We’re already at mid-week, Memphis, and we just got started. You’ve got to love the short work week after a three-day weekend. It’s Wednesday, Sept. 6, and the Shelby County Commission holds committee meetings today. A set of police reform ordinances for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office are back on the agenda.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and CEO Doug McGowen will give a tree-trimming update at the utility’s board meeting today. MLGW has failed to meet its annual tree-trimming goal since the late 1990s, and power outages have increased fivefold because of it. 

Also today, Downtown’s Design Review Board will consider a new three-story, multi-family building proposed for Peabody Avenue in the Medical Overlay District.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Knoxville state Rep. Gloria Johnson opened her bid for next year’s U.S. Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday, Sept. 5, with the third of three stops across the state in Memphis. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian)

Tennessee Three’s Johnson to run for U.S. Senate: Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson, one of the three Democrats who faced a Republican-led expulsion effort in April, announced her bid for U.S. Senate on Tuesday in three stops across the state, ending in Memphis at Clayborn Temple. Johnson of Knoxville will run for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who intends to run again. In April, days after a school shooting in Nashville, Johnson and state Reps. Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones spoke up over gun-control on the House floor. Pearson and Jones were eventually expelled over speaking up; Johnson was not. Johnson’s U.S. Senate announcement on Tuesday drew fire from Blackburn.

Memphis City Council member Rhonda Logan (middle) led a committee session on crime statistics on Tuesday, Feb. 21. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

On the ballot in Council District 1: Over the next few days, we’ll be previewing Memphis City Council races, and today, our own Don Wade takes a look at District 1, which covers Cordova, Raleigh and Frayser. (A redistricting proposal earlier this year would have made the district Cordova-only, but it failed to move forward this past summer.) Memphis City Council member Rhonda Logan is running for re-election against challenger Kymberly Kelley. Both candidates cite public safety as a major concern, and Kelley said “housing affordability” is also a key issue in the district. 

Chris Lareau is taking on the No. 3 role in the Shelby County District Attorney’s office. Lareau has been a prosecutor for 18 years, having tried nearly 60 cases. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

DA creates new first deputy position: Veteran Shelby County prosecutor Chris Lareau has been promoted to the new position of the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office’s first deputy. Although his job title is a new one, Lareau will take over the duties of Gerald Skahan, the office’s special assistant for post-conviction litigation, who is currently on medical leave. Lareau’s promotion was announced on Tuesday in DA Steve Mulroy’s biweekly press conference. Mulroy’s staff also gave an update on the potential release of video footage from the police shooting death of Jaylin McKenzie. And Mulroy touted the initiatives he’s launched during his first full year in office. Among them: de-emphasizing marijuana possession and denying probation on aggravated assaults involving firearms.

Stand For Children, Memphis For All and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union collectively announced their backing of Memphis mayoral candidate Van Turner, middle, on Tuesday. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Social justice groups back Turner: On Tuesday, a coalition of labor and social justice groups announced their endorsement for Memphis mayoral candidate Van Turner. State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, whose endorsement of Turner was announced last week, joined the groups in their announcement. The mayoral race is nonpartisan, but the groups, which include Stand For Children and Memphis For All, are linking the race to the Democratic blue wave that swept countywide elections last year. Speaking of Turner, The Daily Memphian’s Bill Dries profiled the former NAACP president and former Shelby County commissioner over the weekend.

QUOTED

Tennessee Titans radio voice Mike Keith (left) spoke at the Memphis Touchdown Club on Tuesday. Harold Graeter, TD Club board member and AutoZone Liberty Bowl associate executive director, stands at right. (Drew Hill/The Daily Memphian)

“The best thing that could have happened for the Tennessee Titans was the Memphis Grizzlies.”

— Mike Keith, radio voice of the Tennessee Titans
Speaking to the Memphis Touchdown Club on Tuesday, Keith said the early success of the Grizzlies helped ease tension between Memphis and Nashville when the Titans moved to Music City after one season of playing in the Bluff City.

