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

2. County Commission Leaves Only Tax Rate Undone in Budget Season - Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Shelby County commissioners took final action Monday, June 18, on every item in its budget season except a final approval of a $4.05 county property tax rate.

The approval of a $1.3 billion county consolidated operating budget and a $90.2 million capital

3. A Trade War Looms as Trump Slaps Tariffs on Chinese Imports - Monday, June 18, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump brought the world's two biggest economies to the brink of a trade war Friday by announcing a 25 percent tariff on up to $50 billion in Chinese imports to take effect July 6.

4. Luttrell, Jones: County Budget Talks Center on Property Tax Allocation - Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Shelby County government’s budget season turns on the county’s property tax rate. It’s not about decreasing the current $4.11 rate to $4.05, as proposed by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell. It’s about how the $4.05 rate would be allocated among various county uses.

5. Funding Plans - Friday, March 30, 2018

The subject of county government’s $18 million to $25 million projected revenue surplus didn’t surface once this week as the Shelby County Commission’s budget committee continues to prepare for budget season. The Wednesday, March 28, committee session was the first since County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration said it is estimating the surplus for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, because of better-than-expected county property tax collections and fewer appeals of property tax reappraisals.

6. Mississippi Names First Black Higher Education Commissioner - Monday, March 26, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The first-ever African American has been named to oversee Mississippi's eight public universities.

The state College Board announced Friday that Alfred Rankins Jr. will become higher education commissioner July 1 when Glenn Boyce retires. Rankins is the current president of Alcorn State University.

7. Plaques at Ole Miss Acknowledge Its Historic Ties to Slavery - Tuesday, March 6, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The University of Mississippi is acknowledging its historical connections to slave labor, slave owners and officials who set policies that stripped African-Americans of voting rights after the Civil War.

8. Closing Arguments Begin in Pilot Flying J Trial - Wednesday, February 7, 2018

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – Emails, recordings and testimony prove that four former employees of the truck stop chain Pilot Flying J conspired to defraud customers in a fuel rebate scam that has already resulted in more than a dozen guilty pleas, a prosecutor said Monday.

9. Tigers Coach Norvell Adjusts Football Staff - Saturday, January 6, 2018

Three new coaches are joining Mike Norvell’s staff at the University of Memphis.

Keith Patterson and TJ Rushing will immediately fill the spots recently vacated by Dan Lanning and Marcus Woodson. In addition, Will Hall will join the coaching staff as associate head coach and tight ends coach when the new NCAA rule allowing a 10th assistant coach goes into effect Jan. 9.

10. Tigers Coach Norvell Adjusts Football Staff - Thursday, January 4, 2018

Three new coaches are joining Mike Norvell’s staff at the University of Memphis.

Keith Patterson and TJ Rushing will immediately fill the spots recently vacated by Dan Lanning and Marcus Woodson. In addition, Will Hall will join the coaching staff as associate head coach and tight ends coach when the new NCAA rule allowing a 10th assistant coach goes into effect Jan. 9.

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

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

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

12. Tennessee’s Hot Seat Finds a New Office - Friday, December 1, 2017

Tennessee football isn’t what it used to be. Nor is the attraction of being UT’s football coach.

It became more and more apparent this week as first-year UT athletics director John Currie tried to hire his first football coach as an AD.

13. For Now, Memphis a College Football Oasis - Monday, November 27, 2017

Tony Pollard was taking another kick return from one end zone to another. Quarterback Riley Ferguson and wideout Anthony Miller were hooking up for an 89-yard touchdown on the Memphis Tigers’ first play from scrimmage. And safety Jonathan Cook was playing pick-six.

14. Josh Pastner Under NCAA Microscope - Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Former University of Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner has been accused of being complicit in extra benefits provided to at least two Georgia Tech players and to former Tiger player Markel Crawford.

15. Justice Department Changes Police Review and Juvenile Court Terms - Tuesday, October 31, 2017

In two weeks’ time, the U.S. Justice Department has substantially changed the terms of its collaborative review of the Memphis Police Department and left in place the terms of a settlement agreement with Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court involving disproportionate minority contact.

