The AM/DM

It's the last full, holiday-free week of the year and time to get business done. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners and the Memphis City Council will have their last meetings of the year. Editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips talk about those meetings as well as Collierville starting its 2050 vision process.

Plus:

• The city is still spending on Liberty Park debt and consultants while construction remains stalled
• The Station owner is trying again for a liquor license
• Ja Morant is frustrated by the recent loss to the Jazz and team injuries
• DA Barton warns Memphis criminals to turn around
• Ford and SK On are to dismantle their battery joint venture
• An attorney splits with Feagins in a suit against MSCS
• Wild Beet is to open in the former Railgarten space

Bianca Phillips and Mary Cashiola suggest what to do this weekend, including a "Friday After Next" party — on Friday, natch — and a live action murder mystery at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens.

Plus:

• There are new plans for the former Club 616/Spectrum
• Memphis in May names the honored country for 2026
• Thousands of Memphis-area kids could lose pre-k in January
• A Houston company plans to turn two blocks of Downtown into a tech hub
• The Sheriff's Office responds to inmates' depictions of jail life

Before there was the Memphis Safe Task Force, there was Viper, an FBI operation that occurred very quietly over the past summer. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and enterprise reporter Sam Hardiman talk about what The Daily Memphian learned about Viper through an open records request, including the operation's very speedy strategy.

Plus:

• CBU exits probation after two years
• Lakeland approves a new plan for The Lake District after years of setbacks
• The Raleigh Springs Civic Center farmers market breaks ground
• Cxffeeblack's new flagship cafe has opened
• MSCS wants to transfer Lucy Elementary to Millington's school district over the summer

For the past year and a half, the Shelby County Jail — commonly known as 201 Poplar — has been over its 2,400-inmate capacity. And with the recent surge in local arrests tied to the Memphis Safe Task Force, conditions inside 201 seem to be deteriorating. Recent inmates describe overcrowding, violence, neglect and a system struggling under the weight of new bookings.

Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and public safety reporter Aarron Fleming talk about conditions inside the jail, what's causing them and what suggestions have been made to fix the issues.

Plus:

• Memphis seniors get $3M in federal funding for home repair
• A local law firm files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Germantown waits to change the debt limit
• Ashlar Hall's restoration was 'anything but simple'

Former Tigers head football coach Ryan Silverfield initially joined the program in 2016 as the offensive line coach, becoming head coach four seasons later. But news broke a little more than a week ago that Silverfield had taken a job with Arkansas and would be leaving the University of Memphis.

Now, we know that Southern Mississippi coach Charles Huff will join the U of M as its new head coach, and he's bringing some members of his coaching staff with him.

Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola talks to University of Memphis football reporter Frank Bonner about where the program is now, how important the new coach is for the university and what to know as the Tigers go into the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa.

Plus:

• Local baristas battle in a latte art competition
• Lakeland board considers rezoning land along US 70
• Before the Memphis Safe Task Force, there was Operation Viper
• Prosecutors charge 15 in an alleged marijuana trafficking conspiracy
• A new Collierville office park is made to order for businesses who want to design their own space

The week starts out very serious, with two public meetings to discuss the plan to close Chickasaw Middle School and fold it into Westwood High School to create a new Westwood school serving sixth through twelfth grades.

Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips discuss that, as well as the Greater Memphis Chamber's Annual Chairman's Luncheon, one of the best local networking events of the year — if you ask Cashiola.

They also discuss a recent trend of the season, the holiday rom-com, and how there's one coming out that's set in Memphis.

Plus:

• Recent inmates describe filth and physical abuse at 201 Poplar and Jail East
• Memphis football is hiring Charles Huff as the next head coach
• Grizzlies flex their bench strength to knock off the Trail Blazers
• Brothers-in-law buy the Renaissance Center office building for $33.5 million
• Marsha Blackburn targets cargo theft in Memphis with new federal legislation

It's St. Jude Memphis Marathon weekend, but that doesn't mean the fun stops. It some ways, it just keeps going ... for 26.2 miles. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips discuss some of what's happening this weekend, including the Stumbling Santa pub crawl, the latte art throwdown and one of Phillips' favorite events, what she calls "the crystal show."

Plus:

• Two were arrested following a chase where a state trooper fired a shot
• USPS signs a lease for a Memphis facility
• TBI finds nothing unusual in a MPD audit
• The Downtown Memphis Commission's Design Review Board approved facade designs and renovation plans a restaurant and a brewery

When it comes to going to the theater, December has some very popular — and very traditional — offerings. Think the Mouse King or Tuna, Texas, and you'll know what we're talking about. Today, The Daily Memphian's resident theater kid Alys Drake, who also writes our monthly theater roundup, takes us through December's offerings.

Plus:

• Memphian Chloe Sexton appears on "Next Level Baker" tonight
• The Daily Memphian Commercial Real Estate Seminar is this afternoon at Memphis Botanic Garden
• Mr. Rusty's Real Taste of Chicago has closed its Winchester location
• The State of Tennessee challenges the National Guard ruling
• Hattie B's is a step closer to opening a second Memphis-area location
• As the City Council debates firefighter raises, one member compares it to rape
• The trial begins for a Memphis doctor over $41M in reimbursement

The Memphis Safe Task Force, the massive federal, state and local law enforcement operation in Memphis, has now been operational for more than two months. Public safety reporter Aarron Fleming recently got an inside look at the day-to-day operations during a ride-along with Warrant Team Bravo, as they moved to find and arrest a homicide suspect.

Today, Fleming and editorial director Mary Cashiola talk about how he was able to do the ride-along, what he learned from the U.S. Marshal he rode with and what it felt like to be on the ground with the task force.

Plus:

• Memphis library workers might need to reapply for ther jobs
• A golf simulator is planned for Collierville
• For DeSoto County students, getting a head start in college begins at The W
• A new Frayser high school means families may get assigned to different schools
• The City of Memphis and the Police Association edge toward a resolution over the second lieutenant position
• A former Memphis police officer charged with murder five years ago will serve 38 years in prison for his crimes

Longtime local food writer and chef Jennifer Chandler joined The Daily Memphian in 2024 and left the news site about a year later due to family obligations. But now she's back as a freelancer and bringing Daily Memphian readers delicious recipes as part of our long-running "Recipe Exchange" series. Since she's returned, for example, we've gotten recipes for Char's pecan pie, Alcenia's candied yams and Curb Side Casseroles' ambrosia.

Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola talks to Chandler about the best advice she has for home cooks, nostalgia dishes, the most important thing for a dinner party and what, exactly, is a tart pan.

Plus:

• Ryan Silverfield takes Memphis personnel to Arkansas
• Hattie B's restaurant chain hopes to add a location in Germantown
• A team at UTHSC is using a revolutionary method to study certain types of viruses and test an antiviral drug
• Duncan Williams has been named chairman of the Greater Memphis Chamber Board of Directors
• Conservation efforts save 700+ acres from logging