Quail Ridge Highlands Financed for $14.2M

Madison, Miss.-based Quail Ridge Highlands LLC has financed the 140-unit Quail Ridge Highlands apartment complex for $14.2 million through Wells Fargo Bank NA.

The complex, which was built in 2007 and uses the address 6344 Quail Meadow Cove, is on 10.5 acres on the north side of Egypt Central Road south of Fiske Road in Bartlett’s 38135 ZIP code.

Quail Ridge Highlands has one-, two- and three-bedroom units in three-story buildings.

The Shelby County Assessor of Property, which lists the complex at 6360 Quail Meadow Cove, appraised it in 2011 at $9.1 million.

The $14.2 million multifamily trust deed is insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the National Housing Act.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports

– Daily News staff

West Clinic Starts Phase I Drug Trial

The West Clinic is conducting a Phase I trial using a new class of drug called a checkpoint inhibitor.

This study is currently being directed by Dr. Jason Chandler, the acting Phase I director, who says the trial is for patients who have exhausted all current standard therapies, and that the treatment has a mechanism of action that could make standard chemotherapy more effective.

Traditional chemotherapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The cancer cells detect this damage by receiving signals from checkpoint proteins.

The proteins are able to stop the cells from dividing while they try to repair any damage.

By inhibiting these signals, the cancer cells are unable to repair the damage and thus undergo apoptosis or programmed cell death.

The trial, currently open only at The West Clinic’s Humphreys Road location, is for any cancer patients who have exhausted all current life-sustaining therapies.

It is given during a two-week induction phase and then in combination with pemetrexed or gemcitabine, two standard chemotherapies, during the extension phase.

The purpose of the drug trial is to determine how this drug is metabolized and how it interacts with other medications.

– Aisling Maki

Millington Candidates File for August Election

The field for Millington mayor in that city’s Aug. 2 nonpartisan general election is three candidates following last week’s filing deadline.

It includes former Mayor Terry Jones, who lost a re-election bid four years ago to Richard Hodges; Kenneth Uselton and Debra Sigee.

Six of the seven aldermen are seeking re-election.

Bethany K. Huffman and Rhonda O’Dell are running for Position 1, the seat being given up by incumbent Jimmy Pike.

Keith Barger is being challenged for Position 2 by Hank Hawkins and Al Bell.

Don Lowery faces Franklin Dakin for Position 3.

Jim Brown has two challengers seeking Position 4. They are Larry Dagen and Charles P. Reed.

Position 5 is a contest between Brett A. Morgan and Thomas McGhee.

Chris Ford is being challenged by Oscar Brown for Position 6.

And Mike Caruthers and R. Jason Dupress are the contenders for Position 7.

– Bill Dries

U of M Reunion to Feature Sculpture

The University of Memphis campus will feature a new icon later this month to be unveiled during the university’s centennial reunion weekend April 20-22.

The 100th anniversary of the university has been marked with various decorated versions of the school’s Tiger mascot at different locations across Shelby County.

On April 20 at 1 p.m. U of M leaders will unveil a life-size bronze tiger statue on the west side of the University Center. It is modeled after the university’s mascot TOM.

The 1,000-pound statue is the work of sculptor David Alan Clark, the same artist who created the Tom Lee sculpture located in Tom Lee Park in Downtown.

At the ceremony, a time capsule will be sealed in the base of the statue.

– Bill Dries

Resource Entertainment Group Expands Artist Roster

Resource Entertainment Group has added two new acts to its roster of talent: Jason Williams and Gary Escoe & The Atomic Dance Machine.

Escoe is the former lead singer of Memphis Soul Revue. He and his band can perform in a range of styles, from Motown to Top 40, and Escoe has opened for artists like Cheap Trick in addition to performing for former President Bill Clinton and celebrities like Naomi Campbell.

Williams tours the U.S. playing large festivals, intimate theaters and private parties. He’s on the road 200 days a year and has played in venues that include the White House, Radio City Music Hall and the Detroit Lions stadium, Ford Field.

– Andy Meek

Boyle Insurance adds Jeff Puckett

Jeff Puckett has joined Boyle Insurance Agency Inc. as an account executive in the Nashville area.

Puckett’s insurance practice focuses on accounts in technology, real estate, finance, manufacturing and construction/contracting. He works with families, professionals and business owners to manage risk, growth and profitability.

Puckett began his insurance career as an account executive for Summit Consulting Inc., where he handled a statewide client base serving business owners and insurance agents.

Prior to his work in insurance, Puckett worked with several entrepreneurial technology start-ups.

He also served in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm.

Puckett is a certified insurance counselor and has earned segments of the Certified Risk Manager designation.

Boyle Insurance Agency provides commercial property and casualty insurance for more than 6,000 clients.

Boyle Insurance Agency also provides insurance for all of the properties owned and managed by Memphis-based Boyle Investment Co. and its related entities.

– Sarah Baker

Keller Williams' Shaner Receives 2012 Lion Heart

Jo Shaner of Keller Williams Realty received the 2012 Lion Heart Award at the Youth Villages 5K Kick-Off Party, held last month at the Memphis Area Association of Realtors.

The Lion Heart Award is presented each year in recognition of a volunteer dedicated to the annual race benefiting Youth Villages.

Shaner twice has served as co-race director, most recently in 2011. She has been a member of the race steering committee since 1998.

This year’s race – slated for April 21 – marks the 30th anniversary. It begins at 9 a.m. at Ridgeway Center. To register or to volunteer, visit www.youthvillages5k.com.

– Sarah Baker

Obama Warns of Job Market Fluctuation

President Barack Obama is warning that the U.S. job market will still face “ups and downs” despite news Friday that the economy added 120,000 jobs last month.

The March employment numbers were down from the more than 200,000 jobs the economy added in each of the previous three months.

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped to 8.2 percent, but mostly because more Americans stopped looking for work.

The nation’s unemployment rate will factor prominently in the November presidential election. Obama says no issue is more important than restoring economic security for all American families.

Obama was speaking at a White House forum focused on the role of women in the economy.

– The Associated Press