16. Justice Department Drops Some But Not All Juvenile Court Oversight - Saturday, October 28, 2017

The U.S. Justice Department has dropped more but not all of the measures it put in place five years ago at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court.

The reforms and monitoring in the 2012 settlement agreement between the Justice Department and the court, Shelby County government and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office covered a wide range of areas in a scathing review of court practices, particularly in due process issues and a racial disparity in how the court treats African-American children in the court for the same offenses or problems as white children.

17. Last Word: Football In The Rain, Shakespeare in Cordova and The Grizz Roster - Friday, September 1, 2017

There are moments in the history of sports amateur and professional that involve turn outs like the one Thursday at the Liberty Bowl for the Tigers football season opener. There were the people who ran the St. Jude marathon in the ice several years back even after the race was cancelled. Going back to the 1980s, there were those who came out in below freezing temps for Alabama Coach Bear Bryant’s last game that came at the annual Liberty Bowl.

18. Union Pacific Lays Off 500 Managers, 250 Other Rail Workers - Thursday, August 17, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Union Pacific is laying off 500 managers and 250 other workers to save about $110 million annually and eliminate about 8 percent of the railroad's managers.

The railroad told the affected workers Wednesday that their jobs will be eliminated by mid-September.

19. U of M Grads Say Bye to Student Loan Debt - Thursday, July 27, 2017

Student loan debt looms large for most college graduates, but one local professional has created a system to knock out $150,000 in student loans in five years, and he wants to put those tools in the hands of a generation that is struggling toward financial freedom.

20. SEC Hot Seat Index: From Saban to Sumlin - Friday, July 21, 2017

When it comes to Southeastern Conference football coaches, there are three kinds of seats – hot, hotter and hottest.

There is, of course, one exception. You guessed it.

Nick Saban. To quote the late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, Saban’s seat is as cool as the other side of your pillow.

21. Enough Expectations to Go Around as SEC Football Season Approaches - Thursday, July 13, 2017

HOOVER, Ala. – The countdown to the start of the next college football season is now measured in weeks, not months. But at an event such as SEC Media Days, the future is always framed by the past.

22. Sports Notebook: Grizz Moves Bring Tyreke Evans Back to Memphis - Monday, July 10, 2017

The Memphis Grizzlies continued changing their roster for the upcoming season by agreeing to a one-year contract with free agent guard Tyreke Evans.

Evans, according to ESPN, will make $3.3 million on the one-year deal. Evans, 27, played one year for the University of Memphis and then was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Sacramento Kings.

23. City Council Approves DROP Freeze, Delays Stormwater and Sewer Fee Votes - Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The city has its third voluntary freeze on retirements in two years with a Tuesday, June 20, vote by the Memphis City Council. But it came after lots of council debate about whether the freeze might have the opposite overall effect of stabilizing the Memphis Police force at the top for future growth in the ranks below or whether it will prompt the middle ranks to exit quicker if they can’t rise in the ranks.

24. How Did Vols Not Win More With This Talent? - Friday, May 5, 2017

One check of the 2017 NFL Draft shows why Tennessee was the favorite to win the SEC East Division last fall.

UT had six players drafted in the first four rounds, the most for the program since 2002, breaking a two-year drought with no players. The six Vols drafted tied for the most since 2010 and 2007. Eight Vols were drafted in 2003 and 10 drafted in 2002.

25. SEC Ready to Tee Up Media Days; UT’s AD Raises the Bar - Monday, March 6, 2017

It’s almost time to kick off the 2017 college football season. And by that we mean that SEC Media Days should again be flagged for encroachment on summer.

The conference has not yet jumped in front of the Fourth of July, but SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama, continues to move ever closer to summer’s signature date.

26. What are the Odds? Blackburn is Still the Favorite - Friday, January 27, 2017

Tennessee has its search firm and its search committee is in place to find the replacement for Dave Hart as the university’s athletic director.

Hart announced last August he would retire June 30, and with Tennessee undergoing a transition in its chancellor’s position, the search for Hart’s replacement was put on the back burner.

