Author: Joshua Cannon

Courtesy of Nicholas Oyler

Some of the City’s new special event bike racks were recently put to use at Memphis Made Brewing’s MALTED festival.

Pushing Memphians to cycle more often, the City of Memphis’ Division of Engineering will offer ten free bike racks for public and private events.

The event bike parking program will be managed by Bike Walk Memphis, a local nonprofit that promotes active transportation. A bike valet team will staff the parking station during events and handle all logistics in the setup and tear down. The light-weight racks, which provide parking for more than 70 bicycles, can be assembled and disassembled in less than a minute.

Nicholas Oyler, the Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager at the City of Memphis, said the racks will reduce the demand for car parking and the number of bicycle locks needed for utility poles, trees, and other pieces of property.

“Rather than circling the block or slowly cruising the aisles of a parking lot in their car, event
attendees could ride straight up to an event’s main entrance on their bike, hand it over to a
smiling Bike Walk Memphis volunteer, and continue on their way into the event,” Oyler said.

Joshua Cannon

John Michels, Greenprint Coordinator

Livability, sustainability, and interconnectivity.

That was the theme of the Memphis-Shelby County Office of Sustainability’s third bi-annual Greenprint Summit. Centered around the Mid-South Greenprint plan, the summit hosted national speakers and local organizers who championed investments and federal grants being used to enhance longterm sustainability and create climate and disaster resilience across the region.

“Memphis, Shelby county, and this region have become a lab for experimentation, innovation, and creativity,” said Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell.

Following three year’s worth of work from 82 organizations from Shelby, Crittenden, DeSoto, and Fayette counties, the plan aspires to create 500 miles of greenway trails and 200 miles of bike paths by 2040. Over a 25 year implementation, organizers hope the Greenprint will reduce overall housing and transportation costs per household, attract residents and visitors, reduce flooding and pollution and create cleaner water and air, and reduce poverty for disadvantaged neighborhoods by increasings goods and services in those areas.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development kickstarted that work in 2011 when it awarded a $2.6 million grant to Shelby County to develop a long-term vision for the area’s green spaces, including parks, greenways, community gardens, storm water management, waterways, and more. This year, HUD handed an additional $60 million to Shelby County to combat future disasters brought forth by flooding and climate change.

Charles Flink, a senior advisor with Alta Planning and Design, emphasized the importance of placemaking — creating special environments from a community’s assets — and the longterm economical impact from the Greenprint plan. A prosperous greenway would attract new businesses as well as bolster residential spending, Flink said.

“For every dollar invested in a Greenway, you get $3 in economic return,” Flink said. “And that’s being conservative.”

Flink said the Greenway initiative was a catalytic project that would influence economic interests for years to come. About 25 percent of the project’s construction dollars has been directed to minority business, according to Flink. And by design, Greenways would increase activity, reduce obesity, and reimagine the way people travel.

“It can be part of the way people move throughout Memphis on a daily basis,” Flink said. “Greenways are more than a trail through the woods.”

Greenways, as they are completed, will likely be maintained by their cities and local non-profits, said John Michels, a Greenprint coordinator. A parks advocacy organization, a separate initiative led by Innovate Memphis with help from Hyde Family Foundations and the City of Memphis Division of Parks and Neighborhoods, will assist local neighborhood advocacy groups by providing them with resources and contacts to the city parks division. Both efforts, Michels said, will address recommendations to the Greenprint plan.

To conceptualize a parks advocacy organization, Innovate Memphis created a pilot advocacy program that ran for 10 weeks and focused on Kennedy, Chandler, and Gooch park. Megan Higgins, a project manager with Innovate Memphis, said the program reshaped their business plan.

“The pilot was really about testing neighborhood’s ambition for civic engagement,” Higgins said. “Our pilot was more about helping [people] organize more than planning and executing. Residents do not recognize themselves as park advocates, but that’s exactly what they are.”

