Tag: Memphis

Details Obtained in Roger Stone Juror Tomeka Hart’s Jury Questionnaire Appear to Contradict Public Statements She Made on Twitter

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Tomeka Hart

The lead juror at Roger Stone’s trial said in a written questionnaire for prospective jurors that she was “not sure” whether she posted online about the Russia investigation or Stone, and that she “may have shared an article” on social media on the topics, according to a portion of the document reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

But Tomeka Hart’s Twitter feed shows that she indeed posted multiple times about the Russia probe and at least once about Stone, who was sentenced on Thursday to 40 months in prison in a case that stemmed from the special counsel’s investigation.

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Commentary: Congress Shouldn’t Let ‘Operation Choke Point’ Return to Tennessee

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On January 29, the U.S. Congress’ Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing on whether the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is undermining the effectiveness of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which helps low- and moderate-income communities secure loans. At this hearing, it is critical that Members of Congress speak out against the decisionmakers who have thus far ignored the renaissance of Operation Choke Point throughout the country. The resurrection of this practice, sometimes referred to as biased banking, violates both the CRA and official OCC policy, and, if not stopped soon, will have severe ramifications for Memphis and the State of Tennessee at large.

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Confederate Statues Removed in Memphis Given to Sons of Confederate Veterans

Zachery Schmidt

  Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) received the statues of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest Tuesday from a Tennessee nonprofit group almost two years after being removed from public parks in Memphis. Bruce McMullen, the city of Memphis’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that the statues have been permanently removed from Memphis and Shelby County. Furthermore, McMullen said the statues were given to the Forrest family and the SCV to “display them as they wish.” Paul Gramling, the commander-in-chief for SCV, confirmed this news on his Facebook page. “Ladies and gentlemen…….I am writing this in order, I hope, to cut down on the speculation of recent events and news from Memphis. Yes, it is true, the statues are no longer in Memphis or Shelby County. They are in an undisclosed, safe and secure location,” he said. Gramling also asked people to not make any “disparaging remarks” about Memphis or city officials to make sure nothing jeopardizes their “efforts and negotiations that still remain.” “Please trust that the Forrest family and National SCV leadership are on top of every aspect of this endeavor,” he said.   SCV and Memphis officials had been in an ongoing court…

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Memphis City Council Candidate Pulls Gun at Polling Station

Chris Butler

  A man running for the Memphis City Council District 7 seat is in trouble after he reportedly pulled a gun at a Memphis polling station. This, according to FOX13Memphis.com. “According to MPD, the incident happened September 16 at the Dave Wells Community Center located on Chelsea Ave. Details surrounding the incident are very limited, but MPD told FOX13 an arrangement was made between the victim and Thurston Smith prior to the conversation where Smith pulled a gun,” the station reported. “Witnesses told MPD they confirmed the victim’s story saying a gun was pulled by Smith. Smith was arrested on Wednesday and posted bond later that day. Smith’s bond was $5,000.” According to The Memphis Commercial Appeal, which had more details, the alleged victim was a poll worker. “The poll worker, Anthony Johnson, got in an argument with Smith about a previous arrangement the pair had, an affidavit said,” the paper reported. “During the argument, Johnson claims Smith pulled a handgun on him, according to the arrest affidavit. Witnesses also say they saw Smith pull the gun, according to the affidavit.” According to his campaign’s Facebook page, Smith describes himself as a teacher, veteran, and activist. According to Tri-StateDefender.com, Smith is…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Wants Taxpayers to Pay to Reduce Memphis’ High Crime Rate

Chris Butler

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat representing Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District, says Memphis’ crime rate is too high and you, the federal taxpayer, must chip in to make it right. Last week, Cohen and U.S. Rep. Val Demings, a Democrat representing Florida’s 10th Congressional District, introduced the Safer Streets Act. They describe it as a new grant program that will help cities with high rates of violent crime. “The Safer Streets Act is intended to provide additional funding to address violent crime in places where the rate is significantly above the national average – places like Memphis,” Cohen said in a press release. “With these grants, local governments with crime rates four times the national average would be eligible for half of the funds; those with three times the national rate would be eligible for 20 percent of the funds and those with twice that national rate would be eligible for the remaining 10 percent of funds. The bill also creates an emergency fund for units of local government that have spikes of violent crime.” If the Safer Streets Act is enacted into law then the U.S. Department of Justice will administer grants to local jurisdictions to hire more law…

