Month: February 2019

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We Recommend We Recommend

A Place for Us at GCT

Memphis actor and vocalist Annie Freres describes “A Place for Us,” the “vocal and movement concert” she’s dreamed up with Weightless Aerial founder Callie Compton. “It’s kind of like Labyrinth,” she says. “In a way. It’s like, ‘Welcome to my brain.'”

Freres is probably best known to Memphis theater audiences for delivering bone-shattering vocals in musicals like Lizzie and Mamma Mia. She’s no stranger to burlesque comedy and has been known to take the occasional plunge into drama with shows like Tracy Letts’ relentlessly shocking play Killer Joe.

Freres

“I’ve always dreamed of singing live while beautiful people dance around me,” Freres says. “You’ve got to dance to something, why shouldn’t it be live singing?”

Freres and Compton have worked together before. The singer was often a last minute add-on to Weightless Ariel’s regular Night Shift performances at TheatreWorks.

“I did quite a few of those Night Shifts,” Freres says. “But because I was always doing other projects at the same time, it seems like I was just sort of placed in the show.” Nevertheless, a backstage conversation began on what a bigger collaboration might look like.

“I always wanted to do a silk number to ‘God Help the Outcasts’ from Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Compton told Freres, who agreed to learn it. Freres also started bringing some of her favorite songs to the table. “I would say it’s an even split of pop and Broadway, and even the Broadway numbers we’ve chosen have a crossover quality to them.”

Freres jokes about her reputation for working with bawdy material, then makes an assurance. “This is completely family friendly,” she says.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

On Your Feet at the Orpheum

CREDIT: Courtesy The Orpheum

On Your Feet!, a musical extravaganza built around the groundbreaking career and inspirational story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan and their hit-making band the Miami Sound Machine, has something going for it very few jukebox-style musicals can claim. The core of the band audiences see playing live on stage is comprised of Estefan’s original group from the period when they made their hits.

Keyboard player Clay Ostwald, who tours as the show’s music director, was hired into the band in 1986 when Estefan was building out her rhythm section. Ostwald had been playing in bands with the Miami Sound Machine’s band leader Jorge Casas since the two met in college in 1980.

Courtesy The Orpheum

Welcome to the Sound Machine.

“The core has been together since then,” Ostwald says, describing the reunion for On Your Feet! as “a lot of fun.”

“Some of the concert scenes are very much like a live concert with Gloria and the band as seen on stage,” Ostwald says. “But most of the time, we’re behind the backdrop and some of the music has been recrafted to fit the scenes.”

On Your Feet! tells two main stories. The first act follows Estefan’s struggle to maintain her distinct personal and cultural identity as the band placed Latin-influenced hits like “Conga” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” on the charts. Act two follows the singer’s astonishing recovery from a catastrophic tour bus accident.

On Your Feet! is also, very much an immigrant’s story. Audiences will likely leave the theater not only humming the music but hearing the play’s defiant reminder, “This is what an American face looks like.”

“We take that as part of our mission, too,” Ostwald says.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Fly on the Wall 1563

Really?

Last week the Tennessee Department of Corrections experimented with tweeting like a teenager, saying they, “really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really need you to refer to [their] facility-based #correctionalprofessionals as Officers and NOT guards.” The Twitterverse wasn’t having any of it, and responses ranged from an easily anticipated, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” to the succinct, “Nah, you guard-ass bitch.”

Think it Over

Your Pesky Fly is certain this was intentional cleverness on behalf of the Memphis Business Journal, and as long as you’re not headed toward a cliff or a wall (oil slick, bad marriage, swarm of bees) “momentum” is a good thing, we suppose. Still, imagining Mayor Jim Strickland as Diana Ross is upsetting in any case.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Buy 901

CREDIT: City of Memphis

A new website has emerged as a way to help Memphians find locally owned and certified minority and women-owned businesses.

During his State of the City address last week, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced the launch of the site Buy901.net as a means to “sustain and improve” minority contracting.

Joann Massey, director of the city’s Office of Business Diversity and Compliance, said that the site is a way to promote the city’s directory of certified minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), which has always been free and open to the public, but never made widely known.

