Cheers, Memphis! It’s Tuesday, May 2, which is National Truffle Day. And why are we cheers-ing to that, you ask? Well, Memphis-based chocolatier Phillip Ashley has partnered with Miller High Life, the “Champagne of Beers,” to create a line of bar snack-inspired truffles in flavors like grilled cheese and beernuts. They’ll go up for sale on the Phillip Ashley Chocolates website today.

In less tasty (but still intriguing) news, the Memphis City Council will consider dueling redistricting plans at its meeting today.

THE NEED TO KNOW

In October 2022, Orange Mound community members viewed renderings of the Melrose High School renovation. The building, which has sat vacant for more than 40 years, will become a library, genealogy center and affordable senior housing. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Geography and destiny: The average lifespan in Shelby County ranges from 84.6 years in a census tract in Collierville to 65.3 years in a neighborhood near Presidents Island. And that discrepancy seems to go hand in hand with access to healthy food and health care facilities, as well as the level of violence present in those communities. In the second article in our “Miles Away, Years Apart” series on local life expectancy, The Daily Memphian’s Aisling Mäki looks at the role social forces play in determining how long residents will live. In part one, Mäki looked at which neighborhoods had the highest and lowest average life expectancies.

Yolanda Claxton embraced activist Richard Massey after speaking to reporters about her son. “I just wish it stopped, and I feel so sad for my son,” she said Monday. (Aarron Fleming/The Daily Memphian)

Traffic stop leads to calls for reform: Last week, Cortavius Claxton, 18, was stopped by Memphis Police officers in Frayser for driving with a cracked windshield. A struggle ensued after Claxton attempted to flee, and he was left with a chipped tooth and a broken nose. The Memphis Police Department has not released details, but his mother, Yolanda Claxton, said officers told her son they believed his car was stolen and that he was carrying a gun. A new set of police reform ordinances passed by the Memphis City Council were designed to prevent such “pretextual traffic stops.” On Monday, Yolanda Claxton and others gathered in Downtown’s Fourth Bluff Park to call for change.

After two months of silence, Memphis city attorney Jennifer Sink says the city’s five-year residency requirement is in effect. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

The five-year rule: Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink said the city’s five-year residency requirement for mayoral candidates is in effect. The news came during a court hearing on Monday over a lawsuit filed by two mayoral hopefuls, Floyd Bonner and Van Turner, who haven’t lived in the city for five years. Sink has been silent on the issue for at least two months, but she said the city hasn’t reversed course and that the city sought out the opinion from attorney Robert Myers that backs up the five-year rule. A full court hearing was due on Monday, but a judge delayed the case after Sink’s revelation. At least one mayoral hopeful is questioning why the residency issue wasn’t enforced in past elections.

On Monday, the Shelby County Commission voted down a renewed call by Commissioner Mick Wright to appoint a special counsel as a step toward ousting Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Wanda Halbert and taxes: There are certainties in life, and Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert making headlines is among them. On Monday, the Shelby County Commission voted down a renewed call to appoint a special counsel as a move toward ousting Halbert over backlogs in license tag renewals, long lines at some offices and a delay in opening a new office in southeast Memphis. Another certainty: taxes. Commissioners gave initial approval to an ordinance setting the county tax rate, but they haven’t yet agreed on what that rate should be. And commissioners also approved a three-year study that will look at how much trash goes into landfills versus recycling or compost. It’s the first such study since the 1990s.

“As FedEx continues to adapt to an evolving global business environment, FedEx Freight has announced a decision to close 29 freight locations and consolidate its operations into other locations,” the company said in a statement. (Courtesy FedEx)

FedEx consolidates, furloughs: Memphis-based FedEx Corp. will consolidate 29 FedEx Freight locations beginning Aug. 13. And they’ll also furlough some Freight workers beginning May 28. FedEx says it will offer employees transfer opportunities to other markets and that furloughed workers would be recalled later this summer. The move comes as the shipping giant navigates months of low earnings amid “market softness.”

