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RDC employee compensations total $2.6 million

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - Memphis Mayor A C Wharton is responding to criticism of Riverfront Development Corporation employee salaries. Employees make $2.6 million combined, and still want more funding.

"It will be thoroughly examined. Where it will end up ... I simply do not know," said Wharton.

Mayor A C Wharton promised a review of the city's 14-year contract with the Riverfront Development Corporation to manage the Mississippi riverfront.

"It represents a real dilemma. There's so much potential on the river. We are a river city," said Wharton.

Councilman Harold Collins highlighted the RDC's $2.6 million price tag for employee compensations.

The RDC's 36 full-time employees average of $63,000 a year, including benefits.

You look at that salary and you ask the question: Are we getting more for this higher salary than we would have gotten for a lower salary, if we kept it in-house at the city?" said Wharton.

Grizz fan will overcome religious restrictions to see playoff game

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - A Memphis Grizzlies fan is showing how much he believes in our team by walking to FedExForum from East Memphis to see the game Saturday.

The game is already sold out, but Adam Groveman has tickets and a plan to get to the Grizz game, despite religious restrictions.

Groveman is an Orthodox Jew and Saturday is the Sabbath. Because of his religious beliefs, this Grizzlies fan will not be driving to the game, but instead, walking. And he is inviting others to join him on the 11 mile trek.

"There's a lot of laws and restrictions between Friday night and Saturday sundown that we can't ride in cars, use electricity," he explained. "My buddy, Ryan Baum, is going to walk with me again."

Groveman created a Facebook event page in order to invite others to join him. His route is already mapped out. It is the same one he walked two years ago when the Grizzlies took on the Spurs on a Saturday.

MPD could move out of Justice Complex

MPD Police Director Toney Armstrong

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - The Memphis Police Department may soon move out of the Shelby County Criminal Justice Complex.

The last two police directors have complained they have run out of room at 201 Poplar, and that the rent is too high.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton backed up his top cop Wednesday.

"MPD needs a new home," he said in an impromptu news conference.

This comes one day after Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong asked the Memphis City Council if his department could move out of 201 Poplar.

"We're a tenant, we're renting, and you never feel like you're really at home," said Wharton.

Armstrong wants police to move back into the old Central Police headquarters at 128 Adams.

The city is already paying $3,000 a month for the empty building.

"I'm smiling because you'll soon see some positive developments on that," said Wharton.

Police also pay $118,000 dollars a month for their current digs.

Beale Street Landing developers request increase in city funding

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - The Riverfront Development Corporation requested an increase in city funding in a Memphis City Council committee meeting Tuesday.

RDC manages the riverfront with tax dollars. Their request Tuesday for nearly $200,000 more this year to do the job was a hard sell for the city council.

Council members scrutinized the RDC's 2014 budget days after another hiccup in the Beale Street Landing project, when the facility's restaurant group pulled out.

The cost to build Beale Street Landing began at $29 million and ended up costing $43 million.

Riverfront Development Corporation President Benny Lendermon said the Landing will have a restaurant.

"We've already talked to three people about the restaurant. There will be a restaurant there. That won't be an issue."

Councilman Harold Collins hammered the RDC with question, after question, after question.

Miss. River expected to hit flood stage this week

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - Have you been downtown recently? Water levels are pretty high. In fact, the Mississippi River is expected to hit flood stage this week at 34 feet. The river is still lower than the historic flood of 2011, but county crews are watching levels very closely.

"These rising waters are unpredictable," said Bob Nations, who is the director of the Shelby County Office of Preparedness. Two years ago, his team gave daily updates on the historic flooding on the Mississippi River.

"We have now, through our homeland security program, installed river gauges, a whole network of river gauges on our tributaries and that gives us 24/7 data," said Nations.

One of the big lessons learned from 2011 is the importance of water levels, not just Mississippi River but the feeders as well, specifically the Wolf River, Nonconnah creek, Loosahatchie River, and Big Creek.

National Train Day in Memphis

National Train Day in Memphis

Memphis will celebrate National Train Day at the  Amtrak Central Station on Saturday, May 11th, with a  passenger train and kid's activities from 11am to 4 pm. "This celebration will be the biggest observance of National Train Day that Memphis has ever had," said William B. Strong, vice president of the Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers.

A diesel locomotive train will be on display along with a coach and a sleeping car from Amtrak’s Chicago / Memphis / New Orleans Superliner passenger train, "The City of New Orleans." Strong said, “the train will give the public the opportunity to see and sample firsthand what a modern 21st century double-decker passenger train is really like,”

Travel experts will be available to answer questions about modern day passenger train travel and plans. Amtrak route schedules, timetables, and vacation guides will also be available to visitors.