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.

2. 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 It’s part of a new trend of transforming out-of-date retail shopping centers into mixed-use, walkable concepts.

3. Firestone Fallout - Saturday, August 18, 2018

The red letters grow fainter as the years pass in North Memphis. The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant’s smokestack, once a symbol of the industrial base that defined North Memphis, has become a different kind of symbol in the 35 years since the tire plant closed.

4. 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.”

5. Frayser Bauhaus Draws Preview Crowd of 300 - Monday, July 16, 2018

The investor developer of a Bauhaus-style home from the late 1940s in Frayser says the area is the “next frontier” in Memphis real estate.

“I’m super passionate about Frayser. When I came out here and saw the beautiful rolling hills, I’m like, ‘This is the next frontier,’” Dana Gabrion told a group of 300 people outside the house at 3590 Thomas St. at Floyd Avenue Thursday, July 12.

6. Heat Wave - Saturday, July 14, 2018

After what was a banner year in many ways for Memphis commercial real estate in 2017, projections for this year were bullish. But at the halfway point of 2018, have expectations in the area risen with the temperatures or have they begun to dry out under the sweltering summer heat? 

7. Last Word: The Jenkins Ruling, No More City Court Clerk and Harwell's Quest - Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Making your early voting plan for Friday’s debut of the voting period in advance of the Aug. 2 election day? Well, you might want to hold off until after Tuesday morning. That’s when the latest changes could get set in stone … or not.

8. Clean Memphis Celebrates 10 Years Of Fighting Litter, Blight in Community - Saturday, July 7, 2018

Clean Memphis founder and executive director Janet Boscarino considers her nonprofit’s work to make Memphis greener, cleaner and environmentally sustainable over the past 10 years a gift because of the many neighborhood connections she’s made.

9. The Push for Place - Friday, June 8, 2018

By the end of July, the group that works to connect the dots among the city’s community development corporations plans to have a report that looks at how other cities are connecting the dots in a much broader way.

10. Banks Team Up for Saturday Event to Help Memphians Improve Credit - Friday, June 8, 2018

In an effort to support credit and financial counseling of Memphis residents, more than a dozen local banks that banded together last year to form the Memphis Area Community Reinvestment Act Association are preparing to host their first collective event this weekend.

11. 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.

12. Last Word: One for Graceland, Randy Boyd in Millington and Green Eyeshades - Tuesday, June 5, 2018

From the distance of 50 years – half a century – it’s hard to relate what it was like to grow up in the 1960s – in particular the year 1968 in a city that figured prominently in the year’s turbulent trajectory.

13. Community LIFT Looking to Build $5 Million Loan Pool Amid Growth - Saturday, March 31, 2018

An organization that pursues sources of financial, human and intellectual capital to strategically revitalize neighborhoods wants to build a $5 million loan pool for investing in Memphis communities and leaders.

14. This Week In Memphis History: March 16-22, 2018 - Saturday, March 17, 2018

2008: Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton proposes closing several public libraries, including the Cossitt, Gaston, Highland, Levi and Poplar-White Station branches. He floats the proposal to City Council members, saying it would save the city $1.5 million to $2 million.
“I don’t need to hear from any council member about their district,” he says later. “I have to look at the city. Some of these libraries are in the ghetto. Some of them are on Poplar.” Herenton adds that his upcoming budget proposal will call for a city property tax hike. “I think it’s inevitable,” he says. “But with these cuts, it won’t be as much.” The move to close the Cossitt, the city’s first public library, is also part of a still-general plan by Herenton to redevelop the city’s riverfront and use the land the library is on for other purposes.

15. Last Word: Moot Points in Orlando, EDGE Responds and A Mayoral Forum - Friday, March 9, 2018

The Tigers basketball post season continues to a Friday game with Tulsa the day after the Tigers beat South Florida 79-77 in the AAC tournament in Orlando. But all of this seems to have been rendered a moot point by the all-but-official exit of coach Tubby Smith with Penny Hardaway, and probably much if not all of his staff, waiting in the wings.

