Ray’s Take: A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau found that 2.8 million American families are raising two or more children with a disability. It can cost up to $250,000 to raise a typical child, but for a family with a special needs child the costs can be overwhelming.

Many people believe that “estate planning” is a one-time event that involves drafting a last will and testament that will not be revisited until after they’ve died. In reality, however, effective estate planning is often an ongoing process that can have complex and far-reaching implications, both for the planner and the planner’s beneficiaries.

Madonna Day School, now Madonna Learning Center, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It is a private, independent, faith-based school for children and young adults with disabilities.

FedEx's first job fair of 2019 is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12, near the FedEx Express hub at Memphis International Airport. The company says 500 jobs are available.

The historic Royal Furniture building in Downtown Memphis has sold for $3.5 million, and the new owner may make the building taller for new commercial tenants.

The Exercise Coach opened Monday. It is the first of its kind in the Memphis area, but Luke Eickmeier hopes to open more locations.

Catholic Charities of West Tennessee will present Marcallina James its inaugural Person of the Year award Thursday, Jan. 10. The award, presented in collaboration with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s office, celebrates the success of a CCWTN client who has moved beyond self-sufficiency to give back to the community through professional or volunteer efforts.

I am so excited! This year – 2019 – is set to be a record year for job searching. If I could knock on the door of every reader to personally deliver this message, I would. This message deserves to be yelled from rooftops everywhere. If you have ever thought of looking for a new job, now is the time to do it. Right now. Not in six months. Not next year. Now.

In a case of first impression, a federal appeals court found that an applicant’s request for a religious accommodation did not constitute protected activity under Title VII for the purpose of establishing a retaliation claim.

Doug and Mary Ketchum would rather be getting to know their Central Gardens neighbors, hosting Sunday afternoon wine tastings and tracking down rare Beaujolais and bourbon.

Push for convenience store with fuel sales in Cordova neighborhood may be delayed another month as opposition mounts.

Southwest Airlines has upped its game on a Memphis to Dallas nonstop route, expanding to three flights a day from one flight a day starting Monday, Jan. 7.

Last year, the chamber’s senior leadership team made a near 180. With another senior vice president leaving for AutoZone, the turnover streak continues. 

After 24 years with AutoZone Inc., Ray Pohlman, vice president of government and community relations, will retire at the end of January with his replacement coming from the Greater Memphis Chamber.

Airbnb said Shelby County hosts in 2018 served 51 percent more guests and took in 53 percent more in revenues.

A clinical trial company is looking for people who want to know if Alzheimer’s disease is in their DNA. 

The new year brings good intentions, some of which include starting a nonprofit organization. Another less-talked-about intention is closing an existing nonprofit. With this column we share thoughts on the large number of nonprofits. We provide a list of questions that individuals, board members and community leaders can ask of themselves, their organizations, and philanthropists and funders.

The essence of a brand isn’t so much about rationale arguments; instead, it’s how it makes the market feel emotionally. So believed the late Steve Jobs.

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo says he will not support multifamily or Smart Growth development on the Germantown Country Club site.

A discount furniture store called Furniture Central will soon fill the space vacated by the old Montesi's grocery store on Summer Avenue.

An exercise physiologist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital is working with a local virtual reality developer to get kids introduced to healthy practices, like exercise, early in life. 

Like the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will now operate under its own board of trustees and its inaugural meeting is slated this week.

Otis Sanford, professor and Hardin Chair of Excellence in Economic and Managerial Journalism at the University of Memphis, has been named 2018 Communicator of the Year by the Memphis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

A federal judge in Memphis Thursday ordered a mediation period in black farmers' lawsuit alleging they were sold defective soybean seeds as part of a racially motivated conspiracy.

ALCO Management has had a strong presence in many communities throughout Memphis, but specifically in Frayser. Using a variety of techniques with the help of local agencies, ALCO has invested $50.1 million in six properties in Frayser, providing housing for 1,083 families in the community.