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Authorities Say Nashville Man Stole from Taxpayers to Treat His ADHD

Chris Butler

  The Tennessee Office of Inspector General announced several new TennCare fraud arrests this week, including the arrest of one man who allegedly used TennCare to treat his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That man, Thomas William Biggs Jr., 44, of Nashville, was on the run for more than a year and a half, according to a Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration press release. “Seventeen months ago, in January 2018, a Davidson County Grand Jury indicted Biggs for TennCare fraud, accusing him of using TennCare to doctor shop for drugs,” the press release said. “Charges say he used TennCare benefits to visit multiple healthcare providers within a short time period to obtain prescriptions for Adderall, an often-abused amphetamine used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” Elsewhere, according to another press release, authorities charged three Shelby County residents in separate TennCare fraud cases: • Alaa Ahmad, 40, of Memphis, charged with two counts of TennCare fraud and one count of theft of property over $10,000. Ahmad is accused of obtaining TennCare benefits by claiming his minor child was living with him when, in fact, the child lives out of the country. Without the dependent, Ahmad was not eligible for TennCare. •…

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Memphis Appears Inclined to Pursue Corporate Welfare for Graceland

Chris Butler

  Memphis City Council members appear inclined to go forward with a corporate welfare deal for Elvis Presley’s Graceland. According to The Associated Press this week, they have approved part of a plan for a $75 million expansion project at the Memphis tourist hotspot. “The deal doesn’t include soundstages that could act as concert venues. City officials were concerned that the stages would put Graceland in competition with Memphis’ main concert venue, the FedExForum,” according to The AP. As The Tennessee Star reported, Graceland seeks government incentives to help build retail space and a recreational vehicle park, and to expand Graceland’s hotel. Graceland also had been seeking to add soundstages that could act as concert venues. As The Star reported in April, the people who oversee Graceland threatened to disassemble the mansion and relocate it to Nashville or even Asia if they didn’t get their way on corporate welfare. “So why, you might ask, is a city that regularly ranks among the nation’s poorest giving several hundred million dollars in tax breaks to a long-dead rock star’s house museum where the cheapest ticket costs $41?” asked Henry Grabar, writing for Slate.com. “The company and the city came to a preliminary agreement in February that approves…

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Memphis EDGE Reportedly Gives Corporate Welfare to AutoZone

Chris Butler

  Memphis’ Economic Development Growth Engine has reportedly bestowed a generous amount of corporate welfare upon Auto Zone’s headquarters. This, according to The Daily Memphian, which reported the auto parts retailer will receive a 15-year payment-in-lieu of-taxes (PILOT) incentive, via EDGE. The paper also reported the company will expand its downtown Memphis presence. “The PILOT will save AutoZone $11.2 million and generate $14 million in local taxes over the 15-year term,” according to The Daily Memphian. “The property tax abatement is to incentivize the company to choose Memphis for an investment of $145 million in new technology and customer support operations that will create 130 new jobs with an average base salary of $80,439.” The paper reported the company will house new operations about a block north of AutoZone’s main headquarters building at the 100th block of South Front Street. AutoZone bought the property for $2.2 million in May 2018, according to The Daily Memphian. EDGE board members Tom Dyer and Johnny Moore recused themselves from the vote because their companies do business with AutoZone. As The Tennessee Star reported, EDGE is an unelected board of 11 people who have enough power to grant millions of dollars in tax abatements to corporations. As The…

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Elvis Presley’s Graceland Must Wait to Find Out if it’s Getting Corporate Welfare

Chris Butler

  Officials at Elvis Presley’s Graceland attraction must wait a little while longer before they know whether they will receive corporate welfare to expand. This, according to several media outlets, who said Memphis City Council members have postponed a vote on the expansion project. Graceland’s Public Relations Office did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment Friday. According to The Associated Press, council members this week agreed for the fifth time to delay a vote related to a plan to provide tax incentives for a $100 million expansion of the Presley-themed tourist attraction. Graceland seeks government incentives to help build retail space and a recreational vehicle park, and to expand Graceland’s hotel. Graceland also had been seeking to add soundstages that could act as concert venues. “Council members have been concerned that the sound stages would put Graceland in competition with Memphis’ main concert venue, the FedExForum,” The AP reported. “Graceland this week offered a new plan without the soundstages but adding a new ‘auxiliary building.’ Most council members wanted more time to review the new plan.” As The Star reported in April, the people who oversee Graceland threatened to disassemble the mansion and relocate it to Nashville or…

