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The Daily Memphian | The Early Word
 
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The Early Word: Strickland meets with protesters; Miller leaves U of M

Hey, there. It’s Thursday, June 4, 2020. Today, we’ve got several fine dining restaurants coming back on the scene and the Metal Museum reopening for members. 

In addition, former Stax Records owner Al Bell and soul singer and songwriter William Bell will discuss recent events and racial inequality as part of a master class with “Take Me To the River” director Martin Shore. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

A protester confronts another protester over the use of the term "all lives matter" during the eighth day of protesting over the murder of George Floyd June 3, 2020. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Protests continue: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings stood with protest leaders at the I Am A Man Plaza yesterday evening to lay out a plan to address police violence against African Americans and racism in the city. Marches continued last night, with new groups joining in or splitting off from the larger protest, and at least one local leader said the demonstrations would continue for 20 more days if needed. One of the national movement’s original goals was the arrest of all four Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s death; the three remaining officers were arrested yesterday.

Devices get delayed: The Shelby County Schools board delayed a vote on digital devices for all of its students, citing unanswered questions. There are some board members who would prefer to see a pilot program slowly roll out the technology, but school board chairwoman Miska Clay-Bibbs said COVID-19 (and ostensibly its effect on in-person, at-school education) makes a pilot unfeasible.

University of Memphis assistant coach Mike Miller talks to Precious Achiuwa (55) and Lester Quinones (11) during a February game. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)

U of M loses Miller: Mike Miller, former member of the Memphis Grizzlies and a “go-to coach for scouting and player development” for the University of Memphis men’s basketball team, is stepping down from his role with the Tigers. “As much as I’ve loved this job and had a blast being part of the special program [Hardaway] is building, the past few months have made me realize it’s time for me to spend more time focused on family,” Miller wrote on social media. “I will find a way to stay in basketball and continue to make an impact on this city that I love so much!” Not long after he was hired, Miller told Geoff Calkins that he honestly didn’t think there was any place better than the U of M “to go if the NBA is your actual goal.” 

And some funding and revenue: The University of Memphis expects to lose $15 million in state funding for the coming year, though that number is still uncertain. The school also expects to see decreased revenue from campus housing, but tuition will probably not increase. Faculty and staff pay raises are also not expected.

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MEET MEMPHIS

Dar Salud Care founder and CEO Dr. Pedro Velasquez-Mieyer (right) talks with patient Cristian Perez, 7, (middle) and his mother Yaquelin Herrera (left) in May. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)

Dr. Pedro Velasquez moved to Memphis more than 20 years ago when his son was being treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. These days, his medical practice — called Dar Salud, which means “give health” in Spanish — is planning to grow to four locations and transition to a nonprofit model called LifeDOC. “In his gratitude for the good things that have happened in his life in Memphis, Velasquez is bequeathing the practice to the city, hoping to improve its residents’ health through clinics that will not answer to shareholders or the financial issues for-profit medical practices have.”

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THE NICE TO KNOW

Tenant Edward Surber this year got some coveted garden bed space on the apartment grounds. But these beds are to be removed after this year’s harvest. (Tom Bailey/The Daily Memphian)

Garden apartments: A rundown Binghampton apartment complex has a new owner who is promising to replace the roofs, replace or repair air-conditioning units and renovate the property’s 52 apartments. But, for the complex’s residents — many of them refugees from Nepal, Burundi, Uganda, Guatemala and Rwanda — there is one large problem (excluding an increase in rent): a plan to remove or relocate the gardens where tenants often grow their native country’s vegetables.

Grizz get to go back? The NBA appears to have a plan to resume its current season. The league’s leadership is expected to approve a plan today in which 22 teams will head to Orlando to play a set of eight regular-season games before moving into a special playoff format. Is this the best of both worlds for the league and (local) fans? As Drew Hill wrote, “This option still allows the league to capitalize on some of its star power in the middle of West standings by including players like New Orleans’ Zion Williamson, Portland’s Damian Lillard and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, but it also allows Memphis to benefit from its current 3.5-game lead out West.” And as Chris Herrington noted, the Grizz will need to go 5-3 for the rest of the “regular” season, but even if they go 8-0, that doesn’t guarantee another team “won’t be within the four games needed to force a play-in.” And falling out of the playoffs entirely is still very much a threat. 

Enough is enough: As we grapple with the dual crises of coronavirus and civil unrest brought on by racial injustice, leaders of three Memphis health care systems joined together yesterday to say racism “infects society” and creates “cascading and compounding consequences on critical levers of life, such as education, housing, employment, personal safety, and, yes, health and well-being.” Archie Willis, founder and president of ComCap Partners, says it’s time for the city’s business and civil leadership to step up and address inequities in our economic, educational, health care and criminal justice systems

Doug Browne opens the Destination Marketing Review at The Peabody hotel on June 3. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

The beat goes on: Memphis Tourism is planning a marketing campaign aimed at potential visitors living within 600 miles of the city, in an attempt to win back tourists after COVID-19. Yesterday, the group gave a local tourism industry update and, “acknowledging uncertainty about when the pandemic will run its course, tourism officials pointed to a few signature events that have not been canceled as opportunities to reverse some of COVID-19’s economic damage.” 

Maligned masks: The company behind face masks distributed, for free, by the State of Tennessee is defending its product. Renfro Corp. said a chemical used on the masks was misidentified as a pesticide by a television news station. The state is awaiting an independent test to determine the safety of the masks.

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WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Just a little levity for your morning ... 

Thanks for checking in with us; we’ll see you tomorrow. 

 
 
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