Photo Credit: soulofamerica.com
A White Elephant For the Redbirds?

The team may be sold to its big league parent team, the Cardinals, if the City of Memphis will buy out Autozone Park first. More from the Daily News. Is Autozone Park “descending into disgrace”? This was opening weekend for the 2013-2014 season. More on potential new owners from WMC and again, Fox13 and ABC24.

Health Care Reform: Can Governor Bill Haslam really finesse his Tennessee Plan to fund Medicaid expansion without accepting Obamacare? The Daily News held a discussion forum about health care reform and the Affordable Care Act.

Unified Shelby County Schools: The central office began the process of laying off workers last week, making many employees re-apply for their jobs. Looking ahead to the superintendent search; parents sound off. Interim Memphis City Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopkins is getting a $270,000 salary.

Chamber of Commerce: The Memphis chapter will celebrate their 175th anniversary later this week. They are also forwarding to Mayor AC Wharton a suggested list of new names for controversial Memphis parks.

Cordova: A grassroots group, Cordova Voice, is moving to get Memphis to de-annex their community. Their Facebook page.

Local Politics: The Shelby County Democratic Party held party chairman elections over the weekend.

Arkansas: Efforts to defund Planned Parenthood failed in the Legislature. A State House committee has approved Governor Mike Beebe’s proposal to reduce the food tax. Teenager Sidney Randall, despite the body of her step-father being found, is still missing.

Memphis International Airport: A new Memphis-based regional air carrier, Southern Airways Express, will begin service next month; more from Fox 13 and ABC24. Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority chairman Jack Sammons outlined his plan for the airport.

The closure of some Air Traffic Control Towers has now been put off.

Memphis in May: A MiM poster is attracting the ire of a local women’s group.

Harold Ford Sr: The former congressman, who now lives in Florida, is buying the Sycamore View shopping center in Northeast Memphis and opening a new funeral home.

Lorenzen Wright: Has his mother finally gotten the break she’s been praying for in her son’s murder?

Tennessee: How much do school teachers pay out of pocket for classroom materials? The long-term unemployed will get smaller benefit checks starting this week; more from WREG. If a County misses its own deadline for action under State law, should it get the benefit of the doubt? The State Building Commission is coming under fire for approving natural gas drilling on University of TN properties. Former Oakland mayor Scott Ferguson was found guilty of bigamy but had his sentence suspended; more from ABC24.

Farmer’s Markets: The market season opened last week at the Memphis Farmer’s Market.

Gay Marriage: African-American churches are divided on handling the issue.

Survey Says! Memphis is among the worst cities for sufferers of allergies.

Shelby County Commission: The Flyer’s Jackson Baker reports on intrigue on the commission.

Downtown: Plans for a redeveloped Chisca Hotel were unveiled last week.

School Vouchers: Governor Bill Haslam is prepared to withdraw his voucher proposal if the Legislature plans to modify it. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, at the governor’s request, later did just that. More from WPLN, WMC.

Rock’n'Romp: This “kid and family friendly” series hold its 2013 opening show this Saturday, at Mud Island River Park.) Requires Facebook login. The hallmark of the Rock’n'Romps is that adults get to enjoy music at kid-respectful volume and other adult things in a kid-safe, kid welcoming, environment. Learn more at their website.

Mississippi: Southaven police are giving scofflaws a break with Operation Safe Surrender. Aldermen in that city are mum about a possible new outlet mall. Voter information for DeSoto County elections. Newly liquor-approved Senatobia now has 8 places to buy booze; more from ABC24.

Memphis Animal Services: A report on progress at the shelter since new director James Rogers took over.

State Government: A bill to cut some welfare payments to families of children who repeatedly do poorly in school passed out of the State Senate last week. There are still critics. The grocery tax will drop to 5% if a plan approved unanimously approved in the House also passes the Senate. The Legislature meets the approval of the state’s press by not considering so many “silly bills” this session. And it looks at though most “big issues” have already been cleared this session. The so-called “Fairness in Ticketing Act” (HB1000) seems dead for this year. More on the status of living wage ordinances.

Wine-in-grocery-stores is dead for this session of the Legislature. Video of the announcement by Legislative leaders. Although the bill to permit counties to approve distilleries pass out of the State House, despite objection. And the process by which we nominate US Senators has been scuttled, too. US Senator Bob Corker reportedly helped make that happen. The Flyer’s Jackson Baker speculates over what that would have meant in Tennessee.

Is Senator Lamar Alexander conservative enough for Tennessee Republicans?

Voting: The State Senate changed its mind on a ban of using student IDs for voting and so the issue appears dead for this year. (SB125) More from the Associated Press.

Church Health Center: They celebrate 25 years healing the poor this week with an international conference.

State Education: Revised standards for curriculum by the State Board of Education have been released. You can read them here.

Property: An illegal dump site in Raleigh is drawing City of Memphis and State attention.

Local Media: In an effort to listen to viewers directly, WMC held the first of a series of public meetings, 5 Listens. On the anniversary date of his murder, the Commercial Appeal has a package of stories and photos recounting the last 32 hours of his life. Thoughts on the package, from Mediaverse.

Water Wars: Tennessee and Georgia are locked in a contest to open up the Tennessee River to water-rights access by our neigboring state. It gets local legislators hot under the collar.

Bill Day: The former editorial cartoonist for the local daily knows first hand the power of a burning cross, as the Klan sometimes uses.

Chattanooga Times: Governor Bill Haslam was wrong to reject “free” Federal money for State health programs if we signed on to Obamacare.

Chattanooga Free Press: Tax Freedom Day comes later than ever these days.

Memphis News: Is Memphis all that different a city than it was in 1968?

Frank Daniels III: Given the success Governor Haslam’s educational agenda is showing, now is not the time to abandon it. (via the Tennessean)

Tom Humphrey: Something interesting in the now-dead plan to change how we nominate US Senators. (via the Knoxville News Sentinel)

Frank Cagle: Advice to Governor Haslam on Medicaid, TennCare and Obamacare. (via the Knoxville Metro Pulse)

Memphasis: A tale of two Academy Award winners. (via the Daily News)

Ronnie L. Williams: Know how to market yourselves, college students! (via the Daily News)

Lee Meredith: He disagrees with residency requirements for Shelby County teachers. (via WMC)

MemphisShelbyInform: “Time of day” usage rates for utilities are coming, thanks to new smart meters.

Memphis Foodie: It’s crawfish season in Memphis!

Lemonslush: The reality of having kids if you have no maternal instinct.

Left Wing Cracker: Thoughts on the sale (or not) of AutoZone Park.

I Love Memphis: An enthusiastic review, filled with mouth-watering pictures, of Chiwawa.

hootenany: April showers and … cakes?

East Memphis Mom: Tips and advice on vegetable gardening with kids.

dminmem: On what would have been her 95th birthday, fond memories of his grandmother.

Creme de Memph: Did you know the Parkview (at the corner of Poplar and Overton Park) has a twin?

Commontaries: Thoughts on Josh Pastner and Adonis Thomas.

Benito’s Wine Reviews: A review of the film, Harvest.

Carlee McCullough: Tax time is fast approaching and she has some basic advice. (via the Tri-State Defender)