How’s it going, Memphis? Today is Tuesday, Sept. 26, and the Memphis City Council will discuss Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s proposal for a new committee that would handle citizen complaints of police misconduct. 

The council will also review Strickland’s plan for a fiber optics system that would increase citywide internet access.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Haley Hector (left), Vicki Bass (middle) and Daphne Vogel Bradick with a photo of Garrison Bass, who died on Sept. 3, in a pedestrian accident at Summer Avenue and White Station Road. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Walking in Memphis (is dangerous): Pedestrian deaths in Memphis are down from last year, but they’re still high — up 73% from a decade ago, in fact. In one of the most recent deaths, Garrison Bass, 35, was killed on Sept. 3 in a hit and run while crossing Summer Avenue at the intersection of North White Station Road. He was one of 38 pedestrians killed so far this year. The city has plans for reduced lanes, bike lanes and widened sidewalks on Summer Avenue, but the project awaits funding. The City of Memphis received a federal grant for a citywide pedestrian safety plan, which should be adopted within a year, but additional funds will be needed to put that plan into action.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, (pictured) and Lt. Gov Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, have formed a working group to study how to reject nearly $2 billion in federal education dollars, replacing them with state dollars. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian file)

State looks into rejecting education funds: A new 10-person government committee is looking into how Tennessee could fund schools without the help of the federal government. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov Randy McNally, both Republicans, announced the working group on Monday. Sexton has previously expressed an interest in rejecting $1.8 billion in annual federal education funding — which supports students with disabilities, English learners and students from low-income families — due to the “strings attached” to the funding. State Sen. Raumesh Akbari is the only Memphian and one of two Democrats on the committee, and she is not in favor of rejecting education funds.

U.S. District Judge Mark Norris ruled the City of Memphis will continue treating wastewater from DeSoto County’s Horn Lake Creek Basin Interceptor Sewer District until construction of an alternative treatment facility is complete. (The Daily Memphian file)

New deal with DeSoto’s doo: DeSoto County’s Horn Lake Creek Basin Interceptor Sewer District has eight years to construct a new wastewater treatment facility. That was part of the decision in a yearslong court battle between Memphis and the Horn Lake sewer district over a 40-plus-year wastewater treatment agreement. That agreement ended on Sept. 22 of this year, but U.S. District Judge Mark Norris has ruled that Memphis must continue to accept DeSoto’s waste as a new facility is being built. His ruling also requires the Horn Lake sewer district to pay Memphis under a new rate formula that increases each year through the 2031 cutoff.

Attorney Ben Crump (right) comforts Gershun Freeman’s wife Nicole Freeman (middle) and daughter Taylor Freeman (left) during a press conference on Monday, Sept. 25. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Crump praises indictments in Freeman death: At a press conference on Monday, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said indictments against nine corrections officers in the death of Shelby County Jail inmate Gershun Freeman are proof that justice is being served. Last week, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who is running for Memphis mayor, claimed the release of video of Freeman’s death was illegal and politically motivated. At the press conference, Brice Timmons, a local attorney who is working with Crump on the Freeman case, said the only thing political was the sheriff failing “in his responsibility to maintain a safe and secure jail.” Need a refresher on all that’s happened related to Freeman’s death? Here’s a timeline.

MEET MEMPHIS

Christopher Gholson

Memphis-based hip-hop and R&B producer Christopher Gholson, better known as Drumma Boy, is the man behind Jeezy’s “Put On,” Waka Flocka Flame’s “No Hands” and hits from Yo Gotti, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Gangsta Boo, Lil Jon and others. And last month, the Grammy Award winner released a new book, “Behind the Lines,” on his musical upbringing; his dad was the first Black music professor at the University of Memphis, and his late brother Miles Ferrell worked as a music producer. “[My brother] showed me my first studio. That was my first inspiration, first person I wanted to walk like, talk like, be like,” Gholson said.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Goner Records co-owners Zac Ives and Eric Friedl will host their 20th Gonerfest beginning this Thursday at Railgarten. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Gonerfest far from a goner: The 20th Gonerfest kicks off this Thursday at Railgarten. Goner Records’ annual music fest started in 2005 (there were two fests the first year, in case you’re confused about the math) at the tiny, long-gone Buccaneer Lounge in Midtown. And Goner partners Eric Friedl and Zac Ives had no intentions of hosting more than one fest, but that first event went so well that the “four days of music and mayhem in Memphis” has carried on. This year’s line-up features 31 bands, including the Cool Jerks, the Gories and the Mummies. It’ll be a busy live music weekend in Memphis. Mempho Music Festival, with headliners The Black Crowes and My Morning Jacket, kicks off at Radians Amphitheater on Friday. And we’ve got everything you need to know. 

University of Memphis running back Blake Watson (4) scampered in for a touchdown during a Sept. 23, game against the University of Missouri in St. Louis. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

SEC says sorry: The SEC is apologizing for a referee mistake on Saturday that may have cost the Memphis Tigers the game against the University of Missouri. During the game, officials told Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield that players had to use a kicking tee for an onside kick after the team cut the Missouri lead to seven points with 1:20 remaining. The attempt failed and Missouri drained the clock to win. Now, officials are saying the call was a mistake. In other Tigers news, four-star point guard and Memphis native Curtis Givens III got the all-star treatment on a visit to the University of Memphis this weekend. Givens, the son of local entertainment impresario Curtis Givens II, is deciding between Memphis, Texas and LSU. 

United Auto Workers members held picket signs outside the General Motors Customer Care and After-Sales facility in Brandon, Mississippi on Sept. 22. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP file)

Auto strike could expand: Memphis workers from UAW’s Local 2406 joined the national auto workers strike with a picket line at AC Delco Distributing late last week. So far, only about 12% of the union’s membership across the country has joined the strike against Big 3 auto makers Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis. The UAW is demanding significant increases in pay and benefits with the strike, which could still expand to more assembly plants and parts facilities. But it would be a risky move for the union.

Memphis Redbirds player Mike McGreevy struck out a team-best 107 batters over his team-high 134.1 innings in 24 starts. His team-leading 11 wins came with a 4.49 ERA. (John Raoux/AP file)

Sad song for the Redbirds: The Memphis Redbirds closed 2023 with its fourth straight losing season, 71-78. But hey, at least they ended with a series win over the Charlotte Knights, 3-2, even if they did drop Sunday’s finale with an 8-2 loss. Memphis finished the season fifth in the International League’s West Division, 13.5 games behind division leader St. Paul (84-64) and 19 behind league leader Norfolk (90-59). 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

East Memphis’ Sea Isle Park neighborhood has been dealing with a large pothole for so long, it’s become one of the neighbors. They celebrated its birthday over the weekend.

Well, that’s one way to deal with potholes. Sometimes you’ve just got to learn to love the mess.

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