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.

2. Where the Jobs Are - Saturday, June 23, 2018

Out of more than 15,000 Shelby County Schools students who took some kind of career and technical education, or CTE, courses in the 2015-2016 academic year, only 1 percent – roughly 150 – completed those classes to get some kind of work certification.

3. Rolling by the River - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

After nearly two years of planning, preparation and hard work, Explore Bike Share in Memphis has finally rolled out. Despite the early morning heat and humidity, several hundred onlookers and volunteers assembled Downtown in Court Square Wednesday, May 23, to celebrate the official launch of the 600-bike fleet.

4. The Week Ahead: May 21-27 - Monday, May 21, 2018

Good morning, Memphis! School ends this week and the long-awaited Explore Bike Share bicycle stations open across the city. The 600 bikes for rent will enable residents and visitors to explore the city, ride to work, visit local landmarks and get some exercise without polluting the air.

5. Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Puts $5 Million in Whitehaven Park Renovation - Wednesday, April 18, 2018

A Whitehaven park is getting a $5 million remake, including a $900,000 endowment fund to keep the new David Carnes Park ready for recreation.

6. Memphis Site of One of Golf’s Greatest Events - Friday, April 13, 2018

The hugs, the handshakes, the slaps on the back, the big smiles and loud, lengthy applause. All things normally saved in the golf world for that moment when a 75-foot eagle putt settles in the bottom of the hole.

7. Last Word: SCS Plans For $15, IRIS Matinees and The Hard Hit Fund - Wednesday, March 21, 2018

“From a financial standpoint, we need our fans back and we need them back now.” University of Memphis president David Rudd breaking the university’s silence on the basketball coaching change that was made formal Tuesday with the announcement that Penny Hardaway is indeed the new coach. And Hardaway had a lot to say that Tigers fans and Memphians wanted to hear.

8. Council and Commission Talk Pre-K and Workforce Development - Monday, March 5, 2018

When 20 of the 26 Memphis City Council members and Shelby County Commissioners got together Thursday, March 1, at Beale Street Landing, the idea of county government providing funds to expand access to prekindergarten got resistance on the county side.

9. Council and Commission Talk Pre-K and Workforce By The River - Friday, March 2, 2018

When 20 of the 26 Memphis City Council members and Shelby County Commissioners got together Thursday, March 1, at Beale Street Landing, the idea of some kind of county government funding for expanding access to pre-kindergarten ran into some resistance on the county side.

10. Archer Malmo, Y&R Memphis, Red Deluxe Big Winners at ADDYs - Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Results in the 2018 AAF Memphis American Advertising Awards competition show Memphis companies collected plenty of hardware, but the big winners were Red Deluxe Brand Development, Archer Malmo and Y&R Memphis, which all won “Best of” category honors and a total of 67 awards combined.

11. Brand That Fits - Tuesday, January 2, 2018

In 2017, two local entrepreneurs teamed up to bring a new staffing concept to the Bluff City and with the new year now here, they have their eyes set on expanding throughout the Southeast.

Co-founders Rishi Chopra and Eduardo Sanchez Borja started Inspire Hotel Staffing last March as a way to help local hotel chains and franchises meet the near-constant demand for adequate labor.

12. Grizzlies' Schedule Offers Good Chance to See LeBron In Memphis This Season - Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The Grizzlies’ 2017-2018 schedule is highlighted by the return of the MLK Game on MLK Day (imagine that) and the one and only visit from the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors before Halloween.

13. Shelby County Schools Board Seeks Role in Grade-Tampering Investigations - Thursday, June 8, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members will meet in special session Thursday to talk about allegations of grade tampering renewed June 1 when Trezevant High School principal Ronnie Mackin resigned from the school system.

14. SCS Board Members Huddle With Attorneys On Grade Tampering Allegations - Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members meet in special session Thursday to talk about allegations of grade tampering renewed June 1 when Trezevant High School principal Ronnie Mackin resigned from the school system.

