Happy Friday, friends! It’s June 23, and our monthly reader lunch is at Hen House today. There are a few tickets left, so grab them now.

If you’re heading out for a run or bike ride on Saturday morning, you can get $5 drafts all day at Grind City Brewing Co. On Saturday evening, Memphis 901 FC will play Charleston Battery at AutoZone Park. (Will they keep their unbeaten streak going? Fingers crossed.) Nineties alt-pop rockers Matchbox Twenty will perform at Live at the Garden, and the first-ever Women in Memphis Music Festival kicks off at the Hi-Tone.

On Sunday, artist Brantley Ellzey will host “Summer on Summer,” an art exhibition by Lee Chase IV with burlesque performers, in his Summer Avenue studio. And the Craft Food & Wine Festival at The Columns will offer a taste (and drink) of Memphis to benefit Church Health.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The Memphis Grizzlies picked South Carolina forward GG Jackson II (23) in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft. (Sean Rayford/AP file)

Grizzlies draft GG Jackson: NBA draft night ended with only one new selection who will play for the team — South Carolina forward GG Jackson. (So now we have GG and JJJ.) Jackson, the youngest player in the draft at 18, played one season for the University of South Carolina, averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds. The Grizzlies also selected Bosnian-Turkish guard Tarik Biberovic, but he’s not expected to join the team. Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman talked Thursday night about what he expects from GG Jackson, the proposed trade of Tyus Jones for the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart and next steps for Ja Morant as the star faces a 25-game suspension. Speaking of Smart, The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill talked to his former coach, who said he has never “seen a player compete at a level that Marcus competes at and sustains for so long.”

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Toni Williams spoke at the Frayser Exchange at the Ed Rice Community Center on June 22. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

MSCS audit sheds light on corruption allegations: When former Memphis-Shelby County Schools board vice-chair Sheleah Harris resigned last week, she alleged corruption by the district. A recent financial audit of MSCS sheds some light on those assertions, including a vendor that was overpaid by the district without approval from the school board. In other MSCS news, Interim Superintendent Toni Williams met with the Frayser Exchange Club on Thursday to discuss a proposed county tax to fund a new Frayser high school. And she outlined the district’s proposed $2 billion 2024 fiscal year budget, which includes funding for teacher raises. And in other education news, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced on Wednesday that schools and law enforcement agencies can begin applying for state grants to fund school resource officers and security upgrades.

Most residents polled in Memphis and Shelby County approve of passing laws that would scale back access to firearms. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

City, county residents want gun reform: The vast majority of Memphis and Shelby County residents polled in a new public safety survey from The Daily Memphian support restrictions on gun access to some degree. About 87% of Memphis respondents and about 74% of county respondents agreed that “we need common sense gun reforms like longer waiting periods.” The poll also found that women and young people disproportionately support reforms, while men were more likely to say gun laws shouldn’t change. The Daily Memphian’s Ian Round digs into the stats and talks to a few supporters of gun reform in the third of our eight-part series on crime perceptions.

Joshua Holloway is suing Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant (pictured) over an alleged fight during a pickup basketball game at Morant’s house (Brandon Dill/AP file)

Teen suing Morant goes after SCSO: An attorney for Joshua Holloway, the teen who is suing Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, is asking the court to find the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in contempt. The SCSO was issued a subpoena that asked for numerous documents as part of the civil case, and Rebecca Adelman, Holloway’s attorney, said that subpoena is not being followed. Holloway is suing Morant over an alleged fight during a pickup game at Morant’s house last summer. Morant filed a countersuit in April.

“They [police] didn’t care,” Alicia Franklin said of her assault during a September 2022 interview. (Ben Wheeler/The Daily Memphian file)

Updates on Alicia Franklin, Tyre Nichols’ cases: On Thursday, a Shelby County Circuit Court judge held off on ruling whether Alicia Franklin can reopen her case against the City of Memphis, but a ruling is expected at a later date. Franklin was allegedly raped by Cleotha Henderson in 2021, more than a year before he was charged in the death of Eliza Fletcher. Franklin sued the city for negligence in her rape investigation, but a judge dismissed the case in March. Her attorney is trying to reopen the case based on new evidence. In other criminal justice news, attorneys for two of the former Memphis Police officers accused in the beating death of Tyre Nichols — Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith — have filed motions to be tried separately from the other three officers charged.

MEET MEMPHIS

“Anyone can have a stroke. It is up to you to bounce back,” said Stephanie Love. Her rehab includes strengthening exercises at Regional One Health East Campus. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member Stephanie Love was getting ready for a board retreat in February 2022 when she collapsed on the bathroom floor. Love, 43, had suffered a stroke, and she suffered another one a few hours later. She laid unconscious for eight hours until a family member kicked down her door. Since then, she’s made a remarkable recovery, thanks to Regional One Health’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Services and her own fighting spirit. “Anyone can have a stroke. It is up to you to bounce back. The doctors can do so much,” Love said.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Chef Tamra Patterson makes peach cobbler nachos. (Courtesy Tamra Patterson)

Just peachy: What’s better? The pie filling or the pie crust? (The correct answer here is crust!) Crust lovers can find the right ratio of crispy pie shell to sweet peach filling and vanilla ice cream with Memphis chef Tamra Patterson’s peach cobbler nachos, which are representing Tennessee in the Food Network’s list of the best “over-the-top” treats by state.

The Memphis Zoo has two new red panda cubs. (Courtesy Memphis Zoo)

New baby panda alert: Okay, did that get your attention? The Memphis Zoo has two new baby pandas, but these aren’t of the Ya Ya and Le Le variety. No, these are red pandas (or, as they are also so rudely called, “lesser pandas”), and they were born to mother Hazel on Tuesday. If you’re tired of watching the new baby tiger livestream, you’re in luck because the zoo has a new channel for the baby red pandas.

Southaven is in the process of exchanging its east precinct building (pictured) for a Silo Square lot where a new police precinct will be built. (Beth Sullivan/The Daily Memphian)

Cop shop swap: The City of Southaven is planning to exchange its east police precinct near BankPlus Amphitheater for a Silo Square lot where a new precinct will be built. The Southaven Board of Aldermen approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Darren Musselwhite to sign a contract with Silo Square’s developer earlier this week. The Southaven Police Department has outgrown its east precinct, and the building has a number of issues. In other Southaven criminal justice news, two people are in custody in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto and nearby hotels.

Ryan Dunn was awarded employee of the month by the Collierville Police Department in May 2021. He was arrested for a DUI over the weekend and resigned on Tuesday. (Courtesy Collierville Police Department/Twitter)

Collierville detective resigns: Collierville Police detective Ryan Dunn has resigned following a DUI arrest on Saturday night in DeSoto County. Dunn was one of the suburb’s nine detectives, and he coordinated domestic violence matters. 

A baleada con carne. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Breakfast burrito meets quesadilla: Daily Memphian freelancer Joshua Carlucci is nothing if not a food adventurer, willing to go off the beaten path to hunt down foods that you probably didn’t know were available in Memphis. In this week’s $10 Deal, he tells us where to find traditional Honduran baleada, which he describes as something “between an oversized breakfast taco and a quesadilla.” For $8, Tacos y Baleadas Doña Naty will sell you a giant tortilla stuffed with steak, refried beans, scrambled eggs, crema and salty cheese.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Hip-hop magazine XXL has released its annual list of up-and-coming rappers, the Freshman Class. And two of the 12 rappers on the list are from Memphis. Congrats to GloRilla and Finesse2Tymes!

Have a beautiful weekend, folks!

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