27. Saban Dominance Bad for SEC? Not Buying It - Friday, January 20, 2017

I keep reading that Nick Saban is ruining SEC football because his Alabama program is so dominant.

And I just don’t get it.

The misguided Saban-as-Satan logic goes this way:

28. Final Goodbye: Roll Call of Some of Those Who Died in 2016 - Monday, January 2, 2017

Death claimed transcendent political figures in 2016, including Cuba's revolutionary leader and Thailand's longtime king, but also took away royals of a different sort: kings of pop music, from Prince and David Bowie to George Michael.

29. SEC Grades: ‘A’ for Alabama; UT, Ole Miss Should Be Grounded - Friday, December 2, 2016

Even as the Ole Miss football program was reeling from an NCAA investigation that gained momentum on the night of the NFL Draft when a former player said he received money from a staff member, optimism about the season ahead was still high.

30. Fuente Succeeding at Va. Tech, Norvell Keeping it Rolling at Memphis - Monday, November 28, 2016

With a thrilling 48-44 victory over then-No. 20 Houston the day after Thanksgiving, Mike Norvell became the only first-year University of Memphis coach to win eight games.

Interestingly, his eighth victory came as Tom Herman coached his last game at Houston. Herman is the new coach at Texas, succeeding Charlie Strong. The coaching ladder in the American Athletic Conference can definitely reach into the Power Five.

31. Trustees: Jackson State Must Act Now to Stanch Cash Drain - Friday, October 21, 2016

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — College Board officials are intervening in Jackson State University's finances, saying the 10,000-student university's cash reserves have been spent down to a dangerously low point.

32. Once QB Country, SEC Now Has Only A Few Proven Players at the Position - Friday, August 26, 2016

At SEC Media Days this summer in Hoover, Ala., the 14 head coaches brought along more starting offensive linemen (5) than starting quarterbacks (3). Such is the state of the most high profile position in the Southeastern Conference at the beginning of the 2016 college football season.

33. Safe to Scorching: SEC Coaches Feel the Burn - Friday, August 12, 2016

There are two kinds of football coaches in the Southeastern Conference: those that have gotten fired and those that haven’t gotten fired – yet.

This is a conference in a constant state of flux for football. The average tenure at their current schools of the 14 SEC coaches is 3.57 years. That’s right: Just making it through a full four-year recruiting cycle is tough.

34. Too Big To Ignore: The SEC and Its Ever-Growing Football Media Days - Saturday, July 16, 2016

HOOVER, Ala. – The SEC football preseason always has been loud. More than 30 years ago, the noise came via the Skywriters Tour and the rattle and roar of a DC-3 propeller plane carrying rumpled, hardworking – and often hard-drinking – sports writers to the 10 Southeastern Conference campuses for essentially unfettered access to the league’s coaches and players.

35. The Rest of the August Ballot - Saturday, July 9, 2016

If all goes according to plan on the Aug. 4 election day, Linda Phillips hopes the result is that you don’t see her in any of the reporting on election night.

36. August Primaries Feature Intra-Party Challenges - Monday, April 11, 2016

Two years after a disastrous slate of races for countywide offices, there is a move among younger Democratic partisans in Memphis to shake up the Democrats who represent the city in the Tennessee Legislature.

37. 8th Congressional District Primaries Draw 22 Contenders, 13 Republican - Friday, April 8, 2016

The Republican primary race to fill the 8th District Congressional seat Republican incumbent Stephen Fincher is giving up drew a field of 13 contenders – seven from Shelby County and four from Jackson, Tennessee – at the Thursday, April 7, noon filing deadline for the Aug. 4 ballot.

38. Events - Thursday, April 7, 2016

Metal Museum will host Whet Thursday on April 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 374 Metal Museum Drive. Attendees can participate in a foundry class, tour the galleries, and enjoy food trucks, cash bar and live music. Cost is free. Visit metalmuseum.org.

39. Dodging a Disaster With Volkswagen? - Saturday, March 26, 2016

Next month will mark five years since the first Passat rolled off the assembly line at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant. Most anniversaries are a cause for celebration.