16. Novel Approach - Saturday, March 10, 2018

The smallest of the city’s 17 public libraries is also one of its most used. The Frayser Branch library is a brick-and-glass rectangle on a half-acre at 3712 Argonne St. With some modest columns and shrubs, a few planters and cinderblock lattice work, it is shoe-horned into the side of a hill in a residential neighborhood a block from the commercial corridor of North Watkins Road still dominated by churches.

17. At ComCap Partners, Alex Willis Focuses on Improving Community - Friday, March 9, 2018

Ever spot your name on a street sign? It’s a total coincidence – you know this to be true – and yet you may be tempted to stop and grab a selfie with the caption built right in. If you’re a Memphian descended from renowned civil rights leader A.W. Willis, Jr., though, the Willis in white letters on a green sign was your grandfather. And chances are, you share his first and middle initials, too.

18. Local Charter Group Signals Intent to Take Over Catholic Jubilee Schools - Monday, February 5, 2018

A Memphis charter school group led by the president of Christian Brothers University is preparing paperwork to apply with the state and Shelby County Schools to convert nine Catholic schools to charter schools.

19. Last Word: Closing the Loophole, Skeleton Hotel Update and Jubilee Conversion - Friday, February 2, 2018

The state legislator who sponsored the most recent version of the law making it much more difficult to remove Confederate monuments acknowledges that the city of Memphis found a legitimate loophole in the 2016 law he crafted. Republican Steve McDaniel, of Parkers Crossroads, tells our Nashville correspondent Sam Stockard that he has a bill in the House to close the loophole. But it won't undo what happened here. Although there is still a court fight over that taking shape.

20. Digest - Monday, January 29, 2018

Memphis Toys R Us

To Remain Open

A representative with Toys R Us has confirmed to The Daily News that the retailer’s Memphis location, at 7676 Polo Ground Blvd., won’t close after all.

21. Local Charter Group Signals Intent to Take Over Catholic Jubilee Schools - Friday, February 2, 2018

A Memphis charter school group led by the president of Christian Brothers University is preparing its paperwork to apply with the state and Shelby County Schools to convert nine Catholic schools in the city to charter schools.

22. Resiliency Concept Goes Broader With Master Plan - Friday, February 2, 2018

With three projects about to start moving dirt and $60 million in federal funding to do them, the concept of resiliency in Shelby County is moving, even though it’s in the shadows of other plans such as the Mid-South Greenprint and the development of the Wolf River Greenway.

23. Memphis, By Design - Thursday, January 25, 2018

For local fashion designer Xavier Winston, getting out of Binghampton was always his motivation growing up, but today he proudly represents the community as a successful entrepreneur and evidence of what you can accomplish with dedication and hard work.

24. Last Word: Snow Week, Liberal Arts and Their Critics and Tunica Casinos - Thursday, January 18, 2018

Snow Day 3 as this becomes a snow week for many of us. Granted one of those days was a federal holiday in which the temperature was above freezing and the sun was out. During the second consecutive snow day Wednesday for Shelby County Schools students, Candous Brown, a teacher at Raleigh Egypt High School held class anyway via Facebook.

25. Frayser CDC Growing, Expanding Headquarters - Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Frayser Community Development Corp. is a lot busier these days, so much so that it’s expanding its headquarters at 3684 N. Watkins St., where the organization is bursting at the seams.

26. City Council to Consider Ideas to Mitigate Kroger Closures - Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Memphis City Council members will talk Tuesday, Jan. 9, about the decision of Kroger’s Delta Division to close two of its Memphis stores in 3 1/2 weeks.

The sudden announcement could create food deserts in those areas of the city and make it difficult of recruit replacement stores.

27. The Cutoff - Saturday, December 16, 2017

When Memphis leaders got together with suburban mayors in September at Agricenter, it was to talk about a unified countywide approach to getting Amazon’s $5 billion HQ2 project.

It was supposed to be a time for leaders of the county and its seven cities to talk about their common good, regionalism and all things they agree on, with none of what they disagree on at least for the moment.

