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VOL. 131 | NO. 130 | Thursday, June 30, 2016
Last Word
Bill Dries
Last Word: The Untouchable Compromise, Go West and World Series in August
By Bill Dries
Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer actually brought a suitcase with her to Wednesday’s commission budget session and special meeting.
She didn’t need it.
The commission put most of its budget season to rest after about seven hours combined with a dip into the county’s reserve fund to the tune of $5 million.
After the compromise on county funding of local schools nearly unraveled earlier this month, the schools compromise was untouchable in the seven hours of wrangling Wednesday to find funding for other items on the lists of various commissioners.
The funding doesn’t mean Shelby County Schools is home free in terms of the challenges it faces. One of those challenges is the impact of charter schools inside and independent of the Achievement School District. And this week, the perfect illustration of that impact came after the hard rains made replacing a roof at Libertas charter school in Frayser an emergency item. Libertas is an ASD charter at what used to known as Brookmeade Elementary School – a school that one board member describes as a structure Libertas “should have never occupied.”
If you know a millennial who likes to travel, this probably won’t be a surprise. Frontier announced Wednesday that it is cutting its Memphis-Atlanta service but in August will add a daily flight between Memphis and Denver.
The Atlanta cut is happening at a dozen cities including Memphis.
The existing Frontier Denver flight has been popular as so many of our young Memphians abide by those ancient words to “Go West.”
The Daily Traveler on your travel plans for the Fourth.
The Uber of moving is expanding in Memphis.
The Memphis Real Estate Recap has more details on the Patterson Flats development soon to start construction in South Main. Poag Shopping Centers of Memphis buys a center in Pennsylvania and announces “The Casual Pint” at Highland Row.
View From The Hill on the ongoing political battle over symbols of the Confederacy.
The road back for Memphis International Raceway in advance of the World Series of Drag Racing the north Shelby County racetrack will host in August.
Rolling Stone with Scotty Moore’s 10 Essential Songs – most of them from the Sun Sessions but a few surprises.
Nationally:
Windows 10. Microsoft is ready for your snark.
Wal-Mart makes moves on Amazon Prime Day territory.
And Amazon returns to the phone business.