QUOTED

“It’s got to get better. [Criminals are] getting away with these things, and they’re trying to take over. We’ve got to stand up and not give up.”

— Lou Flowers Martin, Huey’s customer
Martin was eating dinner with her husband at the East Memphis Huey’s on Sunday when an off-duty police officer shot at a suspect who was breaking into a car in the parking lot. Earlier that day, two people were shot on Beale Street after a man got into an altercation with a souvenir cart operator. That man, Archie Mays, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault. The shootings have left some community members and business owners worried about rising crime in Memphis.

THE NICE TO KNOW

From right, Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman watched from the bench in game six of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. (Jae C. Hong/AP file)

Rank and file: As Memphis Grizzlies fans slowly enter the acceptance stage of grief over the season’s early end, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington looks ahead to changes that could be afoot. “NBA expansion seems likely in the near future. That’s not this summer, but what if it was?” he asks. If the Grizzlies were faced with an expansion draft, in which teams are forced to leave a portion of their roster vulnerable to being poached, how would the Grizzlies prioritize their current players? In the first of a two-part series, Herrington offers his thoughts on how players should be ranked, and you might be surprised at where he places Dillon Brooks. In other Grizzlies news, team members are showing their love for Xavier Tillman Sr.’s hard work during the playoffs.

Penny Schwinn (center), Tennessee’s education commissioner, will leave her role on July 1. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Penny peaces out: Tennessee education commissioner Penny Schwinn will step down on July 1. “It’s just the right time for me and my family,” Schwinn said. She’ll be replaced by Lizette Gonzalez Reynolds, the current vice president of policy for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a Florida-based education reform nonprofit founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

The Beale Street Music Festival returns to Tom Lee Park on Friday. (The Daily Memphian file)

Know before you go to Music Fest: In four days, music fans will return to the river for Beale Street Music Festival at the newly redesigned Tom Lee Park. It’s the first year back Downtown after two canceled pandemic years and a weird year at Liberty Park. Do you have your clear fanny pack ready? Check out the first article in the The Daily Memphian’s Memphis in May Survival Guide series to learn why you’ll need one (and plenty more tips on parking, music and more).

A blended sentencing bill sponsored by state Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), pictured here, and state Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) was pushed to next year after the state Senate approved it. (The Daily Memphian file)

Sentencing bills delayed, defeated: At least five state bills that would have changed sentencing rules for adults and juveniles were delayed or defeated in the General Assembly this past session. Two of those bills would have introduced blended sentencing for juveniles, which provides a longer window of rehabilitation for youth without getting them involved in the adult criminal justice system. Two other bills would have created harsher sentences for adults, and another would have made it easier to transfer children to adult court. It looks like some of those bills may get a second chance next session.

A Spirit Airlines jet approached Philadelphia International Airport on Feb. 24, 2021. Spirit Airlines will soon offer daily nonstop service between Memphis and Los Angeles. (Matt Rourke/AP file)

MEM to LAX: Spirit Airlines will begin offering the only daily, nonstop flights between Memphis and Los Angeles this June. Tickets are already on sale with the first flight scheduled for June 7. (Too bad this wasn’t launched ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies-Los Angeles Lakers playoff series.) 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

The St. Louis Cardinals recently optioned MLB.com’s No. 2 overall prospect Jordan Walker to the Memphis Redbirds. I’m no baseball fan, but I got a chance to see Walker play with the Cardinals in mid-April on my vacation, and my baseball-loving partner was more excited about Walker than any other player.

The Redbirds move may be a demotion for Walker, who set a franchise record in St. Louis by opening his career with a 12-game hitting streak. But it already seems like a win for the Redbirds; Jordan hit a home run in Friday night’s away game against the Durham Bulls. Walker and the Redbirds are back in Memphis tonight to play the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Alright, go enjoy some truffles! And I’ll see you back here tomorrow. I’d never dessert you (get it?). Okay, I’ll stop.

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