Howdy, Memphis! It’s Thursday, March 31, and I hope you have power this morning after yesterday’s scary spring storm. As of this morning, Memphis Light, Gas & Water’s outage map shows about 4,000 customers without power. In what is perhaps a serendipitous twist, MLGW is scheduled to host its second Outage Improvement Advisory Team meeting today. They’ll be live-streaming that meeting on MLGW’s YouTube page. 

In other weather-related updates, there’s a frost advisory in effect from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday, so you might want to bring your plants inside. 

Today is also Transgender Day of Visibility, and The Haven is hosting a panel discussion featuring LGBTQIA leaders at The Dixon Gallery & Gardens.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Workers clear debris from a downed tree on the grounds of the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion after an outbreak of severe weather on Wednesday, March 30. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Tornadoes all around: The tornado sirens that rang out multiple times in Shelby County last night certainly were scary (I was hunkering down in a tiny bathroom with two cats and a pit bull), but Arkansas, Missouri and Texas got the worst of it with at least two tornadoes injuring several people, homes and businesses in those states. No deaths were reported, but at least 7 people were injured in Arkansas.

Groundbreaking for the Grand Hyatt is slated to begin this May, and Caption by Hyatt will open this summer. The new hotels, as well as the Hyatt Centric, shown here, are part of the One Beale development. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

One Beale progress: Downtown is about to get a whole lot more hotel space. The groundbreaking for the 24-story Grand Hyatt hotel, the fourth and final phase of the One Beale development, is slated for mid-May, and Carlisle Corp. expects construction to take about 20 to 24 months. The hotel will feature 365 rooms, 42,000 square feet of meeting space and a restaurant. One Beale’s second hotel, Caption by Hyatt, is scheduled to open in late June, next to the Hyatt Centric. That hotel will feature 136 rooms and a lounge called the Talk Shop. The Daily Memphian’s Neil Strebig has a look at those projects and others that Carlisle Corp. has coming down the pike. 

Rep. Steve Cohen, seen in this file photo, announced funding for MATA’s eight-mile corridor between Downtown and the University of Memphis was included in the White House budget proposal. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Bus money: President Joe Biden’s federal budget proposal includes $46 million to fund Memphis Area Transit Authority’s Bus Rapid Transit project, an eight-mile corridor between Downtown and the University of Memphis where electric buses would travel on dedicated bus lanes. But that funding depends on whether Republicans in Congress stall or delay passage of the overall federal budget until after this year’s Congressional midterm elections. Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen discussed the proposed funding and the Rapid Transit concept on The Daily Memphian’s On the Record podcast. When asked if Memphians could adjust to dedicated bus lanes on city streets, Cohen replied: “I think we can handle anything. We’ve handled Hurricane Elvis. We’ve handled ice storms.” 

When Collierville High School’s new campus opened in 2018, there were 2,773 students enrolled. That number jumped to 2,884 in 2020. (The Daily Memphian file)

Growing pains: After opening a new high school only four years ago, Collierville High is already outgrowing its space. The Collierville Schools board is moving forward with plans for a $7.8 million, 29,500-square-foot expansion that will break ground this summer. Collierville purposefully chose its current 155-acre site with plans for possible expansion. With plenty of room for the town to annex to the south of the high school, there is significant potential for growth in the school population. 

MEET MEMPHIS

Singer Bailey Bigger at her farm in Marion, Arkansas. Bigger will play a free release show for her new album, “Coyote Red,” on April 1 at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian) 

Marion, Arkansas’ Bailey Bigger has a new album, “Coyote Red,” and she says it’s the record she’s “always wanted to make.” “It allowed me to combine a lot of my differing influences, and I couldn’t be happier with it,” said Bigger. The 22-year-old Americana artist began playing music and writing songs at age nine when she received her first guitar. She honed her skills in musical summer camps, songwriting contests and open mic nights while she was still in high school. She eventually teamed up with Memphis songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart, who co-wrote several songs on her last album and some for “Coyote Red,” which he also produced. Bigger will play a free record release show for the new album on Friday, April 1, at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way.

THE NICE TO KNOW

After 40 years of being owned by the City of Memphis, the Orpheum Theatre is back under private ownership. (Daily Memphian file)

Public goes private: As of this week, the Orpheum Theatre is now under private ownership, after being under City of Memphis ownership for four decades. The property transfer (made for the sum of $1) was approved by the Memphis City Council last December, and the deed was signed this past Monday. The Memphis Development Foundation sold the historic theater to the city 40 years ago for $1 so they could qualify for a state grant to fund renovations, and the city has been leasing it to the nonprofit ever since. “This transition will make it better and easier for us to raise those bigger dollars for bigger events,” said Orpheum Theatre president and CEO Brett Batterson.

Switch-up at Action News 5: Following the news that long-time WMC-TV Action News 5 anchor Kontji Anthony is leaving, the station announced a new line-up with some familiar faces. Arianna Poindexter will now co-anchor the morning newscasts alongside Andrew Douglas. Kelli Cook will serve as the weekend anchor. And Joy Redmond will replace Anthony to co-host the evening’s early and late newscasts alongside Joe Birch.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones (21) leaves the court with his hand covered at halftime in the game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, March 30, in San Antonio. (Nick Wagner/AP)

No. 2 seed: Good gracious, that was a close one. On Wednesday night, the Memphis Grizzlies barely inched past the San Antonio Spurs to win, 112-111, and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Star point guard Ja Morant is still nursing that knee injury, but his backup, Tyus Jones, capitalized on a flurry of offensive rebounds for the scores that staved off San Antonio. The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill says the Grizzlies probably needed that close game because — reality check — “Memphis won’t win every playoff game by 20-plus points.” 

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $25 million to Youth Villages, a Memphis-based nonprofit. Scott also donated $7.5 million to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)

Youth Villages gets big donation: Billionaire author and philanthropist (and ex-wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos) MacKenzie Scott has donated $25 million to Memphis-based nonprofit Youth Villages. “It is the largest gift that we have received that is unrestricted and that we did not apply for,” said Youth Villages CEO Pat Lawler. Last week, it was announced that Scott is donating $436 million to more than 80 Habitat for Humanity groups, including $7.5 million going to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. In 2019, Scott made public her intention to give away her entire fortune. 

Beale Street Music Festival is happening at Liberty Park this year, due to construction in Tom Lee Park. The Memphis Area Transit Authority will offer free shuttle service from Downtown to Liberty Park. (Daily Memphian file)

Free ride: Memphis Area Transit Authority will provide free rapid shuttle service between Downtown and Liberty Park for Beale Street Music Festival. The festival is being held at Liberty Park (aka the Mid-South Fairgrounds) this year due to ongoing construction at Tom Lee Park. Shuttles will run every 10 minutes. Riders must register in advance to use the shuttle and need to present a festival ticket for that day to board. Sign up for our special Beale Street Music Festival Survival Guide newsletter for more insider tips (scroll down to the bottom of our newsletter page to sign up). 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Hey, look who’s back! Minglewood Hall closed in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, but the Midtown concert venue will reopen, under new ownership, on May 4 with a concert by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. 

Godspeed, Memphis. I’ll see you on the flip side.

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