Community leaders are optimistic the current trajectory of one of Memphis’ largest Black neighborhoods is trending upward after years of disinvestment.

The closure of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge has re-energized supporters of a plan to add a new bridge across the Mississippi River in the Memphis area for cars and trucks.

After months of being cooped up at home, people are traveling again. That may pose some new challenges in the hospitality industry, though.

U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty is one of the co-sponsors of legislation that could provide funding to repair the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, build a new bridge across the Mississippi River, or both.

FedEx is particularly interested in hiring experienced forklift drivers and will pay $21.50 per hour.

Travel is picking up at Memphis International Airport, but landing fees charged to airlines and rental rates charged to airport concession businesses are going down.

Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollock was in Memphis Thursday, May 20, to talk with local leaders and officials about repairs to the bridge.

Officials from Tennessee and Arkansas said they are working “around the clock” to repair the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, but it could take “several months easily.” 

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation have come up with a plan to repair the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, but there’s no timetable yet for when the bridge might reopen.

Most of the 6,700 Defense Department personnel who work throughout Shelby County are employed at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington.

River traffic has resumed along the Mississippi River, averting a potential economic catastrophe, but there’s no relief yet for motorists who want to use the Hernando DeSoto Bridge to cross the river.

Drone footage shows the Hernando DeSoto Bridge may have been damaged since 2019.

Before they left, barges stuck on either side of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge received a delivery of Rendezvous ribs to see them on their way.

Companies receiving tax incentives from the EDGE Board are supposed to meet their commitments for the number of employees coming to the workplace. But because so many employees worked from home during the pandemic last year, some companies are seeking a waiver.

A prolonged shutdown of the Interstate 40 bridge and boat traffic along the Mississippi River could have major consequences for businesses in the Memphis area and beyond. But no one knows for sure yet how significant those consequences will be.

Bloomberg noted that news of the bridge damage caused corn futures to tumble “by the most allowed by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.”

Last week’s declared “truce” notwithstanding, a group of citizens opposing construction of an oil pipeline through South Memphis neighborhoods want two lawsuits involving the project to move forward.

Bobby White, chief public policy officer for the Greater Memphis Chamber, said the I-40 bridge closure may help bring discussions of a third bridge across the Mississippi to the forefront of the community’s consciousness.

Supply chain disruptions have made it more expensive to buy some consumer products. Other goods, when they can even be found, are taking longer to get delivered to buyers.

Vacation Express will soon offer weekly nonstop flights between Memphis and Cancun, Mexico. The seasonal service is set to resume May 23.

Plains All American Pipeline is launching a full-on offensive against the proposed legislation with the help of organizations that support the oil and gas industry. 

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