But as Chattanoogans blow out the candles on this particular milestone they’ll be hoping that Volkswagen’s diesel emissions troubles will soon be extinguished, too, and that the new SUV model they’ll start producing this year will help VW emerge from the crisis a better and stronger company than before.

40. Ole Miss Adding Plaque With Context for Confederate Statue - Monday, March 14, 2016

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Confederate soldier statue that has stood for generations in a prominent spot on the University of Mississippi's Oxford campus will soon be accompanied by a plaque giving it historical context.

41. Northwestern Defense Tough, But Give Edge to UT - Saturday, December 26, 2015

There’s nothing like spending the Christmas holidays in Florida, and Tennessee’s football team will savor every minute of it for the second consecutive year.

The Vols (8-4) board a flight Saturday morning to Tampa, Fla., where they will spend almost a week before the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against Northwestern (10-2).

42. Norvell Adds Another Assistant to Memphis Football Staff - Monday, December 14, 2015

David Johnson, the tight ends and running backs coach at Tulane University the past four seasons, has been hired by new University of Memphis football coach Mike Norvell.

43. College Football Notebook: Vols Get Bowl Upgrade, All-SEC Teams Named - Thursday, December 10, 2015

Last season, coach Butch Jones got Tennessee back to a bowl game. This season, they’ve moved up from the TaxSlayer Bowl to the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

It’s a tangible step for a program that finished 8-4, 5-3 in the SEC. And looking back over the schedule at what might have been, the Vols easily could have played for the SEC title or at least already have 10 wins.

44. College Football’s Coaching Carousel Is Still Spinning - Friday, December 4, 2015

In an ideal world, a kid climbs aboard a carousel and it’s all fun and good times. But the reality is, sometimes the experience is dizzying – even nauseating.

And so it goes with the current college football coaching carousel.

45. Council Runoff Elections: Morgan Tops Springer, Boyd Over Anderson - Friday, November 20, 2015

With a scant 4.8 percent turnout, Memphis voters filled in the blanks at City Hall Thursday, Nov. 19, by electing four new members to the Memphis City Council and returning an appointed incumbent.

Thursday’s winners join new council members Martavius Jones and Philip Spinosa in taking office January 1, making six new faces on the 13-member council.

46. Last Election of 2015 Decides Five Council Races - Thursday, November 19, 2015

The last election of 2015 in Shelby County will fill in the blanks in a changing of the political guard at City Hall.

Six weeks after Memphis voters ousted incumbent Mayor A C Wharton and replaced him with Jim Strickland and elected two new members to the 13-member City Council – Martavius Jones and Philip Spinosa – voters will decide who gets five more council seats.

47. North Texas Could Never Upset the Vols, Right? - Saturday, November 14, 2015

No way Tennessee’s football team can lose Saturday’s homecoming game against North Texas, one of the worst teams in college football.

Right?

Tennessee (5-4) was a 40.5-point favorite early in the week coming off a 27-24 victory over South Carolina last Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

48. Permanent Replacement Sought for Ousted Ole Miss Chancellor - Monday, October 12, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — College Board trustees begin interviewing candidates next week to find a permanent replacement for a popular chancellor at the University of Mississippi who the board forced out by declining to renew his contract.

49. Events - Monday, October 12, 2015

Touchdown Club of Memphis will meet Monday, Oct. 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Chickasaw Country Club, 3395 Galloway Ave. University of Tennessee head coach Butch Jones is the guest speaker. Cost is $60. Visit tdcmemphis.com.

50. Five City Council Races Destined for Runoffs - Friday, October 9, 2015

The identity of the Memphis City Council that will take office in January with six new members was still in flux at the end of a very long and frustrating Oct. 8 election night.

The races for four of those six open seats and the seat now held by an appointee to the council are going to a Nov. 19 runoff election – one week before Thanksgiving.

