And if the lottery board were less greedy, the state would actually make more money.

The ceremony was small, it was held outdoors, and everyone was wearing masks – masks that did nothing to dampen the beautiful and poignant sentiments occupying this space.

If we want Tennessee to be one of the fastest growing states for business and have the best patient outcomes in the country, reforming — or, better yet, completely scrapping — certificate of need laws is an excellent and essential first step.

We must not allow social distancing to lead to dangerous social isolation. The recovery community is aware of the challenges created by COVID-19, and making sure resources are available for those who need them.

If America wants to contain the coronavirus, it is necessary to avoid creating a revolving door of aggravating conditions, such as homelessness. Displacing renters amid the coronavirus outbreak could intensify the transmission of the disease.

The general footprint of the plan to renovate the park – three “stages” with separation and a smaller covered venue – mimics the footprint of Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Fest, but in a way that would make a good park even without it. 

Much as I miss you, Memphis, I don’t want to see you up close for a while yet. And I’m going to keep finding ways to spend time without most of you so that I can see a lot more of you later.

On Memphis’ most visible 31 acres, the redesigned park “will be the stunning centerpiece of five miles of riverfront.”

Renaming Health Sciences Park after Ida B. Wells would honor one of the city’s most underappreciated historic figures.

The renovation of 495 Union Ave. is a feat of will, but it doesn't soften the concern about what kind of shape we'll be in if we need it.

Easy access to guns has brought on an epidemic that has injured or taken the lives of more citizens, including children, than the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mother wanted to reschedule her son’s appointment from May to July or August. 'Why did she want to do this? I knew the answer. Fear resonated in her voice – fear of getting out. She and her family had been isolated at home since March.'

The elevation of mask-usage into a kind of political symbol is a drag — it’s flat-out dumb — but it’s happened, and I’d worry that a government requirement, even a loosely enforced one, would increase the political strife around the issue without a commensurate increase in compliance.

It’s hard to imagine many places of Memphis’ size with history and culture so rich and a sense of place so profound.

When we get into buying big stuff, like $20 billion to $25 billion worth of electricity, there are laws and rules, conventions, traditions and common sense that apply. One of these is getting competitive bids from more than one capable bidder.

Even though Corinth was a small town of about 1,200, its location made it the key to controlling the western half of the Confederacy and its most important city, Memphis.

'Despite our financial soundness, everyone in Shelby County soon will be paying more in property taxes unless my colleagues on the County Commission embrace a serious reality check regarding the shortfall in the county’s general fund.'

Poets, artists and musicians historically have been able to speak the truth when the truth is hard to come by, and sometimes do more more to help people through the crises they face than so-called experts.

Finding a light when things are so dark is what scientists do, and this is how society will think (not just spend) our way out of this pandemic and all its consequences.

Smaller class sizes, class time spent teaching instead of dealing with behavioral problems, and a rigorous college-prep curriculum were important to me. But times change, and different students thrive in different environments.

Like the lottery for military service during the Vietnam War, what if there was a lottery of a certain number from other segments of society — with no exceptions allowed — who would serve on the meatpacking lines for a month?

Gov. Bill Lee called the day the House passed the school voucher law last year an “historic day.” If so, the bar for historic days is lower than a salamander’s belly.

The operational difference between “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” was always fairly narrow and has grown more so via “phase creep.”

Yes, covering your nose and mouth with a mask is annoying. Yes, it causes your glasses to fog. Yes, it makes communication more difficult. And yes, it stops the spread of disease.

The Forrest statue made the park unusable space for most Memphians. The Sons of Confederate Veterans lost the battle for the hearts and minds of Memphis, thank goodness, long before they lost the legal battle over moving the monuments to Forrest and Jefferson Davis.