Good morning, Memphis! It’s Wednesday, Sept. 27. A quick internet search for ridiculous holidays tells me this is National Morning Show Hosts Day. Yes, there’s a day for everything. And I may not be a morning “show” host, but as your Early Word host, I feel this also applies, right? Maybe I’ll celebrate with a breakfast cupcake or something. 

Before we get into the headlines of the last 24 hours, here’s a quick announcement: The Daily Memphian is hosting our next Developing Memphis seminar on Thursday, Oct. 19. Reserve your tickets now for this panel discussion with developers working on projects like the Dixie Greyhound building, Malone Park Commons and Memphis hotels.

THE NEED TO KNOW

A utility worker installed fiber-optic cable on a utility pole in rural Washington. (AP file)

Everyday I’m buffering: The City of Memphis has partnered with French company Meridiam on a $750 million plan to build out fiber optic cable across the city and expand high-speed internet access. Strickland revealed details of his plan to the Memphis City Council on Tuesday. Meridiam would bear out the majority of the cost, but the city would chip in several million dollars to help low-income residents afford the fiber and to purchase a third of the fiber’s capacity. Strickland is also hopeful better internet connections will have benefits for traffic lights and surveillance cameras. (Personally, I’m hopeful I won’t have to switch to my iPhone hotspot 20 times a day. Not even exaggerating.) In an opinion piece, the city’s chief information officer shares a number of reasons why this new fiber plan is urgent.

Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr., right, proposed the return of the city charter’s runoff provision for the Memphis mayor’s race. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

In other City Council news … Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. proposed the return of a runoff provision for the Memphis mayor’s race in future elections. The provision would be an alternative to an August 2024 ballot question to allow for partisan primaries in city elections. But there was no vote on Smiley’s new measure Tuesday. Council members also got a first look at a new Police Review and Advisory Committee that would replace the disbanded Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board for citizen police complaints. Also, money was approved for the mixed-use redevelopment of the old Melrose High School, and council members heard why the magnolia trees in front of City Hall might need to be cut down.

The Island Queen prepared to dock along the floating platform at Beale Street Landing. (The Daily Memphian file)

Body found in the river identified: The body found by the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department in Arkansas on Saturday has been identified as missing woman Tamia Taylor. Taylor went missing Saturday, Sept. 9, after she boarded the Island Queen Booze Cruise Downtown with friends to celebrate her 21st birthday. She was not seen by her friends after the boat returned to the dock and passengers offloaded. A cause of death is being determined, but there were no immediate signs of foul play.

“For our office to bring criminal charges, we must be confident that we can prove an actual violation of a criminal statute beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

No charges in Jaylin McKenzie’s death: The Memphis Police officers who were involved in the death of Jaylin McKenzie during a December 2022 traffic stop will not be criminally charged. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said his office doesn’t have “sufficient evidence” to prove the officers violated criminal statutes “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Video of the traffic stop has been released, but the officer who shot McKenzie did not have his body camera turned on, so there’s no evidence to refute the officer’s claim that McKenzie fired first. However, Mulroy said the officers departed from Memphis Police policy during the traffic stop. 

QUOTED

“If Bojangles backed up all the way down to the road, we know Chick-fil-A will.”

— Jimmy Stokes, Horn Lake planning commissioner
The Horn Lake Planning Commission approved a conditional use request for the city’s first-ever Chick-fil-A this week. The fast-food chain is proposed for a site on Goodman Road West, and it’s been designed in a way to alleviate some of the traffic problems Chick-fil-A is known for. But even the engineering firm representing Chick-fil-A at Monday’s commission meeting said there were no guarantees traffic won’t back up.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Cameo owners Mckenzie Nelson (left), Paul Gilliam (center) and Mary Oglesby (right) plan to open a tropical-themed bar, modeled after their current Tropical Tuesday special. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

B.O.T.E. drinks: The owners of Midtown’s Cameo cocktail bar are planning a new tropical-themed bar in Cooper-Young. Mary’s B.O.T.E. — named for co-owner Mary Oglesby and an acronym for Bar Of Tropical Escapism — is expanding on the concept of Cameo’s weekly Tropical Tuesdays with the kind of drinks you’d probably want on a boat (think fruity drinks with rum) and bright, beachy decor (lots of plants, bamboo and rattan). Mary’s B.O.T.E. should be open by year’s end, but if you just can’t wait for “fancy drinks party time,” check out Cameo’s upcoming Halloween pop-up.

Memphis Towers resident Andrea Smith spoke to media after a meeting with Millennia ended abruptly on Tuesday, Sept. 26. (Jane Roberts/The Daily Memphian)

Memphis Towers residents demand security: Residents at Memphis Towers at 1081 Court Ave. have been fighting for improved safety measures, including locked front doors with key card access and around-the-clock security in the lobby. And on Tuesday, tenants expected a victory during a meeting with Millennia Companies, the Cleveland firm that owns five affordable-living apartment complexes in Memphis. But Millennia shut the meeting down when it was clear the media was watching. Residents say the unlocked lobby doors allow drug dealers into the building. “They know who is selling crack cocaine up in here … who is selling heroin. That’s the reason why this place is going down,” said resident Mary Collier. Millennia has also been in legal trouble for mold, broken air-conditioning and other issues at Serenity Towers on Highland Street.

The 127-year-old Ashlar Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. (The Daily Memphian file)

Castle plan gets pushback: The Central Gardens Association doesn’t want historic Ashlar Hall to become an event center. Owner Juan Montoya is proposing an event space “of limited scale” for the 127-year-old castle-style building in Midtown, and the Board of Adjustment will hear his plans this week. But a letter from the homeowners’ association cites concerns over parking, noise and trash from potential guests. In his Inked column, The Daily Memphian’s Rob Moore has more on that story, plus news on the sale of Southridge Crossing on East Shelby Drive.

Jeff Jones

Checking in on the ’burbs: Collierville Schools has appointed Assistant Superintendent Jeff Jones to the interim superintendent role from Jan. 1 through the end of the school year. He’ll replace outgoing Superintendent Gary Lilly. And the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an 84-lot subdivision bordering the northern side of Hinton Park. Meanwhile in Germantown, the suburb’s school board is officially asking the Shelby County Election Commission to stop using its schools as polling places. The GMSD board of education approved the resolution on Tuesday, citing security concerns and a new state law designed to boost school safety. In other Germantown news, Mayor Mike Palazzolo is getting an increase in his car allowance for the first time in eight years.

Title X comeback: The federal government has awarded Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi nearly $4 million in Title X funding. That’s after Tennessee was removed from the Title X program earlier this year for noncompliance around pregnancy options counseling in the state, following the state’s abortion ban. To get Title X funding back, the local Planned Parenthood partnered with the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. The funds will support access to free and low-cost birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings and more.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Rapper Drake’s clothing brand, October’s Very Own, announced on Tuesday that it’s collaborating with five NCAA schools, including the University of Memphis, on a limited-edition apparel collection. As one co-worker said, “Cute merch, Drake. But where is our concert?”

One critic on X (aka Twitter) pointed out that Drake, who appeared at Railgarten wearing vintage Memphis State shorts in June, left an important item out of his collection. 

Have a great day, everyone. I’m off to celebrate Morning Column Writers Day. I’m making that a thing. 

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