D.D. 06/01/05

Operation Tennessee Waltz is still dominating the news coverage. Here's some more waltzing, mostly from Memphis:

• Ford escaped remand and his defense team attacked the FBI's informant as someone just wanting to escape federal charges of his own. It was also revealed that Ford received quite a few more perks than just the $55,000- including trips to Grizzlies games, trips to Miami, and junkets to Tunica for gambling.
• Some Memphis political officials were also approached by E-Cycle, mostly through political operative Tim Willis. The previously unreachable Shelby County Commission Chair Michael Hooks is said to be releasing a statement today.
• Simiarly, Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey says he was approached by E-Cycle reps through one of the accused, Charles Love, about E-Cycle opening a warehouse in Chattanooga.
• Chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, Kathryn Bowers, says she has not been asked to resign her post, despite being one of the State Senators indicted by Operation Tennessee Waltz.
• John Ford won't be without insurance. State officials have said he will still get the state pension, despite the outcome of federal charges against him. The City Paper also has this story, including a quote by Republican leader Ron Ramsey saying Ford shouldn't get the pension.
• The Hamilton County Board of Education has said it is possible that State Senator Ward Crutchfield may lose his contract with the Board as the attorney on record.
• Ford says he didn't resign his Senate seat because of the allegations, but instead said he was going to resign anyway at the end of the session. The court room was apparently full of Ford supporters, including one that passed him a 1982 novel about a defendant escaping prosecution by using an entrapment defense.
• Chris Newton issued a statement to the Cleveland Daily Banner
• State Representative Larry Miller said Charles Love offered him money to sponsor a bill that would have benefited ECycle. Miller it turns out did accept a campaign contribution from Charles Love for his support of the ECycle bill, but said that that wasn't wrong.