Bread Baking Ingredients Last Tuesday federal agents searched Grand Central Station Child Development Center on Lamar Avenue and the home of its owner Camelia Gibson on Jeanne St. Gibson’s son Shintri, aka “Dollar,” is suspected of counterfeiting, or as he calls it “baking bread,” at Grand Central. Dollar and his brother Demarkus Taylor, known to friends as “Big Poo,” are in a rap group called Dollar and Mr. Bank. While driving a Grand Central Station bus loaded with 22 infants and children last June, Taylor was pulled over and charged with reckless driving, driving under the influence of marijuana, and child endangerment. The Tennessee Department of Human Services closed the day care center Friday. The following items were seized from Grand Central Station Child Development Center: • a Hewlett Packard Pavillion PC • a Sony Trinitron • a Hewlett Packard Color Copier model 170 • a Visioneer scanner model 7600 • a Lexmark printer model 1100 • one computer mouse • one computer keyboard • 81/2 x 11-inch paper with images of counterfeit currency • rewritable CDs • 3.5-inch diskettes • a Bionex CPU without side cover • 22 counterfeit $100 federal reserve notes (front only) • 138 counterfeit $100 federal reserve notes • 7 counterfeit $100 federal reserve notes (back only) • 5 Print Shop manuals Seized from Camelia and Shintri Gibson’s home: • 50 counterfeit $20 federal reserve notes • a Hyundai monitor • a media vision scanner • 3 Canon Creative disks • an inkjet printer • a Jennings 9 mm ammunition and .38 caliber ammunition • assorted 3.5-inch diskettes • Canon multipass • Canon Bubblejet model 4300 • Canon color scanner — Ashley Fantz Cohen Backs Lottery, Again Which do Tennesseans hate more? Income taxes or gambling? According to a proposal presented last week by State Sen. Steve Cohen, there’s one way to find out. Cohen thinks the natural solution to Nashville’s tax reform logjam is to take the issue out of the hands of legislators and put it into the hands of the people. His plan calls for the convening of a constitutional convention to hammer out the particulars of both tax and gambling provisions in the state constitution, particulars that would eventually require approval by state-wide referendum. Cohen, long a proponent of a state lottery, says his plan presents a natural “alternative to the present situation.” “I think that this is the best political solution to the problems that face Tennessee from a revenue perspective,” he says. “The General Assembly lacks the political will to take any actions that are contrary to the majority position of the people of Tennessee, which is against any new taxes, particularly an income tax.” — Jim Hanas Herenton Aide Goes To MPC Carey Hoffman, mayor Willie Herenton’s spokesperson of eight years, has taken a job with the Memphis Park Commission as the museums and humanities administrator. The position, which did not previously exist, pays the same as did her job as the mayor’s spokesperson, $65,500. It comes as part of Mayor Herenton’s recent restructuring of the park commission. Hoffman says her duties at MPC will include acting as an advisor for the zoo, the city’s museums, and groups such as the Music Commission, Memphis in May, the Wonders Series, and the Rock ’n’ Soul Committee. “Visitors to Memphis are amazed by our cultural wealth,” she says. “We need to promote it not only to our citizens, but also to our visitors.” Her successor as the mayor’s spokesperson hasn’t been named. — Jesse Pool Arbitron Scolds Local Station As a result of on-air pleas to Arbitron diary holders, alternative rock station WMPS-FM 96.1, “The Phantom,” has been exiled from the local radio ratings. For several months, the station has been running spots instructing listeners on how to fill out Arbitron surveys should they receive them, and until recently, the station’s Web site included a sample page from an official ratings diary with WMPS filled in for every time period. “Just remember,” read the accompanying instructions, “WMPS on every damn line!” In a letter dated January 11th, Arbitron — which produces the radio equivalent of the Nielsen ratings — notified the station that “no audience estimates will be published for WMPS-FM in any Arbitron service that is based in whole or in part on Fall 1999 or Winter 2000 Arbitron survey diaries,” a period that spans a six-month period ending this April. The station has until January 21st to respond before the sanction becomes final. The letter, furthermore, does not rule out legal action as a response to the station’s “Rating Bias and Rating Distortion activities.” WMPS General manager Donald Biggs says the spots in question are no longer airing. But officials at Arbitron have already duly noted the station’s apparent brazenness. “This is not a common occurrence,” says Arbitron’s vice president of communications Thomas Mocarsky of how frequently stations try to influence ratings with explicit pleas. “It’s happened twice in the last 10 years.” The Phantom’s ratings have been sluggish, at any rate. In the last full ratings period in which it was eligible, the station was a mere 18th among its target audience of listeners 18-to-34. The station is also known for much prank-pulling and spoofing of the radio biz, which might lead some listeners to wonder if getting scolded by Arbitron might have been the objective of its on-air and online pleas all along, a way of establishing the station’s outsider cred. But not so, insists GM Biggs. “That wasn’t the motive at all,” he says. — Jim Hanas “Ultimate Closure” For Kidnapped Editor The two men who pled guilty to kidnapping, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime against an Albuquerque newsweekly editor visiting Memphis last summer earned hefty sentences last Friday. Alexieus Montgomery was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Julia Gibbons to 49 1/2 years in federal prison while James Gilmore got 29 1/2 years. Montgomery was also sentenced for an earlier unrelated carjacking and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences bring