Through Friday, January 7th: paintings by Bill Hicks at Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects, 1500 Union Ave; rustic landscapes by Janet Weed Beaver and work by Terri Panitz at DCI Gallery, 772 Brookhaven Circle East.
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Month: January 2005
George Brown, a Circuit Court judge in Shelby County for more than twenty years and briefly, during the administration of Governor Lamar Alexander, a state Supreme Court Justice, will retire next month, he confided to friends this week.
“I was talking to Wyeth just before he died last fall, and told him I was thinking of retiring, and he recommended that I consider mediation,” said Brown, who added that he first began thinking of retirement from the bench while taking an extended vacation in Montreal last summer. “I had just turned 65, and I was thinking, ‘If I don’t start being good to myself now, than when will I?'” said Brown, who will also pursue some private business interests.
Brown was appointed to the Supreme Court by Alexander in 1980, becoming the first African-American member of the state’s High Court, but later that year, as a member of a judicial slate backed by Republicans, lost out to Frank Drowota, an appeals court judge who had Democratic backing and who went on to become the current state Chief Justice.
Amid reports that the number of Republican senators ready to reelect John Wilder as Senate Speaker is actually growing, State Senator Curtis Person (R-East Memphis, Germantown) reaffirmed his support of octogenarian Wilder Thursday and said he had a firm commitment from the state’s venerable lieutenant governor that Wilder, a nominal Democrat, would reverse current committee ratios favoring Democrats.
“He has assured me he will appoint a majority of Republicans,” insisted Person, who has been hotboxed relentlessly by fellow Republicans favoring the speakership candidacy of senate Republican caucus chair Ron Ramsey of Blountville.
Person, a longtime Wilder ally, owns one of four senate chairmanships held by Republicans at present. The Democrats, as of now, have five chairmanships of the nine standing senate committees., as well as majority memberships on the committees. The divided authority, unlike the wall-to-wall Democratic chairmanships in the state House, is a consequence of the bipartisan coalition Wilder put together back in the mid-‘80s when dissident Democrats tried to unseat him as speaker.
Person, along with Republican senator Tim Burchett of Knoxville, has stood by his allegiance to Wilder, though other Republicans have suggested that the two GOP senators should feel released from their pledges of loyalty if Wilder, who is certain of reelection next Tuesday, did not commit himself to a majority-Republican committee structure. The GOP achieved a majority of one in the Senate after last November’s elections. Wilder is not expected to make any formal statements about the body’s committee structure until Thursday when he will release committee lists.
Various ranking Republicans, as well as GOP grass-roots organizations, have promised to see to primary opposition for Person, who is up for reelection himself in 2006 and affirmed Thursday that he would run again.
Among other Republican senators reported as possibly ready to vote for Wilder on Tuesday are Micheal Williams of Maynardville, Randy McNally of Oak Ridge, and the newly elected Jamie Hagood, formerly a state representative, also from Knoxville.
If Wilder does indeed end up naming five Republicans as committee chairs, one of the currently serving five Democratic chairmen will have to step down — a fact that has prompted a good deal of speculation by observers, as well as nervousness on the part of the Democratic chairmen. The five Democrats now chairing committees are: Doug Henry of Nashville, Finance; Thelma Harper of Nashville, Government Operations; Jerry Cooper of Morrison, Commerce; Steve Cohen of Memphis, State and Local Government; and John Ford of Memphis, General Welfare.
Among the rumored solutions is the proposed shifting of one of the Democrats from his or her chairmanship to the face-saving position of Senate Speaker Pro Tem, which came open when Gallatin Democrat Jo Ann Graves, who held the title, was defeated in November.
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wednesday, 5
Native Son is at the Flying Saucer, The North Mississippi Allstars are at Young Avenue Deli, and now I am finally released from writing this. As always, I really don’t care what you do this week, because I don’t even know you, and unless you can explain to me why so many people were so surprised when that guy at the Crystal Cathedral who had previously worked with Celine Dion and John Tesh killed himself (perfectly understandable), then I feel certain I don’t want to meet you. Besides, it’s time for me to blow this trap and make up for the 45 minutes of my life I just gave up trying to unfreeze my computer after typing in Celine Dion’s name. See why I am so mean? — T.S.
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AM I BLUE?
Congressman Harold Ford Jr. recently dashed off a letter to the soon-to-be-ex-director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, asking why Memphis home to the busiest cargo airport in the world, numerous chemical plants, and a major port will see an $8.2 million cut in Homeland Security funding. Ford told the media, “Eliminating this funding while providing it to smaller cities that may be at less risk makes no sense.” Other cities losing funding for the Urban Area Security Initiative include Orlando, St. Paul, Albany, New York, and New Haven, Connecticut. All five cities supported Senator John Kerry in the recent presidential elections. Of course, we all know there’s not a vindictive bone in the entire Bush administration, so that last little factoid surely has nothing to do with the UASI cuts and should probably be ignored by everyone, especially the media. Happy New Year, anyhow. — Chris Davis
Plante: How It Looks
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tuesday, 4
Ah, just go to Felicia Suzanne‘s tonight and sling up at the bar. — T.S.
