The AM/DM

The work week is upon us again, and we have meetings of the Memphis City Council and the Land Use Control Board as well as the release of a highly awaited audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Of particular interest is the Land Use meeting and two applications for new housing, one in Cooper-Young and another on Covington Pike.

As the week comes to a close, we also have the opening of a new beer garden.

Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips is here to talk about it.

Plus:

• National Guard members shoot and kill a suspect in Downtown Memphis
• Federal wiretaps captured Young Mob using GPS trackers, texts and Facetime
• Brazil native Marcelo Marzola has a mission to produce 100,000 pounds of vine-ripened tomatoes for Memphis, in Memphis
• A Criminal Court judge keeps missing work, slowing the court system and frustrating victims' families
• St. Jude Leadership Academy hires a first-ever senior vice president
• A former DeSoto County teacher is sentenced for child pornography

Last month, the PGA Tour announced plans for two series starting in 2028. One is the Championship Series with 15 high-level tournaments. The other, the Challenger Series, is made up of 20 smaller events. Right now, Memphis' FedEx St. Jude Championship is one of three season-ending tournaments that determine the overall FedEx Cup Champion. But, if that all goes away, what will happen to Memphis' spot on the tour and one of Memphians' favorite events?

Today, Daily Memphian deputy sports editor Tim Buckley joins the show to chat about it, plus an early brush with new Memphis Grizzly Cam Boozer and his dad, Carlos.

Plus:

• A federal judge orders a halt on the MSCS takeover
• The MPD chief is dismissed from the Tyre Nichols civil lawsuit
• The state opens applications for 2 new divisions of Shelby County Criminal Court
• Transit advocates say more funding is needed for MATA
• The County Commission passes the budget with a new property tax rate
• A Memphis hotel joins a worldwide group of luxury destinations
• A new gluten-free bakery space has opened

The new Memphis Art Museum — formerly called the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art — will open Downtown, right on the riverfront, in December. Today, arts and culture editor Elle Perry and food reporter Sophia Surrett join us to talk about some of the new developments, including the planned restaurant operator.

Plus:

• New laws take effect today in Tennessee
• A trial date is set in Tami Sawyer's federal embezzlement case
• The legal fight over Mississippi's Supreme Court lines
• Ace Hardware in East Memphis is closing
• The IKEA property hits the market
• Ouri expands to two carts

The 2026 NBA Draft is over, and the Memphis Grizzlies have entered the official offseason with seven new players. Two more were added yesterday, as the team traded superstar Ja Morant. But what does it all mean for the team and its chances? Today, Grizzlies reporter Drew Hill is here to talk about it.

Plus:

• A new law could create a list of immigrants illegally living in Mississippi
• The Overton Park Conservancy charts the future
• Paints and brushes will be part of the Stomping Grounds experience in the former Railgarten site
• Central Lofts is listed for sale
• A British pub opens

Fourth of July is this weekend, and we've got a rundown of the fireworks shows and parades that you won't want to miss. The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is set to vote on two contract renewals for companies that are getting some pushback from other U.S. school districts. And new Tennessee laws start Wednesday. Digital Director Holly Whitfield joins to discuss it all.

Plus:

• Mayor Young shakes up city leadership
• Plans for Darana-Memphis Motorsports Park have been stalled until next year
• A Little League team raised $50,000 for St. Jude
• Jim 'N Nicks opens its first Mississippi location in Olive Branch
• Suburban reading scores surpass the state average in TCAP data
• A local restaurant is to open a second location in Memphis Art Museum
• Memphis Public Market is reviving a long-vacant Downtown corner

It's getting hot out there, but there are plenty of indoor events to help cool you off this weekend. If you'd rather soak up the sun, we've got the deets on a fun summer block party where the music goes all evening.

Digital Director Holly Whitfield fills in on today's show.

Plus:

• Election officials say redistricting could fuel highter turnout
• Olive Branch police officers have been cleared in a 2024 fatal shooting
• Social media star and former Arlington softball standout Tatum Bittick signs with the Tigers
• The Memphis Zoo is one of 40 across the country hit with bomb threats
• An incoming county commissioner is accused of misusing taxpayer dollars
• The MSCS takeover board may hire an attorney and director
• A judge rules in favor of the DeSoto County redistricting plan

In the past few years, the Memphis market has seen the growth of a new type of real estate: Industrial Outdoor Storage: Open-air sites typically used to park commercial vehicles, stage shipping containers or store heavy equipment.

Today we're joined by commercial real estate reporter Andy Ashby, who recently wrote about this trend, to talk about it. We also chatted about changes at a few area Wendy's, a spec building in Marshall County and a company that specializes in cleaning up old industrial sites.

Plus:

• MSCS sees results from TCAP
• Mahaffey is pitching its tent on Old Lamar Road
• Lakeland keeps a steady tax rate
• Alabama concert is rescheduled after a weather cancellation
• A former Tigers wide receiver is named president of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
• MLGW could charge SpaceX and other big users more for water

In recent days, South of Beale has offered a Bangkok Alley pop-up in East Memphis, there's been a Kinfolk pop-up at Kuya Downtown and Ouri Matcha has been popping up all over the place. Those pop-ups often lead, in the short-term, to creative menus, excited patrons and increased revenue as well as, in the longer term, to new restaurants.

Food writer Sophia Surrett is here today to talk about why pop-ups are so popular among chefs and restaurateurs.

Plus:

• A man convicted of manslaughter in a Memphis chef's death is sentened to six years
• SpaceX recommits to building a water recycling plant
• Germantown leaders approve a $242.5 million budget
• Arlington High opens a $10M football facility

The Bluff City, like any other place, has its own accent and its own way of speaking. Recently, a group of linguists from the University of California, Berkeley, have been working with researchers from the University of Memphis to define this other Memphis sound. Reporter Brandon LaGrone has more on this junt.

Plus:

• The City of Memphis plans to spend for updates to AutoZone Park but isn't certain where the money will come from
• The write-in race for the Hardaway house seat heats up
• The historic Marine Residence gets a new owner and fresh upgrades ahead
• Campus crime drops sharply at U of M
• A police Harbor Patrol Unit navigates the Mississippi River as the city's last line of defense
• MSCS and Shelby County file a federal lawsuit over Tennessee's takeover law

After this week, we'll know who the newest Memphis Grizzlies player will be. Maybe Cameron Boozer, maybe Darryn Peterson, maybe not. We'll also know potentially what Germantown's new tax rate will be. And former Governor and Senator Lamar Alexander will be in town, and Memphis Inner City Rugby will host the grand opening of its new pitch.

Bianca Phillips is here to talk about all of it.

Plus:

• A new Tennessee law changes how sales tax revenue is handed out and its affecting Memphis suburbs
• T.J. Hardaway will run a write-in campaign for his late father's state House seat
• The current airport board takes care of business in what may be its last meeting
• MLGW proposes battery storage projects to strengthen the electric grid
• Memphis developer Billy Orgel will chair the Memphis schools takeover