“When the City of Germantown proposes sweeping and permanent changes to our system of governance — such as this charter amendment — transparency is not optional, it is essential. But this is where city leadership has fallen short.”

“If we can’t boldly say the ability to create nonconsensual sexual imagery and child sexual-abuse material need to be fully and permanently irradiated from xAI’s products, we are truly lost.”

“Memphis is still with you. But now we’re asking you to be fully with us too. We don’t need a superhero. We just need Ja Morant. Present, accountable, and all in.”

“Standing near the end of a long life exposes us to how little we truly know about another person’s inner journey, even someone we loved, even someone who shaped us.”

“The solution requires a dual approach, addressing both the immediate need for better meeting places and the deeper social crisis affecting young men.”

“Team sports push back on our natural inclination toward selfishness, and I celebrate and support anything that makes space for light to gain victory over dark, especially if that light involves a goal, a ball and a reversible polyester jersey.”

“These Afghan immigrants are not criminals. These are our neighbors. They did not enter the United States illegally and they have not violated any of the prescribed guidelines our government has given them.”

“Beth Israel is a place where people come to mourn loved ones and celebrate new love, to mark milestones and share meals together. Anyone who visits their church, mosque or temple for such moments can easily imagine our pain.”

“In Memphis, service isn’t something we outsource. We see our neighbors as assets, not problems to be solved. We are partners in progress.”

“Investigations and prosecutions can take far too long as forensic test results are pending. But implementing a series of key additions to local forensic capabilities can make the justice system move faster and more efficiently.”

“In a world where loneliness is an epidemic, I wondered what could possibly go into cultivating a friendship like this one.”

“Memphis has always been a place where faith and public life intertwine.”

“As organizations set goals for the new year, there’s one resolution that belongs at the top of every leadership agenda: be ready to save a life.”

“I’m not sure if Jesus would find Christmas in a juke joint off 51, but I did. And if he came back today, I like to think he would order a Bloody Mary and smile, watching the children gather unto the mic on a stand, the youth reassuring the adults that yes, Christmas was still with us.”

“I say as a retired police detective: If Memphis wants fewer repeat offenders, fewer victims, and stronger communities, we don’t need to look far for solutions. We just need to open the doors that lead to work.”

“At its best, the Clerk’s Office is where the government meets everyday life, where efficiency, fairness and accountability translate directly into better public service.”

“Being filled to the measure of the fullness of God is better than any gift card out there. It exceeds what our carefully curated lists can bring. And it beats the biggest surprise that could ever be wrapped in a box.”

“Social media provides profound community benefits: the power to spread messages, support causes and connect neighbors.”

“Whether Chanukah falls in middle or late December, this is the season when long anticipated movies are released, including the second movie installment of the iconic Broadway musical ‘Wicked.’”

“We can take ten thousand steps, but that last one — the moment when the wick claims the flame as its own — is always something of a tiny mystery.”

“Growing up, many adults in school and in church impressed upon us ‘character counts.’ Today, I wonder if the messages of character, kindness and respect resonate.”

Click Profit advertised that its business opportunity was “safe, secure, and proven to generate wealth” that would outperform traditional investments.

“Once you take a thought captive and lock it up tight, you must replace it with another thought. Very few of us are able to sit quietly with nothing at all going on up top.”

“Sometime next year, unless Congress changes course, health insurance is going to become a lot more expensive for hundreds of thousands of people in Tennessee.”

“We hear so much about the need for transparency in government; this might be a good and easy place to start. It all boils down to the people’s trust in their government.”