Hot Schools Mean Lost Hours For City Students You know the old saying: Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Well, Memphians have been talking and talking and talking about air-conditioning the public schools for as long as we can remember, and yet there are still nine schools here without a whiff of A.C. The ones getting burned in the long run are the students at these places, missing 49,140 hours over five days -- a number that grows by about 10,000 hours every time the schools revert to abbreviated schedules (letting out two hours early.) Since the state Department of Education counts the four-hour days the same as regular school days, students don't have to make up the missed classtime; it's lost forever. Here's the toll so far, as of press time on September 7th): Julian Bolton It's Bolton Vs. Ford In Day Care Suit It sounds strange to just about everyone else, but attorney and Shelby County Commissioner Julian Bolton insists that his longtime friendship with fellow commissioner James Ford won't interfere with his courtroom finesse when Bolton represents the family suing Children's Palace Learning Academy Ford happens to be the owner of the Children's Palace, a day care center with four locations throughout Memphis. Bolton was hired on behalf of Darnecia Slater's parents after the toddler died of hypothermia after being left in a day care van last month. They are asking for $20 million in compensatory and punitive damages. "There is absolutely no conflict," Bolton says. "This is like a business transaction. This will not affect my loyalty to the Slaters. I'm not going to litigate this in the newspaper. The family -- they don't want to hear about all this." Bolton says he told the family about his affiliation with Ford and also says they still trust him as their counsel. "It don't bother me," Darnecia Slater's mother, Julia Ann Slater, says, when contacted by the Flyer. "Should it?" -- Ashley Fantz Birch Stays Put Television news anchor Joe Birch re-signed last week with WMC-TV Channel 5, his on-air home for more than two decades, despite a flood of interest from stations both here and elsewhere. "I was privileged to get calls from a lot of places and I had to do some soul-searching," he says. "But after long consideration and prayerful discernment, I concluded I'm already at the best place for me." Industry sources say the new five-year deal is likely worth more than $1 million, although Birch himself declines to discuss numbers. "There is every reason to believe that there will be enough money for the Birch kids to go to college," he says. -- Jim Hanas MLGW Heads Off Millennium Bug If civilization threatens to crumble January 1, 2000, at least Memphians won't be without light, gas, or water. Realizing that even the nuts stockpiling weapons and stuffing their savings under mattresses for the all-hell-breaks-loose New Year shouldn't be without the power they pay for, Memphis Light, Gas and Water has spent four years making their systems double-0 date-compliant. Originally, MLGW planned to spend about $6 million updating and replacing software and hardware that couldn't handle the rollover. After getting rid of a few systems that, on close inspection, were obsolete and purchasing new hand-held meters for employees, the utility company had spent just $3 million. That figure includes fees for inside company consultants and trips to regional and national Y2K conferences. "As far as our hardware that we had to throw out -- that didn't even amount to more than a bucketful," executive Y2K coordinator Howard Locke says. "We looked at everything we had and replaced about 3 percent of our computer chips. Because we started early looking at potential problems, we were able to hire Y2K consultants in Memphis or within the company. That saved us some money." MLGW also met with their 35 gas suppliers and pipeline companies to ensure they were following up on their own Y2K preparations. "We sat down face-to-face with them," Locke says. "We didn't want to rely on a bunch of letters being sent back and forth." While everyone else is throwing streamers and drinking champagne on New Year's Eve, MLGW employees will be on call in case something does go wrong. Locke says the Y2K team is prepared to handle any emergency, including systems downed by wind and ice storms. Several crews will spend the weekend after the New Year at work, making sure everything is working properly before Memphians put their work to its ultimate test -- a busy Monday workday. "If anyone remembers what we did for Y2K," Locke says, I hope they think we did too much -- that we were committed to overkill." -- Ashley Fantz Lawsuit Brings A Sour Note To Blues Festival Officials with the King Biscuit Blues Festival say the show will go on despite a lawsuit filed last week which threatens the 14-year-old event. "Right now everybody -- the city, the Municipal League -- says it [the suit] has no validity and to move on ahead with the festival, because come October 7th, they're going to be coming," says festival executive director Randy Williams. Attorney Jimmie Wilson filed the class-action lawsuit against the city of Helena in Phillips County Chancery Court last Wednesday. The suit, which names the local chapter of the NAACP and several local businesses as plaintiffs, alleges that three city ordinances designed to benefit the festival are, in fact, unconstitutional. In particular, the suit calls the use of "Blues Bucks" as a form of currency at the festival illegal. It also says that the closing of downtown streets for the festival hurts the citizens of Helena by hampering city services such as the police and fire departments. Perhaps the most damaging accusation, however, is that the festival discriminates against African-American businesses while benefitting a select group of "European Americans." Williams