
62. Last Word: Suburban Elections, Charter Changes and Aretha Franklin - Friday, August 17, 2018
Almost there for the November ballot with Thursday’s qualifying deadline for the contenders in the five sets of elections in five of the six suburban towns and cities. Three mayor’s races – all contested -- in Germantown, Lakeland and Bartlett. 11 races decided at the deadline with candidates running unopposed. Something of a surprise in one of the Millington alderman races.
63. University District Set To Begin 1st Phase Of TIF Fund Improvements - Saturday, August 18, 2018
It’s been about two years since the Highland Strip TIF was first created by local development officials to improve public infrastructure in the area surrounding the University of Memphis.
But, since a TIF, or tax increment financing, funds work by allocating a portion of new property taxes generated by a development over period of time, it’s taken some time for the money from new developments along the Strip to add up.
64. New Life - Saturday, August 18, 2018
By this time next year, the formerly blighted Frayser Plaza will become Harmony Plaza, with Memphis STEM Academy as its anchor tenant and 100 percent occupancy. It’s part of a new trend of transforming out-of-date retail shopping centers into mixed-use, walkable concepts.
65. Poag Shopping Centers Sharpening Focus with Smith’s Promotion - Saturday, August 18, 2018
Now in its sixth year, Poag Shopping Centers is fine-tuning its operations strategy in response to a slowing retail development landscape over the past couple of years.
The company, led by president and CEO Joshua Poag, recently promoted Brian Smith to chief strategy officer to lead that process.
66. $161M in Contracts Awarded for Makeover of Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B - Friday, August 17, 2018
Memphis International Airport’s $245 million makeover of B Concourse marched toward a September construction launch Thursday with approval of $161 million in related contracts that will create thousands of jobs.
67. Trader Joe’s Moves Closer To Germantown Opening - Thursday, August 16, 2018
After years of waiting, anticipation and uncertainty over reports of Trader Joe’s arrival in the area, the California-based business is on the verge of opening its Germantown location.
The red-lettered Trader Joe’s sign recently was erected above the entrance to the former Kroger location at 2130 Exeter Road. The store is one of the main tenants in the Germantown Collection Shopping Center undergoing a makeover near the northeast corner of Exeter and Poplar Avenue.
68. Why Local One Commerce Square Owners Are Selling to Out-of-State Investors - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
After successfully renovating the 29-story iBank Tower in Downtown Memphis, the work is done for a group of prominent Memphis investors as they prepare to sell the office building to a new owner with deeper pockets.
69. Death Toll Hits 39 in Italy Bridge Collapse - Thursday, August 16, 2018
GENOA, Italy (AP) — Italian prosecutors on Wednesday focused their investigation into the Genoa highway bridge collapse on possible design flaws or inadequate maintenance, as the death toll rose to 39 and Italian politicians looked for someone to blame.
70. Historic District Compromise Tabled Over State 'Threats' - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
After months of discussions, compromises and amendments, the city council member sponsoring an ordinance giving the council more oversight of the local Landmarks Commission tabled the measure on third and final reading.
71. Historic District Compromise Tabled Over State 'Threats' - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
After months of discussions, compromises and amendments, the city council member sponsoring an ordinance giving the council more oversight of the local Landmarks Commission tabled the measure on third and final reading.
72. Historic District Compromise Tabled Over State 'Threats' - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
After months of discussions, compromises and amendments, the city council member sponsoring an ordinance giving the council more oversight of the local Landmarks Commission tabled the measure on third and final reading.
73. Convention Center Hotel Plans Reveal Likely Civic Center Location - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Representatives with the New York-based company redeveloping 100 N. Main St., including their hotel partner Loews Hotel & Co., were in Memphis on Tuesday, Aug. 14, scouting locations for a convention center hotel.
74. Fogelman Completes $67M in Acquisitions - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
In a joint venture partnership with Dallas-based Thackeray Partners, Memphis-based Fogelman Properties completed $67 million in acquisitions this month with the purchase of Legends at Charleston Park (in Charleston, South Carolina) and Westridge (in Jacksonville, Florida).
