King Willie says he is leaving office to "pursue other challenges" effective 31 July.
With Herenton’s resignation, Memphis’ charter dictates that City Council chairman Scott McCormick will become mayor for 20 days. The council then will vote to appoint an interim mayor to serve until the next municipal or general election, which is scheduled for November. If the council cannot agree on an interim mayor within the 20 days, then CAO McGee becomes mayor until the next election.
Herenton, Memphis mayor since 1991, was re-elected to his fifth term just last November in a contentious three-way race. With his resignation, the city will be subjected to another expensive mayoral election process.
Willie says that he is considering several options, including returning to education from whence he came. A FOH (friend of Herenton) says that Willie is considering either going back to be the Memphis City Schools Superintendent or running for the Ninth Congressional District seat.
But one cannot help but wonder if his sudden departure has anything to do with the ongoing investigations:
As recently as December a federal grand jury subpoenaed records related to Herenton’s association with a city contractor.
The rumors of more arrests spinning off from Tennessee Waltz have refused to die, but I have come to the conclusion that this was more wishful thinking than anything else. Indeed, I think Left Wing Cracker may be correct when he suggests otherwise:
Does this have anything to do with the Grand Jury investigation, or is it just that he wanted one last electoral victory to say F--- YOU to those who wanted him out?
Memphis has long been known as "America's Distribution Center". In addition to people, a lot of goods move through Memphis every year. After all, Memphis International handles more cargo than any other airport in the world, and Memphis is home to the second largest inland port in the country, services five Class 1 railroads, and is a conduit for over 200 trucking firms.
Memphis is the logistics center of America. 17 percent of the work force works in logistics, the most of any metropolitan area in the country. Intermodal transportation is the railroad’s fastest-growing freight category, and Memphis logistical operations continues to grow. Just last year, Canadian National Railway began a 2 1/2 year, $100 million project to expand their operations in Memphis.
So it is no wonder that the topic of another bridge over the river to connect Memphis and Arkansas pops up from time to time. We only have two, and the big I-40 bridge was opened way back in 1972.
Tentative plans call for installing a bridge at the southern edge of West Memphis, through the city’s industrial park and the river port. The bridge would cross the Mississippi River there and reconnect with Interstate 55 south of President’s Island near downtown Memphis.
Another idea is to build a bridge just north of Marion. The bridge would merge with the northern loop of Interstate 40 in northwest Memphis.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation conducted a study several years ago and recommended crossing the Mississippi River in south Arkansas as part of the Interstate 69 proposal. Interstate 69 is a proposed traffic corridor running from Evansville, Ill., to Houston.
Officials with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said a new Mississippi River bridge will cost between $ 450 million and $ 710 million, and it would take five to 10 years to build.
Another reason for the bridge is the amount of traffic that rolls through West Memphis, Arkansas:
A new bridge would alleviate much of the truck transport traffic that rolls through West Memphis, said Ward Wimbish, director of economic development for the city of West Memphis. The 1. 5-mile stretch of roadway in the midst of the Crittenden County city doubles as Interstate 44 and 55 and is the third most congested area in the country, highway records indicate.
The two existing bridges see more than a hundred thousand vehicles a day roll across their structures. Think of the impact if a terrorist attack takes out one of them.
It's time for a third bridge.
Tennessee's Narcotics Officer of the Year for 2006 was charged with taking regular payments from drug dealers and selling anabolic steroids:
Some two dozen Memphis police officers have been indicted for public corruption since 2004, but Valentine's arrest is particularly troubling to officials because he also held supervisory duties.
According to an affidavit, Valentine received regular payments from drug dealers for three years in exchange for assisting the movement of one marijuana shipment per month. The arrangement ended in 2000 when one of the traffickers' associates was arrested.
An informant said Valentine also worked with him in the spring and summer of this year in buying and distributing anabolic steroids.
Bad people are found in almost any job, including those who pledge to protect and serve. Yet they remain trusted by the public, a sentiment I don't understand. Yes, most cops are good people, just as are most politicians. But I won't trust a cop with my life any more than I trust a politician with my bank account information.
Remembering that all politics are local, join your state gun rights organization, whether you get a carry permit or not. Keep the criminals guessing as to who may be armed. Because you never know who the criminals are, and may not find out until it's too late.
Memphis Mayor Herenton's tied up in another scandal, this one involving a questionable land deal with a man that has received numerous no-bid contracts from the city.
