Memphis Redbirds Set Roster for 2016 Season

The Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, have announced their roster as of Thursday, April 7.

Fifteen players on the 25-man spent time in Memphis last season, including Dean Kiekhefer, Thomas Lee, Arturo Reyes, Ryan Sherriff, Miguel Socolovich, Sam Tuivailala, Justin Wright and Heath Wyatt on the pitching staff, catcher Alberto Rosario, infielders Dean Anna, Alex Mejia, Matt Williams and Jacob Wilson, and outfielders Anthony Garcia and Nick Martini.

In addition to the 15 players who played in Memphis last season, five others played at the Triple-A level elsewhere in 2015. Pitchers John Church (Las Vegas [Mets], Pacific Coast League),Juan Gonzalez (Oklahoma City [Dodgers], PCL), Opening Night starter Deck McGuire (Oklahoma City [Dodgers], PCL) and J.C. Sulbaran (Omaha [Royals], PCL), as well as outfielder Carlos Peguero (Round Rock [Rangers], PCL; Pawtucket [Red Sox], International League) playing one step from the majors last season.

Seven of the Top 30 prospects in the Cardinals organization, according to Baseball America, open the season active in Memphis, including Sam Tuivailala (#11), Charlie Tilson (#13), Anthony Garcia (#21), Arturo Reyes (#22), Jacob Wilson (#23), Dean Kiekhefer (#29) and Mike Ohlman (#30). Top prospect Alex Reyes starts on the Restricted List, and two other Top 5 prospects in prospects Tim Cooney and Marco Gonzales begin on the Disabled List.

Four Redbirds appeared in the big leagues last season, with pitchers Miguel Socolovich, and Sam Tuivailala and infielder Dean Anna spending time in St. Louis and outfielder Carlos Peguero playing 34 games with the Red Sox and Rangers.

The Redbirds began an eight-game homestand on April 7 and it will continue through Thursday, April 14. For tickets or for more information on the 2016 Redbirds season, contact the Redbirds front office at 901-721-6000 or visit memphisredbirds.com.

– Don Wade

BankTennessee Announces Personnel Moves

BankTennessee has announced a few personnel moves, including an addition and a promotion.

Michael Newsome has joined the Collierville-based bank as vice president and commercial lender. His responsibilities include building and sustaining relationships with commercial banking customers in the Memphis area market.

Before joining BankTennessee, Newsome was with Carty & Co. in institutional fixed income sales, Metropolitan Bank as managing director in commercial lending, and First Tennessee as vice president in business banking.

Meanwhile, BankTennessee has also promoted Christy Enoch to treasury management officer. She was previously with BankTennessee in the treasury management and deposit operations department since joining the bank in 2013.

– Andy Meek

Shelby County Election Commission Hires New Coordinator

Shelby County Election Commissioners voted Friday, April 8, to hire Linda Phillips, a former county clerk in Tippecanoe County, Ind., to be the next Shelby County elections coordinator.

And election commission chairman Robert Meyers said later that Phillips has accepted the job at a salary of $108,000 a year, the same salary Richard Holden was making in the job.

Holden retired at the end of 2015 and the search for a new coordinator has taken longer than expected.

The election commission’s first choice, Wilson County, Tenn., assistant elections administrator Tammy Smith, turned down a job offer in February, reopening the process.

Phillips had been a finalist in the group that included Smith.

Meyers said the election commission’s goal is to have Phillips in Memphis and working by mid-May as the county’s election machinery is being prepared for the Aug. 4 state and federal primary elections.

“My belief will be that she will maintain the status quo through this election cycle,” Meyers said, “and use that as an opportunity to evaluate and work with people to make sure they are successful and the kind of people she wants on her team.”

Each state has different elections laws and procedures, sometimes different procedures from one county to the next.

Meyers points out that Tippecanoe County uses the same touch screen voting machines Shelby County uses.

The job of administering elections is part of the job of being county clerk in Indiana and the clerk’s position is an elected position. Phillips served two terms from 2003-2010 and then ran for and was elected Tippecanoe County assessor. She lost a re-election bid for assessor in 2014.

She told election commissioners here that she would like to explore some kind of audit trail for voters to either see or keep to verify their votes. She also talked about new voting technology as well as Indiana’s use of voting centers that bring together voters from numerous precincts in a smaller number of central locations to vote on election day.

The voting centers would be similar to the early voting locations used in advance of election day in Tennessee.

– Bill Dries

New South Main Development Planned

More residences are planned for the South End. Home builders Hamilton & Holliman, on behalf of property owners David and Stacy Petringa, recently submitted plans for a 10-lot subdivision at 27 W. Carolina St.

The property is immediately west of bar and restaurant Loflin Yard.

Plans for the 1.2-acre lot include “three common open space lots for private drives and green space,” according to the application.

The application will be reviewed at the May 12 meeting of the Land Use Control Board.

Nearly 1,900 residential units and 510 hotel rooms are under development in the South End, according to data from the Downtown Memphis Commission.

– Madeline Faber

Crews in Memphis Plug 2nd Leak of Untreated Wastewater

Memphis officials say public works crews have fixed a second sewage leak discovered in the area where a larger pipe broke and sent millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into a creek and lake.

In a statement, the city of Memphis said Friday that a plug has been placed in a 60-inch pipe that broke and sent an estimated 1,000 gallons per day into Cypress Creek and adjoining McKellar Lake in Memphis.

Officials said the leak was discovered after a bypass was installed in a 96-inch pipe that collapsed March 31, sending 50 million gallons of sewage per day into the creek and lake. That larger leak caused a major fish kill and led to high levels of E.coli in both bodies of water. It was fixed overnight Thursday.

– The Associated Press