75. Memphis Union Mission To Begin $16.5M Expansion - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Memphis Union Mission this week submitted a building permit application for an expansion of its men’s emergency shelter in Downtown.
The application estimates construction at 383 Poplar Ave. will cost $16.5 million. The organization six years ago initiated the purchase of the nearby 3.1 acres bounded roughly by Poplar on the north, Danny Thomas on the west, Washington on the south and High Street on the east.
76. Trader Joe’s Moves Closer to Opening in Germantown - Tuesday, August 14, 2018
After years of waiting, anticipation and uncertainty over reports of Trader Joe’s arrival in the area, the California-based business is on the verge of opening its Germantown location.
The red-lettered Trader Joe’s sign recently was erected above the entrance to the former Kroger location at 2130 Exeter. The store is one of the main tenants in the Germantown Collection Shopping Center undergoing a makeover near the northeast corner of Exeter and Poplar.
77. Cars Plunge as Highway Bridge Collapses in Italy; At Least 20 Killed - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
MILAN (AP) — A bridge on a main highway linking Italy with France collapsed Tuesday in the Italian port city of Genoa during a violent storm, sending vehicles plunging nearly 150 feet into a heap of rubble. Authorities said at least 20 people were killed, although the death toll fluctuated throughout the day and some people were found alive in the debris.
78. 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.
79. Restaurant Plans Submitted For Old Windjammer Space - Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Plans have been filed for a new restaurant building to rise on the now-empty, East Memphis lot where the old Windjammer Restaurant stood for decades.
Building documents were submitted to the Construction Code Enforcement office as part of construction-permit application for 786 E. Brookhaven Circle.
80. 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.
81. Restaurant Iris Reopens; Permit Pulled for Former Windjammer Space - Friday, August 10, 2018
After a nearly three-month renovation, Restaurant Iris will re-open Aug. 22 with a new menu, a new interior, and a chef/owner entering a new chapter in his life.
“It’s my 40th birthday,” Kelly English said. “That’s a great time for a rebirth, right? Or maybe it could just be my midlife crisis.”
82. FedEx Files $8.2 M Permit For Hub Modernization - Saturday, August 11, 2018
Memphis-based logistics giant FedEx Corp. is putting an $8.2 million sort system in a warehouse it recently leased from the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.
83. Home Sales Volume Rises 8 Percent From Last July - Saturday, August 11, 2018
The average home sale price for July was $186,292, up 7 percent from July 2017 when the average price was $173,610, according to new data from Chandler Reports, a division of The Daily News Publishing Co.
84. Garner Framed Magnolia Homes’ Success by Putting Buyers First - Saturday, August 11, 2018
For local homebuilder and developer Karen Garner, starting her own business 31 years ago as a single mother with two children was filled with challenges, but being a woman in a male-dominated industry did not turn out to be one of them.
85. 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.”
86. Bids Put Cost Of Airport Concourse Renovation Near $250M - Friday, August 10, 2018
Estimates for Memphis International Airport’s long-awaited concourse overhaul have climbed toward a quarter billion dollars.
At $245.5 million, the latest “all in” budget includes 25 new jet bridges for passenger loading and unloading, a full complement of moving sidewalks and energy-efficient dynamic glass that adjusts to changing environmental conditions.
87. Last Word: Transition Time, Two Years of Heart and Eads De-Annexation Growth - Thursday, August 9, 2018
Here comes the transition in the county mayor’s office. Shelby County Mayor-elect Lee Harris announced Wednesday that the transition team will be co-chaired by former Downtown Memphis Commission president Paul Morris and former Grizz coach Lionel Hollins. Harris’s campaign manager Danielle Inez will be executive director of the transition team. They are soliciting applications to be on the transition team and the resumes have to be in soon. Harris takes office as outgoing mayor Mark Luttrell leaves at the end of this month.