15. SCS School Offenses, Problems Drop Sharply - Tuesday, June 6, 2017

A week after the end of the school year, Shelby County Schools leaders had numbers that major incidents of trouble at schools during the year – aggravated assault, drugs, bullying, sexual offenses, robberies, weapons and disruptive behavior – dropped 13.2 percent from 2015-2016.

16. Shelby County Schools Debates Funding Strategy for Budget - Thursday, June 1, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members approved a two-year contract extension through the 2019-2020 school year for superintendent Dorsey Hopson Tuesday, May 30, with no debate or discussion and sent a combined $1.3 billion operating and capital budget proposal to the Shelby County Commission for approval.

17. Wide Receiver U? That’s So 20 Years Ago - Friday, May 26, 2017

At the 2015 SEC Media Days, Tennessee coach Butch Jones referred to his school as “the original Wide Receiver U.”

The reference goes back to the days when the Vols were loaded with fast, talented pass receivers on the perimeter. In a heady stretch from 1982-91, UT had six wide receivers selected in the first round of the NFL draft – Anthony Hancock, Willie Gault, Clyde Duncan, Tim McGee, Anthony Miller and Alvin Harper.

18. As FESJC Turns 60, There's No Taking PGA Tour Event for Granted - Friday, May 26, 2017

This year marks the FedEx St. Jude Classic’s 60th year in Memphis. For decades the annual PGA Tour stop has signaled the start of summer and the arrival of stars ranging from Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus to Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson.

19. Lack of Available Labor Defines Workforce Landscape - Friday, April 28, 2017

If the American South were its own country it would have a larger economy than Germany, which is one of the reasons why coordinating regional workforce efforts in the Mid-South is paramount.

At the second annual RegionSmart Summit Thursday, April 27, hosted by the Mid-South Mayors’ Council, Michael Randle, owner and publisher of Southern Business and Development, shared this and other interesting statistics of the labor force during his presentation.

20. Dunbar Elementary Gets Reprieve, But Carnes Closing - Thursday, February 2, 2017

Dunbar Elementary School will remain open next August, while Carnes Elementary will close its doors forever at the end of the current school year.

The Shelby County Schools board voted unanimously Tuesday, Jan. 31, to close Carnes after SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson withdrew his recommendation to close Dunbar.

21. Looks Like 10-2, SEC Title Game, Orange Bowl for UT - Monday, September 5, 2016

Editor’s note: Nashville sports correspondent Dave Link has been accurate in predicting season outcomes for the Tennessee Vols in recent years. His 2016 season predictions, released just before press time, culminates with an SEC Championship appearance. Here’s his take on the season…

22. Woods Trains Memphians for 21st-Century Jobs - Friday, August 19, 2016

Memphis stands at the threshold of incredible possibility. In this series, we introduce innovative Memphians who are driving our city forward and forging its future success.

This fall, Ikea will open a 271,000-square-foot megastore on Germantown Parkway, the first of its kind in Tennessee. It will be full of hard-to-pronounce yet winningly affordable Swedish furniture: things like fyrkantig (candles), riktig ogla (curtain rings), and dagstorp (couches).

23. Blue-Collar High School - Saturday, July 30, 2016

For all of the changes in public education Memphis has seen in the past six years, there is at least one more big one still on the way.

And it is coming from the city’s post-recession economic development effort.

24. 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.

25. Libertas Roof Repairs Raise Questions for SCS - Thursday, June 30, 2016

As expected, the Shelby County Schools board approved two new charter schools for the 2017-2018 school year Tuesday, June 28, and turned down eight other charter applications for now.

What wasn’t expected during the board meeting was approving $165,000 in funding for an emergency roof repair at Libertas School of Memphis, a Montessori method-charter school in Frayser that is part of the state-run Achievement School District.

26. Joint SCS-ASD Raleigh School Off for Now, But Debate Continues - Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Shelby County Schools system has turned down a collaboration with the state-run Achievement School District on an Innovation Zone middle school in Raleigh.

