Good morning, Memphis. Remember when we had all that snow earlier this year? That was nice, wasn’t it? 

Anyhoo, today is Tuesday, July 27, and your Memphis Redbirds — who are on a 15-game winning streak — are back at home to begin a six-game series against Gwinnett. Popular food truck Bain’s BBQ will host its first fundraising dinner, offering a 14-ounce ribeye, baked potato, roasted asparagus and a sheet cake for $50 (though you will need to make a reservation). The Shelby County Schools board has a business meeting on the books, and the 14th Annual Great Wine Performances will be held tonight in Playhouse on the Square’s parking lot. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Dr. Michelle Taylor has been approved as the new director of the Shelby County Health Department. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Health Department’s new head: Though there were perhaps initial concerns over her experience, Dr. Michelle Taylor was unanimously approved by the County Commission yesterday as the new director of the Shelby County Health Department. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m kind of glad we now have someone official and permanent to lead the Health Department in the middle of what seems to be a never-ending pandemic. Another notable development at yesterday’s County Commission meeting was no development, as the body did not take up a one-penny tax hike approved, then scuttled, in June. 

A Poplar Healthcare technician logged tested COVID-19 samples in July 2020 as the lab began doing emergency COVID-19 pool testing. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian file)

AI test: A local lab that helped improve Memphis’ response to the pandemic has been sold to an out-of-town tech company. Poplar Healthcare, which — pre-pandemic — offered specialized diagnostic testing services to health care organizations across the country, developed its own coronavirus test and was one of the first to do cost-effective, and quick, pool testing. The lab has now been snapped up by another innovator; the Boston-based company uses artificial intelligence in its pathology and diagnostics, and the plan is for samples to be put on slides and digitized in Memphis, then uploaded to a cloud.

Masks optional? Collierville schools released its COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming school year, making masks “recommended but not required” for those not vaccinated. The district does plan to continue with social distancing of at least three feet between students where possible, and students who are sick are being asked to stay home. Germantown released its guidelines last week, as did Shelby County Schools.

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, PART ONE

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas (17) worked against Washington Wizards center Moritz Wagner (21) in March. (AP file Photo/Nick Wass)

The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly traded one of my personal Next Gen favorites, Jonas Valanciunas, yesterday. The trade, details of which are here, give the Grizz the No. 10 and the No. 40 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. The deal also means the Grizzlies will have to decline the team option on Justise Winslow. But let’s get back to Valanciunas for a minute and why he was so popular. As Chris Herrington writes, “It wasn’t just the combination of brute force, sneaky skill and colorful demeanor — the raised eyebrows, the Orlando bubble fishing exploits, the Paul Bunyan vibes — that made Valanciunas evoke Zach Randolph rather than the more nuanced Gasol. It was the reliable double-double production, the constant on-court thump that put numbers on the board and smiles on FedExForum faces.”

So why let Valanciunas go and, as @MSavage901 points out, to New Orleans of all places? Geoff Calkins has an answer for us. And, given the deal gives the Grizz more point guards than they may need, it’s likely the trades may keep coming. “The craziest part?” of yesterday’s news, according to Drew Hill, is that “Memphis is likely not done.” So stay tuned, friends. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Tempers flared during a September 2020 sit-in at Collierville’s Town Square Park over the presence of a Confederate marker. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Monumental question: A Collierville monument, dedicated to the town by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1940, has prompted several protests and demonstrations over the past year. But it’s not something that has been officially taken up by the town’s leadership. Now a member of the mayor-appointed Planning Commission — and a resident of the town since 1956 — is asking the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen to discuss a solution. “Right now we are just talking about what can we do,” Jewel Jordan said, declining to offer specifics.

Officer resigns: The Memphis police officer facing charges due to a fatal car crash last month has resigned from the force. Antonio Marshall was involved in a high-speed crash on Walnut Grove that killed two men; he was an officer with the Memphis Police Department for two years. 

Latoshia Daniels got an update from her previous attorney, defense lawyer Leslie Ballin, in August of last year. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Attorney quits, too: A Little Rock woman, charged in the death of a Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church pastor, now has a new criminal defense attorney. Latoshia Daniels, an anger management specialist who allegedly said the pastor had broken her heart before, again allegedly, shooting him three times, was initially represented by defense attorney Leslie Ballin. But Ballin asked to be relieved because he and Daniels did not see “eye to eye on how to try the case.”

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, PART TWO

Yes, it’s something as mundane as the weather. Only this weather doesn’t seem mundane at all. 

Yikes. This may not be that surprising, but there is another heat advisory in effect for today, beginning at 10 a.m. 

I’m on Twitter (@marycash) if anyone wants to share their best tips for staying cool. I’ll take anything you’ve got. 

Thanks for reading; have a great one! 

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