Also associated with the Greenway Project is the city’s Fourth Bluff Project, an effort to revitalize four blocks of downtown property that include the longstanding Cossit Library, Memphis Park, and Mississippi Park, and the promenade. Made possible by a $5 million revitalization grant, Higgins said the days of “one size fits all” parks should be left in the past.

“Neighborhoods should have the freedom to abandon the default positions of two basketball courts, a set of swings, a jungle gym, and an attached slide,” Higgins said. Higgins cited Spain’s Gulliver park as a 21st century example.

The $60 million grant awarded to Shelby County by HUD’s National Disaster Resilience Competition will go toward creating double-duty solutions, said Jason Hellendrung, a representative with Sasaki Architecture. As climate change continues to pose a threat to communities, Hellendrung said cities have to design for resilience while also creating plans that can be phased and integrated over time with future projects.

The grant will focus on three initial areas: Big Creek, where wetlands will be reestablished, flood storage will be created to accommodate water flow, and multi-purpose trails and green space will be produced for food production. Wolf River, where better protection for downstream homes will be built, new amenities to Rodney Barber Park and Kennedy Park will be added, and a green street and bike lanes near Highland Street will be formed. Lastly, South Cypress Creek, where existing homes will be bought out and replaced with green space, wetlands, and flood storage, as well as the development of nearby vacant lots.

“What made Shelby County eligible was unmet need,” Hellendrung said.

An online interactive map has also been launched that showcases all aspects of the projected Greenprint plan. Users can see how many miles are complete and how many have been funded.

courtesy of MATA

The Memphis Area Transit Authority will form an advisory committee to provide feedback and improve transit planning, service delivery, and operations.

MATA is looking for eleven candidates to fill out a committee that will meet at least four times a year. Once selected, every member will serve 12 months with the opportunity to reapply for up to five terms. Those interested have until December 2 to submit an application.

“As a volunteer advisory group the committee will be the eyes and ears of the MATA transit system, making recommendations to MATA staff for solutions to problems that are identified and acting as a sounding board for policies and plans,” a statement on MATA’s website read.

[pullquote-1]The Transit Advisory Committee will represent Memphians both demographically and geographically, selecting members from various communities. MATA has explicit interest in senior citizens, paratransit and fixed route users, college students and teenagers ages 15-18, people with disabilities, employers, schools and universities, transit advocacy groups, neighborhood and civic associations, those with limited english proficiency and those in immigrant communities.

Interested candidates must review the MTAC by-laws before applying. Applications may be submitted by mail or in person at any of MATA’s three main transit centers. An electronic application can be submitted by email to MTAC@matatransit.com. Questions can be answered at 901-333-3707.

Joshua Cannon

Two separate homebuyers are interested in a near-century old midtown house that was recently deeded to The Church of the Immaculate Conception to be razed for the expansion of a parking lot and soccer field.

Joshua Cannon

“York had not been on our radar,” said one interested homebuyer who asked to remain anonymous. “We were driving through the neighborhood and saw ‘Save York’ signs. We enjoyed the possibility of what the house provided and liked what it could become.”

Those “Save York” signs represent what 40-year resident Candy Justice calls a “year-long grassroots effort” to preserve the home, located at 1722 York Avenue in the heart of the historic Central Gardens neighborhood. Though the homebuyer attempted to reach Ben Wheeler, a church member who bought and donated the property to IC, they were never contacted.

The homebuyer said he found out last week that the house had been officially transferred to the church, and that they haven’t discussed the possibility of selling. IC officials said in a statement they have “been blessed with a generous gift of the property” and “view this gift as an opportunity to grow our campus for the benefit of the Parish and for the children” of the school.
Joshua Cannon

“To explore all of our options and possibilities, we have engaged a team of professionals first to thoroughly inspect and evaluate the current condition of the property. Once the final assessment has been made, the team will provide the results to determine the best use of the property and outline the required process. The due diligence process will span the next two or so months. Rest assured, we will comply with the various governmental regulations,” the statement read.

