Happy Thursday, Shelby County. It’s June 15, and the Lakeland Board of Commissioners has a packed agenda with plans to take a final vote on the suburb’s fiscal year budget. And they’ll be discussing a youth soccer program, bike and pedestrian improvements for Davies Plantation Road and a development agreement for the Lakeland Gateway project.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare CEO Michael Ugwueke spoke at the 2022 Methodist Healthcare Luncheon at the Peabody Hotel on Dec. 16, 2022. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Methodist, BlueCross reach agreement: Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee have finally reached an agreement regarding its employer-based and marketplace coverage. On Jan. 1, an impasse between the two companies led to thousands of people losing their in-network coverage at Methodist hospitals.

Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies mascot, greeted fans during the Grizzlies’ annual open practice on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at FedExForum. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Home court advantage: The Memphis Grizzlies may be getting a new practice court and new equipment to accommodate power needs for national television broadcasters. The Memphis Shelby County Sports Authority approved about $2 million for those upgrades to FedExForum on Wednesday at its semi-annual meeting, but the spending still has to be approved by city and county governments. There was no mention, however, of ongoing negotiations between the Grizzlies and the City of Memphis for larger renovations to FedExForum and a new lease for the Grizzlies. In other Grizz news, the team has hired former Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Patrick St. Andrews, following the news that assistant coach Darko Rajakovic is leaving for a job with the Toronto Raptors. 

Dozens of Memphians waited in a long line outside of the Shelby County Clerk’s Poplar Plaza branch in April 2022. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Clerk’s office will remain in Poplar Plaza: The Shelby County Clerk’s office in Poplar Plaza will move to a new location within the shopping center when its lease expires at the end of June. Last fall, Finard Properties, which manages Poplar Plaza, asked Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert to choose a new location within the plaza, but Halbert said she wanted to move the office to an old Regions Bank branch at Perkins and Quince roads. Janet Hooks, the Shelby County Commission’s special adviser for the clerk’s office, informed Shelby County Commissioners of the news on Wednesday. She also urged commissioners to restore $1 million in funding previously cut from the clerk’s current budget to allow Halbert to fully staff her offices.

Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon asked the Shelby County Commission for about $5 million to hire new counselors. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Juvenile Court asks for more money: Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon asked Shelby County Commissioners on Wednesday for almost $5 million to fund 40 new jobs. Those jobs would primarily be for counselors who would work with children and families to prevent delinquency. Sugarmon said the court’s current approach doesn’t give the court the opportunity to work with families “on a deep dive.” In other County Commission news, commissioners ran through budget ordinances without tackling the core issue of whether to raise the county wheel tax or property tax to fund a Regional One Health rebuild. The wheel tax proposal has been put off until the June 26 meeting, but it could still be handled sooner.

From right, Sheleah Harris, Frank Johnson and Michelle McKissack listened during a May 12 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board retreat on the superintendent search. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

What’s next for MSCS super search? Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member Sheleah Harris resigned during a meeting over superintendent qualifications on Tuesday, stating “this is the highest level of ignorance I have ever been a part of.” So now, the MSCS board is down to six members just days before a critical vote on whether to extend interim superintendent Toni Williams' contract. The Shelby County Commission will now be tasked with appointing a new board member for the second time since October, but that could take about a month.

MEET MEMPHIS

After graduating from Virginia Military Institute in 1985, Doug McGowen trained at Navy Fighter Weapons School and flew in an F-14 Tomcat. (Courtesy MLGW)

Doug McGowen got a trial by fire in his first few weeks as Memphis Light, Gas & Water’s CEO in December when record power demand after winter storms led to rolling blackouts. But it wasn’t McGowen’s first time in a crisis — not by a long shot. The Pennsylvania native spent 26 years in the Navy, having trained at Top Gun (yes, that Top Gun!), and served in combat during major military operations, including Desert Storm. After retiring from the Navy and transitioning to City of Memphis government, he led efforts to resolve the city’s rape kit backlog and to administer COVID-19 vaccines. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

MUS football player and wrestler Dion Stutts (right) died Tuesday night. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

‘Country strong’: Memphis University School football player Dion Stutts, who had recently committed to play for the University of Arkansas, died this week following a four-wheeler accident on his family’s farm in Mississippi. Stutts, a two-sport athlete, was also considered one of the best wrestlers in MUS history. The Daily Memphian’s John Varlas offers this remembrance of the young man who described himself as “country strong,” having grown up doing physical chores around the farm. 

The Daily Memphian’s On the Ballot elections newsletter is back and bigger than ever. 

On the ballot, in your inbox: City of Memphis elections are heating up, and we’re bringing back our On the Ballot newsletter to keep you up to date on the latest election coverage. In this new and improved version, The Daily Memphian’s digital director Holly Whitfield offers an exhaustive look at who’s running, a dive into the now-settled mayoral residency issue (and why it matters) and links to every article we’ve written so far on forums and debates. Plus, each issue will be peppered with a combo of mayoral lore, fun political facts and trivia. You can read the full article on our site, but you might want to go ahead and sign up to get On the Ballot directly in your email.

Nibblerz and fingerz: Zaxby’s, the fried chicken chain known for ending words with a “Z,” will build its first Bartlett location on an undeveloped commercial parcel near Bowlero’s bowling and entertainment center. The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the Zaxby’s site plan on Tuesday. It’s not the restaurant’s first attempt to open in the suburb; aldermen turned down a 2021 plan after residents opposed the drive-thru chain. In other Bartlett news, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen also approved contracts for the first phase of the Union Depot mixed-use project.

Olive Branch aldermen voted on June 6 to annex about 183 acres southwest of Goodman Road and Center Hill Road. The annexation was requested by the property owner, a developer who reportedly plans to build houses at the site. (Courtesy City of Olive Branch)

Olive Branching out: Olive Branch, which is already geographically the second-largest city in Mississippi (who knew?), could get bigger with two potential annexations on the horizon. Owners of the properties — one of 450 acres and another of 183 acres — have requested the city annex their land, so these aren’t your typical headline-grabbing annexations where hundreds of homeowners are protesting. But there is still some opposition from residents, and one large family has been pitted against another.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

It’s the end of an era in Midtown after Tuesday’s demolition of CK’s Coffee Shop at Poplar Avenue and Evergreen Street. The property will soon be home to Nebraska-based drive-thru chain, Scooter’s Coffee. (Thanks for memories, CK’s. There’s a hash brown-sized hole in my heart.) Daily Memphian intern Jada Ojii talked to photographer Jamie Harmon, who thankfully saved the restaurant sign from the demo pile.

The CK’s Coffee Shop at Poplar Avenue and Evergreen Street was demolished on Tuesday, June 13. (Courtesy Jamie Harmon)

You can see Harmon’s video of the demo in action on his Instagram page.

RIP, CK’s. My morning runs down Poplar will never look the same, and my late nights will never be so greasy.

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