calls the claims of bias against the festival ludicrous but concedes that some of the laws governing it may be outdated. "I think there are probably one or two ordinances that could be fine-tuned because of the growth of the festival," he says. "For instance, right now a requirement of the festival is that the merchants along Cherry Street have to sign off on it and there has to be a two-thirds majority. That's something that now really should be handled by the city council." Neither the blues festival nor its umbrella organization, the nonprofit Main Street Helena, were named as defendants in the lawsuit. A Chancery Court judge was scheduled to hear the case this Friday, but attorneys with the municipal league were seeking to have it moved to federal court, Williams says. Such a move would almost ensure the case would not be heard until after this year's festival, scheduled for October 7-9. If a judge found any of the ordinances in question unconstitutional before then, it might force organizers to postpone the festival. The case took a strange turn earlier this week when the Helena Daily World reported that several of the plaintiffs named in the class-action suit weren't even aware they were a part of it. The story did not, however, name any of the complaining plaintiffs. Attorney Wilson did not return calls to his office earlier this week. Named for the King Biscuit Time radio program of the '40s, the King Biscuit Blues Festival is considered the largest free blues festival in the world. Organizers this year say they are expecting 100,000 visitors over the festival's three days to see such acts as Little Milton, Son Seals, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood, who starred on the original radio program with harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson II. -- Mark Jordan Clerk Demoted After Assisting Court During Judge's Absence Criminal Court Judge Joe Brown had nothing but compliments last week for demoted courtroom clerk Carolyn Leaks. Brown even described her as "meticulous" to Commercial Appeal reporter Lawrence Buser. But then, Brown owes Leaks at least that much for trying to keep his office running while he was in Los Angeles taping his Judge Joe Brown television show. Leaks has been reassigned and handed a pay cut as punishment for improperly issuing arrest warrants in Brown's absence. Her paycheck will be reduced from $2,052 to $1,734 per month. Brown, meanwhile, makes $102,240 a year as a Shelby County Criminal Court judge, in addition to an undisclosed amount for his television work. During the taping season he travels to Los Angeles every other week. Last year, Brown was absent from the bench 80 working days, almost twice as many as any other Criminal Court judge in Tennessee. He has recently clashed with the state Supreme Court over his absences, when the Court refused his request to have retired judge H.T. Lockard designated as his regular replacement. -- Heather Heilman RU4UT? New Vol Plates Go On Sale The Shelby County Clerk's office received its first University of Tennessee National Football Championship license plates last Wednesday, providing a nice litmus test for just how devoted to UT this non-SEC town is. According to deputy administrator Charles Nichols, the clerk's office sold 118 of the new plates the day they went on sale and a total of 300 by week's end. By comparison, some 2,000 of the plates were sold last week in Knox County, the actual home of the Vols. "I thought we'd get rid of a thousand the first week," says Nichols, adding that sales might pick up now that the season is under way. Another 1,000 plates are on the way, just in case. The orange-and-white tags commemorate UT's 13-0 season last year. Of course, University of Memphis specialty plates have been available for quite some time, a fact that Nichols -- whose office is strewn with Tiger memorabilia -- is quick to point out. "And they're a whole lot prettier than that orange," he says. -- Jim Hanas Heat Withers New Trees In Shelby Farms About 10,000 hardwood seedlings planted by volunteers last February in Shelby Farms are struggling to survive the extended summer drought, according to park superintendent Tim Martin. "It's just impossible to irrigate 10,000 trees," Martin says. Martin wasn't sure how many trees have already died, but the park is working on an evaluation of the situation to turn into the National Tree Trust in October. The sapplings were donated by the timber industry through the National Tree Trust. Many of them were planted around Patriot Lake in an attempt to provide shade to the walking/jogging trail that circles the lake. At present, that area has less than half a dozen trees more than 10 feet tall. The new trees, if they survive the summer, have a way to go --most of them are less than two feet tall. Heavy rains in the spring actually prevented the death toll from reaching even higher. Donated chestnut trees that are being carefully cultivated in a greenhouse are doing just fine, according to Martin, as is a grove of saplings recently planted at the eastern end of the park. The dry weather also means a "high fire hazard" in Shelby Farms, according to Martin, and access to certain areas is being controlled. -- Heather Heilman Short Takes * Bluesman R.L. Burnside underwent corrective heart surgery last week at an undisclosed Memphis hospital. Burnside, who cancelled two shows recently complaining of exhaustion and shortness of breath, had an angioplasty performed to unclog his heart arteries. Doctors expect a full recovery. Burnside, 72, has been a local favorite in the hill country of northwest Mississippi for decades, championing, with his late contemporary Junior Kimbrough, a form of electrified country boogie distinct from Delta blues. In recent years, he has found mainstream success through collaborations with