Elvis: 1935-2007
In regard to the cover story in the Flyer I picked up in Memphis during Elvis Week (“Elvis: 1935-2007,” August 9th issue): Writers Greg Akers and Chris Herrington don’t know their facts or have been given false information. It is a shame that this article went into many foreign fans’ hands.
The very first paragraph is a lie: Elvis died at Graceland on August 16, 1977, not on August 6th at his Horn Lake, Mississippi, home. He was 42, not 72, when he died. Paragraph two is also untrue: Elvis never broke up with Colonel Parker at any time in his life and never went into mini-retirement, except when he gave four years to his country in the U.S. Army. And paragraph three is incorrect also: Elvis came back into public life in 1968 on national television, not in the 1980s. He performed in Las Vegas at the Hilton, not in Tunica.
And last, but not least, Elvis did not have a son named Jesse Vernon (who was pictured at the Circle G ranch). His only child was a girl, Lisa Marie. The whole article is just too hard to believe and doesn’t do your writers or Elvis justice.
Reginald Gleason
London, England
Editor’s note: Also, paragraphs five through 85 were lies.
Coalition Mayoral Forum
Jackson Baker’s article (Politics, August 16th issue) about the mayoral forum by the Coalition for a Better Memphis inspired me to share what I got out of the event. I went with an open mind to see which one of the four candidates would impress me.
John Willingham seemed tired. I think he did well as a commissioner and would vote for him if he ran again for a commission seat.
Herman Morris seemed energetic and determined, a man with a vision and a plan to get the job done. He impressed me as the most capable and as most knowledgeable.
Mayor Willie Herenton kept talking about what a great job he has done. I thought: Great job for whom? I drove by impoverished areas on the way downtown, full of people barely hanging on. Maybe some builders and developers would agree with Herenton.
Carol Chumney: All I can recall hearing her say was that she needed to be mayor so she could solve all our problems. But wasn’t she on the City Council when they approved 300 appointed positions for the mayor at six-digit salaries when only 160 are allotted under the city charter?
We need new leadership to be in charge of the city. The old ones have lost their usefulness.
R.J. Best
Memphis
MLGW “Rate Hike”
The mention of a “rate hike” in the August 23rd Flyer‘s “Cheat Sheet” is incorrect and doesn’t take into consideration the basic relationship of consumption to a person’s bill.
We [at MLGW] attributed that average increase to the current record-setting electric usage we’ve seen in the past few weeks. People in Shelby County are using more electricity than ever before and therefore can expect their bills to be higher.
In addition, Shelby County residents have some of the highest electric usage in the nation. If you’ve got your thermostat set to 75 and the temperature’s 85 outside, your system doesn’t use nearly as much electricity as it does with the current temperatures. You can even use a gasoline analogy: The more you put in your tank, the higher your cost.
We hope that the Flyer can assist us in the future in helping customers to understand the relationship that their usage has with their bills.
Glen Thomas, Supervisor
MLGW Corporate Communications
Women in Black
It was good of the Flyer to write about the Memphis “Women in Black” (August 23rd issue). Like water on a stone, small acts of quiet and determined defiance can make a difference on this planet over time.
I have driven down Cooper on a number of Wednesdays and wondered, Who are these women and why do they do it? Now, thanks to the Flyer, I know. Hopefully, their persistent protest will inspire others to join in.
Casey Boyd
Memphis
