• Memphis could host 2020 IRONMAN triathlon
• Saddle Creek gets tenant for former Eddie Bauer space
• AgLaunch leading new SBA Delta Ag Cluster

State Rep. Mark White pushed Gov. Bill Lee’s state charter commission through the House Wednesday, saying it will create a better system for overseeing charter schools in Tennessee.

'We hope the governor reconsiders,' said Joris Ray, Shelby County Schools’ interim superintendent, about the education savings account proposal. 'I think the governor’s heart is in the right place. But on this particular issue, I think he needs to listen and have an open heart.'

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Memphis-based Stax Records formed an alliance following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death here that allowed Jackson to use the record label as a platform to spread the spoken word.

• Rhodes, University of Memphis end food services contracts with Aramark
• Memphis 901 FC transfers Sandoval to Las Vegas
• Mama Gaia to close Ballet Memphis location 

While the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has come and gone, the impact of the MLK50 effort continues to make strides in Memphis.

Veteran Shelby County Election Commissioner Steve Stamson is the new chairman of the five-member body.

Phyllis Aluko is the first woman to lead the Shelby County Public Defender's Office in its 102-year history. She was sworn in Tuesday.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s fourth budget proposal, totaling $709 million, includes an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to accelerate the development of new and rehabbed multifamily and single-family housing.

Worried about the “threat of litigation,” Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s office is declining to issue a legal opinion to state Rep. G.A. Hardaway about the constitutionality of Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account bill.

A new 20-member citizens panel named by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division Tuesday is the next step in a detailed examination of changing the utility's 80-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority. MLGW president J.T. Young says the process will keep moving until there is a recommendation.

Gov. Bill Lee is putting $10 million of his $66.8 million supplemental budget into a Memphis riverfront development grant, though the scope of the funding is unclear. Mayor Jim Strickland said the money is specifically for Tom Lee Park.

The Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee approved legislation Tuesday setting up a charter school commission with authority to overrule local school boards, even though it could cost nearly $1 million next year and continue to tap the state budget.

The statement — released as the governor’s bill is slated for key legislative committee votes this week — marks the first time that the 3-year-old coalition has taken a stand against a major proposal.

Despite protests, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Monday for legislation penalizing voter registration drives that produce large numbers of “incomplete” forms.

Less than a week after yanking House Speaker Glen Casada’s microphone, House Minority Leader Karen Camper issued a public apology and drew a standing ovation.

The first campaign finance filings of the 2019 Memphis election season show incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland with a sizable fundraising advantage. But for the first quarter, three City Council contenders each raised six figures on the way to the Oct. 3 elections.

A legislative conference committee adopted an amended community oversight board bill Monday mirroring Memphis’ guidelines, despite opposition from state Sen. Raumesh Akbari.

• Miami development firm buys The Arlington Shops
• CBRE: Industrial space hits record occupancy
• Collierville High principal named Rossville Christian's next head of school

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland takes a budget proposal to the City Council Tuesday that has a stable city property tax rate and pay raises for city employees. Council members also will consider a development agreement between the city and Graceland as part of a busy agenda. 

Shelby County commissioners will likely get an early preview of the Shelby County Schools budget Wednesday. 

Shelby County School Board member Scott McCormick was arrested and charged with DUI after an accident in Downtown Memphis over the weekend. He was released from jail on a $1,000 bond on the misdemeanor charges. 

• Memphis industrial space hits records occupancy
• Rhodes College renames oldest building over ties to slavery
• Free transportation phone service for disabled, elder adults launches

Warned about the potential for “stigmatizing” veterans, the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s Green Alert bill until 2020, saying the language needs work.

Amid concerns about the University of Memphis’ commitment to raising the minimum wage for its employee to $15 per hour, the United Campus Workers and several alumni held a press conference Friday urging the university to implement wage increases by 2020.