28. Montgomery Martin Builds an Urban Renaissance - Friday, October 27, 2017

Montgomery Martin has Memphis grit on his feet. He’s spent the afternoon walking through the Tennessee Brewery building, a 125-year-old South Bluff structure being reimagined and renovated with the help of Montgomery Martin Contractors. In other cities, an aging giant like the Brewery might be seen as condemned – too daunting to be granted new life. But Martin says, “We’re not afraid of old buildings – we figure out how to get it done.” And, he adds, “all this is coming together to draw people back into the city.”

29. Monuments, Elections, TDZ Expansion All Before Council - Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Memphis City Council members take a third and final vote Tuesday, Oct. 17, on an ordinance directing the administration to act on “immediate” removal of Confederate monuments from two city parks.

30. Frayser Landfill Expansion Voted Down - Thursday, September 14, 2017

The proposed expansion of a construction landfill in Frayser was unanimously shot down by the Shelby County Land Use Board Thursday, Sept. 14, to the cheers of dozens of concerned residents and students from the nearby Memphis Business Academy who showed up to voice their opposition.

31. Tax Breaks Broaden For Residential, Retail Deals - Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Some changes are coming in the rules surrounding incentives that the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County – or EDGE – can use for different kinds of development and for broader use of tax increment financing – or TIF – zones to sustain redevelopment.

32. New Academic Year Brings Changes, Familiar Issues - Friday, August 4, 2017

The school year for most students in Shelby County begins Monday, Aug. 7. But teachers and school administrators mentally remain at least a few weeks ahead, if not more – a permanent condition for educators.

33. Last Word: Alexander and Corker Differ, Instant Runoff React and Kroger On Hold - Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Tennessee’s two U.S. Senators split their votes Tuesday in Washington on the vote that followed the vote to open debate on a repeal and replacement of Obamacare. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker both voted yes on the debate motion. But then Corker was one of the nine Republican Senate votes that killed the Obamacare replacement plan known as BCRA, while Alexander voted for it.

34. City Master Plan Development Aims To Reverse Random Development - Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Not too far past a new generation of civic plans is the filter of reality – what is possible by a business bottom line.

At the outset of the still-forming Memphis 3.0 master development plan, the reality without a plan is striking.

35. Binghampton, Frayser Retail Projects Look To Lift Communities - Tuesday, July 25, 2017

They say retail is a numbers game, and for some communities, when those numbers don’t add up they can get left behind by developers.

That’s why the Binghampton Gateway and Frayser Gateway – a pair of retail projects in different areas and stages of development – hope to send a message that overlooked communities have more to offer than just numbers.

36. Last Word: ICE Raids, Who's Buying Afton Grove and Malco Powerhouse Plans - Monday, July 24, 2017

A protest Sunday evening at the Prescott Place Apartments after federal ICE agents – Immigration and Customs Enforcement – took people into custody there and at Emerald Ridge and Corner Park apartments Sunday morning. The group of organizations protesting the federal action – Memphis Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Cosecha and SURJ Memphis -- say Memphis Police assisted in the immigration operation. Memphis Police deny they were involved in any way. No estimate from ICE on how many people were detained.

37. Binghampton, Frayser Retail Projects Could Lift Respective Neighborhoods - Saturday, July 22, 2017

They say retail is a numbers game, and for some communities, when those numbers don’t add up they can get left behind by developers.

That’s why the Binghampton Gateway and Frayser Gateway – a pair of retail projects in different areas and stages of development – hope to send a message that overlooked communities have more to offer than just numbers.

38. Memphis, Shelby County Home Sales Still Rising - Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Though last month saw the first dip in average home sales prices in nine months, the number of home sales in June continued to increase.

The average sales price dropped slightly to $178,572, a 1 percent decrease from a year ago, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, chandlerreports.com. However, the total number of home sales reached 1,852 for the month, up 9 percent from 1,692 a year ago. Additionally, the volume of home sales rose to $331 million, up 8 percent from $305 million last year.

