Good morning, Memphis, on what looks to be the last morning with temps in the 30s for a while. I don’t know about you, but I’m dreaming of the day when we can stop wearing layers.

If you’ve been missing Chef Tamra Patterson’s cooking, you’re in luck. She returns to the kitchen today — Thursday, March 28 — as Supper Club on Second reopens with a new menu designed by Chef Tam herself. (Yes, this means you can get peach cobbler nachos again.) And mayors from 12 states are still here talking about how to handle crime on the second day of the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime event, hosted by Memphis Mayor Paul Young. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd will remain incarcerated until her trial begins on April 24, unless she pleads guilty before then. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Judge Boyd arrested: Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd was arrested on Wednesday morning, after Judge Roy Morgan revoked her bond. Prosecutors argued that Boyd violated bond conditions by using drugs and alcohol while she was out of custody. She could remain jailed until her April 24 trial for allegedly harassing and attempting to coerce her former campaign manager Lashanta Rudd into not testifying against her.

FedExForum renovations are one step closer to being funded. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

FedExForum funding clears hurdle: A bill that would reallocate some hotel-motel tax dollars away from Memphis Tourism and toward the FedExForum project passed a House subcommittee and a Senate committee on Wednesday. If it receives final approval, the deal would “lock up the Grizzlies for another few decades,” according to the bill’s House sponsor Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville. 

The denied location of a new Chick-fil-A, shown here in a rendering, is near Bray Station Road north of Poplar Avenue. (Submitted)

Food court: Or more like, food in court. The Town of Collierville is being sued for denying Chick-fil-A a site near Bray Station north of Poplar Avenue. Chick-fil-A isn’t a party in the suit though. It was filed by Bob Cartwright, the trustee for that site, who had a lease with Chick-fil-A to build and operate there. The suburb’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down the project in January, citing traffic concerns. But Cartwright contends that Chick-fil-A met all of the town’s requirements and that the board’s disapproval was illegal.

QUOTED

“People are a little bit shocked to learn that there’s no fire suppression in that [airport terminal] building. It wasn’t a thing in 1962.”

— Terry Blue, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Blue updated the Memphis Rotary club this week on the airport’s $665 million terminal upgrade plans. The expanded terminal will be retrofitted to modern fire and seismic standards, and baggage claim will finally see some daylight, among other updates. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Forward Brandon Clarke (15, left) rejoined the Memphis Grizzlies after more than a year. Desmond Bane (right) led the team on Wednesday with 26 points. (Brandon Dill/AP)

BC is back, baby! Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke returned to the court Wednesday night after more than a year away recovering from Achilles surgery. And it didn’t even matter that the Grizzlies lost 136-124 to the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that needed the win more anyway. What mattered to fans was seeing BC back in action, scoring six points and five rebounds. One fan even made her own rhinestone replica of Clarke’s BC chain. So, what does Clarke’s late-season return mean for a team that’s definitely not going to the playoffs? And what does it mean for next season? Our own Chris Herrington weighs in.

U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty (left) and Memphis Mayor Paul Young were two of the officials at a meeting about crime at City Hall on Wednesday, March 27. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Long view on crime: U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty was in town Wednesday to meet with Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other leaders about the city’s crime problem. Among the topics discussed were a new county jail, a local crime lab and programs aimed at preventing crime, as well as what types of federal funding might be available for Memphis. But a few controversial topics were off the table. “We kept the conversation I’d say at 30,000 feet today,” Hagerty said.

In 2019, Richardson International bought the Wesson Oil brand from Conagra Brands Inc. for $15 million, inheriting the Wesson Oil plant in Memphis. (Submitted)

Carol Brady would be proud: Wesson Oil, the brand once associated with actress Florence Henderson, is getting a major upgrade at its Midtown plant, after parent company Richardson International was approved to proceed with a $220 million investment by the Board of Adjustment on Wednesday. Among the updates are a new vegetable refinery and upgraded crude-oil receiving tanks. The BOA also approved new construction for Memphis University School, namely a new arts and sciences building and an indoor sports practice facility for the school’s main Park Avenue campus. 

Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman looked through a pair of solar eclipse glasses at American Paper Optics in Bartlett on March 27. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Optics look good: If you’re viewing the solar eclipse on April 8 with a special pair of eclipse glasses, there’s a good chance they were made by American Paper Optics in Bartlett. APO is the largest manufacturer in the world for paper 3-D glasses, but they also specialize in eclipse glasses and plan to ship 75 million pairs ahead of the upcoming event. That said, they’re still considered a small business. APO got a visit on Wednesday from President Joe Biden’s Small Business Association administrator Isabel Guzman, who’s currently touring small businesses doing extraordinary things. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Speaking of eclipse glasses, do you have yours? Memphis will see almost 98% of the solar eclipse, and you can get even better views with a short drive over to Arkansas. Pick up your free glasses at Memphis libraries while supplies last. 

That’s all for now! Have a good one.

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