Weekly Update: Our first responders

Friends,

It’s a rare occasion when someone can ask a question about a specific point in time from nineteen years ago and you can remember exactly where you were and what you were doing. The morning of September 11, 2001 is one of those occasions.

That morning, nearly 3,000 people were needlessly taken during one of the most horrific acts our nation had ever seen. In the days and weeks that followed, our country’s first responders showed us all how truly brave and dedicated they are. They risked their lives—many of them paying the ultimate sacrifice—to save the life of a stranger.

Here locally, they are no different, and we see it every day.

Yesterday, the 2020 District 11 Tennessee Three Star Honor was awarded to an officer from Memphis—Officer Jeffrey Creighton. The recipients are all first responders whom have either given their lives or experienced a career ending injury in the line of duty.

Officer Creighton was outside of his car on a routine traffic stop in the summer of 2018 when he was struck by a drunk driver resulting in permanent, life-altering injuries.

Another officer, Sergeant Calvin Taylor, was a First Responder Recipient. The First Responder Certificate is presented to an active member currently serving in the community. The First Responder Awards ceremony has been a long-standing tradition in memory of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In his 22 years with MPD, Sergeant Taylor has proven to be invaluable asset to the City of Memphis, Memphis Police Department Traffic Division and Special Event Unit.

These two were recognized by Governor Bill Lee and The TN Department of Safety Commissioner, Jeff Long. This award is given to the district nominees representing the 11 Homeland Security Districts throughout the state.

As you move through your weekend, please take time to reflect, and if you see a first responder—thank them for their service to our community.

COVID-19 Update: As you can see in the chart below, we are continuing to make progress in the fight against this virus.

	Total	Change (%)	Change (absolute)	7 Days Ago	30 Days Ago	60 Days Ago	90 Days Ago
Confirmed Cases	69	-53%	-77	82	194	394	190
Likely Hospitalized	214.1	4%	9.1	242.2	378.3	281.8	146.7
Likely ICU Hospitalized	79.9	6%	4.50	88.5	126.5	105.4	64.8
Deaths	7		7	1	4	0	4

Indigo: Earlier this week, I was fortunate to get some time on a video call with Ron Hovsepian, who just last week was named the new chief executive officer at Indigo. As you recall, Indigo is a trend-setting ag tech firm that located its North American operations headquarters in Downtown Memphis a couple of years back.

Indigo's location in Memphis underscores the great advantages we present to ag tech and agribusinesses. Within just 150 miles of my office here at City Hall, every major row crop in the United States is grown—giving businesses great access to customers and to field trials. Agricenter International and AgLaunch are great partners in this space, and we're working on more here at City Hall to ensure that we capitalize on this opportunity to help build the economy of the future in Memphis.

Another asset of ours in Greater Memphis launched just a few weeks ago: The Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Covington has launched its digital agronomy degree. The curriculum was developed in concert with Indigo, and full credit to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for helping to push this forward. This 12-month program is a great ticket to a good job of the future, and you can learn more about how to apply here.

Have a great weekend.

Yours,