Public Records & Notices View a complete day’s public records and notices at memphisdailynews.com. www.chandlerreports.com Friday, February 14, 2020 MemphisDailyNews.com Vol. 135 | No. 26 Rack–50¢/Delivery–39¢ Seven flags over Mud Island fades into history WAYNE RISHER Courtesy of The Daily Memphian Mud Island River Park’s seven flagpoles — one per government that claimed Memphis over the past 280 years —are slated to be torn down and replaced by fewer poles, perhaps just one flying the American flag. The installation at the southern tip of Mud Island, a source of controversy before the Con- federate flag was removed in 2017, is due for an overhaul as part of $360,000 in planned capital improvements at riverfront parks. The flagpoles date to the 1982 opening of Mud Island River Park, but have been inoperable and flagless for a couple of years. The Memphis River Parks Partnership, which runs Mud Island, said the poles are beyond re- Resident Supervisor Cassandra Clark staffs the control room Wednesday as Shelby County Commissioners tour the former Shelby pair and need to be Training Center, which is being considered for a possible juvenile detention facility. (Photos by Jim Weber/Courtesy of The Daily Memphian) scrapped. The partnership recently present- ed a $116,000 flag- pole project among New opportunities for juveniles We’re trying to more than $7 mil- lion in proposed im- look at di erent provements at Mud options, whether Island and Beale at old Shelby Training Center we want to replace Street Landing. Big-ticket items LINDA A. MOORE all of them or include a $3.5 mil- Courtesy of The Daily Memphian just the American lion renovation of A handful of Shelby County Commissioners toured a the 6-year-old riv- closed juvenile facility in Southeast Memphis on Wednes- fl ag, two fl ags, or erboat landing, $2 day, Feb. 12, accompanied by sheriff’s office and other “whatever.” million in upgrades county officials who were there to help them see the prop- to the 5,000-seat –Ruby Zielinski, Memphis River erty’s potential. Parks Partnership director of brand Mud Island Am- The county is contemplating the purchase of the Core experience phitheater and Civic Shelby Training Center at 3420 Old Getwell Road as $600,000 to build a an alternative to building a new juvenile detention center boardwalk around the Gulf of Mexico section of on Adams Avenue. Mud Island’s scale model of the Mississippi River. The commissioners saw wide hallways, an enormous A city capital improvement budget panel told gym, space for classrooms, vocational training, an out- Shelby County Chief Jailer Kirk Fields (left) gives an the partnership there are leftover funds from a door courtyard, baseball field and room for outdoor rec- overview of the present juvenile detention situation to Mark previous year that could cover flagpole replace- reational activities at a cost that would be significantly Billingsley (right) at the former Shelby Training Center. ment, new lighting in the pedestrian bridge to lower than the $25 million budgeted for a new building. Mud Island, repairs of Mud Island elevators and “We’re just kind of considering our options,” Commis- property before. escalators, and leveling an uneven walkway out- sioner Brandon Morrison said. “I see potential in operat- “I really like it. I like the location; I like the large amount side Beale Street Landing. ing a facility that would enable the youth to have training of classrooms,” Billingsley said. “It has really good basic The flags represented governments or nations that they might not now be receiving.” functions.” that oversaw Memphis at various times since Commission Chairman Mark Billingsley has seen the JUVENILE CONTINUED ON P2 FLAGS CONTINUED ON P3 INSIDE Public Records ................ 4 Public Notices ............... 11 memphisdailynews.com chandlerreports.com Marriage licenses are unavailable ©2020 The Daily News Publishing Company A division of The Daily News Publishing Company while Shelby County Clerk’s O ce Memphis, Tennessee The standard for premium real estate Established 1886 • 135th year information since 1968 reviews internal policies for its digital Call 901.523.1561 to subscribe Call 901.458.6419 for more information platforms. Page 2 MemphisDailyNews.com Friday, February 14, 2020 Tomeka Hart breaks silence about serving as juror on Roger Stone trial YOLANDA JONES Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis – Hart served as jury foreperson on a American woman from Tennessee was his Courtesy of The Daily Memphian the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial,” panel of nine women and three men. The “favorite person” on the jury. That woman Former Shelby County Schools board Hart