Haslam Indicates He Will Sign Sunday Alcohol Sales Bill

Gov. Bill Haslam is deferring to the will of the Legislature and has indicated he will sign the Sunday wine/liquor sales bill when it reaches his desk, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals.

The General Assembly passed the legislation this week by a 55-35 vote in the House and a 17-11 margin in the Senate.

During debates on the floor in both houses, one of the recurring themes of opposition was that such a law would put mom-and-pop package stores out of business. The convenience of consumers being able to pick up wine in grocery stores as they shopped for food on Sundays – the single largest day for grocery sales in a week, it was revealed – was going to sink any small package store that had survived wine sales in grocery stores Monday through Saturday.

Grocery stores will not be able sell liquor, but package stores will have that right if they choose to open on Sundays. The package stores also will get a head start – they can open for business on Sundays as soon as Haslam signs the bill, but grocers will have to wait until Jan. 1, 2019, to sell wine.

The legislation could hit Haslam’s desk sometime next week, Donnals said.

Meanwhile, Rob Ikard, president and CEO of the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association, was asked if he might push for liquor sales in grocery stores next year.

Ikard said he had no plans to and was too exhausted to think about it.

– Sam Stockard

Prospect Lomax Signs With Memphis Tigers

Guard Alex Lomax (East High School) officially signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday, April 11, to play for Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis.

Lomax becomes the first Memphis signee for the Tigers in three years. And it might not have happened.

He originally was committed to Wichita State University. But after Memphis fired Tubby Smith and hired Hardaway, Wichita State agreed to release Lomax from his national letter of intent.

Lomax has played for Hardaway on one team or another since grade school. He earned state Mr. Basketball honors as a sophomore and junior at East. And Hardaway’s East team won its third straight state title before he was formally announced as coach at Memphis.

Both Rivals and ESPN rate the 5-foot-10 Lomax as a four-star prospect. Another sought-after local prospect, Cordova’s Tyler Harris, has said he will announce his college decision on Friday, April 13. His choice is believed to be between Memphis and Baylor.

– Don Wade

‘Southern-Inspired’ Restaurant Coming to Overton Square

A new upscale restaurant called Bogard that will serve contemporary Southern-inspired dishes has signed a 3,790-square-foot lease in Overton Square, Loeb Properties Inc. has announced.

The restaurant partially takes its name from co-owner Edward Bogard, and is an acronym for “Buying One Gives Another Rare Dish,” as each meal purchased at the restaurant will provide another meal for a person in need thanks to a partnership with the Mid-South Food Bank.

Ed Cabagiao and Ben McLean have been tapped as operating managers for the new venue that will occupy the former Stanley Bar-B-Que space at 2110 Madison Ave.

Loeb was represented by Aaron Petree in the lease; Bogard was represented by Barry Maynard of LRG.

Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is another co-owner of Bogard, as is Preston Butts Jr. They said they were inspired to partner in the project by Edward Bogard’s message and dedication to giving back.

Edward Bogard is the philanthropic designer, founder and CEO of SoGiv, the world’s first nonprofit shoe design company. The limited-edition shoes SoGiv designs and sells help charitable causes around the world, as 100 percent of shoe sales go to the various charities.

– Patrick Lantrip

Regions Bank Opens New Lakeland Branch

Regions Bank has opened a new branch in Lakeland that it calls one of the bank’s most modern locations in the Memphis area.

Among other amenities, the new branch at the corner of Canada Road and U.S. 64 is the latest Regions location to offer Regions video banking, featuring three video banking ATMs in the drive-through as well as a walk-up video banking ATM in the foyer.

Video banking ATMs let customers connect with a Regions Video Banker via live, two-way video for more personal service.

Regions video bankers can also help people with account maintenance and general inquiries.

Other features include Regions’ facial recognition and fingerprint technology for customers using safe deposit boxes. The open design of the branch also means there are no teller lines.

A grand opening for the new branch is set for April 21.

– Andy Meek

Past Tigers Will Coach At Friday Night Stripes

Former Tiger football greats DeAngelo Williams and Jake Elliott will serve as coaches at the annual Friday Night Stripes on April 13 at the Liberty Bowl.

Elliott won this year’s Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, perhaps clinching the game with a 46-yard field goal with 1:10 left that put his team ahead of the New England Patriots 41-33.

He was 3-for-3 on field goals in the game, including the 46-yarder that was the longest field goal made by a rookie in a Super Bowl.

While at Memphis, Elliott converted all 202 of his extra point attempts and is the Tigers’ all-time leader in scoring (445 points).

Williams spent 11 years in the NFL, accumulating 11,056 all-purpose yards, including 8,096 rushing yards and 70 touchdowns.

He was an All-American at Memphis, where he set two NCAA records with 34 games of 100-plus yards rushing and 7,573 all-purpose yards.

The Tiger Walk will open the night’s festivities at 6 p.m. followed by the 7 p.m. contest. The Highland Hundred Booster Club will hold its annual Les Phillips Memorial Golf Tournament at Colonial Country Club at 7 a.m. Friday morning along with a barbecue contest later in the day.

Visit highlandhundred.org for information on the golf tournament and barbecue content, and gotigersgo.com for information on the football game.

– Don Wade

Volunteers Sought For Comcast Cares Day in April

This month, more than 500 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners will volunteer at seven different projects in Memphis as part of the 17th annual Comcast Cares Day.

It is the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer event.

During April, a variety of “Comcast Cares Day” volunteer projects in Memphis such as park clean-ups, meal preparation opportunities, blood drives and more will support local organizations, including the Overton Park Conservancy, Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association and Memphis City Year.

Additional volunteers are needed and encouraged to get involved by registering at comcastinthecommunity.com.

On Saturday, April 21, Comcast’s signature event in Memphis, the “Little Learners Mural” project, will bring more than 100 volunteers, elected officials including Mayor Jim Strickland, and community partners such as City Year, to Caldwell Guthrie Elementary School.

Volunteers will paint murals throughout the school to motivate and inspire students and improve their school experiences.

Volunteers will also work to increase curb appeal by picking up trash and landscaping the area.

“City Year Memphis is a proud national partner with Comcast and we are honored to serve the Smokey City/Klondike community through our Comcast Cares Day project at Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary,” said Catherine Cushinberry, executive director and vice president of City Year Memphis.

The Comcast Foundation will also provide grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of everyone who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants will help Comcast’s community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year.

To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $22 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations who have served as partners on Comcast Cares Day.

– Daily News staff