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.

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

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

3. Wilkins Launches MEMPOWER For Black Political Empowerment in Memphis - Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Ricky E. Wilkins says he’s not upset about his 2014 loss in the Democratic congressional primary. He calls his loss to incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen “an education.”

4. Cleveland Indians, ‘Major League’ Come to World Series - Friday, October 21, 2016

The Chicago Cubs have the charm and the brand. Lovable losers. The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.

And they are fighting 108 years of history. The Goat Curse. The Gatorade on Leon Durham’s glove. Steve Bartman.

5. New Institute Filling a Mental Health Coverage Gap for Youths, Families - Friday, September 23, 2016

Children and families dealing with mental health and behavioral issues have a new option for in-home specialized care with Family Institute of Tennessee’s expansion into the Memphis market earlier this year.

6. Upgrades, New Manager Come to Celtic Crossing - Monday, August 1, 2016

Celtic Crossing Irish Pub and Restaurant has made a new hire, added menu items and made exterior improvements.

Christopher Darling has been named manager of the Midtown bar. Prior to joining Celtic full-time, Darling worked as general manager of Jim’s Place Restaurant and Bar.

7. Parkinson: OK to ‘Go A Little Bit Extreme’ to Get Job Done - Friday, April 15, 2016

With U.S. Marine Corps training, Rep. Antonio Parkinson knows how to grab people’s attention.

He did that earlier this year when he sponsored legislation to kill the Achievement School District, Tennessee’s solution for turning around struggling schools.

8. Local Alzheimer’s Chapter Gets $265,000 Gift - Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Mid-South Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association got a special holiday gift this year – a $265,000 donation, to be exact.

The gift that will help the association continue and expand on the work it will be doing in the year ahead came in the form of a check from Charles and Connie Cotros of Memphis, the association said.

9. Local Alzheimer’s Chapter Gets $265,000 Gift - Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Mid-South Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association got a special holiday gift this year – a $265,000 donation, to be exact.

The gift that will help the association continue and expand on the work it will be doing in the year ahead came in the form of a check from Charles and Connie Cotros of Memphis, the association has announced.

10. Preseason Analysis: Vols Will Defeat Oklahoma, Finish 8-4 - Saturday, August 8, 2015

Tennessee’s football team has something to prove as it concludes the first week of preseason practices and moves forward to the 2015 season.

The Vols must prove they belong in the national picture in Butch Jones’ third year as coach.

11. Steffner Adds SIOR Role to Real Estate Resume - Saturday, August 23, 2014

Since Joe Steffner opened his own commercial real estate firm 10 years ago, the industry veteran has had a front row seat to some wild changes in the industry.

He experienced everything from the boom days of the early- and mid-2000s to the depths of the recession and its crushing aftermath as the decade ended.

12. August 1-7: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, August 2, 2014

2013: Owners of the Nineteenth Century Club began preliminary demolition work on the Union Avenue mansion, which would later be stopped by court order.

1978: Shaun Cassidy at the Mid-South Coliseum.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. UT Grants Jimmy Haslam Top Alumni Award Amid Probe - Thursday, October 17, 2013

NASHVILLE (AP) – The University of Tennessee has granted its top alumni award to Jimmy Haslam amid an ongoing federal investigation into his family's company, Pilot Flying J, and its legal settlement with thousands of trucking company customers.

16. From Policeman to Prosecutor, Presley Maintains Perspective - Thursday, December 23, 2010

In Danny Presley’s position, it never hurts to have perspective and a healthy sense of self. In fact, those traits are necessary for survival, so Presley lives by two rules: Never take yourself too seriously, and lighten up.

17. Bredesen Endorses Democrat McWherter for Governor - Thursday, June 24, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Gov. Phil Bredesen on Wednesday endorsed fellow Democrat Mike McWherter’s gubernatorial bid, citing his experience as a small-businessman as making him best qualified to guide Tennessee out of the recession.

18. McWherter Fights to Get Ahead of Rivals - Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The last major candidate standing in the Democratic primary for Tennessee governor vowed this week to put Tennesseans back to work with targeted tax breaks and job training programs.

Jackson businessman Mike McWherter’s trip around the state wasn’t as much of a victory lap for the August statewide primary as it was a starting point for the November general election.

19. Memphis' Kyle Drops Out of Governor's Race - Friday, February 26, 2010

State Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis is out of the Democratic primary race for governor.

Kyle, the Senate Democratic leader, withdrew in an afternoon news conference in Nashville.

20. Kyle Says Bid For Governor Hit Wall - Monday, March 1, 2010
 

State Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis is out of the Democratic primary race for governor.

Kyle, the Senate Democratic leader, withdrew in a Friday news conference in Nashville.

“I was certainly going to have to win this campaign on message instead of money – the general election,” Kyle told The Daily News after the press conference.

But Kyle acknowledged he suffered money problems in a spirited primary field on the way to the Aug. 5 ballot.