39. Last Word: St. Peter's Picnic, Frayser Spike and Ferguson at Camp - Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Hopefully you are reading this with a slight breeze blowing around you as you contemplate evening fireworks and very little in the way of work between now and then, although daytime fireworks might be a trend to watch for on future Fourth of Julys from a few events I’ve come across on social media.

40. Spike in Home Sales Could be the Spark Frayser Needs - Tuesday, July 4, 2017

By almost all accounts the Memphis housing market is firing on all cylinders almost everywhere, but for some neighborhoods hit hardest during the housing crisis like Frayser, the rebuilding process has been slow.

41. $18.5 Million Permit Filed for Central Station Project - Thursday, June 29, 2017

In this week’s Real Estate Recap, developers pull an $18 million permit for the Central Station overhaul, another new Downtown hotel is in the works and the new Laurelwood bookstore gets a restaurant...

42. Last Word: Cooper-Young Complications, The Mackin Investigation and Tuition Hike - Monday, June 26, 2017

Landmarks status for Cooper-Young is on hold because part of the process for the status isn’t an official part of the application process. That would be the part that requires a certain number of signatures to get the status. And it has put on hold a similar process in Vollintine-Evergreen.

43. Last Word: Health Care Plan React, Treasury Footprint and Tom Bowen - Take Two - Friday, June 23, 2017

It’s like they aren’t even looking at the same legislation. That’s one explanation of the very different reviews the Senate health care bill got Thursday as it was unveiled in Washington. Illustrating the contrast, the reactions of Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis.

44. EDGE Gives Frayser Gateway Project Nod - Friday, June 23, 2017

With all of the new development buzzing around Downtown, Midtown and East Memphis, it could be easy to overlook the addition of a new grocery store, but for some Frayser residents, it could mean everything.

45. Strickland Pushes Economic Breakthrough Outside City's Current Hot Spots - Friday, June 23, 2017

The city of Memphis has to grow economically outside of the Poplar Avenue corridor of East Memphis, Midtown and Downtown if the city is to prosper, and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said that economic breakthrough can start in Whitehaven.

46. Foote Homes Families Leave Behind Memories Happy and Sad - Thursday, June 8, 2017

Streets Ministries on Vance Avenue has worked closely with the residents of Foote Homes, the last of whom moved out on Jan. 31 in preparation for the demolition of the city’s largest public housing project.

47. The Buying And Selling Of Memphis - Saturday, May 27, 2017

Even before he went to federal prison for 25 years on a racketeering conviction in 1995, Danny Owens had a real estate portfolio. The strip-club kingpin who defined the industry in Memphis across a 20-year period owned the old Memphian movie theater and made possible its 1986 sale to Playhouse on the Square by donating $160,000 toward its purchase.

48. Poag Works with Residents to Build Strong Neighborhoods - Friday, May 12, 2017

When it comes to community development, money helps. But if the neighborhoods don’t know what you’re up to – or if they don’t like it – you may as well stop now, because your plan is doomed to fail. It’s a lesson Memphis has learned the hard way.

49. Blight Summit to Mark Progress, Challenges - Friday, May 12, 2017

When the leaders of the city’s anti-blight effort gather at Clayborn Temple for their second annual summit Wednesday, May 17, on the next block south of the church will be an example of work still to be done.

50. Shaffer Named Executive Director Of Rebranded BLDG Memphis - Wednesday, April 19, 2017

John Paul Shaffer recently was named executive director of BLDG Memphis, the rebranded entity that brings the Community Development Council of Greater Memphis and Livable Mem-phis under a single organizational identity.
In his new role, Shaffer’s job is to guide the organization in its mission of supporting neighborhood revitalization through a network of organizations and individuals working in the community development space – which BLDG Memphis does primarily through organizational capacity building, community education and engagement, and public policy and advocacy – as well as to promote the new brand. 

