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Welcome to About Town, where we take a deeper dive into one area each week while also highlighting the latest news, developments and back stories from Memphis’ neighborhoods. This week’s focus: Binghampton.
Many in the Binghampton community have spent the past few months advocating for the preservation of the Scott Street and Poplar Avenue intersection.
Their concerns appeared to successfully sway the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the City of Memphis, which are now both committed to finding a solution to keep the Scott Street connection intact.
Our latest story on Scott Street delves into the conflict’s turning point, why the city and TDOT changed course, and includes interviews with two state representatives involved in the process.
The story also covers the next steps of the Poplar Viaduct redesign, which includes the Scott and Poplar intersection — a connection that’s been in place for more than a century.
While the ultimate solution remains relatively unknown, for the first time since 2018, TDOT, the city and the community agree on what should occur with the intersection.
“I’m excited because what’s happening now is what should have happened two and a half years ago,” said Binghampton Development Corp. executive director Noah Gray. “The community input was received, and the appropriate response was made. That’s fantastic. That’s what you hope for. When decisions to close streets are made without residents, businesses, stakeholders … the wrong decisions are made.”
More About Town:
 Zola Wyatt (center) bursts into laughter as her teacher Coi Morrison makes a joke at The Lab School of Memphis. The school is part of a new educational concept called micro-schools that serve a small number of students offering non-traditional learning options. (Houston Cofield/Special To The Daily Memphian)
The Lab School is a private and independent micro-school which currently serves six students of mixed ages 4-6. The day-to-day learning environment sees educators teaching students topics such as problem-solving, critical thinking and communication, along with developing math, science and reasoning skills.
The final “Be a Good Neighbor” vaccination event will be held from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at Greenlaw Community Center.
 Chapman Furniture comprises two buildings. The one on the right was built in 1905 while the larger one on the left was erected in 1910. (Tom Bailey/Daily Memphian)
Jesse Chapman Sr. stopped parking cars for a living about 75 years ago to open the Downtown store now called Chapman Furniture. His children just sold their building at 335 and 341 S. Main St. and plan to close shop within six months.
EcoPro Services, a division of Empower Employs, provides jobs to the disadvantaged who sanitize agencies working with the homeless in Memphis.
 Twelve-year-old Caleb Thompson, a student at Stax Academy, is headed to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City as an understudy. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
The local 12-year-old is getting his shot at the big time as the understudy in a production by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
About 25 people were vaccinated at the event Thursday. In recent months, the City of Memphis has hosted various community pop-up in ZIP codes with lower vaccination rates to increase uptake as part of a more door-to-door approach.
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