SCS will instead turn Raleigh-Egypt High School into a grade 6-12 school, which will compete with the ASD charter school that also opens in August at nearby Raleigh-Egypt Middle School.

27. SCS Budget Quest About More Than Dollar Figures - Wednesday, May 18, 2016

When the Shelby County Commission meets next week to look over the budget proposal approved Monday, May 16, by the Shelby County Schools board, there will be a debate that goes beyond the bottom line dollar figures and line items.

28. SCS Board Eyes Three Charter School Closings - Thursday, April 28, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, April 26, to close three Memphis charter schools performing in the bottom 5 percent of all schools statewide in terms of student achievement.

And the board set in motion a series of public hearing on closing two conventional high schools – Northside and Carver – as well as the Messick Adult Center.

29. SCS Board Votes To Close Three Charters - Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, April 26, to close three Memphis charter schools in the bottom five percent of all schools state wide in terms of student achievement. And the board set in motion a series of public hearing on closing two conventional high schools – Northside and Carver -- as well as the Messick Adult Center.

30. Only One School Board Seat Contested - Saturday, April 16, 2016

It’s usually filing too close to the deadline that ends up shedding potential candidates from local election ballots.

That is the case with two would-be challengers to a pair of Shelby County Schools board incumbents on the Aug. 4 ballot.

31. Two More August School Board Races Go Uncontested - Thursday, April 14, 2016

It’s usually filing too close to the deadline that ends up shedding potential candidates from local election ballots.

That is the case with two would-be challengers to a pair of Shelby County Schools board incumbents on the Aug. 4 ballot.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. Workforce Effort Leaders Talk About Skills Gap - Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Before Olympus Corp. announced last month its plan to locate a service and distribution center in Bartlett, a bigger medical device manufacturing company was on the hook for the town.

35. Trust Fund Mentioned as Possible $1.1B Solution on School Benefits Liability - Monday, February 8, 2016

A trust fund is one possibility that has surfaced early in the formal discussions of the Shelby County School system’s $1.1 billion benefits liability.

The first meeting of the ad hoc committee on the matter last week drew nine of the 13 Shelby County Commissioners, the administration of Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and two of nine Shelby County Schools board members.

36. SCS Board Authorizes More Discussions On Crosstown High - Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members have authorized superintendent Dorsey Hopson to continue discussions about a Crosstown High School.

The board approved a resolution Tuesday, Jan. 26, that also sets some parameters for the talks with the developers of Crosstown Concourse and Christian Brothers University about the collaboration.

37. Candidates Already Gearing Up For August Elections - Friday, January 8, 2016

The ballot for the March 1 Tennessee presidential primaries and county primaries for General Sessions Court Clerk was set while many voters were focused on the holidays and preparations for the new city leaders taking office in January.

38. Council OKs Strickland's Directors, He Defends Pay Raises - Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Memphis City Council members approved Mayor Jim Strickland’s slate of 12 division chiefs and directors Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the first council meeting of 2016. And Strickland defended the pay raises for some of those positions compared to the salaries those appointed positions paid in the Wharton administration.

39. A List of Mayor-Elect Jim Strickland’s Appointments So Far - Monday, December 14, 2015

Memphis Mayor elect Jim Strickland still has some appointments to make, but he is methodically filling key positions in his administration ahead of taking office Jan. 1.

40. Strickland Names 6 Chiefs to Report Directly To Mayor - Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Memphis Mayor-elect Jim Strickland rounded out his team of top advisers and division directors with six appointees who will report directly to him – a structural change to how previous mayoral administrations have worked.

41. Holden Calls It Quits As Shelby County Election Administrator - Monday, December 7, 2015

Shelby County Election Commission administrator Richard Holden is resigning his post at the end of December.

42. Holden Calls It Quits As Shelby County Election Administrator - Monday, December 7, 2015

Shelby County Election Commission administrator Richard Holden is resigning his post at the end of December.

43. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 28, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

44. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Monday, November 23, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

45. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 21, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

46. Shelby County Schools Eyes Crosstown - Thursday, November 19, 2015

Shelby County Schools wants to open a high school at Crosstown Concourse. SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson confirmed the school district’s interest Wednesday, Nov. 18.

“We’ve spoken with some of the local funders about putting together some plan to ensure that there are some high-quality options there,” Hopson said. “There are a number of different ways that we’re thinking about it. But absolutely we would love to be a part of it.”

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. Hopson Calls Off Hillcrest-Whitehaven Merger For Now - Thursday, October 1, 2015

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson is calling off a plan to merge Hillcrest High School into Whitehaven High School and turn Hillcrest into a ninth grade academy.

Hopson told school board members Tuesday, Sept. 29, that the school system will wait to see if the state-run Achievement School District matches Hillcrest with a charter school operator and takes it into the ASD next school year.

49. Build Out - Saturday, July 25, 2015

Boyle Investment Co. is building a 52,000-square-foot office building at its Schilling Farms community in Collierville in which Helena Chemical Co.’s Southern Business Unit will lease half of the space.

50. Share Your Vision in Concise, Compelling Ways - Tuesday, July 7, 2015

How does your nonprofit report on its work? How do you share your vision, work and impact? Do you send an email? Create an annual report? What about an annual meeting bringing together donors, leaders, clients, vendors, partners, board members, and staff? Are you up to it? Can you make the time? Our perspective: How can you not afford the time?

51. Germantown Leaders Exploring Elementary School Possibilities - Monday, June 1, 2015

When Germantown Municipal School District leaders began talking openly last week about new school construction, they did so cautiously, keeping in mind similar recent discussions in Lakeland and Collierville.

52. Germantown Schools To Look At New Elementary School - Friday, May 29, 2015

The Germantown Municipal School District is going to explore building a new elementary school and several options for adding onto an existing middle schools.

Germantown schools superintendent Jason Manuel talked publicly for the first time about the possibility Thursday, May 28, at a special meeting of the city’s school board.

53. Shelby County Schools Seeks New Funding for Classroom Investments - Thursday, April 23, 2015

The bottom line on the Shelby County Schools budget proposal headed to Shelby County Commissioners is $973.5 million, but the dollar figure commissioners will be considering is $14 million.

That’s the amount of new funding the system is seeking from county government for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Otherwise, the school system’s budget is balanced.

54. Dr. Neil Bomar Joins Support Solutions - Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Dr. Neil Bomar has joined Support Solutions as its first staff psychiatrist, a role in which he will help individuals with intellectual disabilities and those with a history of long-term mental illness who are currently supported by the organization. Bomar’s addition makes Support Solutions one of the only industry providers in the Mid-South to provide this level of support.

55. School Closings and Consolidations Approved - Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, March 31, to close three elementary schools and one middle school for the coming school year and to dismantle the school system’s short-lived plan for a return of Woodstock High School.

56. YES Prep Departure Highlights Terms of Schools Competition - Friday, March 27, 2015

The departure of YES Prep from Memphis before the charter school operator ever got the keys to Airways Middle School shows how public education is shifting with nearly three years of new competition.

57. Shelby County Schools Board Moves Closer to State Funding Lawsuit - Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Shelby County Schools board voted unanimously Tuesday, Feb. 24, to hire an attorney to work with Tennessee’s other major urban school systems in weighing a possible lawsuit against the state that would force full state funding of the Basic Education Program.

58. Wade to Lead Southern College of Optometry's Hayes Center - Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Dr. Lisa Wade has been named director of the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence at Southern College of Optometry, which focuses on teaching business principles to help optometrists succeed in independent practice.

59. Settlement Could Fund I-Zone Schools - Thursday, January 29, 2015

With federal money about to run out for the Shelby County Schools Innovation Zone schools, the $8 million in cash due from the city of Memphis next month is most likely to land in the bank account for that effort.