51. Initiatives Geared at Boosting Owner-Occupied Housing - Saturday, April 15, 2017

Nearly a third of all homes in Shelby County are owned by investors, a fact which has state and city leaders looking for ways to stem the tide and encourage locals to buy into their communities through owner-occupied homeownership.

52. Last Word: The Catechism of 1968, Downtown Hotels and Earth Day on Auto Row - Tuesday, April 4, 2017

What happened 49 years ago this week in our city began long before the first sanitation worker walked off the job or the first “I Am A Man” sign was made. Maybe it was that long arc that explains the timing of what happened here in late March into the first week of April of 1968. For just about half a century now we have thought and thought again about that chronology, reviewed the details. And what we have is a sort of catechism of moments that if they had happened differently, we can’t help thinking, might have produced a different result.

53. Investor Dominance in Residential Real Estate Shows Signs of Change - Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Investors buying single-family homes to rent them out or have a management firm rent them out may be giving way to banks more willing to make loans on lower-priced homes to owner-occupants.

“I would say the most interesting and big dynamic is folks who come in and buy a house for $20,000 these days, fix it up – sometimes well, sometimes poorly – sell it to a person in California for $64,000 – keep the rental management. And sometimes that helps a street and a neighborhood and sometimes it’s destructive,” said Steve Lockwood, executive director of the Frayser Community Development Corp. on the WKNO/Channel 10 program “Behind The Headlines.”

54. African-American Homeownership Rates Remain Low Despite Strong Housing Market - Monday, April 3, 2017

With average home sales prices recently hitting an all-time high, it’s easy to get excited about the future of Memphis’ housing market.

However, even as the city seems poised to move forward and finally shake off the last vestiges of the Great Recession, there is one piece to the puzzle that is missing in a big way.

55. Last Word: A New Chapter, The Kissell Dome and The New Bartlett High School - Friday, March 31, 2017

Booksellers of Laurelwood is set to return in most of the same location with a smaller footprint and new owners. John Vergos of the Rendezvous and a former Memphis City Council member is among the investors bringing back the East Memphis institution that closed in February. No word on whether the new group will keep the name or go with a new name.

56. Community Groups Working to Bridge Economic Development Gaps - Saturday, April 1, 2017

When a $1 million award for North Memphis was announced recently, it signaled an opportunity to bring change to those communities.

North Memphis received a $1 million award through the Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) that went to the Memphis Partners for Resilient Communities. But in the Klondike and Smokey City neighborhoods of North Memphis, work has been underway for years to support the people who live and work there in the form of the Klondike Smokey City Community Development Corp.

57. Strickland and Luttrell Mark Different Points in Mayoral Tenures - Monday, February 13, 2017

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was 13 months and nine days in office when he delivered his second State of the City address last week at a Frayser church.

58. Strickland Says Budget Will Include Police Pay Raise - Thursday, February 9, 2017

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will propose a pay raise for Memphis Police officers in his upcoming budget proposal.

59. Last Word: The Borders of Violence, Guilty Verdict and Blue Suede Security - Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Whenever there is a shooting of or near school children, one of the first things that happens once the police have investigated is detailing exactly where the incident happened – specifically whether it was actually on school property or near school property.

60. Editorial: Despite Inherent Tension, We Need to Keep Talking - Saturday, December 10, 2016

You don’t see a lot of construction cranes in Memphis. It’s not the symbol of our emergence from the national recession that it is in other cities.

But make no mistake, development and the money to finance it is back in Memphis. It just has a different face.

61. Last Word: Boca, Poe Killed by Politics and Embedding In The Real Memphis - Monday, December 5, 2016

BOCA BOWL – As expected, the University of Memphis Tigers football team is going south for the post season. They got and accepted Sunday the formal invitation to play in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 20 against Western Kentucky. Ticket information should be forthcoming Monday for those of you who didn’t get enough during the Emerald Coast Classic with the basketball Tigers not too long ago.

