The AM/DM

For more than a decade, the City of Memphis has tried to quell gun violence by talking to potential perpetrators and intervening with them before they might make life-altering choices.

How does the city do it? Using several nonprofits and people, mostly men, called "violence interrupters." The nonprofits identify people deemed to be at risk of perpetrating violence — because they are connected either to a known shooter or a shooting victim — and the mentors try to help them stay on a good path.

But now the city is doubling down. And it's doing so at a time when, potentially, it could seize some of the momentum of the Memphis Safe Task Force to impact crime in a long-term, meaningful way.

Joining us today to discuss is enterprise reporter Samuel Hardiman.

Plus:

• An audit clears the county clerk's finances but still cites reporting problems
• FedEx Freight unveils a strategy as it goes public June 1
• Indie Memphis finds a new artistic director
• Little Diggers brings Bahama sands to East Memphis
• Grind City Amp's grand opening kicks off with a free concert
• A local investor sees value in an 'unleaseable' shopping center

In November of last year, two DeSoto County teenagers were in danger after their SUV crashed and went into a ravine. It had been raining, and the water in the ravine was moving fast.

But the girls were lucky because one of the people who witnessed the accident was Johnathon Bigham. And Captain Bigham is the leader of DeSoto County Search & Rescue, a group of about 34 volunteers who get called to help with emergencies.

Though he didn't have any equipment or team members with him, Bigham sprang into action, saving the girls in what was DeSoto County's third water rescue that year.

North Mississippi reporter Brandon LaGrone II recently wrote a story about the team and the changes Bigham has instituted to make it more effective. LeGrone joins us today to talk about it.

Plus:

• Pooh Shiesty's detention hearing is set in Texas
• The Memphis Safe Task Force accountability act clears the Tennessee House
• The new trial appeal in the Nichols' case is still pending
• MSCS sets the 2026-2027 academic calendar
• A judge alleges that $1.6B in child support is held up due to a third-party vendor
• GXO closes their Southaven warehouse as xAI moves in
• Memphis has reorganized its gun violence program
• MSCS advances its improvement plan

Among a city of talented musicians, the Whalums stand out.

Kirk Whalum is a Grammy Award-winning saxophonist whose achievements include soloing on Whitney Houston's smash hit, "I Will Always Love You." Wendell Whalum was a respected organist, musicologist, composer, and longtime director of the Morehouse College Glee Club. Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum was a jazz saxophonist, singer and pianist who toured with Nat King Cole. Thelma Whalum was a classically trained pianist who played the organ at Metropolitan Baptist Church for nearly 50 years.

But today's story isn't about those Whalums. It's about Kenneth III, Kortland, Kameron and Kyle, a group of brothers and cousins. Three out of the four of them performed — though not together — at the most recent Grammy Awards.

Today, John Klyce joins us to tell us about each of these individual musicians and what their work means to their family.

Plus:

• Suburban leaders and residents want more restrictions on solar
• Local medical leaders hope to fix a future physician shortage
• Solar panel storage helps power the industrial market
• Germantown aims to spend $27 million on safety, streets and schools

It's a busy week, and it starts with your last opportunity to register to vote before the Shelby County primaries on Tuesday, May 5. And there's a celebration in honor of those who have helped Midtown stay Midtown. Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips is here to talk about it all and get us prepared for the week ahead.

Plus:

• Grizzlies star Ja Morant's home is for sale
• A triple shooting Downtown leaves 2 in critical condition
• When disaster strikes, hard-working people get paid nothing to answer the call in DeSoto County
• Blue Honey Bistro owners are to open an East Memphis restaurant
• Brandon Clarke has been released from jail after an alleged high-speed chase and arrest
• Penny Hardaway hires a general manager
• The woman accused of killing a pastor is 'on notice' for an alleged bond violation

This weekend's events — the ones The Daily Memphian staff are most excited about, anyway — have one very important thing in common. They are free. Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips is here to give us all the details on those events, including the absence of a price.

Plus:

• The Halbert ouster attempt could be back in play
• UTHSC gives $1.75M in grants across Tennessee
• An MSCS audit yields findings 'consistent with waste and abuse'
• Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty was arrested for robbery and kidnapping

Spring is often a time of renewal and rebirth, and those themes seem to be echoing in our local restaurant scene. Reporter Sophia Surrett, who writes our weekly Food Files column and tracks local restaurant openings and closings, is here today to talk to us about some of the eateries on the horizon.

Plus:

• Heartsong Church sells 10 acres for $700,000
• Memphis guard Curtis Givens III plans to enter the NCAA portal
• Picadilly's newest to-go location opens
• A tweak to a Tennesee law signals Grizz lease momentum
• A widow of a Shelby County inmate sues for husband's death
• MSCS makes Richmond official

Roughly a month ago, Memphis Police Department officer Oscar Torres-Molina was shot during what should have been a routine traffic stop. Though police know who the alleged shooter is, he hasn't been found yet.

The Daily Memphian's public safety reporter, Aarron Fleming, was curious about that recently, especially in light of the extra manpower on the ground due to the Memphis Safe Task Force.

Fleming joins us today to talk about that, as well as his thoughts on this past weekend's No Kings event. During his time at The Daily Memphian, he's covered a number of protests and marches, and he said he was "fairly surprised" that the police used a chemical agent on the march's safety marshals.

Plus:

• FedEx loses out on a $20M tax break
• Stryker and AutoZone make local moves
• Construction of a riverboat landing on Mud Island kicks off
• Post-Ford County Commission sets new rules for 'disruptive' commissioners

Early on, the plan to overhaul Regional One was to rebuild the entire thing on its current site, and to do it in phases so the hospital could still operate during construction. But then the plan changed, to building a new hospital on the Commercial Appeal's former home on Union Avenue. The land was purchased, for $26.6 million, and the entire project is estimated to cost upwards of $900 million. But where will that money come from?

Rejoining us today is reporter Jody Callahan to talk about how Shelby County might fund a new Regional One and where we are in the process.

Plus:

• A No Kings march ended with pepper spray and arrests
• The Shop Black Fest is heading to Downtown Memphis
• Minglewood Hall is for sale

This week begins with a Shelby County Commission meeting and a new member of the commission. This week also includes the three-day commemoration of the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination at the National Civil Rights Museum, including the annual changing of the wreath. And, on Sunday, a new contract with a Pennsylvania company to maintain the state's interstates begins.

The Early Word writer Bianca Phillips is in the studio and we'll be talking about all of that.

Plus:

• A family praises a judge for the sentence in a fatal hit-and-run
• The Memphis airport board chair and CEO are not concerned about a new state bill
• A group wants to make their neighborhood a place people stay as Frayser celebrates 200 years
• Documents show that xAI properties have been appraised at $3.5 billion

This weekend brings a lot of opportunities to get outside: South Main Trolley Night, a garden party at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens and the Mane Street Food Festival. But it starts with a focus on inside. Art by Design, an ArtsMemphis fundraiser, will have a showroom at Agricenter International with art activations done by local interior designers and galleries.

Today, newsletter editor Bianca Phillips joins us to talk about some of the fun events happening this weekend.

Plus:

• A Memphis war hero will finally be awarded the diploma he earned
• The Tigers name a new women's basketball coach
• Hot wing festival introduces a World Wing Cup
• The City Council approves big changes to city impasse procedure
• Hernando approves a forensic audit
• A state board targets 14 MSCS schools for improvements
• Charges are dropped for a 14-year-old involved in St. George's case