Cutting poverty and increasing the financial security of all Americans ought to be a political objective, if not obsession.

The 2019 numbers in the Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet showed an increase in the poverty rate for almost every group in Memphis, except for Hispanics.

To address the space deficit to meet the needs of students and faculty, the U of M submitted a proposal for state funding for a new STEM building in the next budget cycle, which will be decided upon this month.

At 25, Andrea left Venezuela and moved to Memphis, where her uncle is a mechanical engineer. She applied to work as a waitress, in retail and in day care, and each place told her she was over-qualified. Finally, in 2015, she took a job at Church Health.

The CEO of FedEx Corp., the chairman of Belz Enterprises and a former Shelby County sheriff and mayor weigh in on the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare plan to take over the two Saint Francis hospitals in the area. 

'One size does not fit all. But you, Memphis, are a testament to how parks can function as true civic spaces.'

The resurrection of this practice, sometimes referred to as biased banking, will have severe ramifications for Memphis and Tennessee at large.

The UTHSC College of Nursing hopes to open a midwifery program by 2021. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists reports 49% of U.S. counties do not have obstetric care providers and predicts that by 2030, there will be a 25% shortage of obstetricians/gynecologists. 

At gatherings, I only have to share one fact to get people interested: It’s music from Memphis. 

Growing up in a small, modest African American community, we had each other. I remember how so much was poured into me by the generations of women around me. ... I want to pay forward the inspiration that I have received. 

I own a restaurant in Downtown Memphis, and I can’t tell you the number of times employees ask to leave work at 8 p.m. because they don’t want to miss the only bus they can catch to get home at night. Some will miss out on $40 or $50 in wages because they leave work early.

On this King Day 2020, the 91st birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we do what we do every year. Lift his voice, his ideals, his teachings, his brilliance, his strategic leadership, his love for his family and mankind that put much of what we’re going through and need to change in perspective.

'We must be a unified and united body. If we are not, we run the risks of watering down our legislative authority and allowing outside entities comprised of individuals not elected by the citizens of Memphis, essentially, to make legislative and budgetary decisions.' 

Monday, for the first time in 48 years, Rev. Nicholas Vieron will not conduct his annual Adult Greek Class, a Memphis tradition. His mind and soul are willing. His body, not so much these days.

The high rate of juveniles transferred to adult court in Shelby County is not due to differences in Shelby County youth. It’s due to differences in the operation of our juvenile justice system. 

We can prevent HIV, or we can prosecute it, but we cannot do both.

In the 2010s, we saw real-size people on TV and became experts at streaming. 

Voters of the Ninth District know their congressman sometimes leans toward the outrageous. But he represents his congressional district with passion and commitment and that’s why voters have sent him to Washington seven times. 

Waking up with the flu. A power outage. A bad traffic jam. The Tigers getting into a Power 5 conference. These are all gravity issues. Nothing I do affects them.

For the new decade, Hattiloo Theatre is renewing its vow to amplify the voice of the African American community within the arts community, and doubling down on that effort by investing more in developing artists.

On Jan. 2, 2020, work to renovate Cossitt Library will officially begin. The project is scheduled to be finished in late September.

History tells us that Jesus existed and was crucified. And his birth changed its course. 

On a patrol car ride-along we encountered a public drunk (drove him home), expired tags, cats who set off a house alarm, and a railcar robbery-in-progress of copious amounts of toilet paper. Yup.

For many of the 1,200 homebound seniors served by MIFA each weekday, the volunteer who delivers the meal is the client’s only human contact in a day.

"I was drawn to Teach For America because school was my safe haven away from the chaos at home when I was growing up."