Memphis Realtors will participate in the second annual Nationwide Open House Weekend June 4-5.

“The Open House Weekend not only brings buyers and sellers together, but also provides an opportunity for consumers to ask Realtors questions about the buying process and local market conditions,” Leon Dickson, president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors, said in a release.

“This is an excellent opportunity to tour dozens of homes in one weekend and to see first-hand the affordability of homes currently on the market in the Memphis area.”

Blue Realtor balloons will mark participating homes. Also, the open houses will be listed at maar.org/openhouse

Chamber launches “The M Spot”

The Greater Memphis Chamber on Tuesday launched “The M Spot,” a new free Wi-Fi space serving a small slice of Downtown Memphis.

The M Spot will be accessible from the north side of the Falls Building, with the Wi-Fi range extending across Front Street.

FAA bill extended again

Congress again delayed final action on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill as the House and Senate work to reconcile differences in their approaches to a multi-year bill. By voice vote late Monday, the House postponed action until June 30.

Funding for FAA programs stays at the level of the fiscal year 2011 level outlined in a continuing resolution.

The FAA bill eventually will provide for an upgrade to a satellite-based navigation system and provide funding for major airport improvements around the country while calling for studies that may modify safety rules.

Wrecking ball at Whitehaven Plaza

The plaza part of Whitehaven Plaza shopping center keeps expanding as yet another building disappears.

Memphis Wrecking Co. started work Tuesday removing a long-vacant, 50,000-square-foot building behind Piccadilly Cafeteria.

Last winter, Memphis Wrecking took down a 100,000-square-foot building that originally housed Lowenstein’s and later Dillard’s.

“This is the fourth one,” Memphis Wrecking Co. owner Steve Williamson said of the retail building currently being demolished off the southeast corner of Elvis Presley and Laudeen.

“The first was the movie theater on the northeast corner of the property, about 10 years ago,” he said. “About five years ago, it was the bowling alley.”

The current demo project should be complete in four to six weeks.

Finard Co. has owned the shopping center since 1986.

Sarah Newstok named a visionary

The Tennessee Public Health Association has awarded its first Visionary Award in West Tennessee to Sarah Newstok for her work making Memphis a healthier place.

Newstok leads Livable Memphis, which started Walk-Bike Memphis as a stand-alone initiative.

Walk-Bike Memphis has helped update the city and Shelby County bicycling rules, helped change the way road projects were ranked for funding, helped the city launch a campaign to create 55 miles of bike routes over 18 months, and helped plan and carry out a demonstration project on Broad Avenue to show how new bike lanes and crosswalks would improve the old commercial district.

Kudos for U of M prof

Barbara Kritchevsky, a professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Farris Bobango Faculty Scholarship Award.

Kritchevsky received an honorarium and plaque during the recent law school graduation ceremony.

Established by the Memphis-based Farris Bobango Branan law firm, the award recognizes and encourages outstanding research by a faculty member.