December 2011
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12/22/11Hearing Postponed in Fisher MurderThe sister of murder victim Emily Fisher has been informed that the next court date for Alfred Turner has been reset from December 15th to January 6th. Turner was convicted of facilitation of felony murder in 2007, but that conviction was overturned in 2010 and Turner was granted a new trial. However, defense attorneys are trying to negotiate a plea bargain. If Turner pleads guilty, he will walk free, having already served eight years of a 25-year sentence. Katherine Klyce, who lives in Delaware and has been fighting 17 years for justice on behalf of her sister, says the attorney general's office told her that Turner needs more time to consider the offer. "His initial response," says Klyce, "is that he doesn't want to take the deal [which... |
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12/15/11A Welcome GuestI’ve come to relish surprises this time of year. Something unforeseen, unexpected, even unintended. And this has nothing to do with objects wrapped in shiny, multicolored paper. Or an overstuffed stocking near my fireplace on December 25th. There’s a formula to the holidays, of course, especially if you’re among those who celebrate Christmas. The traditions and pastimes that fuel the formula tend to comfort, in part, because of their familiarity. We live in an uncertain world, with unintended surprises too often the kind that shake us: the illness of a family member, a lost job, a missing pet. When December arrives and the formula starts to unfold, we find the accustomed joys as warm as the blanket Linus van Pelt totes around in A Charlie Brown Christmas.... |
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12/14/11Deal Being Negotiated in Fisher Murder TrialIt's been a long, hard road to justice — forget closure — for the family of Emily Klyce Fisher, who was murdered in her Central Gardens home in February 1995. And the one person sent to prison for his involvement in the crime could soon walk free. Alfred Turner — whose DNA was found at the horrific scene of the crime — was convicted in 2007 of facilitation of felony murder. In June 2010, a judge overturned that verdict and granted him a new trial, and in October the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld that decision. The reason: Jurors in the 2007 trial were told that two men first accused of the homicide — Rodney Blades and George Tate — were acquitted in 1996. Defense attorneys claim that the prosecution could have... |
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12/13/11Memphis Cat Gets New Lease on LifeIf you've never owned a pet, stop reading right now because you probably won't understand why a Memphis woman recently took her 12-year-old cat to Pennsylvania for a kidney transplant. But if you are an animal lover, chances are you can identify with Catherine Addy-Bernstein and her husband, Howard, paying about $16,000 to keep their beloved feline alive. Opie, a male Siamese with opalescent blue eyes, was nearing the end stages of kidney failure when the couple brought him to Memphis Veterinary Specialists in Cordova. There they met Dr. Ai Takeuchi, who told them the only way to save Opie would be to find a kidney donor. He only had about two months left to live. Finding a donor, however, isn't all that common and only a handful of places in the U.S. offer such a... Posted at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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12/06/11WinterArts a WinnerDon't miss the stunning array of original work in various media brought to us by the ArtWorks Foundation, which encourages public awareness of the area's active arts community. Staged at The Shops of Saddle Creek South in Germantown, WinterArts features creations by such artists as Scott Hode of Franklin, Tennesee, whose glass blown pieces (seen here) range from bathroom sinks to chandeliers at the Governor's Mansion, along with his tumblers,, bowls, vases, and his signature cactus-rose goblets. Another participating glass blower is Missy Smitheal of Dyersburg, whose art-glass ornaments will light up any Christmas tree or make fine Hannukah gifts. Other works for sale — or simply for admiration — include Angela Goza's paintings, Lisa... |