51. Events - Saturday, October 10, 2015

Phillip Ashley Chocolates will host a Spectrum tasting event Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jay Etkin Gallery, 942 S. Cooper St. The tasting will feature seven flights of chocolate paired with seven varieties of whiskey, plus live music and hors d’oeuvres. Cost is $60. Visit phillipashleychocolates.com/spectrum for tickets.

52. College Football Notebook: Nick Saban Needs a Quarterback - Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Another season at Alabama and another battle for quarterback.

Last year’s runner-up, Florida State transfer Jacob Coker, returns for a second shot at the job after losing out to Blake Sims in 2014. Redshirt freshman David Cornwell showed enough last spring to become a contender, and the race may be wide enough open to go beyond these two if neither can assert himself as the leader of the offense.

53. Challengers Unseat 4 DeSoto County State GOP House Members - Thursday, August 6, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Four DeSoto County House Republican incumbents targeted by a pro-school choice group because of opposition to charter schools are among at least nine incumbents who lost party primaries Tuesday.

54. Memphis Touchdown Club Scores With 2015 Speaker Lineup - Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Often, the lineup of speakers for the Touchdown Club of Memphis includes one or more coaches on the hot seat. But this season, University of Memphis coach Justin Fuente, Tennessee coach Butch Jones, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen all are coming off strong seasons.

55. Memphis Mayoral Field Set at 10 - Friday, July 24, 2015

Shelby County Election Commissioners have certified the Memphis election ballot for Oct. 8.

These are the names to appear on that ballot for the 15 elected offices.

The commission met hours after the noon Thursday, July 23, deadline for candidates to withdraw from the ballot if they wished.

56. Nineteenth Century Club Owner Files Building Permit - Saturday, July 18, 2015

The owner of the Nineteenth Century Club is prepared to launch a renovation of the historic building on Union Avenue.

Union Group LLC has applied for a $2.17 million building permit with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement to proceed with renovations to turn the home at 1433 Union Ave. into a restaurant. Archer Custom Builders is listed as the contractor on the permit.

57. Owner Files Building Permit For Nineteenth Century Club - Thursday, July 16, 2015

The owner of the Nineteenth Century Club is prepared to launch a renovation of the historic building on Union Avenue.

Union Group LLC has applied for a $2.17 million building permit with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement to proceed with renovations to turn the home at 1433 Union Ave. into a restaurant. Archer Custom Builders is listed as the contractor on the permit.

58. Is the SEC Still the Best? - Thursday, July 16, 2015

HOOVER, Ala. – The first College Football Playoff was not supposed to be won by a Big Ten team. Nor was a player who began the season as a third-string quarterback supposed to lead the first College Football Playoff champion to victory.

59. Ikea Seeks $16 Million Permit For First Memphis Store - Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Future Ikea Store
On 42 Acres In Cordova
Permit Cost: $16 million

Application Date: July 2015
Owner/Tenant: Ikea
Details: Ikea is moving forward with its massive retail store in Cordova.

60. Time to Produce - Friday, May 22, 2015

MEMPHIS: THE SEQUEL. “People who make movies – people like Francis Ford Coppola and Milos Forman and Sydney Pollack, and our own Craig Brewer and Willy Bearden – and people like me who write and produce TV spots and videos all have something in common. We know just how damn good Memphis looks through a lens, we know how deep the local talent pool is for actors and crew, we know how wide the choice is for great locations.

61. Fed: No Rate Hike Until Job Market Improves, Inflation Rises - Thursday, March 19, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it needs to see further improvement in the job market and higher inflation before it raises interest rates from record lows.

62. Beach-Bound - Wednesday, December 10, 2014

“Miami here we come!!!” That was quarterback Paxton Lynch’s tweet, spiced up with sun and palm tree icons.

It summed up what has been a glorious football season for the University of Memphis: a 9-3 record, a 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference and the program’s first share of a league title in 40 years. So the Tigers are headed to the first-ever Miami Beach Bowl for a Dec. 22 game with BYU.

63. SEC Title Game One Chapter in Great Season - Tuesday, December 2, 2014

In this, the last of the season’s weekly college football notebooks, we take a quick spin around the SEC now that the regular season is finished.