60. School Board Approves Settlement Over 2008 Funding Cut - Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Nearly six years after it began, the Shelby County Schools system and the city of Memphis have settled their differences over the city council’s 2008 decision to cut funding to what was then the Memphis City Schools system.

61. Drug Deal Murder Brings Interstate Commerce Violation - Monday, December 1, 2014

Robbing a drug dealer can be a federal crime.

James Earl McCracken and the street gang he reputedly heads robbed and killed a man McCracken allegedly believed to be a drug dealer in July 2011, according to a Memphis federal grand jury.

62. Woods to Head Workforce Investment Network - Saturday, October 11, 2014

Shelby County Schools board member Kevin Woods is the new director of the Workforce Investment Network for the Memphis area.

63. Woods to Head Workforce Investment Network - Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Shelby County Schools board member Kevin Woods is the new director of the Workforce Investment Network for the Memphis area.

64. Jones Elected Chair of County Schools Board - Saturday, October 4, 2014

Teresa Jones is the new chairman of the Shelby County Schools board.

Jones was elected without opposition Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the first meeting of the nine-member school board elected to four-year terms in August. She serves as chairwoman of the board for the next year.

65. Jones Elected Chair of Shelby County Schools Board - Thursday, October 2, 2014

Teresa Jones is the new chairman of the Shelby County Schools board.

Jones was elected without opposition Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the first meeting of the nine-member school board elected to four-year terms in August. She serves as chairwoman of the board for the next year.

66. Appeals Court Denies Whalum Election Challenge - Thursday, October 2, 2014

More than two years after all of the votes were counted and a year after the election results were formally disputed in court, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, Sept. 30, that Shelby County Schools board member Kevin Woods beat the Rev. Kenneth Whalum for the District 4 Shelby County Schools board seat.

67. Wharton Suggests Moving High School Football To Days - Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said Tuesday, Sept. 30, that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has suggested the school system move its night football games to day time hours as one answer to mob violence by teenagers.

68. Old School, New Day - Saturday, September 20, 2014

Vasco Smith remembers working the polls at Fairview Junior High School in the 1960s as a child. His job was simple – to hand out campaign literature and not stray within the 100-foot limit by law between poll workers and the polling place in the gymnasium.

69. School Scores Provide Answers, Create More Questions - Friday, August 22, 2014

The last phase of the state’s delayed rollout of achievement test scores came and went this week with a blur of percentages for hundreds of schools in Shelby County and explanations of success formulas for elementary and middle school students versus high school students.

70. Fight to Save Printers Alley a Family Affair - Saturday, August 16, 2014

“How does it feel to be on your own?” Fritz Hester turns Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” into a surging blues tune that spills out of the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar into the thick, cigarette and beer-flavored humidity stifling Printers Alley

71. 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.

72. 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.

73. Democrats Continue to Talk of Election Problems - Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Once all of the votes are counted in Thursday’s election, Shelby County Democratic Party leaders will probably challenge the results or at least point to what they consider to be irregularities.

The claim that documented problems in recent election years are not a thing of the past has been a steady political drumbeat among Democrats in recent weeks.

74. Game Changer - Saturday, June 7, 2014

One educator’s reform is another educator’s wrong move.

Dorsey Hopson doesn’t use the word “reform” as often as he uses the term “game changer.”

But the superintendent of Shelby County Schools has himself become a game changer as the school board that signed him to a three-year contract last September weighs a further extension of his three-year contract that for now runs through September 2016.

75. School Board Sets Hopson Contract Extension Vote - Friday, June 6, 2014

Shelby County Schools board members are scheduled to vote on a contract extension for schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson at a special board meeting June 23.

Notice of the meeting comes about a week after school board chairman Kevin Woods authorized the school system’s attorney, Valerie Speakman, to begin contract negotiations with Hopson and his representative on the extension.