Known as "King Willie" because of his tyrannical misuse of power, the mayor lives in a $529,400 house at 5281 Horn Lake Road, a rather nice neighborhood. Here's an aerial view of his 5 bedroom, 4 full bath home.
He also owns an adjoining lot at the corner of Horn Lake and Dubois Drive, which has been appraised by the Shelby County Assessor of Property at $45,000.
In October 2005, Herenton sold the lot to E.W. Moon, LLC (view the warranty deed) for $50,000. Then just months later, in May 2006, Moon gave the property back. Gave, as in "for free". (View the quit claim.)
Herenton is now building a home on the lot and sees "nothing improper" about the deal with Moon, even though Moon has received $702,000 no-bid city road design contracts from the mayor since 2002. (The mayor is the man that approves city contracts. As I understand it, the city council can't do anything except make recommendations.)
Reached in his Los Angeles office, Moon said he didn't give or loan Herenton $50,000, but said he forwarded the money to the mayor because he intends to buy the house when it's finished. Moon said he doesn't have a written contract on the house but does have an oral agreement to buy it.
"You don't have to put everything in writing. We're friends,'' he said.
Indeed. And you don't have to exchange money in the light of day, either. It takes really good, trustworthy friends to move money under the table. And this looks like a good way to move money under the table — only they got caught.
But so what? It seems that these actions don't even violate Memphis' ethics rules!
This is not the first time that this particular lot has made Willie money. According to records on the Shelby County Register of Deeds site, Herenton sold this lot to Joyce P. Kelly in 1996 for $35,000. Then in 2003, Kelly sold it back to the mayor for $28,000 — after seven years of real estate appreciation as high-dollar houses sprung up all around it. After all, it is located in Banneker Estates, a gated community that Herenton has developed and in which his own home is located.
The name Joyce Kelly is a familiar one in Memphis politics, as it is the name of the mayor's girlfriend and sometimes fiancee. She first entered the public light in 1989, when County Commissioner Pete Sisson charged Herenton (who was Memphis City Schools Superintendent) with promoting Joyce Kelly to principal of Corry Junior High while she was having an affair with Herenton (Thaddeus Mathews has a scan of the story).
Cross posted at TennWatch.
Drove to work from the 'burbs this morning with no problems, although I admit to routing around the one big arching bridge that I usually go over.
The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force (now that's a mouthful) conducted months of investigations. It all paid off when they busted into 32 y.o. Kevin Taylor's house to find 57 pounds of cocaine ($700,000 on the street).
A single cop stopped a pickup for speeding and the resulting search turned up 66 pounds of coke ($840,000).
Sometimes, you just get lucky. Mostly, I think, because criminals are stupid. Why would you speed when you're running drugs? Perhaps Copperhead Road was in the CD player?
All you conservatives, especially you Memphis political bloggers, are missing out on a great opportunity to meet candidates when you don't show up at the SCCRC (Shelby County Conservative Republican Club) meetings.
For those of you who are interested, I'll be posting my thoughts over at Volitics.
It's only for Shelby County for now, but Fayette and Desoto Counties are promised soon.
Put in your favorite candidate or politician and find out how involved they really are!
Austin Farley, (R) TN State Representative Candidate for District 97, will be holding his campaign kickoff/fundraiser on Sunday March 26, 2006 at Range USA. Go to www.rangeusa.com for directions and other information concerning the range. You don't have to be a shooter to enjoy it either, just come for the fellowship! The fund-raiser will start at 1:30 PM and end at 5:00 PM, just in time for you to get to the evening service. The cost will be $30 per person and proceeds will benefit Austin's campaign. Please contact him either by email or phone and he will give you any information that is not listed here. It will be a blast; featuring food, fun and shooting competitions that the whole family can enjoy!The $30 covers target and ammo. I guess it's BYOG (bring your own gun) so I wonder how much ammo I'll get for my thirty bucks.For more information, you may contact Austin Farley:901-604-7560
www.austinfarley.org
austin@austinfarley.org
Every four years the political parties gather at their national conventions. In 2004 the Republicans came together to nominate George Dubya for the presidency. In 2008 they will do it again to nominate the next Republican presidential candidate. There is wall-to-wall coverage and everybody who's anybody is there.Every two years there are smaller, regional conventions. But this year is special: the Southern states and the Midwest states are combining so 26 states will be represented at the 2006 Southern Republican Leadership Conference held in Memphis.
About 2,000 attendees are expected. For comparisons sake, the largest SRLC to date was in Biloxi, Mississippi in '98 and had a little more than 1,600 in attendance. The one two years ago was in Miami and only drew about 600.
