Month: January 2009

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Gibbons Makes It Official, Announcing for Governor

As expected, District Attorney General Bill Gibbons, reacting to weekend
disclosures that former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will not run for
governor in 2010, has announced his own candidacy for the office in a statement
released on Sunday. Gibbons, emphasizing the issues of “crime and schools,” will run in the Republican primary.

Here is the Flyer‘s original story about the Frist non-candidacy.: http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A53787

Below is the Gibbons statement:


Shelby
County’s
Bill Gibbons Begins Tennessee Gubernatorial Campaign


MEMPHIS,
Tenn.
— The following statement is issued today by Bill Gibbons, Shelby County
District Attorney General:

“I am a candidate for governor and will seek the Republican nomination in the
August 2010 primary.

“As governor, I will place priority on two issues – crime and schools – that
pose big challenges to our state and that we must address if we are to achieve a
better future for Tennessee.

“Through
safer communities and better schools, Tennessee will be positioned as a state
where people want to live, raise their families, work and retire. And we will be
a state where existing businesses want to remain and expand and new businesses
want to locate.

“The very first sentence of the very first section of our state constitution
notes that state government exists to provide for the peace and safety of the
people. As our next governor, I will take the leading in making changes to fix
Tennessee’s criminal justice system because I believe we must not surrender a
single street, neighborhood or community to crime.

“Tennessee has the second highest violent crime rate in the nation, and it is a
statewide problem. Over the past ten years, we have not shared in the national
downward trend in violent crime. Law enforcement throughout Tennessee is doing
a good job with the tools we have, but Tennessee’s criminal justice system has
deep flaws. As district attorney in our state’s largest jurisdiction, I see
those flaws up close, every day. We must change the system.

We must do a better job of holding serious offenders accountable by keeping them
off our streets and in prison where they belong. At the same time we must
address the underlying problem of drug addiction that drives so much of our
crime. We must address behavior among juveniles such as truancy that too often
results in even more serious consequences. And we must make sure that our state
law enforcement agencies, such as the Highway Patrol, develop and maintain a
level of professionalism their employees and the citizens of Tennessee deserve.

“The other major challenge facing our next governor is our schools. In 2010, we
will move to more rigorous standardized testing of our public school students.
It will be a wake-up call for our state. We must make sure our young people have
the skills and values necessary to compete in a global economy. We cannot simply
pour more money into doing the same thing and expect significantly different
results.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

Griz Beat Mavericks; Rookies Shine

Grizzlies rookies O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol lead the way as the Grizzlies broke a 13-game losing streak to the Dallas Mavericks with an impressive 102-82 victory at FedExForum today.

Gasol scored 19 points in the first half before handing the baton to Mayo, who scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. Chris Herrington breaks it all down at Beyond the Arc.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Gadfly to ‘Splain the Madoff Mess on Fox Business Network

Needing expert testimony to unravel the complexities involved in the $50 billion Ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff, the Fox Business Network came (naturally) to seek advice from Flyer columnist Marty Aussenberg, a.k.a. The Gadfly. Aussenberg — top hat, shades, and all — will be on FBN in the 4 p.m.-5 p.m. hour Monday afternoon.

Here’s a link to the Gadfly’s original column from last week that excited FBN’s interest: http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A53667

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

No Frist in Governor’s Race? Then Gibbons, Maybe Norris

CREDIT: jb

As word spreads this weekend that former U.S. Senator Bill Frist will not make a run for governor in 2010, the way is open for an extensive field of Republican candidates, including District Attorney General Bill Gibbons, to make expected announcements of candidacy.

A report on the chattanoogan.com Web site Saturday quoted “a high Republican source” as saying Frist would be announcing his non-candidacy on Monday. The former Senate Majority Leader had been regarded as a prohibitive favorite in the gubernatorial race, at least on the Republican side of things – so much so that none of the other six known GOP hopefuls would have been prepared to run had he done so.

