125 North Main

Memphis City Council member Edmund Ford Jr. and former Shelby County commissioner Steve Mulroy debate an impending sea change in council elections in a special episode of podcast 125 North Main this week.

On this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Housing and Community Development director Paul Young says the city couldn't make the numbers work to reopen the Coliseum as part of a $160 million Mid-South Fairgrounds redevelopment plan.

In this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Roy Barnes of the Coliseum Coalition criticizes Mayor Jim Strickland's administration for what he described as a business-first approach to redeveloping the old Mid-South Fairgrounds.

Memphis City Council member Philip Spinosa Jr. joins host Ryan Poe and talks about his plan to expand the Neighborhood Sentinel Program.

On this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Downtown Memphis, Housing and Community Development Director Paul Young says a proposed aquarium project would "break even" if the city only attracts 500,000 tourists a year, the conservative estimate.

Corey Strong, the newly elected chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, says to expect a brand-new strategy for winning elections in 2018. In this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Strong says the party hopes to reconnect with voters alienated by past party squabbles by focusing on issues rather than elections; a new — and, some would say, populist — approach for the local party.

In this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld outlines his priorities for the organization, and gives updates about Downtown trolleys and a new transit vision plan.

The City Council sent the proposal back to committee Tuesday following the revelation that council chairman Berlin Boyd had requested and voted for the resolution despite signing a contract with the street's merchants in August. Boyd announced during the meeting that he would rescind his contract to stopper questions about potential conflicts. On this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Oswalt said merchants have traditionally paid for their security while the city has covered the cost of patrol officers.

In this week's episode of podcast 125 North Main, Shafer explains impact of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland's policy on 73 developments pending in the unincorporated county. She also outlined the county's options, which include developing its own sewer system and suing Memphis for not providing taps to sewers built with federal dollars.

Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat filing articles of impeachment against President Trump, Monday said Mayor Jim Strickland is right to insist on removing Confederate monuments legally — but he could do more. In this special episode of 125 North Main, Cohen also explains why he voted as a member of the Center City Commission in 1995 against removing the statue and grave of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from Health Science Park in Downtown Memphis.

In this week's episode of 125 North Main, Shelby County Commissioner Bailey discusses Congressman Steve Cohen's chances of success of impeaching President Trump and the local push in the wake of a white nationalist march in Charlottesville to bring down Memphis' Confederate monuments.

Marvin Stockwell, co-founder of Friends of the Fairgrounds, advocates for a redevelopment geared toward the community as well as tourists. On this week's episode of 125 North Main, Stockwell shares his takeaways from a Fairgrounds planning meeting Thursday evening — the first city-led meeting in two years — and explains why there's "no safe haven for naysayers" anymore in Memphis.

Host Ryan Poe talks to Memphis Housing and Community Development Director Paul Young about the redevelopment of the old Mid-South Fairgrounds, a project Young says could begin next year, if the state approves a key source of funding.

Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton lashes out at local officials for not taking action on the city's pressing issues, saying he'd lost his "faith" in local politics. During a wide-ranging interview for this week's episode of 125 North Main, the former mayor discussed his time in office, the possibility of a political comeback, whether Memphians should march on the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and about a new juvenile detention campus he's proposing in Downtown.

Host Ryan Poe travels across the street from Memphis city hall to talk to Shelby County Commissioner Walter Bailey Jr. He was the only commissioner to oppose a recent 2-cent countywide tax rate cut. Bailey explains why he thinks taxpayers should pay more — not less. Bailey also said he thinks the commission should consider censuring Commissioner Justin Ford, who recently entered an Alford plea — a type of guilty plea that doesn't admit guilt — to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence.

The Memphis City Council should have spent more time vetting the $50,000 grants for the sanitation workers involved in the 1968 strike, council member Martavius Jones said on the latest episode of 125 North Main. But first, City Hall reporter Ryan Poe is joined by Forrest Goodman to recap the latest news from across the street as Shelby County commissioners pulled a 3-cent tax cut, and Commissioner Justin Ford said he's "here to stay," despite entering a special guilty plea to misdemeanor domestic violence.

What did demonstrators accomplish by shutting down the Interstate 40 Hernando-DeSoto Bridge last July? Host Ryan Poe asks this question to Tami Sawyer, political action chair of the local NAACP branch, and The Commercial Appeal's Chris Herrington.

City council chair Berlin Boyd joins host Ryan Poe to offer his opinion on why the Mayor didn't follow the council's advice on "Beale Street Bucks" and what might be the future of the program. Boyd also weighs in on the debate surrounding the Urban Art Commission.

This week on 125 North Main, Just City executive director Josh Spickler opines about Attorney General Amy Weirich's message to long-time criminals, how to make Memphis more just and more.

Memphis city council member Worth Morgan says "perfect should not be the enemy of good." And as he explains to host Ryan Poe, that is why he voted to approve the city's new operating budget, despite some concerns. He discuss his likes and dislikes over the deal, plus weighs in on continued cleanup after last month's damaging storm.