Kyle entered the race for the Democratic nomination for governor in August at the University of Memphis. He pledged to freeze the tuition of students at Tennessee colleges and universities at the amount they pay in their freshman year. He also has been closely aligned with outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen guiding much of the administration’s legislation through a House and Senate that are majority Republican.

“Not to make excuses, but we weren’t the first guy. We were the last guy,” Kyle said. “We had ground to make up. We were making that ground up.”

The Democratic field now lines up to be Jackson businessman Mike McWherter and former state legislative leader Kim McMillan of Clarksville. Two other contenders dropped out in December. State Sen. Roy Herron of Dresden dropped out to run for the 8th Congressional District seat when John Tanner announced he would not seek re-election. Nashville businessman Ward Cammack also called it a day in December and later endorsed Kyle’s campaign.

“I was real optimistic,” Kyle said of his fundraising at the start of the year.

Kyle reported earlier in February that his campaign had raised more than $740,000 and had $580,000 in cash on hand. Kyle had loaned his own campaign $300,000.

The amount represented a “wall” Kyle said he couldn’t surmount once the legislative session began in January. Legislators are banned by state law from holding fundraisers during a legislative session.

“We got a lot of endorsements. We had as much money as our opponents – at least the Democratic opponents,” Kyle said. “We felt like we had a lot going our way. Then the session began. … It just seemed to me that every week the campaign kept running slower and slower and slower. My time being devoted to what I have to do up here, I just wasn’t getting where I need to go.”

Kyle’s exit leaves Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons in the GOP primary as the only Memphis contender for governor.

21. Life or Death for The MED - Monday, March 1, 2010

A hand as tiny as a budding leaf punched at the air inside a baby incubator.

Kelley Smith, the head nurse of the neonatal intensive care unit at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, checked on the little fighter.

22. Ford Expected to Run for County Mayor - Friday, February 5, 2010

After a tumultuous year of political upheaval in 2009, the 2010 campaign season has belatedly come to life.

Democrat Harold Byrd’s decision not to run for Shelby County mayor late last month and Republican Mark Luttrell’s decision this week to get in the race have shaken the political atmosphere out of its post-New Year doldrums.

23. 2009 Year In Review - Monday, December 28, 2009

2009 was a year without a script – and plenty of improvising on the political stage.

It was supposed to be an off-election year except in Arlington and Lakeland.

2008 ended with voters in the city and county approving a series of changes to the charters of Memphis and Shelby County governments. Those changes were supposed to set a new direction for both entities, kicking into high gear in 2010 and ultimately culminating two years later.

24. Democrat Ward Cammack Drops Out of Governor's Race - Friday, December 4, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville businessman Ward Cammack on Thursday became the second Democrat to drop out of the governor's race this week.

Cammack in a press release said he is ending his campaign because "long-standing political alliances proved impenetrable and fund raising ground to a halt."

25. Bredesen Says He Won't Endorse in Dem Primary - Thursday, November 19, 2009

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Democratic candidates seeking the nomination to succeed Gov. Phil Bredesen will have do so without the incumbent's help.

The term-limited governor told The Associated Press this week that he doesn't plan to get involved in the contest because "people are entitled to run and have a free shot at it."

26. Kyle Crafts Run for Governor in Common Terms - Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A few minutes before noon Tuesday, the voices of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell burst out of loudspeakers, launching into “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

When state Sen. Jim Kyle mounted the podium amid those speakers arrayed in front of the McWherter Library at the University of Memphis, he and his supporters outlined different versions of that same idea in announcing Kyle’s 2010 gubernatorial bid.

27. Kyle Bid for Governor To Be Announced Tues. - Monday, August 10, 2009

Memphis attorney and state Sen. Jim Kyle brushed off a question a little less than two months ago about when he’d announce his plan to run or to sit out the 2010 governor’s race.

The legislative session was drawing to a close, and he was too caught up in “the center of the storm,” as he put it, to talk about running for governor.

28. Democrats Herron, McWherter Each Raise $650K - Thursday, July 16, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Three of the top Democratic candidates for Tennessee governor have combined to raise close to $1.6 million through the first six months of the year, but still trail the top three Republican candidates who collectively have about $6.3 million.

29. McWherter Talks About Personal Identity, Jobs Creation - Monday, July 6, 2009

The Republican pack of candidates for governor in 2010 emerged early this year, but Democrats are assembling a pack of their own for the governor’s mansion.

Among the Democratic pack is Jackson businessman Mike McWherter, the son of former Gov. Ned McWherter.

30. Weekend Events Draw Politicians in Droves - Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Before candidates take their quests for elected office to the public, they usually give them a road test before other politicos – allies and adversaries – to see if this is really what they want to do for the next year or so.

31. Ramsey’s Entry Marks New Phase In Governor’s Race - Tuesday, June 2, 2009

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) – State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey’s entry Monday into the Tennessee governor’s race marks a new phase of an arduous – and expensive – Republican primary campaign.