City of Memphis

Strickland and Massey

“We’ve mostly kept it to ourselves and never really promoted it,” Massey said. “Buy901.net is meant to do just that: encourage everyday citizens, whether they need a plumber or locksmith, to source from the list. We want Memphians doing business with neighbors.”

Massey said although the city has made “great progress” in contracting with MWBEs since Strickland took office (12.7 percent in 2016 to 24 percent this fiscal year), with an operating budget of less than $1 billion a year, the city has a very small part in the local economy.

“There’s only so much that we can do with the funds and business opportunities that we have,” Massey said. “Our hope is that these businesses will now get greater opportunities.”

To monitor the success of Buy901, Massey said the city will be analyzing data from the site, such as number of clicks and logins.

“Since the mayor gave his address on Monday, we’ve already seen an uptick of people logging onto the site and businesses wanting to be a part of it,” Massey said.

Massey added that the city will be working with community stakeholders to assess the overall impact the site has on the local economy.

Strickland said last week he anticipates the site being a “long-term way to build equity in our economy and attack poverty.”

Anything that promotes MWBEs will be good for the economy and spark economic development, according to Elena Delavega, a sociology professor at the University of Memphis who produced the “Memphis Since MLK” poverty report last year.

“Small businesses are important, and I’m all for promoting them,” Delavega said.” They increase the middle class and improve their economic well-being. It also causes a cycle of people participating in the economy, which helps it grow. But it’s not enough.”

Delavega said small businesses are just one element, and that reducing poverty takes a much wider, comprehensive approach. Specifically, she said poverty can’t be truly eliminated without doing three things: increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, improving public transit, and investing in child care.

“I appreciate these types of initiatives and efforts, though, because they are critical and do play a role,” Delavega said.

Massey agreed, saying the city knows Buy901 “is not a magic pill that will turn the economy.” But, she said it will help raise awareness of the MWBEs in the community, so people will know that they’re “ready and willing to work.”

Categories
Cover Feature News

The Memphis Express and AAF Bring Pro Football Back to Memphis

CREDIT: Photographs Courtesy of Memphis Express/AAF

Let’s give the Alliance of American Football this much: If you’re launching a venture in Memphis, Tennessee, Express is a good branding technique. When the new team kicks off at Birmingham against the Iron this Sunday, Super Bowl LIII will be a distant memory. Perhaps too distant, the AAF hopes, for football-starved America. Founded by Charlie Ebersol (son of legendary TV exec, Dick Ebersol) and Bill Polian (a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame), the new league aims to deliver in February, March, and April a slice of what fuels this country throughout the fall and early winter. So we’ll ask the obvious question: Can the Memphis Express deliver?

“It is unique,” notes Express head coach Mike Singletary. “Normally in a training camp, you have some idea of where a guy has played, who he is, background. We have bits and pieces, here and there, some video. Not only are we trying to find out what players can do, but who they really are. There are a lot of variables you have to put in place before you even have a foundation for how to grade a guy.”

Photographs Courtesy of Memphis Express/AAF

Mike Singletary

The Express will compete in the AAF’s Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Legends, Birmingham Iron, and Orlando Apollos (coached by Steve Spurrier). The Western Conference features the Arizona Hotshots, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antonio Commanders, and San Diego Fleet. Following the 10-game regular season, the top two teams in each conference will make the playoffs, with the championship to be held on April 27th at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas (home of the UNLV Rebels). CBS will televise the game in prime time.

The AAF is tweaking rules to present what it feels will be a more fan-friendly brand of football. To begin with, the games will be shorter than a typical college football or NFL game, contests that often last three-and-a-half hours. The AAF play clock will be 30 seconds (10 seconds shorter than the NFL’s), and there will be fewer (if any) breaks for television commercials. The reduced “stand-and-stare” time will be welcome on winter nights. (Four of the five Express games at the Liberty Bowl kick off at 7 p.m.)

There will be less “foot” in AAF football, too. With kickoffs blamed for many of the most serious gridiron injuries, teams will simply start possession at their own 25-yard line. Furthermore, teams will be required to attempt a two-point conversion following a touchdown. In perhaps the most creative alteration, a team can retain possession after scoring by converting a play of at least 10 yards from its own 35-yard line. (If onside kicks are your favorite part of football, this is not the league for you.)

