It’s going to be a very fine day, Memphis! It’s Thursday, May 12, International Nurses Day. These past couple of years have been especially tough on nurses, so to all the nurses out there, thank you for all that you do. And congrats to the 81 graduates who earned their Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing this past Monday.

The Shelby County Land Use Control Board meets today, and they’ll be addressing Forge Partners’ plan to convert Midtown’s Parkview senior living facility into market-rate apartments, among other items.

And we’re on day two of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The Daily Memphian’s Alicia Davidson was there yesterday and had this report.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr., (left) smiles during a victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)

That trick has been whooped: The Memphis Grizzlies whooped the Golden State Warriors, 134-95, last night in game five of the Western Conference semifinals, leading by 52 points at the end of the third quarter — one of the biggest leads in playoff history. The Grizzlies were facing playoff elimination if they lost this one, and star point guard Ja Morant is out with a knee injury, possibly for the rest of the season. But no matter because Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for 63 points (21 each) on just 34 shots. Before the game, the Warriors’ Steph Curry told a reporter the Warriors’ game plan was to “whoop that trick.” So as the Grizzlies’ signature “Whoop That Trick” victory anthem played, Memphis rapper Al Kapone announced “Steph Curry, in your face.” The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins said “It wasn’t just Memphis basketball. It was Memphis, period. Or everything we aspire to be.” Next up: Game six goes back to San Francisco on Friday, and the Grizzlies must win to stay in the series. Our own Chris Herrington says, “The whooping is over. Now it’s winning time.”

Sherra Wright (center) listens to arguments during a hearing in Judge Lee Coffee’s court on May 30, 2019, to decide issues of probable cause in relation to wiretapping during the investigation of Lorenzen Wright’s murder. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian file)

Parole not recommended: Sherra Wright, who pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder of ex-husband and NBA star Lorenzen Wright in 2019, went before the parole board on Wednesday, and one board member recommended they deny her early release. Wright has served about five years of her 30-year sentence in the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville. “I think it’s abhorrent and a near abomination that you’re up for parole on these crimes in such a short period of time,” said board member Barrett Rich. 

As early voting began, Shelby County Juvenile Court clerk candidate Janeen Gordon’s campaign signs began using the Fullilove name with a picture of her mother next to hers. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)

Naming rights: Stephanie Gatewood, the third-place candidate in the May Democratic primary for Juvenile Court Clerk, plans to contest the certification of first-place winner Janeen Gordon when the Shelby County Election Commission meets this Friday to certify the results. Gatewood says Gordon should not have been allowed to appear on the ballot as Janeen Fullilove Gordon due to the name recognition associated with her mother, long-time politician and outgoing clerk Janis Fullilove. “I’m just trying to get her disqualified from being able to do that because it kind of sets the precedent that next time I can run and say ‘I’m Donald Trump’ or put ‘Obama’ in the middle of my name and get elected that way,” Gatewood said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has declined to release salary information for its employees despite a Freedom of Information Act request. (Marc Perrusquia/Special to the Daily Memphian)

TVA declines to release salaries: The Tennessee Valley Authority has refused to release the salary information for its employees following a Freedom of Information Act request by the Institute for Public Service Reporting. “There is no justification for intruding on the privacy of the thousands of TVA employees whose compensation you have requested,’’ wrote TVA FOIA officer Denise Smith. The federal corporation, created by Congress and built with a massive infusion of taxpayer funds to erect its dams, power plants and related infrastructure, doesn’t consider the bulk of its payroll to be public information.

MEET MEMPHIS

The University of Memphis’ High Water Records label has relaunched with music by Memphis artist Talibah Safiya. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Memphis musician Talibah Safiya describes her music as “diasporic” with a mix of blues, jazz, hip-hop or R&B inspired by “Black music and its storytelling.” Safiya’s music has energized the University of Memphis’ High Water Records label, which was founded in 1979 and mostly features field recordings of Mississippi Delta blues and gospel. The label has relaunched with Safiya as a new artist-in-residence. “I feel like Memphis is in a revolutionary space in redefining what our culture is right now,” Safiya said. “So anything that is pushing forward high art, complex art and advancing the discussion about what type of things to expect out of Memphis, I’m here for it.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

In this 2019 file photo, Caio Dos Santos practices a pirouette at the Collage Dance Collective as the group prepared to leave on tour to New Jersey and Washington D.C. before the pandemic ended their plans. The collective finally launched that tour this month. (Houston Cofield/Daily Memphian file)

Show on the road: Memphis-based Collage Dance Collective took off on its first-ever national tour earlier this month. The dance collective got a grant from ArtsMemphis in 2019, and they created a touring plan. But then the pandemic hit, and they were unable to tour. Now that life has returned to something like normal, Collage Dance Collective has hit the road with a company of 15 dancers. “I’m really excited about our vision of being a touring company because what that means is we, in essence, would be a major cultural export for Memphis,” said Marcellus Harper, executive director of Collage Dance Collective.

Democratic state Rep. G.A. Hardaway sent an email to Shelby County Commission chairman Willie Brooks urging the commission to fill the vacant District 91 House seat. (Ian Round/Daily Memphian file)

Seat not taken: Democratic state Rep. G.A. Hardaway is pushing the Shelby County Commission to fill the vacant House District 91 seat, even though the legislative session has ended. The seat has been vacant since March when state Rep. London Lamar was appointed by the commission to fill the vacancy in state Senate District 33 left after ex-Sen. Katrina Robinson was expelled following her conviction on federal wire fraud charges. On Monday, some on the commission questioned the urgency, and they voted on a delay until at least the end of May. “The number one reason to fill the seat is those folks in District 91 deserve equal representation,” said Hardaway.

Body cameras for Germantown: The Germantown Police Department is looking to add body cameras for all patrol officers. The department’s $201.2 million budget, which has not yet been approved by city leaders, includes the addition of cameras. 

Billy Orgel (left) and his son Benjamin Orgel (right), developers of Providence Place, an estimated $100 million mixed-use project in Arlington, spoke at a luncheon on Wednesday, May 11. (Michael Waddell/Special to the Daily Memphian)

Blue Oval bonus: Father-and-son development duo Billy and Benjamin Orgel provided an update on their $100 million mixed-use Providence Place development at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday. Providence Place in Arlington will feature single-family homes, townhomes and loft apartments, plus a hotel with restaurants and conference space, commercial office space, a one-acre lake and a community garden. Benjamin Orgel said their interest in Arlington began before Ford’s nearby Blue Oval City project was announced. “We love the leadership from the mayor and his team, and we are so excited to be here. Ford is just a bonus,” he said.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

This one seems topical this week as Memphis in May’s barbecue contest is underway. Good Morning America is touring the country for their “United States of Barbecue” segment, and so far, they’ve sampled ’cue Tampa, Dallas, Chicago and Washington, D.C. But not Memphis. I don’t even eat meat, and I’m offended.

Have an awesome day, and I’ll see you in the morning!

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