The 2006 convention starts on Friday so it's T minus 2 days and counting. Here's what the LA Times has to say:
On Thursday, the Republican race will gain new prominence when more than 1,500 GOP activists gather in Memphis, Tenn., for three days of politicking and speeches. A highlight will be appearances by several of the party's top presidential hopefuls, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, an early front-runner for the Republican nod.Note that the "meaningless" straw poll in '98 picked George Dubya even though earlier events like this had him trailing significantly and even though he was not in attendance. But no matter how you slice it, this poll will be important for a few reasons.There will also be a straw poll of delegates to the Southern and Midwestern Leadership Conference, which is likely to draw wide notice as a test of strength and a gauge of early voter sentiments — even if similar straw polls have proved meaningless in the past.
First, McCain is campaigning hard and earnestly courting Bush donors. It is expected that he will have a strong showing in the straw poll after speaking at the conference (he is on the schedule). After all, he took a strong second at CPAC and he wasn't even there. If he fails to impress the party faithful of half the states (including some of the reddest) then he'll have to rethink his message.
Second, Giuliani isn't even going to be there. If he does well in the poll, he may be encouraged to run (he took third at CPAC).
Third, this is Bill Frist's home state and Tennesseans should be well represented. If Frist can't show well here after speaking (he is also on the schedule, although for late Saturday afternoon, well after the poll begins) then he should also rethink some things. He was fifth at CPAC with a dismal 6%.
Fourth, what if Condi does well? She wasn't even invited to speak but Americans for Rice will be manning a booth and may even be running commercials on Fox News in the Memphis market. She garnered 10% of the vote at the CPAC, taking fourth place well ahead of Frist. Not bad for a non-candidate.
Ah well, I'll be posting things as time and resources allow. I'll have my camera but I'll need an electrical outlet because my laptop battery gives very limited life. Hopefully this won't be a problem because I've received an email confirmation that I am a credentialed blogger for the convention. The blogger table is next to the media table and rumor has it that Sean Hannity will be there. Maybe I'll be able to get a pic of him, too.
As of this date, confirmed speakers are:
Technorati Tags: SRLC, Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Political Conventions, Republican Politics, Memphis, Tennessee.
Today is the last day for getting the early registration price for the 2006 Southern Republican Leadership Conference. $150 today for the four day event but it goes up to $225.See ya there.
Technorati Tags: SRLC,
Southern Republican Leadership Conference,
Political Conventions,
Memphis,
Tennessee.
Of course, Herenton hasn't done himself any favors by his actions. He fired city employees because of budgetary issues but lavishly spent money for redecorating his offices and has hired a small army of body guards.
But the proof of dirty politics might come from the corruption trial of a mayor in another state. During testimony in the trial of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, Dewey Clark testified that he gave money to Herenton:
Clark, 45, who once worked as the Atlanta mayor's personal assistant-- and lived in his basement apartment for six years-- testified he gave Herenton thousands of dollars in cash. ...Atlanta Mayor Campbell is the subject of a seven-year federal investigation into city contracting and campaign fund-raising shenanigans. This testimony indicates that Memphis Mayor Herenton should also have been the subject of a federal probe (if indeed it turns out that there wasn't a parallel investigation).[Defense atty. Jerry] Froelich: And how much do you allege you paid Mayor Herenton?
Clark: I gave a $1,000 contribution in my name. I gave Reginald French $1,000 to put in his name. I gave Reginald French $1,000 to put in his wife's name. And I gave the mayor $9,000 cash in his office.
Herenton is scheduled to testify at Campbell's trial later this month and is using that as an excuse not to answer questions from the press. But there is more than just Dewey Clark's testimony; Herenton's name pops up again and again in a series of transcripts from FBI wire taps. Fred Prewitt and Atlanta contractor Bert Timmerman are "known to be in the business of paying money to secure city contracts." A local news station has some of the tapes and they appear to be damaging.
At this point everything is hearsay; no evidence that Herenton accepted a bribe has been presented. However, given the FBI wiretaps and the long investigation in Georgia, one would think (and hope) that the FBI spun off a team to probe Herenton's alleged corruption. If so, Herenton's testimony at Campbell's trial will have to lay the foundation for his story at his own trial.
In the meantime, local radio personality and blogger Thaddeus Matthews continues his grass-roots effort to recall Herenton and wonders which will take down Herenton first: the voters or the FBI.
Perhaps someone should consider how to take away Herenton's new "Legacy of Excellence" award. Aw, probably not. This is the city that reelected Ricky Peete to the city council as soon as he got out of the federal pen for a bribery conviction.