Besides Gibbons, the others are state senator Mark Norris, also of Shelby County; Blackburn; 3rd District representative Zach Wamp of Chattanooga; former state representative and ex-state GOP chair Beth Harwell of Nashville; Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey of Blountville; and Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam.

GOP national committeeman John Ryder said he, too, had heard rumors of Frist’s reluctance to run several days ago, at which time Haslam, who is considered close to Frist, was scheduling an imminent fundraiser and Wamp began making plans for one of his own.

Categories
News

Hot Stuff?

Just a reminder … We’re currently soliciting nominations for our annual Hotties issue, beginning now and running until mid- to late-January.

Nominating someone — or yourself, if you prefer — is easy.

Just email hottienoms@memphisflyer.com with your nominee’s name, a little bit about them, a way to get in touch with them such as their phone number and email address, as well as, and this is very important, a picture. Of them.

We’re not trying to be all superficial, but the issue is called The Hottie Issue after all.

At right, musician (and one of last year’s hotties) Grace Askew.

Categories
News

Buy Books and Learn to Dance This Weekend

Got the post-holiday blues? Cure your ills by spending some money on yourself for a change. You can start by picking up some collectible and hard-to-find book titles at the Overton Park Antiquarian Book Fair on Saturday. The Parkview Retirement Community at 1914 Poplar is holding the annual sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Though the holidays are over, Christmas art shows and plays are still running. One of the most relevant exhibits, “New Deal Holiday Greeting Cards from Indiana State University,” for today’s harsh economic times remains up through January 11th at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. The show features Christmas cards created by otherwise jobless Americans by the Works Progress Administration in 1935.

In case you missed any of the larger-than-life educational screenings at the IMAX Theatre last year, the theatre is giving viewers a second chance during its annual film festival. Catch Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, Hurricane on the Bayou, The Living Sea, and Everest all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Support local music and ice-cold pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon at The P&H Cafe on Saturday as experimental folk rockers The Warble take the stage. Other acts include J. Dorothy Jones and Les Chouettes. The show begins at 10 p.m.

Kick start your New Year’s resolution to stay fit during weekly dance classes by USA Dance. Each Sunday in January, you’ll practice the waltz and the cha-cha. Classes run from 6 to 8:15 p.m.

For more Memphis Flyer listings, go here.

Categories
News

Death Claims Two Memphis Judges

CREDIT: jb

The Shelby County Judiciary lost two of its longtime members Friday with the deaths of Circuit Court Judge Rita Stotts and General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Anthony Johnson.

As reported on the Fox 13 Web site Judge Stotts, a long-term survivor of breast cancer, died at Methodist Hospital. Judge Johnson died at home, apparently of a heart attack.

More details as they are available.

Categories
Special Sections

Annual Manual 2009

Kicking off the Flyer‘s 20th year is the 10th edition of Annual Manual, a resource for all things Bluff City, from arts and education to health and government and loads more in between.

Last year, we began the Annual Manual with several vigorous shakes of the Magic 8-Ball. Thirty-nine questions were asked about 2008. Will John Daly say or do something embarrassing? “It Is Decidedly So,” said the 8-Ball, and indeed Daly decidedly did. (One word for just one of those occasions: Hooters.) Will Fred Thompson win the Republican presidential nomination? 8-Ball weighed in with a “Very Doubtful,” and, sure enough, Thompson was an also-ran. Among other on-the-money predictions from the great 8: The Democrats did not retake control of the state Senate; there was no major Memphis earthquake; COGIC returned; and the Tigers did not win the NCAA tournament. The Magic 8-Ball is not perfect, alas: There was no new trial for the “West Memphis Three”; there were no more Tennessee Waltz-esque indictments of local politicians; and Scripps Howard did not sell The Commercial Appeal (yet).

You can check out all of last year’s predictions by going to memphisflyer.com and searching for “Magic 2008-Ball.”

