In 1947, two parcels of land on the eastern boundaries of Memphis were purchased for $400,000 to be used as a new city park.

At the suggestion of political boss E.H. Crump, an avid bird enthusiast, the park was nearly named Bluebird, yet would come to be known as Audubon Park, home to a shooting range and golf course among other amenities.

2. Gas Tax Supporters Escalate Campaign - Monday, November 05, 2012

On a recent cold fall day, backers of a one-cent-a-gallon local gasoline tax on the Nov. 6 ballot rallied for their cause on the parking lot of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s north end terminal.

3. Citizens Express Budget Concerns - Thursday, May 24, 2012

Memphis City Council members heard from and saw a lot of opponents of plans to close five Memphis public libraries Tuesday, May 22, during an hour and a half of comments from the public.

“I was going to suggest instead of cutting libraries that you improve them,” said Kaye Veazey.

4. Green Jobs’ Role in Social Justice Topic for MSPJC Gala - Friday, January 14, 2011

A national figure in the growing discussion of the American green economy will speak about green jobs serving all races and classes in Memphis Saturday.

Van Jones, who is best known as the author of “The Green-Collar Economy” and as President Barack Obama’s former green jobs adviser, will give the keynote address at the 29th anniversary gala of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center (MSPJC) to be held at First Congregational Church at 6 p.m.

5. Memphis Orgs Gear up for MLK Weekend - Thursday, January 13, 2011

Perhaps more so than in any other city because of its prominent place in the history of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Memphis serves as a strong reminder of King’s legacy of service to others and his powerful advocacy for social change through nonviolent action.

6. Peace and Justice Center Celebrates 29 Years - Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center will celebrate its 29th anniversary from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday with a gala inside the sanctuary of First Congregational Church at 1000 S. Cooper St.

7. Source of ‘Obstructionism’ at Root of Political Divide - Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Less than a month from the Nov. 2 Congressional midterm elections, you don’t have to go far to find partisans with a national perspective on which party holds the majority in Congress.

And from each side of the divide locally, partisans are calling for a change in Washington.

8. Mayor’s Homeless Strategy Meets Skepticism - Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. is a regular at the Starbucks at Union Avenue and McLean Boulevard.
Last week, as criticism began for his new police initiative to deal with the homeless, Wharton stopped for a coffee on his way to a town hall meeting and encountered another regular at the next table.
“There’s a homeless gentleman who I see there every morning. He will not accept handouts,” Wharton told reporters this week. “He’s just the kindest gentleman you will find anywhere. I don’t offer to buy him anything. I sit down at the table next to him – he doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
Someone at another table snapped a cell phone picture of Wharton in seeming indifference to the homeless man sitting a table away. The picture went viral as critics of the new direction made their case before Wharton had rolled it out.
“They created this story … which is just an outright lie,” Wharton continued. “That hurts.”
The complex relationship between two Memphians who see each other several times a week but don’t really know each other demonstrates how complex the problem of the homeless is in Memphis, and perhaps in other cities.

9. Political Groups Seek to Clarify Ballot Language - Friday, August 29, 2008

Voters in the Nov. 4 election have more than names to sort through on the ballot. They also have some complex questions to decide about changing the city of Memphis charter.

And a trio of local political groups is trying to explain those changes.

10. Former Abu Ghraib Commander to Speak in Memphis - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

“I always tell people: I’m not afraid to take your questions. But don’t be afraid to hear the answers.”

Those are the words of Janis Karpinski, a former brigadier general and commander of the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Her statement reflects the fact that two weeks from now a Memphis audience at First Congregational Church in Midtown will be able to hear a lecture from and ask questions of the woman who rose to become a one-star Army Reserve general with a significant military command.

11. Center City ApprovesMain Street Patrols - Tuesday, February 26, 2008
     Two security guards will begin patrolling the Main Street area between Poplar Avenue and Beale Street some time in April. They will be patrolling for aggressive panhandlers who have been the focus of complaints from tour

12. Center City Hires Panhandler Patrol - Friday, February 22, 2008

The Center City Commission has approved the hiring of two security guards to help curb aggressive panhandling Downtown.

13. Despite Beating, Former CBU Student Continues Protests Against Middle East Violence - Friday, September 08, 2006

While most of the bruises have faded, some still paint his legs more than a month after his beating - and he's finally walking without a limp.

But 23-year-old Kyle Kordsmeier vividly recalls kick after kick, punch after punch, delivered at the hands of Israeli police officers Aug. 1.

14. Rhodes Student Recognized For Practicing What She Preaches - Friday, June 02, 2006

Laura Dallas wasn't an activist before she began school four years ago at Rhodes College. She volunteered for organizations at her high school and did some missionary work for her church in Decatur, Ga., but the urban studies major didn't truly become an activist until she found the Kinney Program at Rhodes.