wrote. “It pains me to see the DOJ now jury convicted Stone Nov. 15, 2019, of all was Hart. member Tomeka Hart broke her silence interfere with the hard work of the pros- seven counts of lying to Congress, witness Hart is no stranger to public service. Wednesday, Feb. 12, about serving on the ecutors. They acted with the utmost intel- tampering and obstruction of justice over She is an attorney and served two terms jury of Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ligence, integrity, and respect for our system his involvement involving hacked Demo- on the Memphis/Shelby County School ally of President Donald Trump. of justice. For cratic emails during the 2016 presidential Board, where she was board president in Hart spoke out on Facebook after pros- that, I wanted election, according to a 2019 story in The 2008-2009. In 2010, Hart was the first board ecutors withdrew from the case in protest. to speak up for Washington Post. member to call for the merger of the coun- In the Facebook post, Hart said she did them and ask “As foreperson, I made sure we went ty’s two public school systems ahead of a not talk about serving as a juror out of con- you to join me through every element, of every charge, formal proposal by fellow board member cern for her safety. But after the recent news in thanking matching the evidence presented in the Martavius Jones. that prosecutors resigned over the Depart- them for their case that led us to return a conviction of And Hart challenged U.S. Rep. Steve ment of Justice calling to reduce Stone’s service.” guilty on all 7 counts,” she said. Cohen in the 2012 Democratic primary in sentence, she posted online that she “can’t On Tues- Hart said in the post that after the trial, the 9th Congressional District. She has re- keep quiet any longer.” day, Feb. 11, she wasn’t ready to speak out because of turned to the city frequently since moving Hart confirmed to The Daily Memphian the four fed- threats to expose her identity and attempts to the nation’s capital, including late last that she wrote the social media post, but she eral prosecu- to identify her. year when she campaigned for Memphis declined an interview. She gave permission TOMEKA HART tors withdrew “For a moment I was afraid. But I don’t mayoral contender Tami Sawyer. to use her post, however. from the Stone live in fear. It is not my nature to be silent,” Hart graduated from the University of “I have kept my silence for months. Ini- case and at she wrote. Tennessee at Knoxville, has an MBA from tially, it was for my safety. Then, I decided least one resigned from the Department of Hart applauded her follow juror, Seth Kennesaw State and her law degree from to remain silent out of fear of politicizing Justice after they learned the DOJ planned Cousins, who wrote a Washington Post Op- the University of Memphis. the matter,” she said in the post. to undercut and reduce their sentencing Ed piece Nov. 22, 2019, about his experience She lives in Washington, D.C. area and “But I can’t keep quiet any longer. I want recommendation for Stone. Stone is sched- serving as a juror. works as a senior program officer at the Bill to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, uled to be sentenced Feb. 20. Cousins said in the piece that an African and Melinda Gates Foundation. Shelby County JUVENILE CONTINUED FROM P1 Gilliom said. The property — near the old Commissioners tour the Commissioner David Brad- Tall Trees juvenile detention fa- former Core ford, a facility engineer in design cility — is owned by Core Civic, Civic Shelby and construction, was looking be- which was formerly Corrections Training yond the mere size of the building. Corporation of America. It has Center at 3420 “People are walking around been closed for 10 years. Old Getwell looking at this and I’m thinking The 85,626 square-foot build- Road, whivh about the electrical and the HVAC ing sits on 10.8 acres — green may serve as and just thinking about what it’s space the young people in juvenile an alternative going to take to get this up to custody don’t have now. to building a something that can be very use- Assistant Chief Deidra Bridge- new juvenile ful,” Bradford said. forth is in charge of Jail East and detention center on County Mayor Lee Harris and juvenile detention and said when Adams Avenue. Sheriff Floyd Bonner have dis- she first saw the property, “it was (Jim Weber/ cussed the possibility of renovat- like a dream.” Courtesy of The Daily ing the training center to house An oak tree won’t grow in a Memphian) juveniles in the detention center pot, Bridgeforth said. and those whose cases have been “If you put it in the ground it sent to adult court. They are now has room to grow,” she said.