SEC championship game: Sure, a lot of people picked Alabama to be in next Saturday’s game at the Georgia Dome. But be honest now, did you have their lone loss coming at Ole Miss? No, didn’t think so.

64. South Dominates First Playoff Rankings - Thursday, October 30, 2014

The first College Football Playoff Rankings were released this week and if the playoff started today Mississippi State and Ole Miss would hold seeds one and four respectively, with Florida State No. 2 and Auburn No. 3.

65. Archer-Malmo Makes Another Round of Hires - Saturday, October 4, 2014

Memphis-based marketing communications agency archer-malmo has made another batch of hires.

The firm has added Mike Annear and Jason Jones to its account service team; Josh Harper, Blaine Lloyd and Drew Fleming to its creative team; and Sarah Brown, Carmen Butts, Carlee Hill, Michael DeVry, Ben Hooper and Addie McGowan to its digital team.

66. Once and Again - Friday, October 3, 2014

I REMEMBER THIS SONG. Last week, I wrote about passing institutions – a couple of examples of places and people that won’t come our way again. I said the past can inform the future, but we can’t go back to some other time.

67. Archer-Malmo Makes Another Round of Hires - Thursday, October 2, 2014

Memphis-based marketing communications agency archer-malmo has made another batch of hires.

The firm has added Mike Annear and Jason Jones to its account service team; Josh Harper, Blaine Lloyd and Drew Fleming to its creative team; and Sarah Brown, Carmen Butts, Carlee Hill, Michael DeVry, Ben Hooper and Addie McGowan to its digital team.

68. Bigger, Better, Louder - Saturday, August 16, 2014

“When it comes to college football, the South has no equal, because the Southeastern Conference has no equal. Find me a conference with a better commissioner, better players, better head coaches, better staffs, better game-day atmospheres, better-looking coeds – better anything.”

69. Democratic Divide Widens in Election Results - Friday, August 8, 2014

Democrats have retained their seven-vote majority on the new single-district Shelby County Commission that takes office Sept. 1.

That and the re-election victory of Democratic incumbent Cheyenne Johnson in the race for Shelby County Assessor of Property were the only bright spots for a divided local Democratic Party that lost every other countywide partisan elected position to Republicans in the Aug. 7 county general election, just as they lost every countywide position to Republicans four years earlier.

70. Cohen Prevails, Incumbents Dominate - Friday, August 8, 2014

Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen held off Thursday, Aug. 7, the most serious electoral challenge he’s faced since winning the Congressional seat in 2006, in the form of attorney Ricky E. Wilkins.

71. SEC Media Days Notebook: July 15 - Wednesday, July 16, 2014

HOOVER, Ala. – South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier has been at this college coaching game a long time. He also had a stint in the NFL. And a college program’s big boosters, he said, are “similar to an owner in the NFL because they put the money up.”

72. Memphis Bar Judicial Poll Released - Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The Memphis Bar Association poll of attorneys on the judicial races on the Aug. 7 ballot shows 16 percent to as high as 38 percent of the attorneys participating have no opinion in many of the judicial races.

73. US Employers Add 217,000 Jobs; Rate Stays at 6.3 Percent - Monday, June 9, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers added 217,000 jobs in May, a substantial gain for a fourth straight month, fueling hopes that the economy will accelerate after a grim start to the year.

74. Harris Files Ford Challenge at Deadline - Thursday, April 3, 2014

Memphis City Council member Lee Harris is challenging Democratic state Sen. Ophelia Ford in the August primary for District 29, the Senate seat held by a member of the Ford family since 1975.

75. Fed to Reduce Pace of Bond Buying by Another $10 Billion - Thursday, January 30, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve is pushing ahead with a plan to shrink its bond-buying program because of a strengthening U.S. economy. It's doing so even though the prospect of reduced Fed stimulus and higher U.S. interest rates has rattled global markets.

76. College Football Season Brought Many Surprises - Friday, December 13, 2013

It seems like just yesterday that temperatures were stifling and everyone who really mattered in the college football world – the SEC’s coaches and top players – had met in Hoover, Ala., for that little party known as SEC Media Days.