32. Bill Would Let Sitting Lawmakers Raise Money - Thursday, May 14, 2009

NASHVILLE (AP) – Tennessee lawmakers running for governor could raise campaign money during the legislative session under a bill advanced by a Senate committee on Tuesday.

The bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge would also increase maximum campaign contributions by retroactively adjusting for inflation the amounts allowed in a law passed in 1995.

33. GM Employees May Get Shutdown Details This Week - Friday, April 24, 2009

DETROIT (AP) - Thousands of GM workers could learn as early as Thursday that they will be idle for up to nine weeks this summer as the automaker's plants stop making all but its most popular cars and trucks.

34. Sen. Roy Herron Drops Leadership Role - Friday, April 24, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State Sen. Roy Herron says he will step down as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus after this legislative session to focus on his run for governor.

35. Dem Chairman Says Horne Won't Run for Governor - Monday, April 20, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Knoxville real estate developer Doug Horne has decided against joining the 2010 governor's race, state Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said.

36. Ford on Governor’s Race: ‘Not the Right Time’ - Wednesday, April 15, 2009

As he passed on the 2010 governor’s race this week, former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. took a swipe at the already massed and mostly active Republican field for governor.

37. GM Oct. Sales Fall Nearly Half; Ford Drops 30 Pct - Tuesday, November 4, 2008

DETROIT (AP) – General Motors' October U.S. sales plunged 45 percent and Ford's dropped 30 percent, as low consumer confidence and tight credit combined to scare customers away from showrooms.

38. Total Cuts to City Schools Funding Possible - Monday, June 2, 2008

For years, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton has talked of obliterating the structure of the school system he headed for 12 years. But in every case those plans have proved to be too complex and dependent on too many political entities coming together in an unlikely alliance.

39. Council Members, School Leaders In Intricate Dance Over Funding - Monday, May 19, 2008

Sparks didn’t fly as the Memphis City Council and Memphis City Schools leaders met last week. And there was very little talk about the council’s coming consideration of cutting all $93 million in city funding to the school system.

40. Bodies Politick Shift Pyramid Finance Issue To Third Parties - Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Two accounting and public finance companies have been hired to look over the finances of the two companies vying for use of The Pyramid.

Taking on the two firms became a necessary next step in the political process of figuring out a new use for The Pyramid after a lopsided recommendation by the Herenton administration in favor of Bass Pro Shops over the Ericson Group.

41. Memphis Corruption On Par With Other Cities - Thursday, January 31, 2008

Memphis isn't more corrupt politically than other major American cities, according to the U.S. attorney and FBI agent over the Tennessee Waltz corruption sting and the other resulting corruption probes.

42. Ward Named Judge of the Year by Bar Association - Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Criminal Law Section of the Memphis Bar Association recently presented Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward its judge of the year award. Ward presides over Division 9 of Shelby County's 30th Judicial District. Ward was appointed to the bench in 2004. Prior to that, he worked as an assistant public defender and in private practice. Ward's bachelor's degree in law enforcement and his law degree are both from the University of Memphis.

43. Plans Proposed to Revitalize Eastview - Thursday, November 3, 2005

For a blighted neighborhood in East Memphis, the time is right for a transformation.

That's not yet obvious from the sight of the trash-strewn lots, overgrown lawns, "for rent" signs and row upon row of dilapidated housing scattered throughout Eastview. But it's long been a refrain among city leaders that the neighborhood's turning point is just around the corner.

44. Askew Named National Director of Engineering Group - Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Mark W. Askew, president of Askew Hargraves Harcourt & Associates Inc., was appointed to a two-year term as national director of the American Council of Engineering Cos. of Tennessee. Askew is a civil engineer with 30 years of structural engineering experience.

45. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Rhodes Psychology Professor to Serve as Diversity Delegate at Leadership Conference

First Horizon Exec Named to Fed Advisory Council

J. Kenneth Glass was appointed to a one-year term on the Federal Reserve Boards Federal Advisory Council. Glas...

46. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, December 15, 2004
MBA Elects Officers

Memphis Bar Names 2005 Officers, Directors

The Memphis Bar Association announced the election of the following 2005 officers: Susan M. Clark, president; Barbara Zoccola, vice president; David Cook, treasurer; and Amy Amunds...

47. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, April 11, 2001
Sue Reed joined Neilson Group LLC GMAC Real Estate corporate office as an affiliate broker Sue Reed joined Neilson Group LLC GMAC Real Estate corporate office as an affiliate broker. She has more than 15 years experience in residential sales. Angela...

48. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, May 21, 1997
Bill Wilson Jr Bill Wilson Jr. and Linda B. Ward have joined the mortgage lending department of Victory Bank. Wilson has been named senior loan officer of mortgage lending. He previously was a loan officer at Community Mortgage Corp. Ward has joined...