Earlier this week, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted to move all nine Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seats to the 2026 ballot — effectively shortening some members’ terms from four years to two. Commissioners who backed the resolution say it’s about aligning elections. Critics say it’s essentially a recall on the school board.

Today, Mary Cashiola talks with Bill Dries about the 7–5 vote, the backstory to the clash, and what might happen next. 

Plus:

• A bond was set on day two of the hearing for DeAndre and Vinessa Brown
• A woman has been sentenced for the Graceland sale scheme
• Memphis Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on its biggest development yet
• A new food co-op has opened on South Main Street

Readers love them. Readers hate them. Readers love to hate them. The Daily Memphian’s comment section is a place the community can discuss the issues of the day, but it’s also a place where discussions can get heated. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and digital director Holly Whitfield talk about how the comments section works, why moderation is not censorship and why the site’s comments will likely never go away. 

Plus:

• The County Commission failed to pass a resolution opposing the National Guard deployment
• Assessments of Memphis-Shelby County Schools' buildings estimated repair costs throughout the next 10 years
• The Collierville library expansion will now cost $12 million
• Sweet Musings Bakery & Cafe expands to East Memphis

For the first time in years, Bolton High School’s girls soccer team is back on the field — and it’s about more than the score. Editorial director Mary Cashiola and preps reporter John Varlas talk about the school’s inexperienced but eager team and how they are trying to bring hope and energy to a school still reeling from tragedy.

Plus:

• Fancy Cat Cafe is set to open in Southaven
• Hyde Park housing plan is revealed
• DeAndre and Vinessa Brown remain in custody

In this look at the week ahead, The Daily Memphian’s Mary Cashiola and Bianca Phillips talk about two related proposals in front of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony and how the Shelby Farms Greenline started oh-so-many years ago. 

Plus:

• USL League Two is coming to Memphis in 2026
• FedEx reports positive first quarter results
• The Lakeland vice mayor is running for spot on Shelby County Commission
• Memphis Safe Task Force specifics are still being worked out

We get into the Memphis Tigers’ last SEC football game (for a while, at least), where you can see hot air balloons take flight and why you might want to hit the Totally Rad Vintage Fest. Also, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter Bianca Phillips talk about the real reason we don’t always touch on what’s happening with sports. 

Plus:

• Competing rallies demonstrate a partisan divide over the National Guard deployment
• Ramblin' Joe's on Sam Cooper opens on Sunday
• MLGW takes a step toward buying a Cordova property
• Council members push Governor Bill Lee to reject the National Guard deployment
• Main Street will soon get new banners
• An xAI subsidiary subleases 550+ acres for a solar panel project

The Peabody Memphis — the city’s most iconic hotel — has unveiled a $19 million makeover of its guest rooms. It’s part of a 30-year effort to update the property, which is being funded by a special tourism development zone approved specifically for the hotel and the large-scale renovations. 

In this episode, editorial director Mary Cashiola and business reporter Dima Amro talk about the sneak peek Amro got into the new rooms, what other upgrades are planned and the hotel’s numerous nods to duck decor. 

Plus:

• Local business owners are to share their journey on a small business panel today
• The Tennessee Supreme Court sides with the police union again
• Collierville is to consider two more liquor stores
• A Southaven park gets a renovation
• The Arlington Planning Commission approves a road realignment and a new roundabout
• The midtown Chick-fil-A on Union Avenue reopens

In the wake of Tyré Nichols’ death, the Memphis Police Department decided it had an absence of supervision in the field, and set out to fix that problem by creating a new position — the second lieutenant. But that solution caused a string of other problems. At the heart of this conflict are 100-plus police officers who could be demoted. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and enterprise reporter Sam Hardiman try to sort through the situation. 

Plus:

• D.C. federal law enforcement efforts could inform what happens in Memphis
• Wiseacre's OG location is opening an in-house sandwich shop
• The latest on Google's West Memphis data center
• The most recent Tops Bar-B-Q fire is suspected as arson

A new convention center hotel and a major convention center expansion are beginning in North Mississippi. Late last month, ground was broken on the Landers Center’s $85 million expansion, which includes a unique hotel-convention center project. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and North Mississippi reporter Brandon LaGrone talk about how it could represent a brand new chapter for the area. 

Plus:

• President Trump sheds light on plan for Memphis
• Good Fortune Co. made it to the finale in "The Great Food Truck Race"
• Control of MATA's money goes to a city trust
• New federal charges target Ghost Mob again
• Memphis International Airport begins a $700 million upgrade
• Breakfast chain First Watch will open a Gemantown location in late September

Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips and columnist Chris Herrington talk about the week ahead, which includes The Daily Memphian’s upcoming anniversary.  And just ahead of B.B. King’s 100th birthday, Herrington dives deep into the blues legend’s impact on the Memphis music scene.

Plus:

• The National Guard is coming to Memphis
• The Memphis Police Department may soon have to demote more than 200 2nd Lieutenants
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools struggles to hire certified educators
• 8Ball and his son launch a local nonprofit
• Collierville Schools is to improve cell service at the high school
• Two major retailers plan to open locations in Millington
• Michael Dunavant's appointment to return to the position of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee cleared the U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee
• St. Jude announced a second Advanced Research Center
• Germantown will not pursue an outdoor sports complex

Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips and digital producer Kelsey Bowen talk about the weekend ahead, which is ripe with events that hearken back to the dot-com era.

Also, we tell you where to find The Daily Memphian booth at the Cooper-Young Festival and why it matters. (Spoiler: There’s a prize wheel!)

Plus:

• A Bartlett officer is injured in a fatal shooting of a drug suspect
• Lakeland looks for ways to pay for special education
• A West Tennessee ICE facilty has receieved its first detainees
• Mayor Paul Young says the National Guard could be deployed to Memphis