When he began creating the Bartlett City Schools system five years ago, superintendent David Stephens had more middle schools than he had middle school students in the suburban city. And the high school-aged population was split between Bartlett and Bolton high schools.

2. Trump Administration Orders Closure of Palestinian office - Tuesday, September 11, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington on Monday and threatened sanctions against the International Criminal Court if it pursues investigations against the U.S., Israel, or other allies. The moves are likely to harden Palestinian resistance to the U.S. role as a peace broker.

3. Trump Asks Pompeo To Delay Visit To North Korea - Monday, August 27, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he has directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a planned trip to North Korea, citing insufficient progress on denuclearization.

4. Sessions Hits Trump Back: Won't be 'Improperly Influenced' - Friday, August 24, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump, newly incensed by campaign allegations, plunged back into his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, claiming in an interview that Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department" after Trump put him there. Sessions quickly hit back, declaring that he and his department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations."

5. Day One - Monday, August 6, 2018

Five school years into the historic merger and demerger of public education in Shelby County, the start of the sixth school year classes this month shows the change is establishing very real roots.

6. U.S. Officials Raise Alarm About 2018, 2020 Election Security - Friday, August 3, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has directed a "vast, government-wide effort" to protect American elections after Russian attempts to interfere in 2016, the White House said Thursday.

7. US Plans for Dismantling North Korea Nukes May Face Resistance - Tuesday, July 3, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has a plan that would lead to the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in a year, President Donald Trump's national security adviser said, although U.S. intelligence reported signs that Pyongyang doesn't intend to fully give up its arsenal.

8. Bolton: US has Plan to Dismantle NK Nuclear Program in Year - Monday, July 2, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday the U.S. has a plan that would lead to the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in a year.

9. Candidates Stake Claims For November Elections - Wednesday, May 30, 2018

At the Memorial Day holiday, the incumbent mayors of Bartlett, Germantown and Lakeland had pulled petitions to seek re-election in municipal elections on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald and Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker pulled their qualifying petitions from the Shelby County Election Commission on May 18, the opening day of the filing period. Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo, who has already kicked off his re-election campaign, pulled his petition four days later.

10. Commission Reappoints Bolton As Adviser, Questions His Role - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Shelby County commissioners reappointed former commissioner Julian Bolton as their legislative policy adviser Monday, May 14, sending his reappointment, effective to the end of September, to Mayor Mark Luttrell, who vetoed an earlier version of the appointment in April.

11. Commission Reappoints Bolton As Advisor Amid Questions About His Role - Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Shelby County commissioners reappointed former commissioner Julian Bolton as their legislative policy advisor Monday, May 14, sending the reappointment to the end of September to county mayor Mark Luttrell who vetoed an earlier version in April.

12. Trump Announces US Will Exit Nuclear Accord With Iran - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the U.S. will pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, declaring he was making the world safer but dealing a profound blow to allies and deepening the president's isolation on the world stage.

13. Trump Says All Calm at White House, Vents About Russia Probe - Thursday, April 12, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump insisted that all was "very calm and calculated" at the White House, even as he vented Wednesday about the Russia probe, complained about Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and served noticed that "nice and new and 'smart'" missiles will be coming down on Syria.

14. Under Hardaway, Memphis Again Can Have Hometown Heroes - Friday, April 6, 2018

Headline from the future: “Alex Lomax Leads Memphis Tigers into the Sweet 16.”

A certainty? Of course not. But it’s a possibility because Lomax has committed to Penny Hardaway and the University of Memphis. You know, as opposed to staying with his earlier choice of Gregg Marshall and Wichita State.

15. Cohen Says He Fears Consequences of Increased Defense Spending - Friday, March 30, 2018

Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis almost voted for the Republican omnibus appropriations bill that recently passed Congress, averting a government shutdown.

16. County Pay Raises Move Comes Up Short as Commission Makes New Legal Moves - Tuesday, November 14, 2017

A move to raise the pay of the county’s top 19 elected positions effective with the winners of the 2018 county elections fell short Monday, Nov. 13, of the two-thirds majority needed to pass in a set of votes by the Shelby County Commission.