Technorati Tags: Memphis Politics, Tennessee Politics, Mayor Herenton, Willie Herenton, Mayor Campbell, Bill Campbell, Corruption.
His sister, Ophelia Ford, decided to keep the seat in the family. Which makes sense, as the Ford machine has controlled politics in this neck of the woods for quite some time (although their star is fading somewhat).
Store owner Terry Roland decided to try and take the seat away from Democrats, becoming a first-time candidate for the GOP.
Thaddeus Matthews predicted a landslide win for Roland. Memphis Blue said it was looking "like the beginning of hte [sic] end of the Ford dynasty."
I never believed it, taking Half-Bakered's position that "the Fords are famous for last minute "miracle" saves." Actually, I take the position that Democrats are famous for last minute miracle saves.
Indeed, the newscasts called the race for Roland with 98% of the precincts reporting. He was over 200 votes ahead.
Then the "miracle": Ophilia Ford wins by 12 votes.
Roland has already said that he will meet with his legal team in the morning as they prepare to challenge the results. This is not surprising as an earlier Roland press release charged that voter fraud was already taking place during early voting (although Half-Bakered was suspicious of the document's origin):
Early voting for the special election began August 26th at the Election Commission office. In the first 200 votes cast in Shelby County, five people voted with no record of ever having registered to vote. Additionally, some voted that public records list as convicted felons.Team GOP reports:"While this may not be conclusive proof of illegal voting, it certainly warrants investigation. If this is any indication of a trend in the overall voting, it is very serious indeed," said Darrin Kirkus, campaign coordinator for Terry Roland.
A small but heavily democratic precinct with reportedly less than 100 votes cast today only turned in two of three vote counting cartridges when the polls closed. Police have been dispatched to retrieve the unsecured third cartridge. It appears to be business as usual in the land of the Fords.Hopefully voter fraud can be proven in court. But I'll not hold my breath. After all, this is the town that once found John Ford not guilty when he stood trial for shooting a pistol at a truck driver.
A 17-year-old kid decided to break into some cars in Autozone Park, which is close to the historic Peabody Hotel -- which is where the president is headed for his overnight stay before addressing Memphis about Social Security reform.
As one would expect, security was heightened:
Memphis police said the 17-year-old suspect is in custody for firing shots at officers across the street from the Peabody Hotel.Consider the layers of stupidity:The youth was reportedly trying to break into cars around Auto Zone Park when a officer spotted him. Officers say he ran and fired shots.
Police caught up with the suspect near the intersection of Third and Monroe streets.
Memphis police reported the youth said he was stealing stereos from cars and was not aware the president was in the neighborhood.
No police officers were hit by gunfire, though some reportedly suffered minor bruises and scrapes in the pursuit of the suspect.
Extra police were on duty in the neighborhood of the hotel because of the president's overnight stay.
I am very pleased to read Mike's analysis because he thinks Ed Bryant has a pretty good chance, a congressman that gave up his seat to run for the senate two years ago when Fred Thompson stepped down to return to acting. In what I consider one of Rove's more horrendous mistakes, the White House spurned the solidly-conservative Bryant and backed middle-of-the-road Alexander. (Another horrendous mistake was backing Specter over Toomey in Pennsylvania, but that's another story.) The only good that came out of that farce was that Marsha Blackburn took Bryant's place in congress, maintaining a true conservative in that seat.
Ed Bryant will be speaking to the Defenders of Freedom this Thursday in mid-town Memphis (so there's no excuse for Mike not to be there <g>):
| Date: | 02/24/05 (Thursday ) |
| Time: | 6:30 PM |
| Place: | Neil's Corner of Madison & McLean |
| Parking in rear & next door. (Great food too). | |
* I know "Journalistic-quality post" isn't much of a compliment , but it was all I could come up with at the moment.
That, of course, leaves the seat open until a special election can be held.
The Shelby County Commission got to pick an interim replacement until a special election can be held. Commission chair Michael Hooks pushed for Sidney Chism. Why? Because Chism is a long-time Democrat operative and party faithful. Hooks knows that Chism will dutifully serve until the election without running, allowing Hooks to step in and win himself.
Hooks considered having himself appointe to the interim position but had he done so he would have been prevented from raising campaign funds to cover his run for the seat (government officials are forbidden to raise money while the legislature is in session). With a party loyalist acting as a placeholder Hooks has the advantage over many of his Democrat rivals who also want the seat, current representatives Henri Brooks, Kathryn Bowers, and Joe Towns: he can raise money but they can't.