A source familiar with behind-the-scenes deliberations on the Memphis city council says a council majority will act Tuesday to rescind raises for two council staffers rushed through last month by outgoing council chairman Joe Brown and new council chairman Edmund Ford.
The raises — for staffers Lisa Geater and Pamela Crislip — were announced to surprised council members by Mayor Willie Herenton at a December 21st meeting of the council’s budget committee.
Chief administrator Geater, who also received a new title, staff director, was raised from $87,420 to $99,999, while assistant administrator Crisplip, who would acquire the title of deputy director, went from $57,519 to $75,000.
Other raises of lesser magnitude received by other staffers are also subject to being rescinded, the source said. Returning to status quo ante on the raises would apparently require a change in council rules, which now permit arbitrary action on such matters by the reigning chairman. If a change in the rules is made Tuesday, it would have to be made retroactive to reverse the raises.
News of the raises came amid year-end grumblings concerning a severe revenue shortfall — one that has occasioned talk of both employee layoffs and a significant tax increase.
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monday, 3
The Grizzlies play Utah tonight at the FedEx Forum.- T.S.
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FROM MY SEAT
UPON A STAR
I’ve got a few New Year’s wishes . . . actually one for each month.
JANUARY — DeAngelo Williams announces he’s returning to school. The stretch of Central Avenue between Highland and the Liberty Bowl is renamed “DeAngelo’s Lane.” And the first Heisman campaign in Memphis history officially begins.
FEBRUARY — Pau Gasol becomes the first Memphis Grizzly to play in the NBA All-Star Game. This may actually be overdue for a player who’s led Memphis in scoring and rebounding since he arrived (with the Griz) in 2001. He seems to be enjoying the game more than ever, his passing skills have improved dramatically, and he’s looking more and more like a player worth that $86 million contract. In other words, he’s an All-Star.
MARCH — Based on the way the U of M Tigers have looked to this point, this may be wishful thinking at its worst, but how about two NCAA tournament wins? Memphis hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 in 10 years. Having been ousted in the first round two years ago, the second round last year, it seems the next step would be to reach the tournament’s second weekend. Based on their dreadful start, a conference championship will be needed for Memphis to simply make the field.
APRIL — A Memphis breakthrough at Augusta. Casey Wittenberg was the low amateur at last year’s Masters, and Shaun Micheel has a PGA Championship to his credit. Why not a local strolling up the 18th fairway on Sunday, a green jacket on the line?
MAY — I’m feeling lucky this month, considering Memphis in May is honoring Ireland. The Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 7th, and in checking my lunar calendar, I see a new moon on May 8th. My pick for the roses? Declan’s Moon.
JUNE — Here’s a special wish: a three-game sweep of the world champion Red Sox upon their inter-league visit to Busch Stadium (June 6-8). As lopsided as the 2004 World Series was, be assured of this: the Red Sox weren’t as good as they looked, the Cardinals not nearly as bad. Here’s a chance for St. Louis to prove it. (By the way, the Yankees are at Busch June 10-12.)
JULY — For the first time in seven years, someone besides Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France. Don’t get me wrong . . . I love Lance. He’s a hero in ways most athletes can’t approximate. I just want proof he’s human.
AUGUST — Minor-league baseball can be tough in the dog days, particularly in the sweltering heat of the Mid-South. But a pennant race can drop the mercury (in spirit at least) by 10 or 20 degrees. Here’s hoping the Redbirds are battling for a playoff berth with their new American Conference North rivals — Iowa and Omaha — and their old intrastate rival, the Nashville Sounds.
SEPTEMBER — Whether as a draftee or free agent, Danny Wimprine makes the opening day roster for an NFL team. Last summer, Danny told me, “I just want to get the chance, that’s all.” The guy’s a winner, and a winner from . . . the University of Memphis. He’s earned his chance.
OCTOBER — For goodness sake, here’s hoping the St. Louis Cardinals can return to the World Series and actually . . . take the lead . . . in at least one game. There’s no more challenging a championship to reach than baseball’s. Six months of playing every day, then a two-tiered sprint to the pennant . . . and THEN a best of seven for all the marbles. Which makes the year ahead so daunting for Cardinal Nation. It’ll be hard to rekindle the spirit and drive for a clubhouse that made it, only to collapse so dramatically.
NOVEMBER — Familiar faces are wonderful (and all too rare in pro sports these days). But here’s hoping a significant addition to the Grizzlies arrives for the 2005-06 campaign. The fact that five members of the Griz — Pau Gasol, Jason Williams, Lorenzen Wright, Shane Battier, and Stromile Swift — are playing their fourth year together in Memphis is an anomaly in today’s NBA. But the mix needs to be stirred now and then. Will Jerry West be here to do the stirring?
DECEMBER — The University of Memphis, having edged Texas-El Paso for the Conference USA football championship, hosts Utah in the 47th annual Liberty Bowl. A distinct home-field advantage, not to mention Williams’s college swan song, is enough to push the Tigers to victory.
Happy new year to all.
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sunday, 2
Hmm. Karaoke Sunday at Marlowe’s Ribs and Restaurant. I hear it’s well worth the visit. — T.S.