62. Last Word: Mike Conley, Corker at Trump Tower and School Moves - Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Remember the Mike Conley face masks of 2015? I’m not sure back braces would have the same effect. The Grizz season took a big turn the day after Monday’s loss to the Hornets as the front office got a better look at Mike Conley’s injury from the game. Conley is out indefinitely for the Grizz with a fractured lower back in what is a turning point for the transformation of the team out of its Grit and Grind years.

63. The Week Ahead: November 28-December 4 - Monday, November 28, 2016

Good morning, Memphis! Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, the holiday shopping rush is in full swing. Amid the hustle and bustle, there are plenty of opportunities to give back to the community – including an entire day set aside to do just that. Check out details on that and other need-to-know happenings in The Week Ahead…

64. City Planners Start Memphis 3.0 Kickoff Rallies Monday - Monday, November 28, 2016

City planners begin gathering public input Monday, Nov. 28, for the city’s first comprehensive development plan since 1981.

The Memphis 3.0 plan kickoff rallies begin with a session at Ed Rice Community Center, 2907 N. Watkins Road in Frayser. That’s followed by 13 other sessions through Dec. 10 at other city community centers as well as East High School, the Pipkin Building at the Mid-South Fairgrounds and the Cossitt Library.

65. Memphis 3.0 Plan Weighs Scale Of Development - Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Office towers close to smaller-scale retail or residential development is one of the themes in the still emerging plan for the expansion of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Pinch district.

66. City’s Bicentennial in 2019 Prompts Memphis 3.0 Plan to Map Future - Tuesday, November 15, 2016

The city of Memphis turns 200 years old in 2019. And the city’s bicentennial is the target date for the roll out of a comprehensive city plan the administration of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is calling Memphis 3.0.

67. New Houston Levee Community Center Sees the Real-Life Needs in Cordova - Thursday, November 10, 2016

When Tonya Bradley was an executive with the Mid-South Food Bank she saw time and again that hunger didn’t respect people’s stereotypes or ZIP codes, that families anywhere in the Memphis area could find themselves in a tough position.

68. Town Hall Meetings Reflect Shift in Protest Discussions - Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Almost three months after Black Lives Matter movement protestors shut down the Hernando DeSoto Bridge and as a result, opened talks with the administration of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, some of the civic discussion has moved to economic issues.

69. Gestalt to Exit ASD Schools in North Memphis - Saturday, October 8, 2016

Gestalt Community Schools will not be running Humes Preparatory Academy Middle and Klondike Preparatory Academy Elementary schools after the end of the current school year, the charter school announced Friday, Oct. 7.

70. Mayor Starts Post-Protest Community Meetings - Saturday, October 8, 2016

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will kick off a series of community meetings Oct. 25 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in July and August.

71. Green Renaissance - Saturday, October 8, 2016

As director of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, Jen Andrews has been on the front lines of what can fairly be called a green revival in Memphis. And she is amazed at how much change has occurred over the last decade, a rebirth that spans not just across the miles but now seems embedded in the city’s psyche.

72. Mayor Starts Post-Protest Community Meetings - Friday, October 7, 2016

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will kick off a series of community meetings Oct. 25 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in July and August.

73. Crosstown High, 4 Other Charter Schools Win Approval - Thursday, August 25, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members approved a new Crosstown High charter school Tuesday, Aug. 23, for the Crosstown Concourse development and four other new charters for the 2017-2018 school year.

74. SCS Board Approves Crosstown, Four Other Charters, Rejects Three - Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members approved a new Crosstown High charter school Tuesday, Aug. 23, for the Crosstown Concourse development and four other new charters for the 2017-2018 school year.

75. SCS Board Approves Crosstown, Four Other Charters, Rejects Three - Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members approved a new Crosstown High charter school Tuesday, Aug. 23, for the Crosstown Concourse development and four other new charters for the 2017-2018 school year.

76. SCS Board To Vote on Crosstown High Charter Application - Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members vote Tuesday, Aug. 23, at a special school board meeting on a proposed Crosstown High charter school in the Crosstown Concourse development.

And the SCS administration is recommending the school board approve the application along with those of four other charter schools and deny charter applications from three other charter organizations.

