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VOL. 71, No. 39
September 29 - October 5, 2022
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UofM head basketball coach Penny Hardaway: âWe have finally arrived at the end of an extremely challenging period, and I could not be more grateful.â (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/ The New Tri-State Defender Archives)
Hardaway âgratefulâ after probe removes NCAA âcloudâ by Lee Eric Smith lesmith@tsdmemphis.com
Long before he became head coach of the menâs basketball program at the University of Memphis, former NBA star Penny Hardaway was generous to his hometown â especially if it meant lifting young people out of poverty and tough circumstances. And thatâs why an independent panel has concluded that Hardaway did not violate NCAA regulations when he provided benefits to three prospective student-athletes before he was hired as coach. âWe have finally arrived at the end of an extremely challenging period, and I could not be more grateful,â Hardaway said in a statement. âBrighter days are ahead, and we cannot wait to share in future successes as one Memphis.â The Tigers did not escape unscathed, however. The U of M is now on a three-year probation through Sept. 26, 2025. The Tigers were fined $5,000, plus 0.25 percent of their menâs basketball budget, after the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) concluded Memphis committed four Level II violations and five Level III violations. âThis investigation has been a cloud over the menâs basketball program for three years, and we are happy to have the process concluded,â said U of M President Bill Hardgrave, who also thanked the IARP for âattentively listening to (the) facts and thoughtfully rendering its decision. We respect and will fully comply with the IARPâs decision.â In short, because of his philanthropy both before and after his $1 million donation to his alma mater in 2008, The Independent Accountability Review Process considered Hardaway as a booster. That means the gifts he provided were just that â gifts, not recruiting inducements.
SEE PENNY ON PAGE 2
Mayor Jim Strickland explained that the 2019 sales tax referendum passed on Oct. 3, 2019 has generated millions in funds that will enable the city to pay for restoring pension and other benefits. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)
Pension plan change framed as public-safety boost for Memphis
by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
To boost efforts to recruit public safety employees and improve the retention of veteran officers, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is proposing restoring pension and other benefits that were reduced eight years ago. Representatives of the Police and Fire Departments, along with other officials, joined the mayor at City Hall Wednesday (Sept. 28) as he announced his plan. âOver the last almost seven years, we have continually improved the pay and benefits for firefighters and police officers to better recruit and retain them,â said Strickland. ââŚTodayâs changeâŚwill allow us to offer the 1978 pension as an option for all of these essential employees.â Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn âC.J.â
Davis said she expects that the restored pension will be an excellent tool for both recruitment and retention, as Strickland contends. Strickland explained that the 2019 sales tax referendum on Oct. 3, 2019 has generated millions in funds that will enable the city to pay for the pension plans. In the referendum, voters said âyesâ to increasing the sales tax rate to 2.75 percent. The increase became effective on Jan. 1, 2020. Strickland, as well as other officials who addressed the news conference, said the sales tax rate will perpetually sustain the reinstatement of the pensions. âPensions were discontinued ⌠as a response to the financial straits the city was experiencing at the time,â said Davis. âAs I understand it, the city was always looking for a way to reinstate the pension ben-
efit for our public safety employees.âŚIâm no actuary, but the present tax rate will sustain this benefit nicely. We as elated, as you can imagine.â The background for the pension and other cuts began in 2013 when the then-Tennessee comptroller warned the city that its pension indebtedness was placing the city in serious financial jeopardy. Then-mayor A C Wharton Jr. proposed cuts in benefits to deal with the problem. That set off weeks of contentious debate between the mayor and council, and representatives of the public service unions over the issue. The council eventually approved the cuts. Strickland, at the time, was a council member and voted for the cuts.
SEE RETIREMENT ON PAGE 2
Crime, a curfew and the City Council by James Coleman
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
After a year of exponential growth in youth curfew violations and after-hours crime incidents committed by youthful offenders, the Memphis City Councilâs Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee adopted a resolution Tuesday (Sept. 27), asking the Memphis Police Department to curb city teensâ nocturnal outings. The council is scheduled to vote on the resolution at its next meeting on Oct. 11. Tuesdayâs committee approval did not come without some reservations from council members, who voted for approval, even though police brass told committee members the department did not to have the manpower to strictly enforce a curfew. Other members raised concerns about what would happen to youths caught out after curfew and concerns about selective enforcement. âThe things we have seen among our juveniles has just really alarmed all Memphians. The thing that we do know, if theyâre (youths)
in the house a lot of this wouldnât be happening,â said committee chair Rhonda Logan, who sponsored the resolution. âIf they were home under parental supervision, some of these things wouldnât be happening â these violent crimes we are Rhonda talking about today.â Logan In addition to enforcing the Child Curfew Act of 1995, which the council approved in 1996, the resolution asks the MPD and Mayor Jim Stricklandâs administration to study other citiesâ formulas for addressing similar issues. It also calls for the creation of a dedicated curfew center. Currently, youths who are picked up by police beyond curfew typically are taken home. A plan is expected to be presented for a full council vote on Oct. 11.
âOne of the big things is, when we pick up the child where do we take them if the parent is not home. Also, we do tie up quite a bit of manpower when we are transporting them back home, but that is a need to get them off the street,â said officer Alexander McGowan. But, if a parent canât be contacted, the curfew violators generally are held in place until they can be released from custody, further tying up resources. Many crimes, from property crimes such as auto theft to violent crimes, also occur during the late night and morning hours. At the councilâs previous meeting, police commanders told committee members that many of the vehicle-related crimes were committed by offenders 15-19 years old. While 911 calls and reports to police dip in those hours, they steadily increase as people wake up. To address staffing shortages, the council recently asked the state and county to buffer their
SEE CURFEW ON PAGE 2
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