What’s kickin’, chickens? Today is Thursday, July 7, and the Shelby County Adult-Oriented Establishment Board (there’s a board for everything, huh?) meets today to consider applications for employees permits and other matters. 

Later tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies are back on the court in a summer league game against the Utah Jazz. Last night, the Grizzlies lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 87-71, so let’s hope they do better tonight. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Divorce filings against Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent Joris Ray allege affairs that may have included current or former employees of the school system. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Joris Ray admits to affairs: Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray admitted to having affairs in a divorce filing. In court records, his wife, Tiffany Ray, alleges affairs that may have included current or former employees of the school system. MSCS’ policy strongly discourages amorous relationships, and in some cases, that policy requires the parties to either terminate the relationship or resign. 

Andy Bell uses an iPad in his 8th grade STEM class at West Collierville Middle School on March 6, 2019. The Tennessee Department of Education released district-level data for the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program on Wednesday morning. (Daily Memphian file)

Testing, testing: Just over 20% of third- through eighth-grade students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools are meeting grade-level expectations in English Language Arts and 14.5% are meeting expectations in math, according to district-wide Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) data released on Wednesday. Yet MSCS Superintendent Joris Ray said the scores represent “unprecedented gains” over recent years’ lower scores, and he touted several district initiatives for driving improvements. Scores for the suburban school districts were considerably higher than MSCS scores. 

“We should not police women in matters of reproductive health,” Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. said. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)

Reproductive autonomy: Memphis City Councilman (and Democratic primary candidate for the Tennessee gubernatorial race) JB Smiley Jr. plans to introduce the Reproductive Autonomy Is Necessary (RAIN) Act at the July 12 council meeting. The act calls on the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement to make prosecution or investigation of abortions a low priority. “We should not police women in matters of reproductive health,” said Smiley.

Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley (right) voted no on funding to provide bonuses and pay hikes for Shelby County employees. Commissioner Eddie Jones was among commissioners voting yes. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Good news for county workers: Shelby County employees who make less than $100,000 a year will get bonuses and a 5% pay raise beginning next week, thanks to a move by the Shelby County Commission last night. Commissioners voted to allocate $8.4 million for the raises and bonuses that will go to more than 2,800 county employees. The commission also approved — on the first of three votes — a new minority business program for county government that will ensure contractors are hiring and paying minority- and women-owned subcontractors on time. But the commission delayed a decision on hiring seven new full-time employees for the Criminal Court Clerk’s office.

A voter casts his ballot during early voting on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at Abundant Grace Fellowship Church. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Prepare to be confused: Shelby County election officials are working on plans to combat what could be an especially confusing election cycle. New county precinct lines mean polling places have been shuffled, but Ian Randolph of the Shelby County Voter Alliance has a hot tip for you to make things a little easier. On top of the precinct changes, the ballot is the longest of any election cycle in Shelby County. “Just make sure you know who you want to vote for because there is an awful lot on this ballot,” said Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips.

QUOTED

“[We’re] on track for the second best year ever, and we may yet eclipse 2021, which was two times better than any other year.”

— Kemp Conrad of Cushman & Wakefield
The Memphis industrial real estate market continues to set a historic pace. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s second-quarter report, the market saw pricing hit more than $4 per square foot for the first time.

THE NICE TO KNOW

The Collage Dance Collective was named to South Arts’ inaugural Southern Cultural Treasures Cohort. In this file photo, Collage Dance artists are shown in Joshua Manculich’s “A Time For.” (Ariel Cobbert/Courtesy Collage Dance Collective)

Southern treasure: Memphis-based ballet company Collage Dance Collective has been named to South Arts’ inaugural Southern Cultural Treasures Cohort, a designation that comes with $300,000 in general operating grants — distributed over three years — and a project grant of up to $7,500. Collage Dance and 16 other arts organizations throughout the Southeast were named to the cohort.

A new podcast, “Ernie’s Secret,” chronicles the life of civil rights photographer Ernest Withers, who was also an FBI informant. This file photo shows the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery at 333 Beale St. (Daily Memphian file)

‘Ernie’s Secret’: A new 10-part podcast chronicles the life of Ernest Withers, the Memphis-based journalist best known for his photographs documenting the civil rights movement (but who also happened to be an FBI informant). “Ernie’s Secret,” hosted by Pulitzer Prize winner Wesley Lowery, is based on reporting by Marc Perrusquia (the director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis) when he worked with The Commercial Appeal. Our own Geoff Calkins says you should give it a listen “if you care about Memphis, or Withers, or civil rights, or governmental surveillance and overreach.”

GloRilla (Screenshot from @Glorillapimp on Instagram)

Go, Glo! Memphis rapper GloRilla (aka Gloria Woods) is now the first female rapper on Yo Gotti’s CMG record label. Woods and Yo Gotti, both North Memphis natives, announced Woods’ signing with the label on social media on Tuesday. GloRilla and Memphis producer HitKidd’s “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” has been on Billboard’s Hot 100 list since early June. 

The Design Review Board approved plans for Soul & Spirits Brewery’s new beer garden on Wednesday. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian file)

Patio season: The Design Review Board approved design plans for Soul & Spirits Brewery’s planned beer garden on Wednesday. In March, the Uptown brewery was approved for a development grant to fund the garden’s construction. Soul & Spirits added a temporary gravel patio for this season, but the new garden will have a gravel pad for food trucks, a metal awning to cover the seating area and a dog park with artificial turf. “It is definitely going to make that space look a lot more presentable,” Soul & Spirits co-owner Blair Perry said. The board also approved site plans for renovations of the former Masonic Building Association at 154 G.E. Patterson Ave.

North Star nets arrests: The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 122 fugitives, sex offenders and violent criminals who were wanted in Memphis and Shelby County during a 30-day initiative called Operation North Star. Memphis was one of 10 cities that participated in the initiative, which netted a total of 1,500 fugitives nationwide.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

As Memphians, we’ve likely normalized the fact that our Pyramid is home to Bass Pro Shops by now. But imagine how it must look to visitors. 

Someone on Twitter pointed out that, from the bird’s eye view, you could also see the Bass Pro Shops location on Macon Road, which would make it a “double Bass Pro ... all the way.” Is that like a double rainbow? Perhaps!

Farewell, friends! I’ll be right here waiting until Friday morning.

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