Are your lights on, Memphis? I hope so. It’s Wednesday, July 19, and the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board will vote this morning on soon-to-be-former Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink’s nearly $215,000 salary for her new role with the utility.

Jersey Mike’s new location on Winchester Road opens today with a five-day fundraiser for Saving Lost Kids, a nonprofit that helps missing, exploited and sex-trafficked children. Go get a sandwich and do some good.

And finally, The Basketball Tournament (a national college basketball alumni contest with a not-so-creative name) starts today and runs through July 28 in seven cities, none of which are Memphis. But there’s a Memphis team competing; The Beale Street Boys are made up of Memphis Tigers basketball alumni, including Willie Kemp and Alex Lomax.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Winds blew down a tree on Sea Isle Road across from Sea Isle Park on Tuesday, July 18. (Rob Moore/The Daily Memphian)

Powerless, again: Tuesday evening’s severe storm caused the eighth-worst power outage in Memphis history, leaving about 140,000 Memphis Light, Gas and Water customers without power during a heat advisory. For reference, that’s worse than how Memphis fared in Hurricane Katrina in 2005 but not nearly as bad as Hurricane Elvis in 2003. (See the worst storm-related outages in order here.) As of press time for this column, about 90,000 people remained without power, and we’re in for another hot day today. 

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, June 1. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Friends vs. the Brooks Museum: The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art broke ground last month on its new Downtown building along the Mississippi riverfront, but a local organization says the Brooks isn’t legally allowed to build there. Friends for Our Riverfront, a group established in 2003 by descendants of the city’s founders, says a covenant that dates back to the city’s founding more than 200 years ago reserves much of the riverfront for public use. The definition of “public use” has shifted over decades of legal disputes, and representatives from the Brooks and Friends for Our Riverfront will meet for mediation today. “I would say we’re definitely David going up against Goliath, but we feel compelled to do this,” said Virginia McLean, founder of Friends for Our Riverfront.

Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson delivered remarks after being reinstated to his seat by the Shelby County Commission on April 12. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

In the money: State Reps. Justin J. Pearson of Memphis and Justin Jones of Nashville have now raised more campaign funds than any of the Republican lawmakers who expelled them in April. The two were expelled after speaking about gun reform without permission on the House floor following a school shooting in Nashville. Pearson, who was temporarily reappointed to his seat by the Shelby County Commission, faces Independent Jeff Johnston in the Aug. 3 special general election. In other election news, there are now 13 candidates in the Memphis mayor’s race.

“The state and the district are still trying to chip away at some of the learning loss in math, but we’re excited to say we have not only rebounded in ELA but inched up and exceeded where we started before the pandemic,” said Memphis-Shelby County Schools spokesperson Cathryn Stout. (The Daily Memphian file)

Math is hard: Memphis-Shelby County Schools students improved overall TCAP scores in 10 out of 11 subjects, and they exceeded English Language Arts proficiency from pre-pandemic levels. But third-graders, who can be held back based on their English test scores under a new state law, have shown a drop in math proficiency since the pandemic. Third-graders who scored below a certain level on the English portion were required to attend summer learning academies to prevent being retained, and those wrap up today. In other education news, the MSCS board voted on Tuesday to deny applications for several charter schools.

MEET MEMPHIS

DeSoto County business Coop’d Up offers a range of chicken coops and chicken runs, including custom orders. (Courtesy Coop’d Up)

When Jacob Tranum started building chicken coops, he was just hoping to earn a little extra money to cover expenses for his wife’s Lyme disease treatment. “My dad was like, ‘Who buys chicken coops? Like, how’s this even a thing?’” Tranum said. Apparently, someone buys them because what started as a side hustle became a full-time job. These days, Tranum builds and sells all manner of chicken housing, feed and more for his business Coop’d Up, which he operates out of a warehouse in DeSoto County.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Huey’s employees prepare burgers at their East Memphis location. The restaurant plans to add a to-go kitchen. (Houston Cofield/The Daily Memphian file)

Go, Huey’s: If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that some days, you just don’t want to put on real pants. If you’re having that kind of day in East Memphis, you can soon hit up Huey’s new takeout kitchen. The East Memphis location is building a to-go only kitchen to keep up with demand for takeout orders. “We are expecting a huge difference in our speed, efficiency and quality,” said Ashley Robilio, Huey’s president. 

The new Red Koi Express Japanese Cuisine will look similar to Red Koi’s Poplar Avenue location (above) but with more focus on takeout orders. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Sushi rolls into University District: Red Koi Japanese Cuisine is opening its third location at 431 S. Highland St. in the University District. The new spot — called Red Koi Express — will function mostly as a takeout spot with a few tables for those who want to dine in. (Takeout seems to be the theme today.)

Millington’s Charles W. Baker Airport is a general aviation airport that primarily serves private and business pilots, helicopters and other non-commercial aircraft. (Courtesy MSCAA)

Millington airport makeover: Millington’s Charles W. Baker Airport is getting a new terminal. The current terminal will be completely demolished to make way for the new one, which will be double the size. In his Inked column, The Daily Memphian’s Rob Moore has more on that story, plus an update on a plan to raze two early 20th century Midtown homes (including the Lucyja Hugge spiritual supply shop) to make way for a new assisted living facility.

A rendering shows the proposed YMCA in Lakeland. (Submitted)

Lakeland motel will check out: Lakeland’s Board of Commissioners approved a plan to take possession of the Econo Lodge on Huff N Puff Road and another nearby property ahead of the redevelopment of the Lakeland Gateway area. The Econo Lodge has drawn the ire of its neighbor, theRefuge Church, for alleged crime and other illicit behavior on the property. “Countless times we found used uncapped needles, used condoms, drug paraphernalia and urine-filled bottles left behind,” said Kevin Pickering of theRefuge at a Lakeland Board of Commissioners meeting last month. The city plans to demolish the hotel to make way for a new YMCA.

Joey Treadway

DeSoto hires attorney in tax dispute: The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors voted this week to hire an outside lawyer in an ongoing dispute with tax collector Joey Treadway. Months ago, Treadway warned county supervisors that he would not collect city taxes effective Jan. 1, 2024, without additional compensation for himself and tax collector Jeff Fitch. Last month, DeSoto County signed a new agreement with Hernando, Horn Lake, Olive Branch and Southaven for city tax collection and assessment. And although it raises fees and includes more money for Treadway and Fitch, the amount falls short of what was originally requested. Though the Oxford, Mississippi, attorney will be hired, supervisors are not filing a lawsuit over the tax collector situation just yet. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Choose901 shared these memes during the last heat wave, but things cooled off before I got to share them. So I put them in my pocket for a future scorcher. And well, we’re in that scorcher now, especially as thousands remain without power following last night’s storm. 

If your power is out, here’s hoping it’s back on soon. Stay safe, friends.

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