But Hooks has a little problem in his quest for a seat in the senate: he missed the filing deadline for financial disclosure statements. One would think that he, a career politician familiar with these well-documented procedures, would abandon his quest and return to his commissioner work with grace. One would think wrong: he is suing the state and the Shelby County Election Commission to keep his name on the ballot.
Hooks is basing his suit on the fact that others (including himself) have missed filing deadlines in the past and still had their paperwork accepted.
Drew Rawlins, Director of Tennessee's Registry of Election Finance, says regardless of what Bailey and Bolton got away with in previous elections, the state will still hold Hooks to the standard.This, of course, is the same Michael Hooks that was arrested for drug paraphernalia in 2001. Somehow the two pots of boiling water and plate with traces of cocaine were swept under the rug -- oh wait, that's because county chief deputy Don Wright said not to do a search of the apartment and adjacent office. Wright was, after all, top assistant to Sheriff A.C. Gilless, who ran an incredibly corrupt department."We have taken the position that (candidates) are ineligible if they do not file by the qualifying deadline," says Rawlins. "Mr. Hooks' position is he can file his reports by some arbitrary deadline."
But wait, there's more: Hooks' residence is listed as 2143 S. Parkway East in Midtown, which is outside of District 33. In December he changed his voter registration to his godmother's house on Hays Road which is in District 33. This isn't illegal, of course. State law (as intrepreted by the state supreme court) says that the person must live in the district by election day.
One thing Hooks won't have to worry about is Democrat State Rep. Joe Towns Jr. running for the senate seat. Towns tried to run but withdrew after being ruled ineligible. It turns out that he failed to file not one, but two campaign finance reports last year and has an outstanding fine of $10,000. [One wonders if a state representative is qualified to help run a state if he can't keep his campaign finances in order.]
The primary election will be held on Thursday, March 24. The general election will be held on Tuesday, May 10. As an aside, why would Roscoe Dixon resign from the state senate to become a mayorial aide? Why would a career politician take a step down? Truthfully I don't know, but I suspect it has something to do with the struggle for power in the county and Dixon is betting on Memphis mayor Herenton to win. One of the other players in our saga, new senate appointee Chism, has long been allied with Memphis mayor Herenton in a bid to take over the power base in Shelby County, wresting control from the Ford-Farris coalition which has controlled politics here for decades.
I'm hoping commenters will voice some opinions and expand my knowledge in this area.
BTW, Dixon has actually been working for the mayor since last September and drawing a six-figure salary. By delaying his resignation until January he has been collecting a paycheck from both the county and the state, bilking the taxpayers.
Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc., (TTR) an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan, statewide taxpayer advocacy group, today awarded the City of Memphis the dubious distinction of Winner of the 2005 Tennessee Tax Bowl. Memphis competed with four hundred and two (402) city and county tax jurisdictions around the state and came out on top with a combined city/county property tax rate of $7.27. TTR pointed out that this is more than a dollar above the second place city.But fear not, those who live in other Shelby County cities: Germantown comes in at #5, Collierville and Bartlett at numbers 8 and 9 respectively, Millington at #14 and Arlington at #18, meaning that every municipality in the county makes the top 20.
We live in the ugly part of the state, in a crime-infested rat-hole, and have to pay the most for the "priviledge". What's wrong with this picture?
Note: The rates for all 402 cities as well as county residents can be found on the Comptroller's site.
Muslims planned to turn an old sod farm near Memphis into a cemetery, but angry neighbors protested, complaining the burial ground could become a staging ground for terrorists or spread disease from unembalmed bodies.It was not the first time a group faced opposition when trying to build a cemetery or a mosque, but the dispute stood out for the clarity of its anti-Muslim rhetoric.
"We know for a fact that Muslim mosques have been used as terrorist hideouts and centers for terrorist activities,'' farmer John Wilson told members of a planning commission last month....
Memphis businessman Mohammad Halimah said the group is considering several options, including refiling the request.
Halimah, a U.S. citizen with four children born in the United States, said more than 15,000 Muslims live in the Memphis area, and their small private cemetery is running out of burial space.
In the meantime, he and several colleagues are trying to meet with residents individually to discuss their concerns. No zoning change is needed for a cemetery on church grounds, so building a mosque on the site is also a possibility.
Complaints about the proposal, he said, are often based on ignorance. Some residents do not understand that Islam teaches peace.
