The AM/DM

This weekend feels like a solidly summer affair, with a screening of "Jaws" at the Orpheum Theatre, a car show at Graceland and Memphis Brewfest at Shelby Farms Park. There's also an art show called "Summer on Summer" opens and Gladys Knight plays the Graceland Soundstage.

Bianca Phillips is here with all the details.

Plus:

• A man is convicted for a 2023 Olive Branch hotel shooting
• J Woods Sports Bar opens in Harbor Town
• An aviation technology school's plans soar near the Millington airport
• A Sonic Drive-In is coming to East Memphis
• Woodland Recovery opens a bigger and better location in Southaven
• Memphis Art Museum will have free admission for Shelby County residents

Earlier this week, Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer was indicted on federal theft, fraud and money laundering charges. Information from U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant alleges that Sawyer embezzled more than $44,000 in public funds. Sawyer, who appeared in federal court Monday, June 15, has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Today, longtime political reporter Bill Dries joins us to discuss the charges, some similar history and what could happen next.

Plus:

• The Collierville Chick-fil-A case is reopened in Shelby County Chancery Court
• Amazon Prime Air unveils drones that "detect and avoid" as they deliver
• Action News 5 will televise the remaining Memphis FC slate
• Tigers athletic director Ed Scott gives an update on the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation project
• Developers line up funding for a Midtown senior housing project

Culturally, we're all probably reading a little less. And maybe retaining less even when we do read. But what does that mean for a place like Rhodes College, which itself on teaching students the classics? Like, "The Odyssey" or Dante's "Inferno."

Today, we're joined by reporter John Klyce, who examined this trend locally and talked with several Rhodes professors about what the college does to keep students engaged.

Plus:

• The first Memphis schools takeover meeting is set for tomorrow in Nashville
• Tami Sawyer has been indicted and faces federal corruption charges
• A coffee company is brewing up a Harbor Town location
• The US government says Grok helped it bomb Iran
• A drone delivery drop-off is descending into the Memphis-area market soon

When Southaven police arrested a substitute Hernando High school teacher earlier this month for possessing child pornography, it raised some questions. Over the past year, several headlines out of North Mississippi have centered on child pornography, sexual assault and statutory rape, and members of the community have begun to wonder what is going on.

Today, North Mississippi reporter Aarron Fleming joins us to talk about what the data shows and how the area compares to Memphis and other parts of Mississippi.

Plus:

• Inspire Community Cafe is closing this month
• The man acquitted in the killing of Young Dolph is arrested again
• Positive momentum in the area fuels the North Mississippi industrial development
• Mississippi officials prepare for the return to 2022 legislative maps

There's plenty going on as we begin a new work week. Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips is here to discuss it all.

Plus:

• More than 100 images linked to a used cellphone lead to an alleged child predator's arrest
• The Flyway completes the Tom Lee Park transformation
• Frayser high has a name but it won't be the only new school for the neighborhood
• AutoZone extends a title-sponsorship agreement with the Liberty Bowl
• Soul & Spirits buys the Memphis Made trademark
• The Memphis Redbirds reacted to the city council's pushback on funding
• A New York firm acquires a former Memphis chemical manufacturer facility

If you missed last weekend's record swap, Filipino Fest or the Drive-in Laser Light Show, you have another, or similar, chance this weekend. Bianca Phillips joins us this morning to talk about all that and to shepherd us through the weekend.

Plus:

• The state vows to speed up roadwork on Elvis Presley Boulevard
• A new Treadwell school project could be a county-budget casualty
• SpaceX adds more turbines as a court fight continues
• The City Council questions the need for AutoZone Park money
• Bartlett passes a mayor's pay increase, a property tax rate and budget
• The Olive Branch Planning Commission denies a new project that could have included a data center
• A new Goodwill Bargain Barn location is coming to Southeast Memphis

One of Memphis' most famous music studios, Ardent Studios, is in legal and financial limbo as an ugly legal battle unfolds. The studio has closed as lawsuits between the studio's owner, Betty Fry, and Mark Baranauskas, who also goes by the name "Mark Danger," play out.

Reporter Jody Callahan has the story and joined Eric Barnes to talk about what's happening.

Plus:

• The Overton Park Shell "shell-ebrates" 90 years with free fall shows
• The City of Memphis is confident that SpaceX will finish a water recycling plant
• FedEx pilots get pay hikes and working condition changes
• The National Civil Rights Museum launches the Bayard Rustin Institute

During elementary school, James Jin's teachers warned his parents that if he wasn't placed in special education classes, he might not make it to high school. But in May, Jin graduated fifth in his class, with straight A's, from White Station High School, and he'll start at Yale University in the fall. In the interim, he started ArtFlow, a nonprofit that provides art programming and is now in more than 200 schools.

Reporter John Klyce joins us today to tell us more about Jin and his journey to help thousands of students with autism, dyslexia, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.

Plus:

• Funding for Audubon Park's splash pad and clubhouse moves forward
• Viet Hoa owners are opening a large international market
• Work starts on the $70M Smokey City Market in North Memphis
• The Blue Monkey is closing its doors in Midtown
• Navy levels up recruitment efforts with an East Memphis esports facility

Brand USA was established in 2010 to market the U.S. as a tourist destination. Think the Las Vegas strip, Mount Rushmore, the Smithsonian and even Whitehaven's Hernando's Hide-A-Way. Joining us today is new business reporter Noah McLane, who took us to Whitehaven to talk about the historic bar.

Plus:

• The Memphis Safe Task Force faces a lawsuit over First Amendment rights and high arrest numbers
• The tax season drumbeat grows louder at City Hall
• The LUCB is considering four planned developments
• A Memphis advisory board finalizes 11 community priorities for a $3 million AI fund
• North Memphis is about to have Jazz and Blues
• The extension of Nail Road in DeSoto County is open

Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips joins us in the studio today to prepare for the week ahead.

Plus:

• A former Memphis news anchor starts a PR firm to help clients "command the moment"
• Another 201 Poplar inmate dies
• The City of Memphis is beginning to connect vacant lots in a North Memphis neighborhood to form a pattern of redevelopment
• Kuhn launches her congressional bid at a Cordova gas station
• Former Evolve bank CEO is sentenced in a child sexual abuse material case