17. Last Word: Opening Day in Nashville, Parking Pass or Parking Space and Ell Persons - Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Lots of formalities Tuesday in Nashville where the 2017 session of the Tennessee Legislature begins. And that’s what this first week back will be about on the floors of the state House and the state Senate. Away from the floors, the real business of speculation and vote counting and drafting language is already well underway.

18. Commission Eyes Bolton High as Ag Career Center - Friday, September 23, 2016

When Wade Bolton was shot and fatally wounded in Court Square in 1869 by a former partner in a slave trading firm, it continued a long-running feud across several years in which eight people altogether would die violently.

19. The Week Ahead: May 23-29 - Monday, May 23, 2016

Alright, Memphis, it’s time to get this week started with our roundup of happenings you need to know about. 

The 2016 Memphis In May International Festival closes out Saturday with a pair of new additions to the monthlong lineup.
The Saturday by the river begins with the Great American River Run – a half-marathon and a 5K run with a riverside and Downtown route. There is, of course, a post-race party, which then segues into 901Fest – four stages in Tom Lee Park featuring local music and arts, from Al Kapone and Frayser Boy to the North Mississippi Allstars to Opera Memphis and the New Ballet Ensemble & School.
The idea here, and it may be an evolving concept, seems to be local and diverse and not as much of an emphasis on the stages and what happens there at the expense of those who stay after the run and those who come for the music and the arts.
To dot the I on that point, 901Fest also includes an air show.

20. New Schools Giving Memphis Suburbs More Autonomy - Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Some of the trees along East Shelby Drive on the 158 acres at Sycamore Road are in rows. It’s the unmistakable sign of a tree nursery. And before that it was considered a prime dove hunting location.

21. Hoops & Dreams - Saturday, November 14, 2015

They were but a few words, yet they seemed to capture the mindset of the University of Memphis basketball program’s high-expectation fan base.

“Get back to like it was,” said former Tigers guard Jeremy Hunt.

22. Honoring a Legacy - Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Grizzlies are in their 14th season in Memphis, and next Monday, Jan. 19, will mark the 13th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day.

23. County Leaders Make Transition to Governing - Friday, August 29, 2014

For government officials, the oath of office marks the boundary between the ability to get elected and the ability to govern.

But it’s not always apparent to those taking the oath what they have gotten themselves into.

24. Germantown Schools Tuition Debate Lingers - Wednesday, March 5, 2014

UPDATE: In a special meeting Friday, March 7, the Germantown Municipal Schools board voted 3-0 to rescind its tuition requirement for open enrollment of students living outside Germantown.

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25. Demerger Debate - Saturday, March 1, 2014

In five months, a new school year will begin in Shelby County. And for a second straight academic year, many parents will be able to say it is unlike any in their lifetimes.

The first and last school year of the unified Memphis City and Shelby County Schools systems will be followed by what educators are calling the “demerger.”

26. The New Beale - Saturday, April 20, 2013

Over the last four years, the next chapter in the development of Beale Street has been a stop-and-go affair. First would come announcements followed by silence from official channels.

Along with that silence, though, was quiet activity on the side, a movement that culminated with the March announcement of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s strategic planning committee’s report, “A Framework for Beale Street.”

27. Hopson Takes Over Public Schools Leadership - Thursday, March 28, 2013

Since Dorsey Hopson became general counsel for Memphis City Schools in 2008, he has experienced a whirlwind of change.

The Memphis City Council cut funding to the school system triggering a landmark court case, city and county school systems have been on a fast and rocky path to a merger, and the countywide board ballooned to 23 members. And then Hopson found himself in January serving as the interim superintendent of Memphis City Schools.

28. Hopson Heads Both School Systems - Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The city and county school systems have a single school superintendent less than five months from the start of the first school year of the consolidated school system in Shelby County.

Interim Memphis City Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson was appointed interim Shelby County Schools superintendent at the first countywide school board meeting since the board approved a buyout last week of county schools superintendent John Aitken.

29. Johnican Practiced Political Art of Coalition - Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Minerva Johnican practiced the art of the coalition in a political career that spanned more than 40 years.

The former Shelby County Commissioner, Memphis City Council member and Criminal Court Clerk Minerva died Friday, March 8, at Methodist University Hospital at the age of 74.

