Lights, camera, action! Today is Tuesday, Oct. 24, and the 26th Indie Memphis Film Festival kicks off tonight with the Memphis premiere of “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” from writer-director Raven Jackson. Here’s our viewer’s guide to the full, six-day festival. Now, let’s all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat.

Okay, now that we’re all settled in with our popcorn, I should let you know that the Memphis City Council will take the second of three votes today on two ballot measures that could change how city elections work. And tonight, the Tennessee Valley Authority is hosting a public meeting for citizens to weigh in on its plan to build six gas-fired combustion turbines near the old Allen Fossil plant. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

A recent shooting death at a VRBO in the Overton Square area raises concerns over parties held in Memphis-area short-term rentals. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Party’s over? Kyla Jones, 19, was arrested and charged on Monday in connection with the shooting death of a woman at a Midtown VRBO last week. The women were part of a large group at a house near Overton Square, and now neighbors and community leaders are speaking out against parties at short-term rentals. A new city ordinance that went into effect July 1 aims to prevent Airbnbs and VRBOs from becoming “party houses,” but the homeowners get a three-strike rule. And due to a state law, people who owned rentals prior to the ordinance’s passage don’t have to follow the new rules. 

Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in determining the identification or cause of death for a woman found on a Mississippi River barge early Saturday, Oct. 21. (Julia Baker/The Daily Memphian)

Dead woman found on barge: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help identifying a woman’s body that was found atop a barge on the Mississippi River on Saturday. The boat underwent a routine inspection on Friday night and idled near the port at the Interstate 55 bridge; the woman’s body was found during another inspection on Saturday morning. Deputies have released a description of the woman and what she was wearing, and they’re hoping the public can help solve what they’re calling a “very unusual investigation.”

The Daily Memphian, in collaboration with Trust Marketing Inc., recently conducted a series of community conversations about crime. (The Daily Memphian file)

Blight and crime: Earlier this year, The Daily Memphian surveyed 75 residents from across the city on their thoughts about crime, what’s causing it and how to put a stop to it. Participants from every neighborhood surveyed agreed that poverty and blight contributed to the city’s crime rate. Some in the Soulsville/South Memphis area said blighted rental-home conditions indirectly lead to crime, and others in the Frayser/Raleigh group said “litter and trash … [give] license to potential criminals.” The director of the Memphis Metropolitan Land Bank Authority agrees, but he says the land bank has a plan to alleviate some of the city’s blight. More results from the survey can be found here.

Mike Fisher attended the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, where he was approved as the new police chief on Monday, Oct. 23. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Water under the bridge? Germantown’s summer water crisis — when residents were under a flush-only order after a diesel leak into the city’s water supply — was a “highly improbable and highly unlikely” situation, according to a new external review from former Collierville town administrator James Lewellen. Lewellen shared his findings with the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday night, and Germantown aldermen decided the city handled the crisis in the best way possible. Lewellen’s report, however, found that Germantown could have done a better job communicating during the crisis. In other Germantown BMA news, the board approved the nomination of Mike Fisher to lead the Germantown Police Department. “I wouldn’t want to be a bad person and come to Germantown over the next few years with Chief Fisher on our side,” said Alderman Jon McCreery.

MEET MEMPHIS

Cancer patient Mic Hensley escorted his daughter, Harlee Hensley, in homecoming ceremonies on Friday, Oct. 13 at Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch. (Greg Campbell/Special for The Daily Memphian)

Mic Hensley recently had the honor of escorting his daughter, Harlee Hensley, down the football field for Lewisburg High School’s homecoming night. It was an opportunity that, months ago, might not have seemed possible. Hensley has stage 4 lymphoma, and he’s spent weeks living in hospitals over the last two years. The diagnosis was hard on Hensley’s family, especially his two daughters, Harlee, 17, and Lexie, 21. But Harlee had a friend to help her through the process; her classmate, Talon Haley, was diagnosed with lymphoma in March 2022 and was put in remission in November of the same year. “When I heard the news her dad was diagnosed … I felt like it was my duty to be there for her,” Haley said.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams reached for a rebound over Sacramento Kings forward Richaun Holmes on Jan. 1, 2023. (Nikki Boertman/AP file)

A post-Adams world: On Sunday, after news dropped that Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams would undergo season-ending knee surgery, my partner turned to me and said, “The Grizzlies are screwed without Aquamane.” Ever the Pollyanna, I replied, “We still have JJJ and Des, and now we have Marcus Smart.” Our own Chris Herrington makes that point, too. But he also outlines the possibility that this current Grizzlies team might have their best days behind them. (Yikes.) As we prepare for the regular season start on Wednesday, Herrington looks at how the Grizzlies must reinvent themselves on the fly. Much of the weight of Adams’ absence will fall to Jaren Jackson Jr., who played center at the FIBA World Cup this summer, and he’s just trying to stay positive. Though the Adams news just dropped this past weekend, fans have long known they won’t see Morant in action for a good while. But that’s not affecting ticket sales. And for those fans who like to bring home Grizz merch, there’s good news: The team store is now bigger with an expanded selection.

Second Baptist Church hosts a pumpkin patch each year off Walnut Grove Road. (The Daily Memphian file)

Your guide to spooky season: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, folks. Some would say that distinction belongs to the winter holidays, but give me pumpkins, PSLs, hay rides, costume parties and haunted houses over holiday trees and presents any day. Still trying to figure out your Halloween plans? The Daily Memphian’s Kambui Bomani has compiled a monster list for all of you guys and ghouls. (Not on the list, but if you’re looking for the best haunted experience in the region, I’d suggest Cedar Hill Farms’ Haunted Farm trail in Hernando. Worth the drive.) 

Bowls, bowls, all types of bowls: Playa Bowls, a chain that serves acai bowls, smoothies and juices, will open its first Memphis location on Mendenhall Road early next year. Co-owners and operators Jack Speed and Amy Lupo first tried Playa Bowls on a trip to Florida and decided to open one in Memphis; Lupo also owns three Nothing Bundt Cake stores. “I’m just excited about having my bowls and smoothies. I probably eat too much of it, but it is what it is,” said Speed. (I mean, you could do much worse than too many smoothies, right?)

The Museum of Science and History announced the historic Mallory-Neely House will soon reopen for tours. (The Daily Memphian file)

Back on Millionaire’s Row: The historic Mallory-Neely House, which hasn’t been open to the public since 2021, will begin Friday and Saturday tours on Nov. 3. The 169-year-old Italianate mansion in Victorian Village, which falls under the management of the Museum of Science and History (aka MoSH), was closed in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and it only briefly opened for tours in 2021. We’ve got tour times and ticket info here.

University of Memphis guard Jahvon Quinerly made a pass during practice on Wednesday, Sept. 27. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Man to watch: Memphis Tigers point guard Jahvon Quinerly is one of 20 players on the watch list for the 2024 Bob Cousy Award, which is presented annually to the best point guard in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. The 6-foot-1 Quinerly was also named to the preseason All-AAC first team earlier this month. See who else made the Bob Cousy list.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Topgolf is opening this Friday, y’all. And the city rejoiced. Our own Abigail Warren has the details. Over the weekend, the Unapologetically Memphis Instagram account asked followers to name five place that Memphians won’t go. The answers were what you’d expect: Graceland, The Rendezvous, the right lane on Poplar, Voodoo Village, etc. But then a Topgolf fan account came in and threw some shade (see comment at the bottom).

Check out that Indie Memphis film line-up! And I’ll see you Wednesday morning. 

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