77. Big Mississippi Universities Propose Tuition Increases - Friday, October 18, 2013

Mississippi's two largest universities could increase tuition by 5 percent a year over the next two years, while three smaller universities could hold tuition flat, according to a plan a College Board committee considered Wednesday.

78. We Have to Talk - Friday, October 18, 2013

THE CYNICAL TRUTH IS, WE JUST CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT. Cynicism about politicians isn’t new.

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office,” Aesop, 2,500 years ago.

79. Area Teams Set Sights on Dream Seasons - Friday, August 23, 2013

When last we saw the University of Memphis football team, the Tigers were finishing Justin Fuente’s first season on an inspiring three-game winning streak. They checked out of Conference USA with a 4-4 league record. They provided hope as they start play this season in the new American Athletic Conference.

80. The Ghost Of Claude Rains - Friday, June 21, 2013

SHOCKED, SHOCKED. You know who Claude Rains was, don’t you? Played Captain Renault in the 1942 classic “Casablanca”?

Sure you do.

You remember what the corrupt Captain said when he closed the casino – where he gambled every night – in Rick’s Café Américain, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”

81. I Know a Place - Friday, April 26, 2013

I’LL TAKE YOU THERE. “Oh, mmm, I know a place… When Mavis Staples sang those words, everybody in the audience was moved to move. The kind of primal itch you got to scratch, the kind of muscle over mind that makes toes tap, fingers snap, and hands clap.

82. Housing, Manufacturing Give US Economy Lift - Wednesday, March 27, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Gains in housing and manufacturing propelled the U.S. economy over the winter, according to reports released Tuesday, and analysts say they point to the resilience of consumers and businesses as government spending cuts kick in.

83. Soul Fish to Open in Wolf Camera Spot on Poplar - Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Soul Fish Café has selected a prime piece of real estate in East Memphis for its third location.

The catfish and Southern-inspired restaurant has signed a lease for the old Wolf Camera space in the Poplar Avenue/Perkins Road corridor. The 3,100-square-foot freestanding building at 4720 Poplar Ave. will mark Soul Fish’s third location in Memphis, behind its original spot in Midtown’s Cooper-Young district and its Germantown location near Forest Hill-Irene Road.

84. Soul Fish to Open in Old Wolf Camera at Poplar and Perkins - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Soul Fish Café has selected a prime piece of real estate in East Memphis for its third location.

The catfish and Southern-inspired restaurant has signed a lease for the old Wolf Camera space in the Poplar Avenue/Perkins Road corridor. The 3,100-square-foot freestanding building at 4720 Poplar Ave. will mark Soul Fish’s third location in Memphis, behind its original spot in Midtown’s Cooper-Young district and its Germantown store near Forest Hill-Irene Road.

85. For the People - Monday, September 3, 2012

It’s well-known that the Memphis area’s population suffers from a host of chronic health issues, from obesity to hypertension to Type 2 diabetes, making it ground zero for students and researchers dedicated to finding solutions to public health issues.

86. Chancey Honored With International Chair’s Award - Monday, August 13, 2012

Dan Chancey, vice president-senior asset manager with Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors Asset Services LLC, recently received the Building Owners and Managers Association International Chair’s Award during the 2012 BOMA International Conference in Seattle, Wash.

87. Unemployment Could Stay High as US Economy Slows - Monday, July 30, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – High unemployment isn't going away – not as long as the economy grows as slowly as it did in the April-June quarter.

Weak consumer spending held growth to an annual rate of just 1.5 percent, even less than the 2 percent rate in the first quarter. And few expect the economy to accelerate in the second half of the year as Europe's financial woes and a U.S. budget crisis restrain businesses and consumers.

88. Hit Dogs - Friday, July 6, 2012

IT’S NOT RACIAL. IF I’M LYING, I’M DYING. We are lying. And if we don’t realize it, we will die from it.

Annie Laurie Peeler put it best. She was, after all, the best sixth grade teacher in the history of the universe. Really. With all due respect to the sixth grade teacher you love, Mrs. Peeler will spot her or him two eyes in the back of her head, three stories you’ll never forget, and four Southernisms and still beat your teacher like a cloakroom paddling.