30. Wings Ride Team to Cycle for Cancer Funds, Awareness - Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Wings Ride Team will depart Sept. 28 at noon on a 500-mile charity cycling event to promote cancer awareness, encourage healthy lifestyles, and raise funds for Wings Cancer Foundation’s Wellness Program.

31. GOP Carries Countywide Offices - Friday, August 6, 2010

The only thing Republican candidates in Shelby County were denied in the Aug. 5 elections was a majority on the Shelby County Commission. The local GOP slate swept every countywide partisan race on the ballot with Thursday’s election results.

Voter turnout – early and Election Day – was almost 30 percent of Shelby County’s 600,000 voters. All election returns will be audited and must be certified by the Shelby County Election Commission.

Republican Bill Oldham, the former chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Department under outgoing Sheriff Mark Luttrell, beat Democrat Randy Wade in the race for sheriff.

The unofficial returns with all precincts reporting were:

Oldham: 89,613 (52%)

Wade: 82,981 (48%)

Wade, who was the Democratic nominee for sheriff in 2002, linked his 2010 campaign to the re-election bid of Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen. Wade, a former sheriff’s deputy, is Cohen’s district director.

Oldham campaigned on continuing the policies of Luttrell. But his campaign faltered when Oldham was forced to resign his job as chief deputy – the No. 2 position in the department – following a complaint to the U.S. Justice Department that his candidacy violated the Federal Hatch Act.

The civil complaint investigated by the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel left Oldham with the choice of either quitting the job or quitting the race. To keep both could have jeopardized federal funding the department receives.

The complaint was unique because deputies and high-ranking officers running for sheriff has been a regular feature of the sheriff’s race for decades. It wasn’t until 2002 that those in the department were required to take a leave of absence if they ran.

In other general election races, challenger Ken Hoover lost to Shelby County School Board Chairman David Pickler in the race for the District 5 seat on the seven-member board.

Pickler has been chairman for 11 of the 12 years the school board has been an elected body. Pickler ran on his record as chairman. Hoover also ran on Pickler’s record, saying his leadership style was too autocratic and not transparent enough.

The unofficial results were:

Pickler: 5,123 (51%)

Hoover: 4,956 (49%)

In the two other contested school board races, former Bolton High School principal Snowden “Butch” Carruthers beat Millington parent Charlene White in District 1. And political newcomer David Reaves beat fellow newcomer Lara A. McIntyre, both of Bartlett, for the District 3 seat.

White and McIntyre both called for change in school board methods during their campaigns.

District 7 school board member Ernest Chism ran unopposed.

The even-numbered district school board seats are on the 2012 county ballot.

After running for Probate Court clerk three other times, Democratic nominee Sondra Becton could not claim the office on her fourth try – even with the incumbent she campaigned against the three other times out of the race. Republican contender Paul Boyd easily beat Becton in the race for the office Chris Thomas gave up to run for and win a seat on the Shelby County Commission.

Becton lost to Thomas by 604 votes four years ago and was among the four Democratic challengers who unsuccessfully challenged the results in Chancery Court. This time she lost by more than 6,500 votes.

The vote totals were:

Boyd: 82,259 (52%)

Becton: 75,702 (48%)

Republican Tom Leatherwood easily defeated Democratic challenger Coleman Thompson to remain Shelby County register. The two faced each other in 2006, with Leatherwood winning.

The results Thursday were:

Leatherwood: 96,531 (58%)

Thompson: 68,784 (42%)

As early voting began, Thompson’s Pyramid Recovery Center was evicted from its longtime South Memphis space that was also an early voting site and an election day polling place. The landlord agreed to leave the voting sites up and running. But the possibility of a change in polling places served to highlight Thompson’s financial problems.

Late publicity about financial problems took a toll on another Democratic contender.

Newcomer Corey Maclin began campaigning early for Shelby County clerk, with incumbent Republican Debbie Stamson not seeking re-election. Maclin lost to Republican nominee Wayne Mashburn, the son of late county clerk Sonny Mashburn.

