Wednesday, September 30, 2009
(Mud) Island Dreams
Posted by Flyer Staff on Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Alex Harrison is Everywhere
Posted by Flyer Staff on Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Gibbons Files "Ouster" Petition Against City Attorney Elbert Jefferson
Posted by Flyer Staff on Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 4:09 PM
Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Tuesday that the D.A.’s office filed in Criminal Court a petition for ouster against Memphis City Attorney Elbert Jefferson. The petition alleges that Jefferson “knowingly or willfully” committed misconduct in office or neglected to perform duties by expending city funds “for purposes other than lawful municipal purposes.”
Jefferson will be required to appear in Criminal Court Division 5 on October 6, 2009, at which time the District Attorney will ask the court to suspend Jefferson from performing any of the duties of his office until the final decision by the courts in the matter.
The ouster petition was filed after an investigation that included the review of subpoenaed documents from the City of Memphis and testimony of several City of Memphis employees. Based on that investigation, the District Attorney alleges the following in the petition for ouster:
While the city attorney exercises some discretion in approving expenditures under the Law Division’s annual budget, by state statute, all expenditures must be made for a lawful municipal purpose;
While former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton came to believe he was under investigation by a federal grand jury in or before November 2008, the city had no indication or reasonable basis to believe that the city was the subject of that investigation or would ever incur any criminal liability because of the actions of Herenton;
In November 2008, Herenton engaged lawyer Robert Spence to act as his personal criminal defense attorney regarding the federal investigation, and in June 2009, Jefferson authorized the rushed payment of all of Spence’s invoices for representation of Herenton (a total of $55,734.47) from November 2008 through May 2009;
Jefferson later publicly tacitly acknowledged that payment of a city employee’s criminal defense would be unacceptable; and
Jefferson tacitly admitted to Bill Morrison, a member of the Memphis City Council, that at least $7,000 of the expenditure paid to Spence was not for a municipal purpose while defending the rest of the payment and promised to more thoroughly audit the invoices, although such audit has never been presented.
“This action is based on our review of the situation and the information available to us. We contend that Mr. Jefferson knowingly or willingly committed misconduct in office,” said District Attorney Gibbons. “We feel it is in the public’s interest to take the action to file this ouster suit,” he stated.
Under Tennessee law, the district attorney has the authority to file an ouster suit against a public official “holding any office of trust or profit” on his own initiative if upon investigation he finds that there is reasonable cause to believe that that the official has committed misconduct in office or has neglected to perform his duties. The ouster statute also provides one of the few instances in which a district attorney has the power to issue a subpoena without initiating a grand jury or court proceeding.
The Big Lebowski Wins Indie Memphis Latenight Movie Contest
Posted Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Monday, September 28, 2009
Civil Rights Legend Vasco Smith Dies
Posted by Flyer Staff on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 4:09 PM
The death was announced at the County Commission meeting this afternoon by County Mayor A.C. Wharton: “Dr. Vasco Smith just expired a few minutes ago. He served on this body from 1973 to 1994. I’ve been with Ms. Smith in the last hour. And under the circumstances she’s well.”
Smith was the first African American elected at large to the County Commission, serving from 1974 to 1993, always as an eloquent advocate for the dispossessed.He was a leader in the movement to establish The Med as a fully equipped successor to John Gaston charity hospital.
He and his wife Maxine were nationally known civil rights leaders, and instrumental in many seminal events, including the integration of the University of Memphis and Memphis movie theaters.
Smith, for many years a dentist with a widespread practice, was also a near-legendary jazz aficianado, with one of the finest private collections of jazz recordings in existence.
Bone cancer had slowed Smith down in recent years, and a bout of West Nile Virus, accelerated by a weakened immune system, led to his final illness.
The Word(s) From Iverson and Randolph
Posted by Flyer Staff on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Gay Marine Billboard Destroyed
Posted by Flyer Staff on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Tiger Football: Loss is All Too Familiar
Posted by Flyer Staff on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Best Music of the Aughts
Posted by Flyer Staff on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 7:46 AM
Sunday, September 27, 2009
WREG Debate Recap
Posted by Flyer Staff on Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Friday, September 25, 2009
Remaking Suburbia
Posted by Flyer Staff on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mother of Herenton's Son Files Suit
Posted by Flyer Staff on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 3:28 PM
The petition was filed on behalf of Claudine Marsh, the mother of Herenton's youngest son, born in 2004. The suit alleges that Herenton failed to provide health insurance and a means of guaranteeing ongoing child support for the boy. Woods and Jones are asking the court to freeze the $506,845 lump sum Herenton received in lieu of ongoing pension payments when he retired last summer.
More details as this story develops.
Vietnam: Back to the Future?
Posted by Flyer Staff on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 10:51 AM
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