89. US Manufacturing Shrinks for First Time in 3 Years - Tuesday, July 3, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. manufacturing shrank in June for the first time in nearly three years, adding to signs that economic growth is weakening.

Production declined, and the number of new orders plunged, according to a monthly report released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management.

90. School Board Looks for Consensus - Tuesday, June 26, 2012

After effectively ruling out Kriner Cash last week as the leader of the consolidated Shelby County school system, school board members now turn to a decision about how to select that superintendent.

91. City’s Music Hitting Some High Notes - Friday, June 8, 2012

THE MEMPHIS SOUND HAS A NEW GIG. Memphis has had plenty of superstars, but the beat behind them and underneath and around them, the bass they stood on, the lead they followed, the brass that announced them and made them royalty – that beat was a superstar all by itself.

92. Straighten Up and Fly Right - Friday, May 25, 2012

NOTE TO DELTA AND THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY: IT’S NOT YOUR AIRPORT. Tom Jones has suggested that Delta is doing to us what hard-core protagonist Debbie did to Dallas. This time around, Delta is the only one deriving any pleasure out of the act and charging us two, three, even four times the going rate for the experience.

93. Iberiabank Relocates Cordova Bank Branch - Monday, April 23, 2012

Iberiabank is moving its Cordova branch out from behind the shadow of a rival – literally.

The Iberiabank branch at 1605 Germantown Parkway is being relocated a little more than a mile south of that location into a vacant space formerly occupied by Trust One Bank, which closed several of its locations recently.

94. Just in Time for Holidays, a Bad Economic Mood - Wednesday, October 26, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans say they feel worse about the economy than they have since the depths of the Great Recession. And it's a bad time for a bad mood because households are starting to make their holiday budgets.

95. A Lot to Learn - Friday, September 2, 2011

TEACHER AND JUDGE. There were cliques. Kids with more money and better clothes vs. kids with more need and better street cred. Kids with chips on their shoulders and bullies who like to fight. Smarter kids and smart-ass kids. Kids who always raise their hands and kids who always raise hell. Cool kids and those in their shade. Phonies and their toadies.

96. Tenn.’s Duncan Among Congressmen Suing Obama Over Libya Strikes - Thursday, June 16, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – A bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers is suing President Barack Obama for taking military action against Libya without war authorization from Congress.

Among the lawmakers is U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan, R-Tenn., who represents Tennessee’s Second District: Knox, Blount, Loudon, Monroe and McMinn counties, as well as a potion of Sevier County.

97. A Memphis Marvel - Friday, June 3, 2011

The Real-Life Adventure Serial. “I’m going to see Halliburton Tower,” I told the Rhodes College guard. “Why?” Why indeed. On what appear to be the tower’s main doors a sign says, ironically, “Please use main door.” The tribute to Richard Halliburton that I’m told used to grace the space behind those locked doors has been covered in carpet, now the office of a college vice president. Not only is it difficult to find much evidence of Halliburton in Memphis, you can’t find much of him in his own memorial bell tower.

98. Pinnacle Awards Honor City’s Best Brokers - Monday, April 11, 2011

As emcee Dan Conaway noted in his opening address Thursday night at the 10th annual Pinnacle Awards, “OK is the new great.”

99. Pinnacle Awards Honor City's Best Brokers - Friday, April 8, 2011

As emcee Dan Conaway noted in his opening address Thursday night at the 10th annual Pinnacle Awards, “OK is the new great.”

100. Shoppers Crowd the Malls in Christmas Countdown - Tuesday, December 21, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – Packed malls? Healthy gains in holiday spending? It's beginning to look at least a little like a pre-recession Christmas.

Americans spent more on clothing, luxury goods and even furniture, delivering healthy gains across the board, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all transactions including cash. The online category continued to be a bright spot. The big exception was consumer electronics, dragged down by deep discounting of TVs amid a glut. That area was virtually unchanged from a year ago.