The unofficial returns were:

Mashburn: 88,619 (55%)

Maclin: 72,651 (45%)

Stamson’s husband, Steve Stamson, retired as Juvenile Court clerk, setting up the race that was won by Republican nominee Joy Touliatos, the chief administrative officer of the clerk’s office. She beat Democratic nominee Shep Wilbun, who won appointment to the clerk’s office in 2000 but lost to Stamson in the 2002 election and was beaten by Stamson again in 2006.

With all precincts reporting, the numbers were:

Touliatos: 85,849 (51%)

Wilbun: 73,345 (44%)

The remaining votes went to independent candidate Julia R. Wiseman.

Also seeking a return to countywide office was Minerva Johnican. Johnican, the Democratic nominee for Criminal Court clerk, lost to Republican nominee Kevin Key, the son of outgoing Criminal Court Clerk Bill Key and an administrator with the Circuit Court Clerk’s office.

The results were:

Key: 79,755 (49%)

Johnican: 74,831 (46%)

Independent candidate Jerry Stamson: 8,581 (5%)

Johnican, also a former Memphis City Council member and Shelby County Commissioner lost the clerk’s job in 1994 when she was upset by the elder Key.

Incumbent Republican Circuit Court Clerk Jimmy Moore easily defeated Democratic challenger Ricky Dixon. Although Dixon was part of the effort by Democratic party leaders to get voters to vote the entire party slate, Moore continued to show up at Democratic functions and make his case for crossover votes.

Regina Morrison Newman, the third Shelby County tustee in four years, lost her bid for a full term in the office to Republican challenger David Lenoir. It was an impressive political debut for Lenoir, who had heavy backing from the local GOP.

The results were:

Lenoir: 77,166 (49%)

Newman: 72,618 (46%)

Independent candidate Derrick Bennett: 6,353 (4%)

Newman was appointed to the office by the Shelby County Commission following the 2009 death of Trustee Paul Mattila. Mattila was appointed to the office and won a special election for the position following the 2008 death of Bob Patterson. Patterson was re-elected to a four-year term in 2006.

In the judicial races:

Attorney Bill Anderson Jr. emerged atop a field of 20 candidates for General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Div. 7 with 15 percent of the vote. Assistant County Attorney Janet Lansky Shipman was second and the only other contender to go into double digit percentages. The 20 candidates were the largest field in any race – primary or general – on the Shelby County ballot.

Prosecutor Bobby Carter, who had the backing of District Attorney General Bill Gibbons and former District Attorney General John Pierotti, was elected judge of Criminal Court Div. 3 in a close race with attorneys Glenn Wright and Latonya Sue Burrow.

Carter got 26 percent of the vote to Wright’s 25 percent and Burrow’s 24.7 percent.

The results in the three other special judicial races saw the three appointed judges rejected by voters.

• Lee Wilson, the appointee to General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Div. 10, lost to former General Sessions Court Clerk Chris Turner by more than 64,000 votes. Turner’s victory was the strongest proof of the strong Republican turnout for races across the general election ballot. Turner had been the General Sessions Court clerk until 2006, when he was upset by Democratic challenger Otis Jackson. He is also a former Republican state legislator.
• Lorrie Ridder, the appointee to Circuit Court Judge Div. 4, lost to attorney Gina Higgins by about 5,000 votes.
• Rhynette Northcross Hurd, the appointee to Circuit Court Judge Div. 8, lost to attorney Bob Weiss by more than 12,000 votes.

Ridder and Hurd had been appointed to the Circuit Court vacancies by Gov. Phil Bredesen, who picked them each from a list of three finalists from the Judicial Nominating Commission. Bredesen even taped a robo-call on behalf of Hurd, his first robo-call for any candidate in the state.

Wilson was appointed to the General Sessions vacancy by the Shelby County Commission and adopted a domestic violence case docket for the court.

32. MED Task Force Members Appointed - Thursday, December 3, 2009

Shelby County Interim Mayor Joyce Avery and County Commissioner Joe Ford, who will become county mayor Dec. 10, have appointed a task force to brainstorm short- and long-term solutions to the revenue crisis at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

33. U.S. Supreme Court's Ideological Split Largely Absent in Business Cases - Tuesday, July 3, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) - The narrow split between liberal and conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices was evident throughout the court's most recent term with one prominent exception: business cases.

