Welcome to the first day of spring, Memphis! It’s Tuesday, March 19, and it may be really cold outside right now, but there’s hope for warmer days ahead. And the Great Pollening seems to have already begun, so there’s that.

The Memphis City Council meets today, and they’re supposed to take a final vote on a long-delayed ordinance regulating party buses. And if you think you’ve heard me say that in an Early Word intro before, it’s because you have. The third and final vote has been delayed nine times.

If you’re driving around in Collierville today, you might want to know that Progress Road will be closed for railroad crossing work. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

A rendering of the $220 million Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation. (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)

Stadium, FedExForum renovation updates: The University of Memphis has finalized plans for Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium upgrades. Construction is expected to begin in May and end ahead of the 2026 football season. The construction will happen in three phases to allow the university to continue fundraising for the project. And in more sports venue reno news, the Shelby County Commission on Monday passed a resolution that would allocate more of the county’s hotel-motel tax to cover the gap in FedExForum renovation funding, diverting some funds away from Memphis Tourism. The tourism nonprofit previously got the majority of that tax revenue. In related news, state. Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, is also working on a bill that would give the county legislative permission needed for that reallocation. But Taylor said local and state officials would try to make sure Memphis Tourism is taken care of. 

“Our counselors are creating relationships with those students at a much earlier stage, not just once they apply, but even before they apply,” said Lisa Manning, Christian Brothers University’s director of undergraduate admissions. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

CBU making its comeback: Christian Brothers University made headlines last fall after drastic cuts resulted in layoffs for nearly a third of its staff. Now, the university is working to build back, and it’s already having success. Fundraising is up more than 100%, and student applications are up 38% for the fall. CBU President David Archer expects the university will be in the black in 2025 and off probation in January 2026. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts looks at how CBU is righting its ship.

Memphis Police Department Assistant Chief Shawn Jones testified that he recommended to MPD Interim Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis (not pictured) that MPD create the new front-line supervisory role. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Down in the ranks: A number of Memphis Police Department supervisors will have to drop down to their previous rank, and the department will have to rethink its structure after an arbitrator ruled in favor of a Memphis Police Association grievance. At issue was a new first-line supervisory rank — called second lieutenant — and MPD’s new promotion process that removed previous criteria needed to become a lieutenant. That was rolled out by the MPD in February of last year, but the police union charges that the changes were not negotiated with the union. The MPA also said the new rank created confusion among qualified patrol officers.

“This project has not centered the people,” Rep. Justin J. Pearson said at a March 15 press conference opposing the proposed tree upcycling facility from Memphis Urban Wood and The Works Inc. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Wood not: A plan to develop a tree upcycling plant on a long-vacant North Memphis property has been paused after community opposition. Memphis Urban Wood and The Works Inc. withdrew their proposal for a permit ahead of Tuesday’s Memphis City Council meeting. The site is zoned for light industrial use, but because the facility needed a saw to process lumber, city planners deemed it a “sawmill,” which is considered a heavy industrial use. That led to neighborhood concerns, but the CEO of The Works said the city “made a decision to define us as something that we’re not.”

MEET MEMPHIS

Restaurant owner Abraham Valenzuela spoke with patron Jeremy Neggs at Rancho Grande in Olive Branch. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

When local restaurateur Abraham Valenzuela got his start in the business, it wasn’t in the kitchen. He and his family were in a mariachi band that played in local restaurants. They eventually opened a Mexican convenience store on Mendenhall Road, and when customers requested a taqueria, they learned the trade and added one. These days, he runs two Rancho Grande locations in DeSoto County, two Chukis Tacos in both Memphis and Olive Branch and he’ll soon open Asaderos Mexican Grill in Germantown.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. shot over Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento, California, on Monday, March 18. (Randall Benton/AP)

Grizz lose in OT: It seemed like the Memphis Grizzlies were going to win three times in last night’s overtime game against the Sacramento Kings, but they fell in the end, 121-111. The Grizzlies were playing with only eight people, and GG Jackson was on a hot streak with his 3-point shooting in the first quarter. But the team’s shooting went cold in the second, and a five-point lead evaporated into a 10-point halftime deficit. The scrappy Grizzlies did a good job trying to claw back though, forcing 20 turnovers. In other Grizz news, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington looks back at the weekend’s Desmond Bane return game, which wasn’t quite the playoff-race battle it was supposed to be, but still offered some hope. 

Shelby County Commissioner Britney Thornton (middle) is sponsoring the ordinance to reform the county’s land bank. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

It’s complicated at County Commission: The Shelby County Commission on Monday advanced an ordinance to change how the Shelby County Land Bank sells tax-delinquent property. But due to parliamentary procedure issues, the vote was just as complex as the ordinance itself. The change would lower the fee for bidders of property, allow for nominal transfers of land to nonprofits and set up an online listing of bidders. In other County Commission news, a routine vote to send a report on bail reforms to state officials also got pretty complicated.

The captains of the University of Memphis Tigers football team took the field before the game against Tulane University on Oct. 13, 2023, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. (Wes Hale/The Daily Memphian file)

Ready for some football? The Memphis Tigers football team starts practice today. And they’re coming in hot, after the fifth 10-win season in school history and the first since 2019. The team has lost some heavy hitters, with five of the nine Tigers who earned All-AAC honors last year no longer on the roster. But there’s plenty of talent left, and The Daily Memphian’s Frank Bonner II gives a glimpse in his spring football preview. In more football news, the University of Memphis is close to finalizing a contract extension with Coach Ryan Silverfield. And in Tigers basketball news, our own Tim Buckley dives into why Coach Penny Hardaway said there was no chance his team would play in the National Invitation Tournament. 

Security alert: If you received OB-GYN services at University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Regional One Health between November 2014 and November 2023, your personal health information may have been exposed during a security breach. The good news? Credit card and social security info was not involved in the breach. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Memphis is about to get a big influx of visitors for the NCAA Tournament games at FedExForum this Friday and Sunday.

Enjoy the first day of spring!

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