an end to a seven-month ordeal for Michael Henningsen, senior editor of the Weekly Alibi, who was assaulted in May while in town for a convention of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies hosted by The Memphis Flyer. “This has been the ultimate closure,” says Henningsen, who was in Memphis for the sentencing, which fell on his 33rd birthday. “It was kind of helpful for me to actually see justice being done. Now I can put this as far behind me as possible.” Henningsen was hit over the head with the butt of a gun and a chunk of asphalt in the parking lot of Amnesia, a dance club at 2866 Poplar Avenue. He was later forced at gunpoint to withdraw money from an ATM before being shoved into the trunk of his rental car for four hours while the suspects crossed into Mississippi and back to Memphis. After trying to rob a Commercial Appeal newspaper carrier, a high-speed police chase led Montgomery and Gilmore to crash the rented Toyota Camry into a tree. That’s when Henningsen was found inside the trunk. While he is relieved it’s over, he still feels a little shaky on the length of his abductors’ sentences. “It was kind of difficult to have them take such huge hits,” he said. “I’m not so sure I think they deserve that. It was really hard to see their families in the courtroom. I almost felt like I was the bad guy. “But then I had to remind myself of what happened to me. They really made some pretty bad decisions.” However, the episode hasn’t left Henningsen sore at Memphis. “I still have to see Graceland, so I’ll be back. Everyone’s been wonderful to me.” Well, almost everyone.. — Tanuja Surpuriya TM Names Ward Interim Manager Theatre Memphis’ board of directors has announced that senior staff member André Bruce Ward will be serving as the theater’s interim general manager. Ward, who has been designing costumes and collecting awards for TM since 1977, takes over for former executive director Michael Fortner who resigned on January 7th, at the unanimous request of TM’s 10-person executive committee. He will tend to the theater’s day-to- day affairs and serve as a liaison between the theater’s board, staff, and guest directors. Michael Fortner’s mid-season departure left several main stage directing slots empty, and the list of replacements reads like a who’s who of the Memphis old guard. Former TM staff member Joanne Malin, who recently helmed TM’s austere production of The Lark, will take on Arthur Miller’s recently revived drama, A View From the Bridge. Ubiquitous voice-over artist Barry Fuller, who mounted the multi-award winning production of Pageant at Circuit Playhouse last season, will stage Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Old Testament operetta Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And, just it was originally scheduled in the fall, perennial favorite Bennett Wood will direct the musical review The World Goes Round. TM’s “Little Theatre” productions Full Gallop, The Old Neighborhood, and The Kathy and Mo Show are unaffected by Fortner’s resignation and will be directed by Jerry Chipman, Leigh Ann Evans, and Ann Marie Hall respectively. Theatre Memphis’ board of directors is assembling a search committee this week to begin a national hunt for the new administrative head of Memphis’ oldest community theater. — Chris Davis House Resigns As Superintendent Memphis City Schools Superintendent Dr. Gerry House announced her resignation Tuesday, surprising staffers and Board of Education members, most of whom she told just hours before reading a public statement. Her resignation takes effect April 3rd, when she becomes president and CEO of a Long Island-based, not-for-profit education institution. House said she came to her decision after a lot of soul searching. “It is my hope that I have added value to the school district and to the community during my eight-year tenure,” she said. “Memphis City Schools is now positioned to move into the next century. “Until this opportunity came along, I had never been interested in, nor had I interviewed for another position. Neither did I seek this one. Rather, it came to me, and I decided that it was the right time and the right opportunity.” The Institute for Student Achievement works with 2,000 at-risk middle-school and high-school students, mainly in New York and Long Island. It was founded by Lilo and Gerard Leeds in 1990, and its financial contributors include some of the largest investment firms on Wall Street, such as Goldman Sachs. Although she’s proud of her achievements in Memphis — increased test scores, improved attendance, and a declining dropout rate — House admits she hasn’t seen the huge improvements she hoped for when she arrived. “I wish that we could have had things faster, but I came to realize that perhaps that is not realistic,” she said. “You have to really work to build the system.” She says the system is now in a good position to see big improvements. Almost from the moment she came to Memphis, House was a hotly recruited candidate in the school superintendent field, where the average tenure in large urban systems is about two years. In 1997, she told the Flyer she expected to be in Memphis in the year 2000. Her youngest child graduated from White Station High School two years ago, fueling speculation that House might be more tempted to leave. “She’s been recruited since six months after she got here,” said school board member Barbara Prescott. “I’m happy for her and sorry to lose her and a little nervous about trying to replace her because she has set a very high standard.” House was named the national Superintendent of the Year and was honored by McGraw Hill last year. Prescott said House’s relationship with the school board “has not been all roses but by and large we’ve been supportive of her.” She was told by House of her decision Monday night and was a bit surprised but not shocked. “She’s going into a situation where there will not be one person rooting for her to fail, and those of us in public positions know that is not always true,” said Prescott. Board member