The seven Iraqi civic and community leaders are in the midst of a three-week American tour, sponsored by the State Department, that also includes stops in Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago.When they got here:They are visiting Memphis to learn about the government process and the city's place in the civil rights struggle.
Elisabeth Silverman, the group's host and head of the Memphis Council for International Visitors, said Brown told her he would "evacuate the building and bring in the bomb squads" if the group entered.Yet the group was dropped off at City Hall, blocks away from the new location.Brown denied that, saying he was only concerned about the safety of the delegation and the people in City Hall.
"We don't know exactly what's going on. Who knows about the delegation, and has the FBI been informed?" Brown said.
On the walk back, a pair of thieves snatched Hido's purse, which contained $50, traveler's checks and a camera. They brandished a gun at Fanari, demanding his wallet. When Fanari tried to signal the driver of a passing car, the thieves ran.Good Lord, they come from a war-torn, unstable, fledgling country and get held up in Memphis. The irony."They wanted to shoot me and steal my bag," Hido said just before the delegation left for Los Angeles Wednesday. "It's going to happen anyplace, in any country. The important thing is, we are safe. And my passport was in the hotel room."
Hat tip to Fishkite Mick for a post at Memphis Red Blogs.
A typical deserted, overgrown lot-- except that this one doesn't have any razor wire around it -- with dilapidated buildings in the background. Not a real pretty picture of America, but there it is.
But what I found interesting was the billboard:
Ladies and gentlemen, your tax dollars at work . . . giving away your tax dollars.
Congratulations to Swelter for moving up in the charts at MP3.com. This up-and-coming band is produced by Willie Pevear, who has engineered numerous records by artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, Johnny Cash, and many, many more. As a producer at Memphis Records he is working with bands such as Stout, Mrs. Fletcher, North Mississippi Allstars, Urlyriser, and the Subteens.
The band is looking for a talented singer that has a commanding stage presence. Equally important is the ability to write truly inspired lyrics and haunting melodies.
If you think you are star caliber and have the dedication to devote to a dynamic band on the brink of success, contact info@swelteronline.com
I understand the questions about combining school districts, taxes, crime, and turning the Pyramid into an Indian casino. These are certainly pertinent to a local election. I even understand the abortion and Second Amendment questions. Although less under the control of a local official, cities can impact how these are supported or restricted by city services.
But this question throws me: Do you believe that Israels leadership should stand strong against the Palestinians and do not give away any more land?
This is not California, and our city officials do not habitually pass meaningless resolutions about foreign policy.
I am also disappointed by the fact that "Prince Mongo" Hodges, habitual candidate, did not respond to the questions. (For those who do not know, Prince Mongo claims to be from the planet Zambodia.)
Other links:
... are meeting tonight (Monday) at Cozymel's Restaurant (6450 Poplar Ave) starting at 6:30. Come. Meet fun people. Eat. Listen. Learn.
The Shelby County chapter of the Tenneesee Firearms Association is meeting tonight at Range USA. The meeting kicks off at 7 p.m. but come early and enjoy dinner at the grill.
The speaker will be John Harris, Executive Director of the TFA. John has been involved in "the cause" at the state level since day one and has a unique perspective on where we've come from, where we are, and where we're going. He is a dynamic speaker and is sure to be interesting.
Three and a half days after the super-storm that knocked out 70% of MLGW's customers, 57% remain in the dark:
MLGW reported this afternoon that 176,000 customers remain without power, down from 190,000,which the utility reported in the dark this morning, and 306,000 at the peak of the outage caused by Tuesday's storm.
Meanwhile Mayor Willie W. Herenton's office said this afternoon that cleanup from Tuesday's storm is estimated to cost the city $39 million.
This was one bad-ass storm:
Herman Morris, MLGW president and CEO, said that in some areas damage was so extensive, "It would be easier to install a brand new electric system rather than rebuilding it."
MLGW crews are working 14 hour shifts, while some city workers are doing 16 hour shifts replacing traffic lights:
The storm Tuesday broke, damaged or destroyed signals at 75 percent of the intersections with traffic lights, City Engineer Wain Gaskins said. The city's got 165 traffic signals on back order at the factory; they won't be available for 30 days.
The city's engineering division has received authorization to make $150,000 in emergency purchases, Gaskins said. The typical light costs about $250. "Our normal vendors have depleted their supply. We're now having to go straight to the manufacturer."
A typical major storm will damage 15 to 20 signals, he said. "Now we may be looking at somewhere between 700 and 800 (signals)."
Some choice photos of storm damage can be found here.