Running back Zac Stacy

While players on the Express roster may be unfamiliar to casual fans, their coach shouldn’t be. As a fearsome middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, Singletary was twice named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year (1985 and 1988). The ’85 Bears are considered by many to be the greatest defensive team ever assembled. They went 18-1, surrendered fewer than 20 points in 16 of their 19 games (a total of 10 in three playoff games), and mauled New England in Super Bowl XX. Linemen Richard Dent and Dan Hampton, like Singletary, have busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but make no mistake: The man they called “Samurai Mike” — an eight-time All-Pro — was the face of that Bears defense. As a head coach, Singletary went 18-22 over parts of three seasons (2008-10) with the San Francisco 49ers.

“This is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” says Singletary. “I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to be in a situation like this. I get a chance to touch every part of the organization. From the ground floor, I get to impact the offense, the defense, the personnel, the coaches. Everything that’s moving, I get to touch it. It’s a tremendous experience. I’m doing this because I believe it’s part of the journey. My goal is to be one of the greatest coaches of all time. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m really excited to be a part of this.”

With a roster made up of players from regional college programs — you’ll see lots of Tennessee, LSU, and Ole Miss in your game program — Singletary and his staff are assembling a team they’re convinced will compete just shy of the level fans are accustomed to seeing in the NFL. Players will not, however, be paid like NFL stars. The standard contract will pay a player $250,000 over three years. One similarity to NFL deals: The contracts are not guaranteed. AAF teams will keep 52 players on the active roster. (A pair of former Memphis Tigers made the final cut for the Express: defensive lineman Latarius Brady and cornerback Jonathan Cook.)

Express quarterback Christian Hackenberg prepares to pass.

Polian earned his Hall of Fame bust by building Super Bowl teams with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts. It was a conversation Singletary had with Polian that convinced the 60-year-old coach the AAF is not merely a bridge, but a destination. “Bill said this is not a minor league,” says Singletary. “This is not a step down from the NFL. This is a pro football team. If he had said this was a minor league, I probably wouldn’t have done it. For me, that’s the way I look at it. I’m not building a team that’s gonna be a sub-NFL team. I’m trying to put a team together with my staff that could compete with NFL teams. And win. We obviously have a ways to go, but that’s what I envision every day. How do I get this team to where it’s worth rooting for, a team to have pride in?”

Who will quarterback the Express when they take the field in Birmingham? Three will be in uniform: Zach Mettenberger (LSU), Christian Hackenberg (Penn State), and Brandon Silvers (Troy). Mettenberger started 10 games for the Tennessee Titans in 2014 and ’15 (and lost all 10). Hackenberg spent two months last fall on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. If this team develops a star quarterback, it will be a Memphis star.

“There’s a lot of talent here,” says Singletary. “I’m thankful to have coaches that can coach to the least common denominator and try to find out where the lowest person in the room may be, who may be very talented but very raw. We can teach, train, and build up. There’s a reason why [these players] are here.

celebrates (top); Silvers hands the ball off to running back Terrence Magee.

“Given the amount of time we’ve had,” adds Singletary, “they’ve made tremendous strides. You look at major college football or the NFL, some of those guys have gone through great programs, and some just have great ability. These players have a mixture. ‘I was on my way then, boom, blew out a leg.’ ‘I was on my way and, boom, I made a stupid decision.’ ‘I was on my way and they kept 52. I was the 53rd.’ For me, the biggest thing is to help them understand that this is not going to be a team of almost-made-its. You’re gonna have to make it. That’s the mentality we’re trying to build, and not just on the field.”

Singletary is reluctant to describe the offense he envisions for this year’s team until he actually sees his players in game action. Which means the opener this weekend could be, in his words, “ugly.”

“I still don’t think we have the identity we want,” he says. “We’re in the process. I know we can throw it. Right now, it’s a matter of how much we’re going to throw it to our guys, and how much we’re going to throw it to their guys. It’s finding the right quarterback, finding the identity we’re going to hang our hat on. Let’s find our players. When we find the players, we’ll identify our system.”