Unlike the blistering ideological divisions stemming from cases about abortion, pay discrimination against women and the use of race in school assignments, justices often found common ground when ruling on commercial issues such as shareholder rights and antitrust law. Seventy percent of the 30 business-related cases decided by the court over the eight-month term that ended this week produced majority votes of 7-2 or greater.

34. Blotner Named Communications Specialist for Impact Marketing - Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Jonathan D. Blotner has joined Impact Marketing as a corporate communications specialist. In his new role, Blotner will head all public relations efforts within the company, assist in research and development of new business, as well as create new interactive media opportunities for Impact's clients. Blotner formerly was CEO and media director of J. Blotner Advertising & PR in New Orleans.

35. Wassmer Captures Account Exec Spot at Thompson & Berry - Wednesday, June 7, 2006

Katie Wassmer has been promoted to account executive at Thompson & Berry Public Relations, a division of Thompson & Co. Wassmer has been with Thompson & Berry for two years. She joined the company as an intern. Wassmer graduated from the University of Memphis in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in journalism/public relations.

36. 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.

37. Archived Article: Law Focus - Thursday, February 5, 2004
Law

Not Always Celebrated, Champions Make Mark

LANCE ALLAN

The Daily News

When John Heflin took over as 2004 president of the Memphis Bar Association, he was determined to make his mark on the organization. But it was the impression left...

38. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, April 30, 2003
John W. McConomy

John W. McConomy was appointed ResortQuest International Inc. senior vice president and general counsel. McConomy will join the company effective May 19 in Destin, Fla., the new location of its corporate office. McConomy will ove...

39. Archived Article: Law Briefs - Thursday, August 16, 2001
Five Memphis law firms were included in Corporate Board Member magazines inaugural survey of the best corporate law firms and Five Memphis law firms were included in Corporate Board Member magazines inaugural survey of the best corporate law firms a...

40. Archived Article: Ccdc (lead) - Thursday, August 16, 2001
CCDC approves Pat OBriens loan CCDC approves Pat OBriens loan By SUE PEASE The Daily News The Center City Development Corp. Wednesday approved a $62,000 development loan application to the owners of a business planning to build a Pat OBriens bar on ...

41. Archived Article: Law Focus (env) - Thursday, June 17, 1999
By STACEY PETSCHAUER The green is on New Citizens Environmental Review Panel serves as a liaison between residents and environmental court By STACEY PETSCHAUER The Daily News John, a Midtowner, cant stand the sight of the tangled mass of 2-foot-tall...

42. Archived Article: Real Briefs - Tuesday, April 20, 1999
Mid-America Apartment Communities ResortQuest International Inc., a vacation rental, resort property management and real estate sales company, announced that the introduction in January of an online booking engine to its Web site, resortquest.com, i...

43. Archived Article: Comm Briefs - Friday, December 11, 1998
The employees of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division have presented a check to the United Way of the Mid-South totaling $578,662 The employees of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division have presented a check to the United Way of the Mid-South total...

44. Archived Article: Real Briefs - Tuesday, June 30, 1998
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. has sold the 212-unit Redford Park Apartment Community in Conroe, Texas, for $5.8 million. President Eric Bolton said the property did not have the growth potential the com...

45. Archived Article: Calendar - Monday, March 17, 1997
March 17 March 17 The Institute of Management Accountants will meet at Union Planters, 6200 Poplar Ave. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The seminar topic will be the Internet, and the presenter will be Dr. Larry Schmidt of Christian Brothers University. The c...

46. Archived Article: Real Briefs - Tuesday, September 10, 1996
A public review of the proposed Bolton Park master plan will be held at 7 p A public review of the proposed Bolton Park master plan will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Bolton Community Center, 7067 Brunswick Road. The proposed Bolton Park is a 40...

47. Archived Article: Schools Chg - Friday, March 22, 1996
graph info County, private schools expanding in 1996-97 By CAMILLE H. GAMBLE The Daily News While this year is a quiet one for construction in the Shelby County Schools, the 1997-98 school year will see about as much construction as 1994 did. It see...