rock musician Jon Spencer and his own acclaimed albums on Oxford's Fat Possum label. * On Tuesday, Memphis-based Promus Hotel Corporation announced it was being bought by the Hilton Hotel group for approximately $4 billion. Company officials predicted many of the 1,300 Promus employees here will stay put. The purchase does, however, signal the end of the presence of one most fabled businesses in Memphis. Kemmons Wilson opened his first Holiday Inn on Summer Avenue in 1952. That hotel grew into one of the giants of the hospitality industry, eventually changing its name to the Promus Companies. The English firm Bass PLC bought the Holiday Inns division in 1990 and moved its headquarters to Atlanta. In 1995, Promus split into the casino-oriented Harrah's Entertainment and hotel/motel division Promus. Earlier this year, Harrah's announced it would move its headquarters back to Las Vegas. n making a DIFFERENCE Racism and prejudice are hardly vices unknown to Memphis, but there are folks who are making a difference, especially members of the National Conference for Community and Justice. Founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the human relations group has worked to transform communities into inclusive societies, fighting bias, bigotry, and racism in America. The Memphis chapter will hold its first Walk As One Walk-a-thon this fall to bring Memphians together to celebrate the city's rich diversity. The walk will also help raise money for the group's youth leadership programs, including Anytown, Anytown Youth Connection, and Minitown. Young people are brought together to understand and respect their differences while learning they are not so different after all. To help promote Walk As One, the NCCJ is creating symbols of unity that will be displayed at area restaurants, allowing a larger, diverse group of Memphians to participate in NCCJ's mission. For this worthwhile project, the National Conference for Community and Justice will receive the 15th Making a Difference in Millennial Memphis grant. As part of its 10th-anniversary celebration, The Memphis Flyer is giving away $50,000 in grants of $1,000 each. The money is provided by an anonymous Memphian who hopes to encourage what might be called "good works" -- little things that improve the quality of life in Memphis. The grants are disbursed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. Grants are available to any nonprofit in the Memphis area. To apply, send a proposal on the organization's stationery to: Making A Difference The Memphis Flyer, P.O. Box 687, Memphis, TN 38101

			Fly on the Wall Britney Hit Memphis One More Time Forget Virginia. Memphis is for lovers. Just make sure you have a private jet handy. It seems artificially enhanced pop sensation Britney Spears sent 1,000 Boston teens into a tizzy (the Boston Herald's characterization, not ours) when she failed to show up for a public appearance last Wednesday. Spears was instead in Memphis visiting her boyfriend, Bartlett native Justin Timberlake of the band N'Sync, who were playing that night at The Pyramid. Spears tried to fly out in time to make her autograph session in Boston, but her flight out of Memphis was reportedly cancelled due to mechanical difficulties. Meanwhile, in Bean Town the police sent out reinforcements just in case the crowd got ugly. But accept for a few outbreaks of acne, it didn't. And though Spears did make it back in time for her soldout show the next night, it was not enough to assuage 14-year-old Amy Lucas, who aptly summed up the rage of the crowd when she said, "I think it's weak." Bill Laurie in 1972 Tiger Hoops Star Hot For Hockey When last we checked in with former Memphis State University point guard Bill Laurie (remember the Final Four team of 1972?), the husband of Wal-Mart heir Nancy Walton was trying to buy his way into professional sports with a bid of $400 million for Denver's NHL and NBA teams as well as the brand-new arena they play in. That deal fell through, and Bill and Nancy, who are worth roughly $900 million (that's rough?), settled back on their ranch in Columbia, Missouri, where they raise quarter horses and Appaloosas. But this week it was announced that Laurie has purchased St. Louis' NHL team the Blues as well as the arena they play in, the Kiel Center. Laurie got both for a song, a combined $100 million; the Kiel Center alone is reportedly worth $135 million. But in addition to the purchase price, Laurie will take on the previous ownership group's $96 million debt. Laurie has hinted that with his nifty new gym he may go after other sports franchises in the future. "I guess if an NBA possibility came along, we would take a look at it," Laurie told the AP. In related news, this week the price of clothes hangers at Wal-Mart went up $10,000. Overheard "I think they're jealous. Plus, they're sticks in the mud, and they need to get real and move into the 21st century." -- Memphis Criminal Court judge Joe Brown last week on the NBC Nightly News, answering those who criticized him for doing a television court show in Hollywood while still sitting on the bench here. Last week, a court clerk in Brown's division was demoted and reassigned for issuing arrest warrants in the judge's absence (see story on page 8). Brown has missed 65 days so far this year taping his syndicated show. HECK, WE Could Have Told Them That "Blows to head can harm thinking ability." -- Headline in Tuesday's Commercial Appeal. Our giggling gave way to "duhs" when we read the accompanying story that detailed new national studies asserting that teen athletes who take a few too many blows on the noggin may not be as sharp as, say, pieces of fruit or blocks of wood. Following these startling jocks-are-dumb findings, scientists vow to find out if geeks really can't get dates. (Though you would think they'd know that by now.)