How does a man so closely identified with the ’85 Bears build a defense, knowing the standard he reached as a player is impossible? “I’m looking at what we’re going to do in 2019,” emphasizes Singletary. “I’m looking at the standard we’re trying to set for this league. How we’ll play defense. The one thing I know: We’ll play fast. And we’ll play every down. We’re gonna bite you.”

However talented the Express may be, they’ll take the field having seen absolutely zero film on their opponent, the Iron being every bit as brand-new. This has placed a premium on simplicity. “We can run our defensive coverages against anything,” notes Singletary. “If they come out with five receivers, empty backfield, quarterback on the side of the field . . . it doesn’t matter. If we can get through the first game . . . let’s get out there and start somewhere. We’ll know we can play against this or that, whatever [the opponent] puts on the field. Then we can go to film and study, look at personnel. But the first game . . . it’s gonna get ugly.”

All Express games will be broadcast live on 101.9 KISS-FM. Greg Gaston will handle play-by-play, with analysis from former Memphis Tiger Russell Copeland.

2019 MEMPHIS EXPRESS SCHEDULE

Feb. 10 — at Birmingham (1 p.m.)

Feb. 16 — ARIZONA (7 p.m.) *

Feb. 23 — at Orlando (7 p.m.) *

March 2 — SAN DIEGO (7 p.m.) *

March 10 — at Atlanta (3 p.m.)

March 16 — at Salt Lake (3 p.m.)

March 24 — BIRMINGHAM (7 p.m.) *

March 30 — ORLANDO (1 p.m.)

April 6 — at San Antonio (3 p.m.)

April 13 — ATLANTA (7 p.m.) *

* To be televised live on the NFL Network.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Electrolux Deal: Time to Rethink the Industrial-Development Process

The catastrophic news late last week of the imminent closing of the Electrolux plant at Pidgeon Industrial Park underscored the importance of long-overdue efforts currently underway to examine the incentives policies employed locally to recruit industry and, more generally, to reform the industrial development process.

It was not even a decade ago that the announcement was made, in mid-December 2010 at a gala year-end Chamber of Commerce banquet at the Peabody, that the giant Swedish appliance manufacturer would be building a 700,000-square-foot installation on Presidents Island. Numerous luminaries were present, including Electrolux executives, Mayors A C Wharton and Mark Luttrell of Memphis and Shelby County, respectively, and then-Governor Phil Bredesen.

Bredesen said the enterprise would represent a $190-million investment and would bring some 1,200 jobs, in addition to supplier jobs and other ancillary benefits. The facts, as things turned out, were a little different: The supplier jobs never really developed; the ancillary benefits remained theoretical; the job numbers totaled out at 1,100 and had subsided to roughly half that number at the time of last week’s announcement; and only the $190-million investment turned out to be entirely real.

Except that $190 million was the amount paid out by local and state taxpayers, not a measure of bounty to be received by the local economy. And, most worrisome of all, there was no “clawback” provision in the contract with Electrolux mandating that the company would be liable to refund any of this investment in the case of any default in its commitment to Memphis, Shelby County, and Tennessee, all of whom played the role of marks in this one-sided transaction. All that Electrolux had consented to do by way of recompense is to pay the standard tax rate, deferred to this point, for the remaining year or so the plant will be doing business in Shelby County.

How could such a deal have been made? To be sure, all the governmental principals had reasons. A basic fact of life for an elected official is the need to demonstrate results. The two mayors were facing elections, the exiting Bredesen was understandably eager to crown his gubernatorial legacy, and for the then-incoming Governor-elect Bill Haslam, who gave the project his approval, it no doubt had the looks of a godsend on a platter.

For current Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who was a member of the city council that gave the deal its blessing, it must look now like a joke at his expense. The Electrolux deal was not of his making, but it is a setback that may count against him in his reelection campaign. It is not to his advantage that his own explanations for the debacle dovetail with the company’s: a troubled economy, blowback from Trump tariffs, the going belly-up of Electrolux super-customer Sears.

All of that may be so, but none of it explains the embarrassing and costly predicament facing Memphis and Shelby County now. The fact is, our civic guardians undertook an enormous gamble without elementary protection. They bet on the come — and it came and went.