THE NICE TO KNOW

“Overall, this decision was made to improve the guest experience at Memphis Zoo, by making the purchasing process easier and more efficient for all guests,” said Memphis Zoo spokesperson Rebecca Winchester. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Zoo pushes online tickets: The Memphis Zoo wants more customers to purchase tickets online. The Zoo said the change will make “the purchasing process easier and more efficient for all guests.” The move comes on the heels of a round of layoffs in the educational department last week, but a Zoo spokesperson said the online ticketing move was not related to the layoffs.

Ashlar Hall’s owner Juan Montoya wants to reopen the building as an event space. (Tom Bailey/The Daily Memphian file)

Castle comeback? Historic Ashlar Hall may open its doors to the public once again. Juan Montoya, the current owner of the 127-year-old Midtown building, is seeking permission from the Board of Adjustment to operate Ashlar Hall as an event center. Over the years, the property has housed many uses, including Robert “Prince Mongo” Hodges’ nightclubs and a restaurant run by the Grisanti family. Montoya purchased the property in 2016 for $59,000 (score!), and he’s been battling code enforcement and environmental court while working to restore the property. In other building comeback news, a development team is looking to transform a 112-year-old, vacant Midtown Church in the Evergreen Historic District into apartments with a bakery and coffee shop.

Joe Ozegovich signed up for a now-defunct Tennessee Valley Authority program that encouraged solar panels more than a decade ago. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Why solar is rare in Memphis: The number of residential homes with solar panels have increased twentyfold across the U.S. over the past decade, but less than 1% of Memphis Light, Gas and Water customers rely on solar power. The Daily Memphian’s Keely Brewer is taking a deep dive into the lack of solar in Shelby County in a new series. In today’s story, Brewer tells us about a now-defunct Tennessee Valley Authority program that used to incentivize people to invest in solar panels. And we learn how MLGW dissuades customers from investing in high-cost solar. (Among their reasons: Memphis doesn’t get much sunshine. Um, what?) If you’re not convinced by MLGW’s reasoning, you might check out part one in this series on what you need to know if you’re considering solar.

Memphis Tigers basketball signee Mikey Williams (with ball) had a hearing scheduled for Sept. 5, but it will be postponed again. (Gregory Payan/AP file)

Mikey Williams’ court date delay: Memphis Tigers four-star signee Mikey Williams’ court date over six felony gun charges has been pushed back for a third time. Williams’ attorney, citing new information, requested the continuance during a Tuesday morning appearance in El Cajon, California. Williams was arrested on April 13 after allegedly firing a gun at an occupied vehicle outside his San Diego home on March 27. The new court date of Oct. 10 means Williams’ chances at becoming a Tiger are dwindling. In other Tigers news, football Coach Ryan Silverfield delivered his assessment after watching film from Saturday’s home opener win over Bethune-Cookman.

The Lofts at The Standard will sit above retail on the south side of the site. The 320 apartments will overlook a plaza and have access to a mezzanine above the retail space. (Courtesy City of Germantown)

Home sweet Germantown: The Germantown Planning Commission approved new residential subdivisions and apartments at its meeting on Tuesday. The Standard Germantown, previously known as Carrefour at the Gateway, received an endorsement to move ahead with 320 loft apartments in the mixed-use space. Commissioners also endorsed the second and third phases of Glasgow, which will bring new homes to the site of the former Germantown Country Club. And it reviewed Boyle Investment Company’s new outline plan for Viridian. That plan would add 109 homes on nearly 25 acres near the Collierville border.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

If you’re reading this in real time, you should have a couple hours to get in on this Memphis-themed flash tattoo giveaway on Choose901’s Instagram. Personally, as a Midtowner, I’d go for the Cash Saver pigeon and Midtown cockroach tattoos. (If you know, you know.) A winner will be selected sometime today.

And that’s all for now. Have a great Wednesday! 

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