Hubon Sandridge said he knew House’s days in Memphis were numbered after she won the national superintendent award last year. “When that happened, it was like the icing on the cake — everybody wanted her. It set the stage for the phones to ring.” He said her new job suits her personality better than her current one. “Gerry is an educator,” he said. “She’s not a political person, not a public, hands-on people-type. Now she can function in the role of an administrator and still be in education, without the headaches and stress that come with a system Memphis’ size.” House’s style was always businesslike and low-key. Publicly, she stayed above the fray when the school board dealt with controversial issues. Her news conference was typical — she read a prepared statement, answered a few quick questions, and left on an out-of-town trip. House initially had a five-year contract, which was renewed on a year-to-year basis. Prescott said she hopes the board will choose an interim replacement who will not seek the job permanently while it undertakes a search for House’s successor. House has three assistant superintendents and two other top officials in her administration who are expected to stay. The Memphis City Schools system has 118,000 students. It is growing because of annexation; otherwise, it is losing students to Shelby County Schools and to Mississippi school systems and private schools. — Tanuja Surpuriya and John Branston Making A Difference in Millennial Memphis We are not awarding a grant this week, not because we don’t have any applications — the folder is about 2 inches thick — but because we don’t have any applications that we feel are in keeping with the spirit of Mr. Anonymous’ generous donation. Here again are the rules: 1) Grants are awarded to non-profit organizations in the Memphis area. Requests should be on the organization’s letterhead. No phone calls please. 2) Organizations may apply for more than one grant, but grants cannot be combined. Mr. Anonymous believes that small gestures do, indeed, make a difference. 3) Grants will be awarded for tangible, stand-alone projects (e.g. landscaping, painting murals on buildings, neighborhood cleanups, etc.). Grants will not be awarded to enhance items that are already in the nonprofit’s budget or for travel to and from Memphis. 4) Be creative. We have $20,000 still to give away. You can help make a difference in Memphis by simply coming up with a clever idea. 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 dispersed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. Grants are available to any non-profit in the Memphis area. To apply, send a proposal on the organization’s stationery to: Making A Difference The Memphis Flyer P.O. Box 1738 Memphis, TN 38101

					Fly on the Wall Unhitching The Welcome Wagon Last week county commissioner and daycare center mogul James Ford bought a parcel of land at 441 Tennessee Street, directly across the street from the Flyer’s very own humble abode. We’re already polishing the lenses of our binoculars in giddy anticipation of any family get-togethers (who do you think John will bring?). But in the meantime, we’re preparing a little welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift basket: a scarecrow to ward off subpoena servers, a riot shield for when brother John comes over, a clue for Joe, a ghost of a chance for Harold Jr, and an extra large bottle of aspirin for Harold Sr. Literary Quacks “I thought these ducks were going to head straight from the elevator up to the fountain. But they were idiotic. They veered off to the side, and they had to be shunted back. I thought they’d be smart Memphis ducks.” — Author Frank McCourt singing the praises of the famed Peabody Ducks during his book-signing stop here last week. The Flyer didn’t get to write about McCourt’s visit because, well, we were on vacation. But The Commercial Appeal more than made up for our shortcomings by trumpeting the event on the front page and metro page one. This One’s Hysterical According to a report in the current New England Journal of Medicine, the mysterious illness that in 1998 struck 170 students and teachers at McMinnville, Tennessee’s Warren County High School and forced officials to close down the school for two weeks was nothing more than a case of mass hysteria. State and government officials could never find an environmental cause for the outbreak which began when a teacher took ill after noticing a gasoline-like odor. The Journal says such cases of hysteria are common and likely to become more so as people hear more news reports about environmental catastrophes and the threat of biological weapons and as more and more people realize they live in McMinnville. The Rewards Of Public Service “You’re a socialist, lying witch. I’m going to teach [my children] to hate people like you.” — an unidentified mother of three and state-tax reform protester to state employee and Tennessee State Employee Association chapter president Martha Wettermann. As this quote from a recent edition of the association’s newspaper, The Co-Worker, demonstrates, state employees have become the target of vitriol for tax-reform opponents who feel salaries should be cut before any measures are taken that would raise taxes on such honest, loving people as this woman. Tough crowds As the Tennessee Titans continue their miraculous drive toward the Super Bowl (hope we didn’t just jinx it), the weekdays between games are filled as much with reflection on how they got here as on where they’re, hopefully, going. In Tuesday’s USA Today, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said that playing in Memphis for the 1997-98 season steeled him against playing in hostile environments. At their peak, the Titans (then still the Oilers) drew only 50,000 people to the Liberty Bowl for a game against the then top-ranked Steelers. And of those, Fisher tells the newspaper, “45,000 were Pittsburgh fans.”
		Compiled by Mark Jordan Send items to: P.O. Box 1738 Memphis, TN 38101 FAX: 521-0129 e-mail: jordan@memphisflyer.com.