77. Last Word: Baton Rouge Again, Identifying The Memphis Movement & Early Voting - Monday, July 18, 2016

It is becoming more and more difficult to keep the danger to police officers from extremists and the danger of police training and policies that are used to justify questionable police shootings in the same frame.

78. Council Likely to Vote On Pinch Plan in 90 Days - Saturday, July 9, 2016

A plan for the redevelopment of the Pinch area is essentially complete and Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration is rounding up grant funds and other financing for elements of the plan, according to Memphis City Council member Berlin Boyd.

79. Council Likely to Vote On Pinch Plan in 90 Days - Thursday, July 7, 2016

A plan for the redevelopment of the Pinch area is essentially complete and Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration is rounding up grant funds and other financing for elements of the plan, according to Memphis City Council member Berlin Boyd.

80. Frayser Targeted as Pilot Area for Citywide Fight Against Blight - Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Last week, a wrecking team demolished a single-family home in the Washington Heights neighborhood in South Memphis. The effort, organized by United Housing Inc. and backed by the U.S. Department of Treasury, was the first of its kind to take place.

81. Community Foundation Bucks National Trend With Increase in Donations - Thursday, June 23, 2016

The most recent Giving USA Report showed that Americans are giving more than ever – a record-high rate of more than $1 billion a day ($373.25 billion in 2015) – but that donations to foundations were down.

82. The Week Ahead: June 13-19 - Monday, June 13, 2016

Let’s get this week started, Memphis! Here’s our roundup of local happenings you need to know about, from decisions about ServiceMaster incentives to the ultimate dodgeball tournament.

83. Events - Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Church Health Center’s Farmers Market kicks off its 2016 season Tuesday, June 7, at 1115 Ave. A healthy cooking class begins at 9 a.m.; the market will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market runs every Tuesday through Oct. 25. Visit churchhealthcenter.org/farmersmarket for details.

84. Events - Monday, June 6, 2016

Memphis Botanic Garden will hold an opening reception for “Deconstruct/Reconstruct” by Amy Hartelust and Chloe Yorl on Monday, June 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at MBG, 750 Cherry Road. The exhibition is on display through June 30. Visit memphisbotanicgarden.com or call 901-636-4100.

85. Workforce Officials Bringing Job Coaches to Frayser - Saturday, June 4, 2016

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s mobile Career Coach will be at the North Frayser Community Center, 2555 St. Elmo Ave., on Tuesday, June 7, from noon to 4 p.m. Coach staff will help area residents complete online applications, create resumes and register on Jobs4TN.

86. Workforce Officials Bringing Job Coaches to Frayser - Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s mobile Career Coach will be at the North Frayser Community Center, 2555 St. Elmo Ave., on Tuesday, June 7, from noon to 4 p.m. Coach staff will help area residents complete online applications, create resumes and register on Jobs4TN.

87. Demolition Begins On Raleigh Springs Mall Property - Saturday, May 7, 2016

With the business end of a Volvo crawler excavator, Memphis City Council member Bill Morrison kicked off the start of demolition Saturday, May 7, at the Raleigh Springs Mall.

88. Last Word: Mall Demo, Defining 'Fringe Element' and Herenton's New Path - Friday, May 6, 2016

Once upon a time there were three “town centers” planned by the city of Memphis.

City facilities like libraries and police precincts would be the anchors and encourage private retail development in them.

89. Herenton Pitches Two New Schools For Juvenile Offenders - Friday, May 6, 2016

Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton began Wednesday, May 4, with an appeal that got the attention of Shelby County Commissioners. “We don’t want your money,” he told 11 of the 13 commissioners in committee sessions as he pitched two new residential campuses for children in juvenile detention.

90. EDGE Considering Fast-Track Incentive Program, Diversity Spend Changes - Friday, April 22, 2016

The Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine has started work on a new tax incentive program that would help Memphis compete with North Mississippi for industrial projects.

At its April 20 meeting, EDGE board chairman Al Bright appointed a committee to evaluate a proposed Fast Track PILOT and hammer out its policies and procedures.

