Good morning, Memphis! It’s Monday, Feb. 19, and some of you may be reading this in your pajamas because it’s Presidents’ Day. Some city buildings may be closed and trash services delayed, and we’ve got a rundown here. I’ll bet you can also find some sweet deals on furniture, because what better way to honor U.S. presidents than with American consumerism?

Speaking of presidents, the only full week of early voting in the Tennessee presidential primaries begins today. Early voting ends next Tuesday, Feb. 27, so make plans to vote soon. But first, breakfast: February is Hot Breakfast Month, we’ve got some suggestions on where to eat. 

For more on what’s ahead in the days to come, check out This Week in Memphis. And finally, this is the last day that The Early Word will be free to non-subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber and want to keep getting this full version, you can save 20% off monthly, annual and two-year subscriptions using the code BEMINE.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Tourism bought the building at 56 Front St., which has been the headquarters of the Memphis in May International Festival since 2011. (The Daily Memphian file)

They love Memphis: Back in January, Memphis Tourism spent $1.55 million on the Downtown building that housed the Memphis in May International Festival office. That purchase barely put a dent in the nonprofit’s largely taxpayer-funded cash pile. The nonprofit was sitting on about $27 million in June 2022, and it receives about $16 million a year in tax dollars to promote local tourism. But it’s only spent about 85% of the money it’s received over the past five years. The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman takes a look at where Memphis Tourism’s money comes from, how it’s spent and why Memphis spends a smaller percentage of its revenue than other cities. 

Sarah Shoop Neumann (left, in black shirt) and Mary Joyce (right, in white shirt) lamented that gun reform was absent from the August 2023 special session. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian file)

Money and guns: Tennessee’s Democratic gun-reform movement is hoping to flip Republican General Assembly seats in the next election cycle. And for the first time, they may actually have the funds to do it. Democratic state Reps. Justin J. Pearson of Memphis and Justin Jones of Nashville each raised more than $1 million after they were expelled (but later reelected) over gun-reform protests on the House floor. The Daily Memphian’s Ian Round looks into how Pearson has spent money from his PAC, which legislative seat the Dems are most eager to flip and what kind of money they’re up against on the other side. 

Members of the Shelby County Commission toured Davidson County’s Behavioral Care Center in October. (Courtesy Davidson County Sheriff’s Office)

Lesson from Nashville: It’s not often that Memphians will admit that Nashville may be better at something. But in the case of mental-health treatment for jail detainees, Shelby County is looking to Nashville for best practices. Local leaders say a new mental-health facility for inmates is necessary to meet the needs of a third of the jail’s population. And the Shelby County Commission approved initial funding to design such a facility after commissioners toured Davidson County’s Behavioral Care Center last fall. Nashville’s center works with inmates to prevent them from committing more violent acts down the road, and it’s already made a major dent in recidivism there. While we’re on the topic, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. is also pushing for a whole new jail.

“I know there’s been a lot of conversation specifically around criminal justice in the county, the work that DA Steve Mulroy is doing, the frustration of our officers, the frustration of our people with the amount of criminals that are back on the street,” Bartlett Alderman David Reaves said. (The Daily Memphian file)

In Bartlett’s court? Bartlett Alderman David Reaves thinks the suburb would be the best-positioned municipality to host a suburban criminal court, separate from the Shelby County court system that serves Memphis. Last week, state Sen. Brent Taylor said he was exploring ideas for how to move the suburbs out of the Memphis district overseen by Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. The idea has gained some traction amongst a few Bartlett leaders, but one idea Taylor is looking into would actually attach the suburban court system to that of a neighboring county. 

MEET MEMPHIS

“Just so much about [Jaren Jackson Jr.’s] look was mature. The intensity [with] which he seemed to look at you as a baby ... There’s a lot of thinking and contemplation that goes on behind those eyes,” said Jackson’s mother Terri Jackson. (The Daily Memphian)

It should probably come as no surprise that Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was born during a hurricane. After all, he’s the only healthy Grizzlies star still standing after a storm of injuries has plagued the team. The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill is taking an in-depth look at JJJ in a three-part series that begins today. Part one starts at the very beginning with his birth during Hurricane Floyd 24 years ago and offers a look at how young Jaren was shaped by his basketball family: mother Terri Jackson (executive director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association) and father Jaren Jackson Sr. (former NBA player and current college coach). Warning: Cute baby JJJ pics ahead.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Adult periodical cicadas climb along tree branches. (Courtesy University of Missouri Extension)

Cicadapocalypse is coming: You probably won’t need your noise-canceling headphones this spring, when billions of cicadas will dig their way out of the soil to invade the Midwest and Southeast. This April’s predicted swarm of cicadas, a merging of two major broods on 13- and 17-year cycles, will miss West Tennessee. But it’s a sign of what’s to come here soon. 

Memphis forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin looked to move the ball as SMU forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton reached in on Sunday, Feb. 18. (LM Otero/AP)

Chemistry problems: The Memphis Tigers may have killed their season on Sunday with a devastating road loss, 106-79, to the SMU Mustangs. The team appeared to have quit on each other as they allowed SMU 17 offensive rebounds and 27 points off of their 19 turnovers. Only David Jones and Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored in double digits, but it wasn’t enough. After the game, Jones said his teammates maybe just “don’t care about basketball.” On his radio show, Coach Penny Hardaway again blamed chemistry issues and revealed that he doesn’t even like his own team.

A rendering depicts the main entrance at Houston High. (Courtesy Germantown Municipal School District)

School money: Houston High in Germantown hasn’t changed much since it opened in 1989, but a makeover could be coming. An architectural firm has drafted conceptual drawings of Houston High with a new football field, cafeteria, lecture hall and other spaces, but the suburb’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen has expressed concerns with the estimated $171 million that it would take to make all of the proposed renovations. At this point, the city is looking into the different ways to fund Houston’s makeover, and a tax increase isn’t out of the question. 

BlueOval SK is ramping up recruitment efforts in West Tennessee before its electric-vehicle battery plant in Stanton, Tennessee, begins production in early 2025. (Courtesy BlueOval SK)

Now hiring: If you’re looking for work, you could be in luck as BlueOval SK ramps up hiring. The battery-production operation for Ford’s BlueOval City is aiming for 2,500 hires before it begins production in early 2025. And all sorts of positions are available, from jobs that only require a high school diploma or GED to engineers with specialized education. BlueOval SK is going all out on recruitment, even converting an existing Memphis-Shelby County Visitor Center into a recruitment center. And they’re hosting good, old-fashioned IRL events, including one last week at Livingston’s Soda Fountain & Grill.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

We’re back into a week of sunny, spring-like weather after a very chilly weekend. 

Cue Lisa Loeb’s “Waiting for Wednesday.” And have a good Monday. 

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