76. Hopson Contract Extension Faces Tight Timeline - Monday, May 26, 2014

The Shelby County Schools board will discuss Tuesday, May 27, an extension of Dorsey Hopson’s three-year contract to be superintendent of the school system.

And a vote could come at the board’s June 17 work session, if not sooner. Under state law, the body has up to 45 days before the August school board elections to extend the contract or leave the matter for consideration by the next school board.

77. Schools Merger ‘Closeout’ Underway - Thursday, May 15, 2014

The first and only year of a single public school system in Shelby County comes to an end May 23 with the last day of school.

And the legal details of the demerger are quickly taking shape.

Leaders of Shelby County’s seven public school systems met Tuesday, May 13, to discuss the closeout procedures starting June 2 that will begin the actual demerger of public education in Shelby County.

78. Schools Funding Compromise Avoids Legal Complications - Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Don’t expect to see construction work begin immediately at a school near you. But the Shelby County Commission’s approval Monday, May 12, of $52.1 million in capital funding for all seven of the public school systems in the county breaks the two-year intermission on schools construction funding that began with the 2011 move to a schools merger in Shelby County.

79. Martavius Jones Weighs Primary Vote Challenge - Tuesday, May 13, 2014

As Memphis Democrats gathered for various campaign efforts last weekend, County Commission candidate Martavius Jones received a lot of condolences on his loss in the Democratic primary for commission District 10, and rival candidate Reginald Milton got a lot of congratulations.

80. Commission Votes on Schools Funding - Monday, May 12, 2014

Shelby County Commissioners vote Monday, May 12, on $47.3 million in immediate capital funding for Shelby County Schools in a decision that pits a majority on the commission against County Mayor Mark Luttrell.

81. Hopson Pushes Realignment, New Goals in Budget - Thursday, April 24, 2014

After hearing from more than a dozen citizens Tuesday, April 22, including some who quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in their arguments against specific Shelby County Schools budget cuts, superintendent Dorsey Hopson had his own quote from the civil rights leader.

82. Schools Leaders Outline Budget Goals - Friday, April 11, 2014

The Shelby County Commission and Shelby County Schools leaders eased into what is likely to be the most difficult discussion of county government’s budget season – funding the county’s school district in the first academic year of the demerger.

83. Schools Demerger Reflects Cooperation, Competition - Tuesday, March 18, 2014

For now, Shelby County’s seven public school systems are cooperating and competing with one another often at the same time on the way to the demerger of public education in August.

The same dual existence is playing itself out between the Shelby County Schools board and parents of children who have attended schools about to be in the suburban school systems but who live outside the six cities and towns.

84. Ruling Sets School Board Membership at Nine - Thursday, March 13, 2014

No local elected body in Shelby County has changed as many times in as short a period of time as the Shelby County Schools board.

The federal court order Tuesday, March 11, by U.S. District Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays approving the restructure of the school board to a nine-member body effective Sept. 1 will mark the third change in the school board in three years when it takes effect following August school board elections.

85. Mays Approves 9-Member County Schools Board - Wednesday, March 12, 2014

With two rulings in as many days, U.S. District Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays this week cleared his schedule of any pending matters in the reformation of public education in Shelby County.

Mays approved the restructuring of the Shelby County Schools board Tuesday, March 11, to a nine-member body with districts that include the city of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County but not the six suburban towns and cities.

86. Hopson Talks New School Construction - Friday, March 7, 2014

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said he will seek funding before the new fiscal year that begins July 1 for a new Westhaven Elementary School and possibly two other new schools in southeast and northwest Shelby County.

87. School Closings Votes Leave Issues - Thursday, February 27, 2014

Shelby County Schools board members completed Tuesday, Feb. 25, the first half of their actions to prepare the new map of the demerged school system for the academic year that begins in August. And they set the stage for more possible changes in years to come.

88. Commission Takes Up School Board Redistricting - Monday, February 24, 2014

A majority of Shelby County Commissioners seems to agree that the Shelby County Schools board should be smaller than the 13 members it will become with the August school board elections if the commission takes no further action.