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U.S. Marshals Fight to Contain Riot in Memphis After Suspect Fatally Shot

Chris Butler

  Riots erupted in Memphis’ Frayser community Wednesday after U.S. Marshals shot and killed a man wanted on multiple warrants, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. According to a TBI press release, multiple officers with the United States Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force encountered the man as he got inside a vehicle. “While attempting to stop the individual, he reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exited with a weapon,” according to the TBI press release. “The officers fired striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured.” According to the Nashville-based WKRN, a crowd formed and people threw rocks and bricks. Twenty-five officers suffered mostly minor injuries. Officers had to use tear gas and cordon off several blocks nearby. Officers reportedly arrested three people. “Officers on horseback patrolled the area, and lines of police cars with flashing blue lights were parked along the street. An ambulance could be seen at the outer edge of the scene,” WKRN reported. “A helicopter flew overhead as police cars trickled away. Residential streets were blocked, and a heavy police presence remained in the area Thursday.” Memphis Police and members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s…

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Tennessee Court of Appeals Says Sons of Confederate Veterans Do Not Have Standing to Stop Removal of Statues at Memphis Parks

Jason M. Reynolds

  The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) do not have standing to stop the removal of Confederate statutes at parks the City of Memphis had sold to Memphis Greenspace. Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ordered Memphis Greenspace Inc. to maintain and preserve the statues of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, President Jefferson Davis, and Captain J. Harvey Mathes until a contested case hearing is held with the Tennessee Historical Commission, The Tennessee Star reported in January 2018. Memphis Greenspace is the nonprofit owned by Shelby County Commissioner Val Turner who ‘bought‘ and removed the statues in a questionable transaction with the City of Memphis in December 2017, The Star said. The city sold the parks for only $1,000 each. The Sons of Confederate Veterans had filed for injunctive relief, according to the appeals court ruling. Prior to filing its complaint, the society filed a petition for declaratory relief with the Tennessee Historical Commission that sought a declaration on the applicability of the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2016 (“THPA”) to two parks and related monuments In the present action, the historical-preservation society requested a temporary injunction under the THPA to preserve the parks and monuments…

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Bluff City Law to Film on Location in Memphis, Likely to Get Corporate Welfare

Chris Butler

  The NBC drama Bluff City Law will reportedly film on location in Memphis, and it’s also presumed Tennessee officials will hand out corporate welfare in exchange. This, according to Monday’s Memphis Commercial Appeal. The show stars Jimmy Smits. But Tennessee taxpayers may lose out, said Ron Shultis, policy coordinator for the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee, in an analysis on the group’s website. Beacon is a free-market think tank. “The reason Tennessee should continue to give little—or, even better, outright eliminate these programs—is because film incentives have been shown to be a terrible value. State film incentives became popular in the mid and late 2000s. By 2009, 44 states offered some kind of film incentive. What those in the industry won’t tell you is that since then, thirteen states have completely eliminated their programs and several more have reduced theirs because these programs have been shown to be a bad value for taxpayers,” Shultis wrote. “In fact, a recent study by Tennessee’s Dept. of Economic and Community Development (ECD) found that the $69.1 million given over the life of Tennessee’s program has resulted in $14.7 million in state tax collections, or a 21-cent return on the dollar. This estimate…

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New Shelby County Democratic Party Chairman Harris Fights to Save His Position Amid Multiple Controversies

Jason M. Reynolds

  Michael Harris, who won election as the new Shelby County Democratic Party chairman in April, is already facing discontent in the ranks, with the politician calling a special meeting to save his position. The Daily Memphian on Monday said Harris is the second chairman of the party, which recently re-formed. Many long-standing executive committee members left, and new people, including Harris, entered the party. During a meeting last week, the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee could have chosen to either take no action on Harris or could have scheduled a meeting to specifically consider the issue, the Daily Memphian said. However, Harris agreed to call the meeting himself within 20 days to resolve the matter. The meeting’s date has not been reported. State Rep. Lamar London (D-TN-91) and State Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-TN-29) once thought of running for Harris’ position but backed out, letting him run unopposed, the Daily Memphian said. Now, London is calling for unity ahead of the 2020 elections. Harris’ opponents are not backing down. They say that he filed for bankruptcy eight times, leading to the judge to rule he could not file again for five years, Local Memphis said. The Tennessee Star in…

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