88. Bids Put Cost of Airport Concourse Renovation near $250 Million - Thursday, August 9, 2018
Estimates for Memphis International Airport’s long-awaited concourse overhaul have climbed toward a quarter billion dollars.
At $245.5 million, the latest “all in” budget includes 25 new jet bridges for passenger loading and unloading, a full complement of moving sidewalks and energy-efficient dynamic glass that adjusts to changing environmental conditions.
89. Home Sales Volume Up 8 Percent From Last July - Thursday, August 9, 2018
The average home sale price for July was $186,292, up 7 percent from July 2017 when the average price was $173,610, according to new data from Chandler Reports, a division of The Daily News Publishing Co.
90. Lack of Young Employees Hurting Construction - Thursday, August 9, 2018
The epidemic diminishing of the construction workforce in a post-recession world is primarily fueled by a sharp decline in the number of young construction workers, according to research conducted by BuildZoom’s chief economist Issi Romem.
91. Red-Hot Voyage to Sun will Bring Us Closer to Our Star - Thursday, August 9, 2018
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A red-hot voyage to the sun is going to bring us closer to our star than ever before.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe will be the first spacecraft to "touch" the sun, hurtling through the sizzling solar atmosphere and coming within just 3.8 million miles of the surface.
92. Concern in Arkansas Town Highlights Trade Fears Across U.S. - Thursday, August 9, 2018
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) — A Chinese company's announcement two years ago that it would spend more than $1 billion and hire hundreds of workers for a paper mill on the outskirts of this rural college town was seen as a much-needed shot in the arm for the region's economy.
93. Infill Developments Seek Consideration in September Land Use Control Board Meeting - Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Three proposed infill developments within the Interstate 240 loop would carve out lots for 35 houses, requiring the demolition of one church building, houses sharing ground with another church and the razing of an old commercial building.
94. Colonial Country Club Submits Request for Redevelopment of a Larger Tract - Wednesday, August 8, 2018
The planned redevelopment of Colonial Country Club in Cordova has taken a major turn, including a new, deep-pocketed development partnership planning to add acreage, a mix of retail, restaurants, offices and full-service hotel.
95. FedEx Files $8.2 Million Permit for Hub Modernization - Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Memphis-based logistics giant FedEx Corp. is putting an $8.2 million sort system in a warehouse it recently leased from the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.
96. Loeb Presents Renderings of New Hotel Proposed for Overton Square - Tuesday, August 7, 2018
New renderings were released Tuesday of an Overton Square hotel tall enough – at seven stories – for rooftop bar patrons to see much of Midtown, including Overton Park six blocks to the north.
97. Police HQ No Longer in Running for Second Convention Center Hotel - Tuesday, August 7, 2018
The Civic Center Plaza building that is currently Memphis Police Department headquarters is out of the running to be the site of a second convention center hotel.
“That site was contemplated in the beginning. It’s no longer in the running,” Downtown Memphis Commission president Jennifer Oswalt said of 170 N. Main St. on the WKNO/Channel 10 program “Behind The Headlines.”
98. Day One - Monday, August 6, 2018
Five school years into the historic merger and demerger of public education in Shelby County, the start of the sixth school year classes this month shows the change is establishing very real roots.
99. New $95 Million Collierville High Gets Sunday Open House - Monday, August 6, 2018
“It’s really not as daunting as it looks,” Collierville Schools superintendent John Aitken said Saturday, Aug. 4, as he took reporters on a tour of the $95 million Collierville High School. The new school had its formal opening with a Sunday afternoon ribbon cutting and has its first school day Aug. 13 when the Collierville Schools system academic year begins.
100. US Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.9 Percent as Hiring Slows - Monday, August 6, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) — Employers pulled back on hiring in July, but the job gains were still enough to lower the U.S. unemployment rate a tick to 3.9 percent from 4 percent.
Employers added 157,000 jobs last month, a modest gain, the Labor Department said Friday. That's below the 215,000 average for the first seven months this year, but economists said the decline will likely prove temporary.