89. Democratic Mayoral Hopefuls Pitch Base - Monday, February 10, 2014

The four likely contenders in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County mayor have already had their first debate. But there were no clashes among the quartet, at least not yet.

James Harvey, Deidre Malone, Kenneth Whalum Jr. and Steve Mulroy each spoke to the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee two weeks from the Feb. 20 filing deadline for the May 6 primary election.

90. Four Democratic Mayoral Contenders Make First Joint Appearance - Friday, February 7, 2014

The four likely contenders in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor have already had their first debate. But there were no clashes among the quartet, at least not yet.

James Harvey, Deidre Malone, Kenneth Whalum Jr. and Steve Mulroy each spoke to the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee two weeks from the Feb. 20 filing deadline for the May 6 primary election.

91. County Commission Delays Schools Redistricting - Friday, February 7, 2014

With candidates in the August Shelby County Schools board elections already a month into their filing period, the Shelby County Commission delayed Wednesday, Feb. 5, any vote on changes in the number of seats on the school board as well as the district lines until its Feb. 24 meeting.

92. County Schools Weighs Charter Rent Waiver - Thursday, January 30, 2014

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson is considering waiving rent payments by charter schools that lease the school system’s old buildings in return for them taking all children in an area and coordinating their location with Shelby County Schools.

93. Schools’ Marketing Intensifies as Choices Grow - Saturday, January 11, 2014

January is a busy month on the school choice front in Shelby County. The state of Tennessee has an open-enrollment policy within school districts that allows students in low-performing schools to attend a different school.

94. Oakhaven Warehouse Sells for $1.2 Million - Tuesday, January 7, 2014

4300 Air Trans Road
Memphis, TN 38118
Sale Amount: $1.2 million

Sale Date: Dec. 17, 2013
Buyer: Chob Realty LLC
Seller: Tenn Trans LLC
Loan Amount: $950,000
Loan Date: Dec. 19, 2013
Maturity Date: N/A
Lender: BankPlus
Details: The 109,626-square-foot warehouse at 4300 Air Trans Road in Oakhaven has traded hands for $1.2 million.

95. FBI Questions Surprise Local Politicos - Tuesday, December 24, 2013

As harsh as the criticism has been of the way the Shelby County Election Commission conducted elections in 2012, no one, including those who filed two Chancery Court lawsuits over the results, have said or presented proof it was intentional.

96. FBI Investigating Shelby County Election Commission - Saturday, December 21, 2013

FBI agents have interviewed a Shelby County Election Commission member in what appears to be a probe of the agency that conducts local elections.

Election Commissioner Norma Lester confirmed in a mass e-mail Friday, Dec. 20, that she has been contacted by the FBI “but advised not to disclose any information.”

97. Achievement School District Prepares for Third Year - Monday, December 16, 2013

It was already official before Achievement School District superintendent Chris Barbic made the formal announcement last week.

Months ago, Barbic had confirmed that former Westside Middle School principal Bobby White would be leading the state-run school district’s effort at Frayser High School in the 2014-2015 school year.

98. Arlington, Lakeland School Pacts Go to Commission - Thursday, November 21, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners meet Friday, Nov. 22, for the second time this week.

Friday’s special meeting is the latest stop for the agreements that transfer school buildings to the forming municipal school districts in Arlington and Lakeland and end a federal lawsuit over those two school districts.

99. Lakeland and Arlington Schools Agreements Near - Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Agreements on school buildings and school attendance zones for the Arlington and Lakeland school systems go to the Shelby County Schools board for consideration at a Tuesday, Nov. 18, special meeting of the school board.

100. Suburban School Boards Set, Other Issues Remain - Monday, November 11, 2013

Voters in Shelby County’s six suburban towns and cities completed the process Thursday, Nov. 7, of establishing the basics of their municipal school districts, with elections for their respective school boards.