Any valid reform of our industrial recruitment process must include safeguards against any possible recurrence of this disastrous deal.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Shelby Legislators in the Thick of It in Nashville

NASHVILLE — As the 2019 session of the Tennessee General Assembly concluded its first full week of activity last Friday, it became obvious that several Shelby County legislators are in the eye of the tiger. District 83 state Representative Mark White, a Republican, is chairman of the House Education Committee and, as such, is already riding that tiger.

During an introductory session of his committee last Wednesday, White scheduled two groups of presenters to testify before the committee. One group was a duo from SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education), the organization founded by former U.S. Senator Bill Frist. The SCORE representatives talked about the group’s efforts to collaborate with the state’s professed educational goals and were able to cite several successes in the state’s educational achievement.

The second group, composed of two representatives from the state Department of Education, got a stormier response from committee members. The subject that dominated discussion was the “debacle” (that has been the operational term) of the state’s failure so far to implement a completely workable testing apparatus for teacher and student assessment under the TNReady formula. TNReady is the state-devised system that replaced the testing system existing beforehand under Common Core, the nationwide eductional initiative whose uniform standards became controversial for a variety of reasons, some of them frankly political.

Questar, the vendor that has the contract under TNReady — one worth $150 million over a projected five-year period — suffered a number of system breakdowns last year that made reliable testing impossible under the online methods adopted and caused the legislature to pass measures late in the 2018 session that, in effect, nullified the validity of the results.

In the course of an intense questioning by Education Committee members, the Department of Education representatives acknowledged that Questar was still due to be paid $26 million of the $30 million pro-rated annual payment called for under the state’s contract with the company and, further, was eligible to make a submission under a re-bidding process undertaken by the department. Moreover, until that process is completed, Questar remains the vendor of record.

That was too much for District 90 state Representative John DeBerry of Memphis, a Democrat. “I want to know why that company wasn’t fired on the spot,” he demanded. “The fact of the matter is that that system failed our children, failed our mission, failed the state of Tennessee. … I watched our teachers, our administrators, our students, including my own grandchild, in tears.”

The fact, explained the Department of Education representatives, was that federal regulations required that a contract be in place and that the testing debacle occurred too late to arrange a replacement company. Hence the new RFP (request for proposal) process.

In any case, chairman White will have his hands full dealing with the issue, as will the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Republican Dolores Gresham of Somerville, with two Shelby Countians, Republican Brian Kelsey and Democrat Raumesh Akbari, serving as co-chairs.

And so will Penny Schwinn, the Texan appointed by Governor Bill Lee to replace the departed Candace McQueen as commissioner of education. Schwinn was deputy education commissioner of education in Texas and — ironically (or appropriately) — experienced first-hand there the job of amending a failed assessment program that paralleled Tennessee’s experience.

• State Representative Antonio Parkinson has figured importantly both in the debates about marijuana legislation of the 2018 session and (so far, indirectly) in the general outcry over House Speaker Glen Casada‘s advice to committee chairs that they have the power to prevent broadcasting committee sessions online over social media. Parkinson was prominent in live-streaming such activities last year and his actions are regarded as one of the catalysts for Casada’s advisory.

The future effect of Casada’s edict is uncertain for several reasons, including the fact that questions have been raised as to whether the policy could be applied to citizen attendees or media members.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Love Bites

Bhan Thai

1324 Peabody (272-1538)

bhanthairestaurant.com

Come celebrate Valentine’s week with us, Thursday, February 14th through Sunday, February 17th. Chef Sorrasit “Alex” Sittranont will serve up specials throughout the weekend sure to please your better half’s palate. Be sure to visit our covered patio out back for a delicious cocktail and fellowship.

Ferraro’s Pizzeria & Pub

111 Jackson (522-2033)

ferraros-memphis.com

We’re rolling out new menu items: The Godfather Sandwich: 3 Cheese Lasagna, battered and deep fried, marinara, Provolone, and Romano; and Mac + Cheese Bites: our homemade Mac and Cheese, battered and deep fried. Plus so much more. Free delivery.

The Guest House at Graceland

3600 Elvis Presley (473-6100)

guesthousegraceland.com

Every day is the perfect day for romance! That is why our culinary team will feature a romantic Valentine’s Dinner menu on February 14th, 15th, and 16th. This special menu is available at Delta’s Kitchen from 5 until 10 p.m. Please call 901-473-6100 for reservations.

