Hump day is here again, Memphis. It’s Wednesday, April 17, and the Shelby County Commission will discuss new regulations for solar projects during a biweekly committee session.

The Memphis Light, Gas and Water board will vote on a resolution to add two suburban voting members. And Downtown’s Center City Development Corporation will consider a grant for Instagram-ready string lights on the north side of the Orpheum Theatre.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Humes Middle School in North Memphis will close at the end of this school year, in a last-minute decision by Memphis-Shelby County Schools. (Caroline Bauman/Chalkbeat)

School’s out forever: Humes Middle School in North Memphis — Elvis Presley’s alma mater — will close at the end of the school year, after a decade in the state’s failed turnaround district for low-performing schools. The school has struggled with low enrollment, but teachers were told last fall that the school would stay open. Now, there’s a plan to rezone Humes students to a South Memphis school three miles away. In other school closing news, parents and teachers from Immaculate Conception Cathedral School are trying to find a new plan for the fall, when the private school will close. Father Robert Szczechura, the church’s pastor, said the decision to close was based on low enrollment and financial problems. But one parent said the school’s enrollment issues may have been due to a perception problem.

“I am required by law to operate the jail and Jail East,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. wrote to the Shelby County Commission. “I am not required to operate the youth center and need the staff assigned there to increase security and safety at the adult facilities.” (Julia Baker/The Daily Memphian file)

Bonner washing his hands of juvie center: Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. plans to turn over operations of the county’s new juvenile detention center to the Shelby County Juvenile Court. That decision comes after advocacy groups and Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon raised concerns over detainees’ lack of visitation, education and outdoor recreation at the center. Bonner blamed the center’s problems on staffing issues and said he needed his existing staff to run the county’s men’s and women’s jails.

Bail changes, plus booze in barber shops: A bill that removes consideration of a defendant’s ability to pay from the bail-setting process is heading to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for a signature. The bill, which was sponsored by local legislators Rep. John Gillespie and Sen. Brent Taylor, targets Shelby County’s standing bail order, a 2022 agreement that reformed the local process, including a bail calculator that considers a defendant’s ability to pay. And another bill headed to Lee’s desk would allow barbershops, salons and cigar bars to sell alcohol. But booze sales would come with stipulations, and some local salon owners aren’t interested. (For real though, if your hair salon isn’t already offering free booze, you need to find a new stylist.)

A fire Sunday morning on Cordova Cove destroyed a building that contained Reid Realtors and Klazmer/Sklar. (Submitted by Michael Jacques)

We didn’t start the fire ... but the Germantown Police Department suspects someone started fires in the suburb on Saturday night and early Sunday morning. They’re investigating possible arson that affected three structures and about nine businesses in the suburb’s medical corridor. In other Germantown news, residents could see a utility rate increase in the new fiscal year. The suburb’s Financial Advisory Committee is recommending the utility rate adjustment, in part to cover a deficit that resulted from last summer’s diesel-infected water incident. On the bright side, it looks like the property-tax rate could stay the same. 

The Shelby County Criminal Court seat once held by Melissa Boyd is up for grabs, unless some state lawmakers get their way. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

The judge of that? Four candidates have applied to run for the Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 judge seat formerly held by Melissa Boyd. She resigned in early April after months of turmoil on the bench, including a suspension for alleged drug use and criminal charges for alleged harassment of her former campaign manager. There’s a catch though: the candidates may never make it onto the ballot if some state lawmakers have their way. 

QUOTED

Memphis Mayor Paul Young gave a speech commemorating his first 100 days in office at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Westwood on April 16. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

“I’m going to ask for a tax increase. It’s the right thing for our city … to change our trajectory.”

— Memphis Mayor Paul Young
Read his lips: Yes, new taxes. In a speech on Tuesday, Young said he planned to ask the Memphis City Council to consider a property-tax hike to help cover a $30 million shortfall in the city budget. He also made a plea for residents to stay in Memphis, and our own Geoff Calkins says that’s a request that makes “a lot of sense.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

The Sterick Building in Downtown Memphis is one of three Memphis buildings to receive a Tennessee Historic Development Grant. (The Daily Memphian file)

Old buildings, new money: Three historic Memphis properties — the Lowenstein House, Sterick Building and Dermon Building — were among 26 buildings statewide that received $300,000 grants as part of a nearly $6 million Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development program. Developers behind the Sterick Building and Dermon Buildings will use the funds toward a mixed-use project and a hotel redevelopment, respectively. Meanwhile, the Lowenstein mansion in Victorian Village could see new life as an alternative to your work-from-home job.

“Combining with DS Smith is a logical next step in IP’s strategy to drive profitable growth by strengthening our global packaging business,” said Mark S. Sutton, IP chairman and CEO. (Courtesy International Paper)

Total package: Memphis-based packaging company International Paper announced on Tuesday that it will acquire London-based sustainable packaging company DS Smith for nearly $10 billion. IP employs about 39,000 people around the globe, and DS Smith has about 30,000 workers in 34 countries. 

Loudean’s boutique in Cooper-Young will close on April 27. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Time to stock your summer wardrobe: Longtime Cooper-Young clothing boutique Loudean’s will close on April 27 after 46 years in business. Proprietors/sisters June Taylor and Joyce Boggs are retiring from the shop that’s best known for its focus on breathable linen to help ward off Memphis’ heat and humidity. With that summer weather only a few weeks away, you might want to take advantage of Loudean’s closing sale. In other business news, Gloss Nail Bar is opening its fifth location, and an old Holiday Ham is about to be a bank.

“Grizzlies Wrapped” recaps the bad (and the good) from the team’s 2023-2024 season. (Credit: Kelsey Bowen)

Grizzlies Wrapped: Now that the Memphis Grizzlies’ painful season is over, we’re looking back on what we’ve been through, Spotify-style. In the spirit of the streaming service’s personalized year-end music round-ups, The Daily Memphian’s Kelsey Bowen has created graphics that total the team’s collective injuries, a shocking number of starting line-ups and more. But it’s not all bad news: We’ve also asked our sports writers to share their top story picks of the season. If it’s not too painful to watch a Grizz-free post-season, you might check out Chris Herrington’s fan guide to the playoffs.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Lyfe Kitchen’s Hotel Chisca location Downtown closed back in 2018, but the Lyfe sign has remained atop the building like a forgotten tribute to the eatery’s superfood bowls and kale smoothies. The building’s owner has plans to replace the sign with a Hotel Chisca one, and it looks like that may finally be happening.

Speaking of kale smoothies, I’m off to drink one now. Have a great day!

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