Criticism of the church’s plans turned to protest Wednesday evening. About 40 residents and members of neighboring communities stood in front of the Cathedral along Central Avenue with flashlights and signs that read “IC, love thy neighbor.”

“We don’t hate IC at all, but we hate their efforts to destroy the residential integrity of our street,” Justice said. “York is a very close street. So many of us have been part of four or five generations of families living here and we love each other even more than the houses here.”
[pullquote-1]Richard Groff moved to York Avenue almost three years ago to live behind his church. Groff attended IC as a parishioner for eight years until two weeks ago — when he stopped due to a “lack of communication.” With a career in property development, Groff created a preliminary layout that would allow the church to expand parking and the soccer field without demolishing the house. He and a group of York residents met with IC on August 25 to discuss the plan, but were told a new bishop had been instated and no decision could be made.
Joshua Cannon

“There’s a lot of investiture from the neighborhood in this church and this school,” Groff said. “Up until the middle of the summer, I didn’t understand what the fuss was. But then I heard what had happened in the past.”

The house located at 1722 York Avenue would become the fourth of three previous neighborhood homes demolished for the church’s expansion. Eddie Hutchison, a board member on the Central Garden Association, said the Association signed a resolution in 1992 that says they wouldn’t oppose any expansions made by IC.

“Their hands are tied,” Hutchison said. “The feel [the resolution] is still in place. But things have changed since then.”

June West, the executive director of Memphis Heritage, said a large number of York Avenue residents were not aware the resolution was signed. West said her organization, a nonprofit advocacy group for historic Memphis properties, as well as the Midtown Action Coalition, have stepped up to bat for the neighborhood.

“In order to demolish the house, IC has to go before the local Landmarks Commission and get permission,” West said. “That process has not begun yet. Our hopes are that the neighborhood will be able to present the case to the commission and that it will be stopped.”

West said IC’s selling the home to an interested buyer would result in capital for the church.

“It’s a win-win situation,” she said.

Joshua Cannon

Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Memphis rallied in the student plaza Wednesday to protest President-elect Donald Trump. Amid chants of “No Trump, No KKK, no racist USA,” Cody Young stood on the edge of the crowd, holding a sign that read “I voted Trump and I’m not racist, sexist, misogynistic, or homophobic.”

Next to him, a student lifted a sign that read “You’re all cry babies.”

Joshua Cannon

“Everyone needs to have their side of the story heard,” Young, 20, a criminal justice major, said. “It wasn’t a vote for him. It was more of a vote against her. I don’t believe in half of the things she stands for … words may hurt some people, but at least he’s straight forward. At least I know what I’m getting from him.”

Young said said he voted for Trump because he didn’t believe progress would be made under a Hillary Clinton presidency. He said, though it might be hard, he hoped Trump could unite the country.

Organized by the U of M’s progressive student alliance (PSA), the rally was intended to unite students and create a vision for progress prior to what many in the organization believe will be four years of regression. Lindsey Smith, 27, the co-chair of PSA, said they have been running a campaign all semester to “dump Trump,” encourage voting, and become educated on the issues surrounding the election. The results, however, called for more direction action, Smith said.

“Folks have been really upset,” Smith, a philosophy major, said. “Last week, we decided that we needed to unite folks around this and make a difference with students, the community, and people all over the city. We have to be actively politically engaged.”

Smith said she feared the president-elect would dash women’s rights, all but eliminating their access to reproductive health services.
  Joshua Cannon

“I fear he is going to take away reproductive rights,” Smith said. “I fear he has normalized misogyny and sexism with the way he’s treated women in public and the way he’s talked about them in private.”

Mica Bender, 20, a bio-chemistry major, stopped by the protest after her physics class ended. Bender voted for Trump. She didn’t trust Clinton or agree with her policies, Bender said, and aligned more so with him — namely his tighter immigration policies, though she didn’t believe in mass-deportation.

