Archive for July, 2008
July 30th, 2008 10:56pm UTC
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Nobody was hoping more for a successful launch of the Kriner Cash era at Memphis City Schools than we were; however, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that he’s stumbled out of the gate. The greatest evidence of this is that at a time when the message should be about philosophy and priorities, it is [...]
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July 29th, 2008 6:17pm UTC
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Here’s the conclusion from a state think tank’s report that will be no surprise to anyone here: Memphians’ taxes are high and inequitable. It’s the unequivocable conclusion from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations’ report, “Who Pays More: Local Tax Burdens on Tennessee Households by County.” The report analyzed the tax burden of people [...]
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July 28th, 2008 11:18pm UTC
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We’re getting more and more suspicious that Marsha Blackburn qualifies as our first Stepford Congresswoman. These days, she sounds like a mindlessly robotic candidate programmed to spew more wedge issues per second than Karl Rove. She can rattle off a litany about the enemies of her district – people supporting a woman’s right to choose, [...]
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July 28th, 2008 12:11am UTC
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Some things never change. At Memphis City Schools, the games began again, and at Shelby County Schools, they never seem to stop. First, the city district. It appears that despite 1,100 students in the Countrywood and Berryhill annexation areas needing a new K-8 school, the facility support and facility construction offices let the bids expire [...]
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July 28th, 2008 12:09am UTC
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With The Pyramid, there’s no reason for city and county governments to treat it like a fire sale. Or a fire and brimstone sale. Perhaps, the worst idea that’s been floated yet for the future of the city’s most iconic structure is to sell it to Cummings Street Missionary Baptist Church for $12 million, which [...]
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July 25th, 2008 6:24pm UTC
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Our friend, Richard Thompson, at Mediaverse has an interesting post about a rebuttal from some well-known urban housing experts to the Atlantic magazine article linking Hope VI and Section 8 housing to Memphis’ crime problem. In a sentence, they said it’s not about housing, but about too many poor young people. As a result, the [...]
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July 24th, 2008 8:47pm UTC
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New Memphis City Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash has hit the ground running, and one of his primary purposes these days is getting as much advice and hearing as many opinions as he can about our city school district. If his new organization chart is any indication, he could be the much-needed agent for change that [...]
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July 23rd, 2008 10:21pm UTC
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No one in elected or appointed office in Memphis has ever had as many people pulling for his success as new Memphis City Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash. That’s why we know that he’s giving serious thought to how he’s introducing himself to the community. After all, you only have one chance to introduce yourself and [...]
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July 22nd, 2008 9:18pm UTC
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Maybe we need to be putting in a call to Isaac Tigrett to see if he’ll put his crystal skull back in The Pyramid. On February 10, we wrote about the crystal skull that was discovered in the apex of The Pyramid and removed in the early days of the iconic building. That post was [...]
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July 21st, 2008 6:13pm UTC
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Sometimes, it’s awfully hard to tell that there isn’t supposed to be traffic on Main Street Mall, but tomorrow night, the first steps might be taken to making it official. At 5 p.m. tomorrow (July 22), the Memphis Center City Commission is holding a meeting to receive questions and opinions from the public about returning [...]
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Memphis Wire
- Innovation Dublin 9.1.10 9:48pmFrom November 10-21, the city of Dublin will host the second Innovation Dublin festival where venues throughout the city region will open their doors to showcase and promote all facets of innovation in the city. The festival provides Dubliners, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, artists and large corporations with an opportunity to discuss, promote and ce...
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- Using Technology to Inspire Community to Action 8.24.10 9:09pmThese days, as people use Facebook to support Haiti, end hunger, and stand behind other causes, social networks have become the place to make a statement. Yet those clicks don’t necessarily turn into a movement to better communities. At least not yet. With the Knight Foundation’s focus on fostering informed and engaged communities, they started looking at wa...
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- A Greener Welcome in Indianapolis 8.18.10 6:32pmBy the time the sun sets on October 7, Indianapolis will have ten acres of new natural area. Even more amazing: it will happen in just eight hours. More than 9,000 Eli Lilly and Company volunteers will plant 72,000 native shrubs and perennials, and another 1,600 trees along a path traversed by 100,000 vehicles a day.The project, A Greener Welcome, will natur...
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- A High Line for Harlem 8.3.10 9:48pmAn innovative urban development project, spearheaded by the Harlem Community Development Corporation, could bring new energy and excitement to Harlem. Tentatively called La Marqueta Mile, the proposed mile-long, open air market under the Metro North tracks would span 22 blocks and house as many as 900 vendors, providing enormous opportunity to local entrepre...
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- Redeveloping an Old City in the Right (And Thoughtful) Way 7.28.10 6:43pmSyracuse, N.Y. is “rightsizing the city” with the help of a partnership among Mayor Stephanie Miner, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Vice President of Community Engagement Marilyn Higgins (both CEOs for Cities members), assorted neighborhood groups and business associations. An inspiring article posted on citiwire.net says that slowly but su...
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- The Accidental Giant of Higher Education 7.26.10 3:01pm"A woman with a plan" is the description the New York Times gives Dr. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York. In very short order, she has turned the "unloved colossus" into the best economic development hope for the state of New York. "My belief is that to move an organization forward you have to have a comm...
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- More Federal Funds for Tennessee 9.2.10 3:09pmIn the federal Race to the Top, Tennessee is surely a competitor. The state will share in a $170 million Race to the Top Assessment Program grant announced today by the U.s. Department of Education.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- Zoo On Ice 9.1.10 9:07pmIt won't just be penguins skating around the Memphis Zoo this winter. The Zoo announced today that it will build an outdoor ice-skating rink, to open in November.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- Midnight Ride Hit and Run 8.30.10 6:33pmI've heard two accounts this morning of a hit-and-run during the middle of Saturday night's popular Midnight Classic Bike Tour. Apparently, around 12:30 a.m.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- More With MCS Consultant Jeffrey Hernandez 8.26.10 1:45pmAs part of this week's print extravaganza, I interviewed controversial Memphis City Schools (MCS) consultant Jeffrey Hernandez. His $1,500-a-day consulting fee, coupled with an intense animosity for him from some parents in Palm Beach County and his ties to superintendent Kriner Cash and deputy superintendent Irving Hamer, have caused questions about hi...
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- Art Scene 8.24.10 8:55pm(Sorry posting has been so light thus far in the week. It's been crazy busy around here.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- The Dance and Data of the Lemons 8.20.10 9:47pmLast week, the LA Times began an ambitious series focused on teacher effectiveness at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Using value-added data compiled from seven years of math and English test scores, the newspaper is exploring the (often, quite large) disparities between effective and ineffective teachers.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments ...
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