Now, it’s back to the future and the Annual Manual 2009. This year, we put down the toy and, in honor of our anniversary, have taken up a game of 20 questions, all concerning the coming year. Among those questions: Will the Memphis Flyer Have a Good Year? Read on to find out …

— Susan Ellis, managing editor

Categories
Special Sections

Letter from the Publisher

1 January 2009

Dear FOF (Friend of the Flyer): 

Whatever “shock and awe” 2009 has in store for us, this particular new year will have a tough act to follow. On the plus side, 2008 brought us a national election with a truly historic result, the election of the country’s first African-American president. On the not-so-plus side, 2008 also brought a fair amount of calamity, particularly these last four months, when we were taken to the cleaners, financially, as a nation. It’s been a long time since so many Memphis families have found themselves facing a new year with as much fiscal uncertainty as is facing them now.

2009 was on course to be a special year for the Flyer even before all this recent commotion, for we mark our 20th anniversary of publication with the new year. That’s a long time in any business, and we’re mighty grateful, to you our readers, for letting us enlighten, aggravate, and entertain you for two decades now. We couldn’t and wouldn’t be here without you.

Nor would we have survived half this long without the support of the thousands of local businesses who use the Flyer to reach out to Memphis, recognizing that the 50,000-plus papers we put out on the street every week represent an ideal opportunity for them to deliver messages to their customers in cost-efficient fashion. As a free publication that’s 100 percent dependent upon advertiser support, we really wouldn’t be here without local business owners who believe they can and should put their money where our mouth is.

And while, over the years, we have on occasion written things that have irritated those businesses, I like to think that we have a nice synergy going with them. After all, like most of our advertisers, the Flyer is itself “relentlessly local,” from top to bottom, in every facet of its business. Not everyone is aware of the fact that the publisher of the Flyer, Contemporary Media, Inc., is Memphis’ largest locally owned media company, or that that company has as its primary mission the publishing of the Mid-South region’s highest-quality journalistic products. We may not make millions for Wall Street investors, but I like to think that the scores of national journalism awards that line our lobby walls speak volumes about how well our editorial staff has accomplished that mission.

 

In these dodgy economic times, one hears more and more about how newspapers are dying. I’d be lying if I said that 2008 was a terrific business year for the Flyer, but I must confess, when I see these kind of reports, I feel a bit like Mark Twain, who, when he read his own obituary (in a newspaper, mind you) replied that “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Whatever becomes of other publications in town, the Flyer isn’t going anywhere. Across the country, daily newspapers have indeed suffered dramatic circulation declines. But happily, here in Memphis, weekly distribution levels at our 700-plus local locations remain at historic levels, with pick-up rates holding steady at

95 percent. As long as we continue to deliver these kinds of numbers, we’re confident that our advertisers will continue to find the Flyer a cost-effective way to reach Memphis’ “best and brightest” with their advertising messages.

We may be proud of what we’ve achieved, but we aren’t so blind as to think that the Flyer brand can still exist in print alone. In this day and age of instant informational access, memphisflyer.com remains an integral part of our journalistic package, a first-class website that delivers breaking local news and offers a whole range of innovative marketing opportunities for our customers. Our print and on-line products go hand in hand; in fact, one can no longer exist without the other. To that end, we’ll be rolling out an all-new web package later this month. I think you’ll be very pleased with our staff’s efforts.

As we commence our 20th anniversary year, we like to think we’re changing with the times, as we always have. We’ve come a long way by being innovative, bold, and sassy; don’t look for us to stop anytime soon.

All the best,

Kenneth Neill

Publisher/CEO

Categories
Special Sections

Beale Street

Legendary as the birthplace of the blues, today Beale Street thrives as a center for entertainment, dining, shopping, and culture. Nightclubs and restaurants, such as Alfred’s, the New Daisy, King’s Palace Cafe, Rum Boogie, Club 152, the Pig on Beale, Blues City Cafe, and B.B. King’s Blues Club, draw thousands from all over the world for tastes of local cuisine and live music. Beale Street also features A. Schwab, a century-old dry-goods store, and W.C. Handy’s home.