Lafayette’s Music Room

2119 Madison (207-5097)

Lafayettes.com/memphis

Spoil your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day at Lafayette’s. Enjoy a delicious three-course prix fixe dinner with champagne toast and live music. VIP Dinner Package $65 per person (tax included). Add Bottle Service for $40 or Super Premium Bottle Service for $125. For tickets and information, visit Lafayettes.com/memphis.

Memphis Pizza Cafe

2087 Madison in Midtown (726-5343)

5061 Park in East Memphis (684-1306)

7604 W. Farmington in Germantown (753-2218)

memphispizzacafe.com

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Memphis Pizza Cafe. We will be serving up large heart shaped pizzas for you to split with your sweetheart. Come by any of our three locations and see why Memphis Pizza Cafe is a favorite among Memphians. Winner of the Best of Memphis readers poll in 25 of 26 years.

Molly’s La Casita

2006 Madison, Midtown Memphis (726-1873)

mollyslacasita.com

Valentine’s Day will be sweet at Molly’s La Casita! Our delightful special consists of a medium cheese dip, grilled beef, chicken, or combo Fajitas, and Viva Chocolate Brownie for dessert. All for just $25.

Mulan Asian Bistro

2149 Young (347-3965)

mulanbistro.net

2059 S. Houston Levee in Collierville (850-5288)

4698 Spottswood (609-8680)

mulaneast.net

Celebrate Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year at Mulan Asian Bistro. They were voted Best Chinese by Memphis Flyer readers for more than five years. Come by any of our three locations in Cooper-Young, East Memphis, or Collierville, or order online and have it delivered to your front door.

Regina’s Cajun Kitchen

60 N. Main Street (730-0384)

reginascajunkitchen.com

Bring your sweetheart to Regina’s Cajun Kitchen for Valentine’s Day, where they will be offering three-course meals with a glass of wine and a murder mystery show for $30. Regular menu items will also be available.

Restaurant Iris

2146 Monroe (590-2828)

restaurantiris.com

Make Valentine’s easy this year with the ultimate celebratory package for two featuring your choice of two Restaurant Iris favorites (choose from a meat or fish entree plus appetizer), Rachel’s Flowers roses, Muddy’s cupcakes, and spirits pairings from Joe’s Wines & Liquor for only $150. Go to restaurantiris.com for more information. Deadline to order is February 10th.

Second Line

2144 Monroe (590-2829)

secondlinememphis.com

Join us Thursday, February 14th for a three-course dinner featuring Restaurant Iris classics like surf and turf, shrimp and grits, and bread pudding for $60 per person. Enjoy complimentary champagne and a flower for each lady. Make reservations by emailing pgilbert@chefkellyenglish.com.

Slider Inn

2117 Peabody (725-1155)

@thesliderinn

Yo! It’s gonna be “Nuts & Bolts at Slider Inn.” We’ll explain the concept when you arrive. Keep in mind, we’ll have all-night specials on Grey Goose Cherry Penetrators.

Westy’s

346 N. Main (543-3278)

westysmemphis.com

Experience a lovely dinner for two after taking your sweetheart on a romantic carriage ride through the heart of Downtown Memphis, for only $99.95. Dinner entrees include your choice of steak, salmon, or shrimp. This offer is valid Thursday, February 14th through Saturday, February 16th. Please call or visit our website to make reservations.

Young Avenue Deli

2119 Young (278-0034)

youngavenuedeli.com

Have a fun-filled date with your sweetie at Young Avenue Deli. We have pool tables, games, great food, 130 beer options, and 36 rotating drafts.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Shelby Countians in New Early Education Caucus

CREDIT: JB

JB

From left: Reps. DeBerry, Ragan, and White, and Senator Gresham

NASHVILLE —Three Memphis-area legislators are key members of an education-minded group that on Wednesday announced the formation of a new bipartisan, bicameral caucus focusing exclusively on early education policy — concentrating on pre-K through third grade — as a means of enhancing the state’s ongoing efforts to improve public education in Tennessee.

