Good morning. It’s Monday, Aug. 7, and school is back in session for students at Memphis-Shelby County Schools, as well as schools in Bartlett, Millington, Lakeland and Arlington. 

Shelby County Commissioners are expected to vote on a new chairperson at a special-called meeting today. And this would have been Memphis rapper Gangsta Boo’s 44th birthday, so friends and fans will gather tonight at Carolina Watershed for a special “heavenly birthday” celebration. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

The living room of Lenore Turner’s Airbnb in Cooper Young. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Party is over for Airbnbs: A new short-term rental ordinance limits the number of sleeping rooms a property can have in an attempt to prevent Airbnbs from becoming “party houses.” The new city rules, which took effect on July 1, also require short-term rental owners to have a permit, which can be revoked if the ordinance is violated. But some local Airbnb owners say the new room limits could have a negative impact on tourism. “The [city] thinks putting a three-sleeping room limit on the house is going to somehow stop the party. The management style will actually stop that,” said Airbnb owner Morgan Pettigrew. The new rules are coming at a time when Airbnb occupancy rates are declining, but listings and bookings are increasing.

Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Ray Lepone is stepping down on Aug. 31 to accept a job with Tennessee Attorney Gen. Jonathan Skrmetti. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Changing of the guard: On Aug. 31, longtime Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Ray Lepone will leave his position for a role in Tennessee Attorney Gen. Jonathan Skrmetti’s office. Over the years, Lepone prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, including that of Jessie Dotson, who was found guilty of slaying six people, including two children, in the 2008 Lester Street Massacre. “You see the worst of human behavior in this building. But you also see the best of it,” Lepone said. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts offers a look at where the amateur boxer-turned-lawyer has been and where he’s going. Lepone’s position, the No. 2 job at the DA’s office, will be filled by Paul Hagerman, who has worked in the office in various roles for 22 years, including his current position as Crime Strategies Unit chief prosecutor. Like Lepone, Hagerman also has plenty of well-known cases under his belt, and he’s most recently been involved in the Eliza Fletcher case. Our own Julia Baker gives us a look at Hagerman and his level-headed nature. “He is so good and so cool, that defendants are confused as to what side he’s on,” said Shelby County Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett.

“When [composting] is integrated and normalized and available to everybody, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job,” said Compost Fairy founder Mike Larrivee. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Next life for compost: Memphis’ only compost collection service, Atlas Organics, picked up collection containers for the last time last week. The company is pulling out of Memphis for a variety of reasons, including the rising cost of labor and fuel. But not to worry, composters. Mike Larrivee, who merged his Compost Fairy business with Atlas in 2020 in an effort to serve more people, is bringing Compost Fairy back. Larrivee will buy most of his materials and equipment from Atlas, and he has big plans for the future of composting in Memphis.

The Lisieux Community Center provides judgment-free support and education for women who have survived trauma, addiction and more. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Women’s sanctuary faces closure: Lisieux Community Center, which provides services for women who live on the streets of Memphis, may be forced to close in about seven weeks if it cannot secure funding. The center offers showers, hot meals and a safe, women-only space in a home on the corner of Freeman Street and Summer Avenue. The center recently dealt with a number of unplanned repairs, including a new roof, that totaled about $20,000. “We’re really going week to week at this point,” said Jordan Boss, Lisieux Community’s executive director. 

QUOTED

“I think [Tom Lee Park], even at 80% completion, showed it can host a music festival of the size of the one that Memphis in May stages ... I think barbecue is another question.”

— Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership
Coletta addressed Memphis in May International Festival’s recent return to the redesigned park on WKNO’s “Behind the Headlines.” She said some barbecue teams felt like the park wasn’t the best place for the festival but that the fest’s future in the park would be up to MIM. MIM is currently on the hook for more than $1.4 million in damages to the park from its music and barbecue fests this past May.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Customers tried out the new automated kiosk system at Drake Cleaners. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Help yourself: Drake Cleaners may be Memphis’ oldest dry cleaning business, but it’s ahead of the game with new technology. The Midtown staple has installed self-serve kiosks with touch screens and a deposit box that allows customers to drop off garments in under two minutes. Not only do the kiosks speed up the drop-off process, they’ll soon be accessible 24/7. So, if you’re running errands in the middle of the night, you’ll be able to check “dry cleaning” off the to-do list. 

Memphis Tigers freshman guard Carl Cherenfant has impressed Coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis fans in the first two exhibition games in the Dominican Republic. (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)

Two Tigers weekend wins: The Memphis Tigers triumphed over Liga Nacional De Desarrollo — a Dominican Republic Select Team — in Sunday night’s exhibition game despite illness and injury. Several players, including Jaykwon Walton, were sick after eating bad salmon earlier on Friday, and Caleb Mills was sidelined over a mystery injury that Coach Penny Hardaway would not reveal. The team also won its Saturday exhibition game with Trenes Del Este, another Dominican Republic Select Team, but the 105-98 overtime victory didn’t come easy. It did, however, give Walton a chance to shine (the salmon must not have been affecting him yet). The exhibition games also gave fans a first look at Carl Cherenfant, whose tough upbringing in Pompano Beach, Florida, forced him to grow up fast.

Mark Clark pitched in a June 10 senior league baseball game. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Old guys of summer: Forget the “boys the summer.” The local senior baseball leagues give old guys a chance to play on the diamond. And when I say “old,” that’s relative because these leagues are for players over the age of 30, an age that’s probably only considered senior in sports. The Daily Memphian’s Don Wade introduces us to a few players in the 55+ league, including 61-year-old Ben Eldred, who “runs from home plate to first base like it’s Game 7 of the World Series.” In professional baseball news, three new pitchers now in the starting rotation for the Memphis Redbirds are essentially auditioning for the same role with the 2024 St. Louis Cardinals.

Construction continued on the new clubhouse at The Links at Pine Hill on Tuesday, July 18. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

New clubhouse, new name? A new clubhouse for the Pine Hill Park golf course is under construction, and there’s a local movement to have the building named for the park’s first Black golfer and pro manager. Pine Hill was the first city golf course to be desegregated back in 1963, and Cleophus Hudson was the first Black golfer to tee the course. His son, Charles Hudson, was the first Black manager there. Now, New Sardis Baptist Church pastor Rev. L. LaSimba Gray is lobbying the Memphis City Council to honor the father-son golf history-makers.

Sa te, a Vietnamese sauce, is made with lemongrass and bird's eye chilis. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

DIY lemongrass tofu: There are plenty of great Vietnamese restaurants in the city serving lemongrass tofu or beef (shoutout to my fave: Pho Binh). But if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try making your own at home using food writer Joshua Carlucci’s recipe for sa te, aka lemongrass sauce. (For a vegetarian version, you can find fish-free “fish” sauce at Vietnamese markets, like the Viet Hoa in Midtown, or online.)

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

Oh look! Summer days without temperatures in the 100s. Sure, it’ll still be hot, but those days in the high-80s will practically feel like fall compared to previous weeks. 

Here’s hoping the kids and teachers have a great first day. And I’ll see you back here on Tuesday morning.

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