Grizzled veterans Crowder, Hill guiding Grizz cubs. Sports, Page 12
Business phenom captures coveted spot with Ted Talk. Community, Page 8
January 9 - 15, 2020
VOL. 69, No. 2
www.tsdmemphis.com
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‘New’ council positions itself for MLK Days of Service decisions on electricity rates, TVA
Volunteer Memphis, Leadership Memphis, the United Way of the Mid-South along with sponsors are coordinating volunteer/service projects the weekend of January 18-21 honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy. For outdoor events, Please dress warm, wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk. This is only a partial list. To see a full listing, sign up or learn more about a project, visit: https://uwmidsouth.galaxydigital.com/need/.
by Erica R. Williams
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Pressing on the agenda was Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division’s proposed electricity-rate hike as six new members joined eight returning members for the first Memphis City Council meeting of 2020 on Tuesday. According to MLGW President J.T. Young, if the council doesn’t vote on the increase soon, customer outage minutes through the year would likely increase. In December, the council did a two-step on MLGW’s original, three-pronged proposal for a boost of utility rates. In an 8-5 vote, members approved an increase on gas and water, but held up on raisJ.T. Young ing electricity rates. Instead, the council sent MLGW leaders back to their utility board with recommendations. Tuesday, Young presented council members with an alternative proposal; but the new plan showed very little differences from the one he and his team presented to the council last
JAN 17 EVENT: Clothing the Community TIME: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. LOCATION: 3371 Spottswood DETAILS: The Davis Community Center will be hosting a clothes giveaway. They will also grill and feed individuals who attend this event.
District 4’s Jamita Swearengen and District 5’s Worth Morgan take the oath of office for service on the Memphis City Council. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
year. The original plan would allow for $1 billion dollars in infrastructure improvements for water, gas and electric over a five-year period, with rate hikes spread over three years. The alternative presented Tuesday would increase the average residen-
tial monthly by $8.98 over that period. That compares to a $9 average residential increase in the original proposal. Council members said they wanted to be sure that MLGW had utilized enough cost-saving cuts before attempting to implement an
increase. In December, outgoing chairman Kemp Conrad suggested that the utility company should begin implementing the upgrades before rate hikes. “They should have been done
SEE COUNCIL ON PAGE 2
Tennessee unveils draft plan for lowest performing schools
First Responder Appreciations There are several events to honor police, fire and paramedics all over Memphis:
Promises more community input by Laura Faith Kebede Chalkbeat
A new state plan to help Tennessee’s struggling schools would either give them more autonomy to make improvements or face more state intervention. State leaders say that means they can concentrate more money on schools with greater needs and give local districts more say in improving schools that are closer to escaping the state’s list of “priority schools,” which score in the bottom 5 percent on annual state tests. The Tennessee Department of Education’s draft plan for its 82 priority schools was presented at a community meeting Tuesday evening in Memphis. Department staff also publicly unveiled a proposal to transition the 30 schools already taken over by state out of the Achievement
“This to me feels like we are trying really hard to give you what you need so your school doesn’t go into the ASD.” — Eve Carney
School District in two years, which Chalkbeat reported Monday. The proposal is the first under Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn to lay out how the state thinks its lowest performing schools should better serve students. Eve Carney, the state’s chief districts and schools officer, said the state would consider more than just test scores and academic growth when placing schools on three levels of intervention, or “tiers.” The state would also take into consideration a school’s student discipline rates,
EVENT: We Have Dreams Too TIME: 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. LOCATION: 1046 South 3rd Street DETAILS: The We Have Dreams Too event is dedicated to the famous Martin Luther King Jr. for his historic speech, I Have A Dream. The staff at Gaston Community Center are partnering with Knowledge Quest after school program to allow the kids in the program to write out their dreams on a small poster board and allow them to color and design their poster. The posters will be hung next to a big picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial, which is where his speech was presented. The Gaston Community Center will also present the youth with juice and a small goodie as a token of appreciation. Please contact Awendel Gordon or Harry Green at 901-636-0703.
Eve Carney, the chief districts and schools officer for the Tennessee Department of Education, speaks at a community meeting in Memphis. (Photo: Laura Faith Kebede/Chalkbeat) how often students are absent from school, and how many students are prepared for college or a job. “Just to be frank, we will be in your schools, we will be in your business,” Carney said. “But this to me feels like we are trying really hard to give you what you need so your school doesn’t go into the ASD.” Below is a brief description of each of the department’s proposed tiers, which would go into effect during the 2021-22 school year: Tier I, Improvement: Each school
WHERE: Mitchell Comm. Center TIME: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. LOCATION: 602 West Mitchell Rd; Memphis, TN 38109 DETAILS: The Mitchell Community Center will pass out Thank You cards to nearby Police and Fire Stations. Please contact Rasheed Oladunjoye at 901-789-2927.
would receive $50,000 in state support, which districts could pool together to fund identified needs. The state deems schools in this category to have effective improvement plans in place and simply need more time. The schools would remain in district control, but the state would evaluate their curriculums and programs, and require regular reports on progress. State officials estimated about half of priority schools would fit into this category.
WHERE: Charles Powell Comm. Ctr. TIME: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. LOCATION: 810 Western Park Drive; Memphis, TN 38109 DETAILS: The Charles Powell Community center in partnership with Westwood High School, Chickasaw Middle School and Freedom Prep will make cards and write letters to the Police, Fire, and EMS workers. Please contact Debra Tate or Derrick Heyward at 901-636-0775.
SEE SCHOOLS ON PAGE 2
SEE MLK ON PAGE 7
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