The three Shelby Countians are state Representatives Mark White and John DeBerry and state Senator Raumesh Akbari. A fourth co-founder, state Senator Dolores Gresham, hails from Somerville in Fayette County. Akbari and DeBerry are Democrats; the others are Republicans. White and Gresham are the chairs of the House and Senate education committees, respectively.

White and the others, joined by state Representative John Ragan (R, of Oak Ridge), Ron Gant (R-Rossville), and Dennis Powers (D-Jacksonville), unveiled their intentions at a press conference in the Cordell Hull Building.

The new caucus as yet has no specific agenda, White said, other than to gather as much information as possible on the strategies, new developments, and best practices of early education, from the best speakers and researchers available. He said the inspiration for forming the caucus came from DeBerry, a member of the House education caucus, who, in the face of studies showing that only 37 percent of Tennessee third-graders were reading at their grade level, opined, “We’ve got to go nuclear.”

The Early Education Caucus is open to all members of the House and Senate and will hold its first post-organizational meeting on Thursday of this week, following the week’s final floor sessions.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Cohen, Blackburn: Contrasting Views on Trump’s SOTU

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) watched President Trump’s second State of the Union message to Congress on television at his office in the Rayburn House Office Building  in Washington and released the following statement:

“I declined to attend this evening’s address because I want to hear the truth about the State of the Union from a President of the United States. The current president has no respect for the truth and is the subject of numerous investigations regarding his administration, his campaign, his foundation, his business and his inaugural committee. He has disgraced the presidency and does not deserve the respect and attention from Congress and the public that this address has historically received.

Rep. Steve Cohen

“We are all for border security but we will continue to disagree whether a $5.7 billion border wall is the answer. Diversity is our strength in this country and the President’s dog whistles about the nation’s golden yesteryears, his call to make America great ‘again’ is a false narrative to millions of Americans who fifty years ago did not enjoy the rights we now recognize for women, for minorities, for people with sexual and gender identity differences and for people with disabilities. We should not go backwards on women’s reproductive rights, voting rights, labor rights or health care.

“The initiative to stop the spread of HIV by 2030 is an admirable goal and I hope that we as a nation achieve it. I’m skeptical however of a plan to deal with this scourge from a President who would cut major safety net programs, like Medicaid, which delivers much AIDS care, and proposed cuts to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program to give tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy.

“As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I welcome the President’s call for a major infrastructure plan, but its value will be seen in its details.

“I was pleased to see Alice Johnson of Memphis, whose commutation request I supported, in tonight’s crowd, but I have suggested pardons and commutations should follow a deliberative, prescribed procedure, and be delivered to thousands of people, not to a few dozen people with celebrity sponsors.

“The President tonight called for an end to ‘decades of political stalemate,’ but he has helped create it by attacking House Democrats, Speaker Pelosi and even Republicans like my former Senator Bob Corker who disagree with him. It would be a step in the right direction if members of the President’s own party weren’t routinely blind-sided by ill-conceived, pundit-inspired policies out of right field.

“I’m concerned about the state of the union and hope we can return to making progress on climate change affecting not just our country but the world. We need to have sensible gun reform. We must do more to protect people with pre-existing conditions, those living in poverty and hunger, our veterans and working families. That’s what will keep America great.”

Senator Marsha Blackburn Releases Statement Following State of the Union

Washington, D.C. – Tonight, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released this statement following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address before Congress:

“President Trump conveyed an inspiring message and a hopeful vision for our country in tonight’s State of the Union message. He expressed confidence in our nation’s future and extended a hand to Democrats to work together, in unity, to produce results for all Americans. Jackson Baker

Marsh Blackburn

“Bringing Knoxville Fire Chief D.J. Corcoran as my guest was a true honor. He and his wife, Wendy, who attended with Congressman Tim Burchett, lost their 22-year-old son, Pierce, in late December when he was killed by an illegal immigrant. The Corcorans are faith-filled Tennesseans who love their country, their family and their God. They have taken the tragic loss their family experienced and spread a message of hope that no American should have to experience the anguish of becoming an Angel Family. I am incredibly thankful they accepted our invitation to attend as our guests.

“As the president communicated in his speech, the state of our union is strong. Our nation is well-positioned to address our challenges in a way that meets the needs of the 21st century. I look forward to continuing to work with President Trump and with my colleagues of both parties to build on our success for the American people.”