[pullquote-1]She could look past the accusations of assault against Trump and his “grab her by the pussy” remarks, Bender said. While she doesn’t agree with everything Trump says, that wasn’t her only focus in deciding how to vote.

Joshua Cannon

“Obviously he’s not well-rehearsed,” Bender said. “But I feel like that’s not the main issue in this country at the moment. Our economy is in dire need of help, and I thought he had the best background for that.”

Dennis Laumann, a history professor at the U of M, said Trump’s speech and actions “warrant the comparison to the rise of fascism in Europe.”

Laumann joined the protest to support university students, chanting along with a group of other faculty members.

“History is a series of struggles,” Laumann said. “Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. We won a great victory eight years ago, and we lost this election. Rallies like this are important because we need to let the president-elect know we are going to watch him and we aren’t going to stand for his hatred.”

A federal grand jury has indicted two Tennessee residents for conspiring to defraud the United Sates as well as failing to account for and pay over employment tax.

Mark and Jayton Stinson were arrested Tuesday. The Stinsons operated a temporary staffing company that aided businesses in the state and elsewhere from 2005 to 2015, according to the indictment. Within their standard contract, the company was responsible for withholding employment tax from its employees’ wages and paying over the amounts withheld to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Stinsons allegedly failed to pay more than $2.8 million in employment tax to the IRS. They also failed to timely file employment tax returns and filed false employment tax returns. Despite providing the same business to essentially the same customers for years, the indictment alleges that they restructured the company and changed its name numerous times after accumulating employment tax liabilities.

The indictment also alleges that the Stinsons conspired to impede IRS collection efforts of the company’s payroll tax liabilities. They allegedly falsely represented to the IRS their control of the company and their knowledge of their responsibility to truthfully account for and pay over the employment taxes. The Stinsons allegedly placed their company in the names of nominees who did not have control over the operations, and set up payment arrangements intended to impede an IRS levy placed on their customer payments.

Further more, The Stinsons allegedly use withheld funds to pay for personal expenses such as a Mercedes-Benz, a Cadillac Escalade, mortgage payments, and private school tuition for their children.

Both men were charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States and five counts of failing to truthfully account for and pay over payroll taxes. Mark Stinson was also charged with five counts of filing false tax returns, one count of theft of government funds, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

If convicted, the Stinsons will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and for each count of failure to pay over employment taxes. Mark Stinson will also face a statutory minimum sentence of three years in prison for each false return count, 10 years in prison for theft of government funds, and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft charge, which will be in addition to any other imprisonment term he receives. Both defendants also face a period of supervised release and monetary penalties.

Joshua Cannon

Just past the front doors of a Shell gas station on the corner of South Dudley Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue sits Memphis’ first-ever bitcoin ATM — the first of its kind and only the third machine like it in Tennessee.

Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009. It provides freedoms, and limitations, such as making purchases online, even anonymously, and is decentralized, meaning no bank or government has any authority to regulate the currency. That’s the short of it, but it’s far more complex: you can dive deeper here, here, and here.

The machines, built by leading U.S. bitcoin ATM network Coinsource, are the company’s answer to naturalizing the buying and selling of the electronic currency. Located at 967 Linden Avenue, Memphis’ lone ATM joins 60 other machines spread across seven other states including California and New York. Coinsource has installed bitcoin ATM’s at a rate of 1.2 machines per week since the beginning of 2016.

[pullquote-1]
“The demand for bitcoin ATM’s has never been higher than it is today,” said Coinsource CEO and Co-Founder Sheffield Clark. “Our reach in the South is growing. Many thousands of Americans have begun to realize that bitcoin is becoming a stable payment option and a lucrative form of investment as well”

Still scratching your head? Here’s a primer on how to purchase bitcoin from a Coinsource ATM:

First-Ever Bitcoin ATM Comes to Memphis