Rise and shine, Shelby County. It’s Wednesday, July 26, and Shelby County Commissioners will discuss a proposed forensic audit of Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert during a committee meeting today. That’s separate from the Halbert investigation being conducted by a special prosecutor from Chattanooga.

Before we get into today’s news, write this down on your calendar: On Tuesday, Aug. 15, The Daily Memphian and WKNO will host a Memphis mayoral debate, and there are a number of ways you can watch or listen.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland (left) used his weekly email newsletter on Friday, July 21, to call out Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy (right) for dropping charges against a woman accused of firing a gun at a police officer in November 2022. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian file; Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Mulroy, Strickland trade criticism: Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy responded on Tuesday to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s repeated criticism. Last week, Strickland fired off on the DA’s decision to drop charges against a woman who allegedly shot at a police officer from her car in November 2022. Strickland wrote, “If this is not a clear example that we have a problem in our criminal justice system, I do not know what one is.” Mulroy, however, contends the woman shot at the officer out of fear due to a case of mistaken identity. Hours after Mulroy’s press conference, Strickland snapped back: “Nothing he said changed my opinion ... We have a different philosophy.”

The City of Germantown handed out water to residents on Monday, July 24, at Forest Hill Elementary School. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Troubled waters: Germantown is heading into its seventh day without clean water after a generator leaked an estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel into the city’s water supply. The city had a good day of testing results on Tuesday, but more clear tests are required before the city can lift its “no drink, no bathe, only flush” order. To make matters worse, additional contamination was found on Tuesday. When asked earlier this week, Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo couldn’t give an estimate as to when the water will be safe. Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about the water crisis.

Lt. Jeffrey Norman (right) with members of the Fire House 38 running group: Samantha Georges, Lt. Scott Verret and retiree Kelly Crofford.  (Courtesy Scott Verret)

Remembering Dirty Red: Memphis Fire Department Lt. Jeffrey Norman will be laid to rest this morning at Bellevue Baptist Church. Norman was killed in the line of duty while fighting a house fire in South Memphis last week. The MFD determined the fire to be arson, and there’s currently a $14,000 reward for anyone who offers a tip leading to an arrest. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts offers a look at the 6-foot-7 firefighter and Tennessee Air National Guard veteran whom colleagues affectionately called “Dirty Red.” “He’s just a big, old guy with a bald head. A giant, big, old Teddy bear,” said Lt. Scott Verret, one of Norman’s closest friends in the fire department.

“We are seeing some interesting [storm] events ... There’s only so much we can do with our existing infrastructure,” said Memphis Public Works Director Robert Knecht. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Money down the drain: The Memphis City Council approved nearly $23 million in funding to fix drainage and sewer infrastructure in the city, following a week of severe weather that caused street flooding. But Memphis City Public Works Director Robert Knecht said the city is limited on what it can do to prevent flooding when storms are as intense as they have been recently. “We are seeing some interesting events. We’ll have to see what happens,” Knecht said. In other City Council news, members unanimously approved a new two-year license agreement for the USFL’s Memphis Showboats and Houston Gamblers to play football at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. 

QUOTED

Memphis Tigers football Coach Ryan Silverfield isn’t giving much thought to the fourth-place AAC ranking media gave the Tigers. (Sam Hodde/AP file)

“We obviously have not earned the right to be picked much higher. … Tulane was picked to finish seventh last year, and you see the type of season they had.”

— Memphis Tigers football Coach Ryan Silverfield
The Memphis Tigers football team were picked to finish fourth next season in the American Athletic Conference media preseason poll released on Tuesday morning. Tulane was voted to repeat as conference champions. Silverfield said on AAC Media Days Tuesday that he isn’t giving much thought to the ranking. The Daily Memphian’s Tim Buckley points out the Tigers’ AAC chances are better this year as “a decent program in a weakened league.” In other news, Silverfield also weighed in on Liberty Stadium funding.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Five Downtown businesses will host an event on July 29 to introduce a new Downtown district they’re now calling “Virginia Ave.” (Courtesy Remember Media)

New neighborhood alert: Until recently, the area around West Virginia Avenue on the south end of Downtown (see a map) was largely disinvested, aside from the Medicine Factory art studios. But last year, National Rose Co. brought 24 boutique apartments to the area. And other businesses, including a yoga/Pilates studio and a social media agency, have opened recently, too. Now, business owners and residents there are working to pre-vitalize the area in the tradition of the Broad Avenue Art District, the Tennessee Brewery Lofts and Crosstown Concourse. They’re planning a party for the newly dubbed “Virginia Ave.” this weekend.

Middle Tennessee guard Teafale Lenard Jr., middle, shot against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 16, 2023, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Wade Payne/AP file)

Tigers lose a transfer: MTSU transfer Teafale Lenard Jr. has decommitted from the Memphis Tigers basketball team. The 6-foot-7 wing made the announcement on Tuesday night, saying he plans to forgo the rest of his college eligibility to begin a professional basketball career. With Lenard out of the picture, Memphis is left with seven incoming transfers, four freshmen and one guaranteed returnee.

Founded in 2012, Carpenter Art Garden is a nonprofit serving the youth of Binghampton. (The Daily Memphian file)

Art and cowboys: Carpenter Art Garden plans to add a sculpture park at the corner of Tillman and Princeton Streets. The nonprofit recently submitted a site plan to the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. Artists Suzy Hendricks and Kelsey Harrison will coach Binghampton teens on the design, creation and installation of the sculptures. In his weekly Inked column, The Daily Memphian’s Rob Moore has more on that and an update on a “cowboy church” that “offers the ability for those who do not own a horse to ride and learn about the cowboy way of life.” (Yee-haw!)

The family-owned Georgia Blue has five locations, including a new one in Southaven’s Silo Square. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Out of the blue: Mississippi restaurant chain Georgia Blue recently opened a new location in Southaven’s Silo Square. Georgia Blue serves Southern staples, like crawfish, shrimp and grits and catfish, in a family-style environment. So, why did the restaurant opt for a Southaven location? Turns out Georgia Blue has big fans in high places.

The National Civil Rights Museum’s 32nd Freedom Award honorees are (left to right): Stacey Abrams, Kerry Kennedy and Clayborne Carson. (Courtesy NCRM)

And the Freedom Awards go to … The National Civil Rights Museum’s 32nd Freedom Awards will be given to Stacey Abrams, Clayborne Carson and Kerry Kennedy. Abrams was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the U.S. Carson founded Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute in 2005. And Kennedy is president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a nonprofit working on issues including child labor, women’s rights, indigenous land rights and other other issues. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

The city’s first Asian Night Market food fair was held at Crosstown Concourse last Sunday, and an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 people showed up. That’s about double what the organizers expected. Check out this video of the event posted on Reddit.

I was in the building for a weekly yoga class, and this was, by far, the biggest event I’ve seen at Concourse since the building’s grand opening in 2017. The flow of traffic going into and out of the parking garage never ended, and by 6 p.m., it was nearly impossible to walk through the Central Atrium without bumping into someone. But there’s good news for those who couldn’t make it or who showed up after most of the food was sold out: The organizers say there will be more events, and they’re hoping to utilize bigger spaces next time. 

And that’s your news digest for the morning. Have a great day.

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