91. Strickland’s First Budget Includes Police Raise - Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland presents his first budget proposal Tuesday, April 19, to the Memphis City Council just four months after taking office as mayor.

92. Omni Charter School Buys Permanent Home - Thursday, April 14, 2016

3385 Austin Peay Highway
Memphis, TN 38128

Sale Amount: $1.3 million

Sale Date: Feb. 26, 2016

93. Last Word: Lipscomb's Successor, MATA School Buses and Roland's Big Breakfast - Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Paul Young gets a lot more attention these days than he did when he was the first director of the city-county Office of Sustainability. The attention comes with being the city director of Housing and Community Development where virtually all of the funding comes from the federal government.
That federal funding has changed the face of public housing in the city in the last 25 years. There is only one large public housing project left in the city as a result of the federal funding and its use by Young’s predecessor, Robert Lipscomb.
And what Lipscomb did with the job combined with being the executive director of the Memphis Housing Authority is why a lot of people want to get to know Paul Young these days.
Our centerpiece story by Madeline Faber in Tuesday’s edition makes clear that Young has no desire to wield that kind of power. And it is unlikely anyone in the near future will have the kind of autonomy Lipscomb did.
But beyond that there is still the flow of a lot of federal dollars and Young has some ideas based on his experience in government and finance prior to coming to HCD – everything in government is initials.
It’s a much different experience than Lipscomb’s. Lipscomb coined the phrase “ending public housing as we know it” and at times that slogan wasn’t followed with a lot of detail about what came after public housing was demolished, especially with the first of the projects to fall.
The last public housing project, Foote Homes, will be demolished on Young’s watch which makes his tenure important if more limited than Lipscomb’s tenure.

94. Moving Dirt - Saturday, April 9, 2016

The Memphis development community is looking inward and upward to increase density in the urban core. New construction is happening across all four commercial real estate sectors, with long-anticipated projects like Trader Joe’s and the redevelopment of Central Station finally coming to fruition. Construction and operating costs continue to be a challenge as new projects hit the top of their class to command higher rents.

95. EDGE Grants Development Loans to 4 Inner-City Businesses - Friday, February 5, 2016

Memphis’ inner-city neighborhoods garnered $79,000 in business development loans at the Feb. 3 meeting of the Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine’s finance committee.

96. Last Word: Post Caucus, Fincher's Exit, 1919 Handwriting and Your Rolodex - Tuesday, February 2, 2016

That close (very little light between index finger and thumb) between Clinton and Sanders in Iowa Monday evening.
Both live to fight another day in another state—New Hampshire.
And because it is Iowa – they each get to declare victory as long as they don’t go into a lot of detail about the totals.
This is one of those cases where it is like horsehoes and hand grenades – close does count.

97. New Tax Incentive Aims to Boost Declining Memphis Neighborhoods - Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Just north of Interstate 40, the commercially empty gateways to the Frayser neighborhood between North Hollywood Street and North Watkins Street are hardly fit to accommodate the thousands of vehicles that pass by every day.

98. ‘Bigger Than Ballet’ - Tuesday, September 1, 2015

As a child growing up in Frayser with an unstable home life, Briana Brown latched on to dance classes at the New Ballet Ensemble & School as a source of stability.

Sitting at her University of Memphis dorm surrounded by psychology textbooks, she is ready to leap into the path built on 11 years of educational and professional development provided by her support system at New Ballet Ensemble.

99. Cadence Bank Supports Memphis Organizations with Direct, Indirect Aid - Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Banks are important community institutions not just for the services they provide – consumer loans, small business financing, etc. – but also for the investment they make in communities.

Such investments include the one announced by Cadence Bank recently, a six-figure equity-equivalent investment to River City Capital to support its Small Business Loan Fund.

100. Cadence Announces Support for River City Capital - Monday, August 3, 2015

Cadence Bank has announced a $200,000 equity-equivalent investment to River City Capital Investment Corp. to support its Small Business Loan Fund.