Happy Memorial Day weekend! Today is Friday, May 26, and school is out for Memphis-Shelby County Schools students after today. The upcoming three-day weekend means the unofficial start of summer is here. Fire up those grills!

This weekend also brings the end to Memphis in May International Festival with the Great American River Run on Saturday. I’ll be there running the half-marathon, and I’ve assembled this handy guide to running your best race or spectating like a pro. Later on Saturday, the quarterly Etowah dinner series with Chef Jordan Rainbolt is happening at The Ravine.

Beginning at noon on Sunday, all of the late Young Dolph’s cars will be on display at an Agricenter International car show. And in the afternoon, just in time for your grilling party, the Memphis Showboats will play a televised home game against the Houston Gamblers. That night, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will bring its end-of-May tradition, the Sunset Symphony, to the Overton Park Shell. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

The FBI served a court-authorized search warrant at an address associated with Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on Thursday, May 25. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

FBI searches Ford home: The Federal Bureau of Investigation served a search warrant at a home associated with Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on Thursday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation with relation to Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South. The home at 917 Summer Shade Lane belongs to his father, Memphis City Council member Edmund Ford Sr., but the younger Ford has used the address on campaign finance filings. In 2019, through the Shelby County Commission, Ford Jr. sponsored — but did not vote on — a grant for Junior Achievement. The nonprofit used the grant to purchase computer equipment from a business owned by Ford, which then triggered a county ethics investigation.

This summer, the Memphis Police Department says it will have an increased presence at park activities, outdoor gatherings, festivals and other city-sponsored youth activities. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Safer summer? Crime can be a real summer bummer, but the Memphis Police Department has a plan to crack down on a myriad of crime issues throughout the hottest months. Police will be more visible in areas where shootings occur most frequently, and uniformed patrol will monitor public parking lots during evening hours to curb car break-ins. The Daily Memphian’s Julia Baker has a look at the MPD’s plan to tackle summer crime.

“We’re going to have one of the finest police departments that respects the constitutional rights of others,” said mayoral candidate Willie Herenton at University of Memphis Holiday Inn on Thursday, May 25. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Speaking of crime-fighting: Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton (the city’s longest-serving and first elected Black mayor) kicked off his 2023 mayoral bid in a campaign event on Thursday night with an emphasis on reducing crime. Herenton called for a return of Blue Crush hotspot policing that he and others have credited with bringing the city’s crime rate down after its launch in 2006. He also called for a “reform” of recent bail reform measures and a repeal of the city’s police reform ordinances passed in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death. “Do not handcuff the police,” Herenton said.

MEET MEMPHIS

Local artist Michael Roy, also known as Birdcap, in front of a mural he painted on the side of the Exchange Building in Downtown Memphis. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

The work of Memphis muralist Michael Roy (aka Birdcap) can be seen on public walls all over the city. And now, his work is available in book form with the release of his new graphic novel, “The Grief Manual.” Roy wrote and illustrated the book as a sort of how-to guide for navigating death, following the loss of his own mother and father. In a series of vignettes, the guide goes from light and funny to morbid and dark. “Whenever my mom died, I remember Googling what to do,” Roy said. “And everything either felt anesthetic and scientific, or it was extremely spiritual. It was either the hospital or the church.” 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Tina Turner was known for hits like “The Best,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Private Dancer.” (Chris Herringon/The Daily Memphian)

Remembering the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll: Rock and pop superstar Tina Turner died Wednesday at the age of 83 in Switzerland. But she was born in West Tennessee, in the tiny community of Nutbush, just outside of Brownsville. Though Turner didn’t live in Tennessee long (she moved to St. Louis as a teenager), Memphis figured prominently in her music repertoire, and her legacy lives on in the Tina Turner Museum in Brownsville. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington stopped by the museum on Thursday. And he offers this remembrance of the star who was “both larger than life and an Everywoman, one whose struggles and triumphs could inspire and encourage others.”

Ryan Seacrest celebrated with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital’s staff and patients during the grand opening of the Seacrest Studios on Wednesday, May 24. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Seacrest, in: Media personality and producer Ryan Seacrest was in Memphis on Thursday for the grand opening of Seacrest Studios, a pediatric entertainment center inside Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. The studio, made possible by Seacrest’s Foundation, offers patients a place to host their own radio and TV shows, play games and watch live music. The opening event featured several celebrity guests, including Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who was interviewed in the new studio by Seacrest and a few pediatric patients. Speaking of JJJ, in the Grizzlies Insider, we learn that his connections recently helped his dad — former pro basketball player Jaren Jackson Sr. — land a new coaching gig.

Flip Side’s Pinball Wizard, a cheeseburger with fresh jalapeño, fried onions and barbecue sauce. (Chris Herrington/The Daily Memphian)

Flipping good deal: Crosstown pinball bar Flip Side recently flipped its menu from Latin/Caribbean-inspired offerings of tacos, burritos and rice bowls (RIP, avocado fries) to a simpler menu of pizzas and burgers. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington says the new menu is probably a better pairing with pinball, and you can get a burger or sandwich basket with a bag of chips for exactly $10. So that’s your deal for the week. (If anyone from Flip Side is reading this, please add a veggie burger to the new menu. The old menu had plenty of veganizable options; the new one, not so much.)

Added bonus: Collierville Schools employees will get a $500 year-end bonus, after the suburb’s Board of Education approved the extra funds in an unexpected move on Tuesday night. “We thought it would be a nice surprise as an end of the year thank you,” said board chair Wright Cox.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Okay, this will probably never happen, but @GrizzHooping on Twitter posted this dream draft scenario for the Memphis Grizzlies. You can see a few posts below, but the Twitter thread spells out a whole storyline that involves bringing back Mike Conley, drafting Kendric Davis and ending with a playoff championship.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend. And good luck, River Runners! Your Early Word will be taking the morning off on Monday, but I’ll return bright and early on Tuesday, May 30.

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