Hope you had a nice weekend, Memphis. It’s Monday, April 29, and the trial of Gregory Livingston, the former security guard charged in the death of a Chicago man at an East Memphis Kroger gas station, begins today.

Livingston is facing a first-degree murder charge in the 2021 shooting death of Alvin Motley Jr. The shooting allegedly occurred after the two argued over loud music coming from Motley’s girlfriend’s car. 

For a look at what else is coming in the days ahead, check out This Week in Memphis. And finally, Memphis' two (yes, two!) barbecue contests are coming soon. Sign up for our new Battle of the Barbecue newsletter and get event tips, results, recipes and more. The first edition — a preview of the SmokeSlam BBQ Festival — drops today.

THE NEED TO KNOW

FedEx will fly the last flights for U.S. Mail on Sept. 29. (Courtesy FedEx)

FedEx, U.S. Mail part ways: FedEx will stop flying U.S. Mail in late September after 23 years, and the U.S. Postal Service is switching to UPS. The U.S. Mail is easily FedEx Express’ biggest customer, making up about $2 billion of its business. One FedEx exec has said losing the postal contract could eliminate half the company’s daytime flying hours, meaning the company would have hundreds of excess pilots by the fall. But despite the loss of the mail business, some analysts believe FedEx has a game plan that could still improve profitability.

RowVaughn Wells, (middle) mother of Tyre Nichols, spoke to the media on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, after announcing a $550 million civil lawsuit against the City of Memphis. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Saving for an actual rainy day: When Memphis Mayor Paul Young proposed a 75-cent property tax increase last week, he cited a $53 million city budget shortfall. So, that begs the question: Why can’t the city just fill the budget hole from its $100 million rainy-day fund? One reason is the pending lawsuit against the city from Tyre Nichols’ family. They’re seeking $550 million in damages from the death of Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers in January 2023, and it’s looking like a settlement is possible. 

The Memphis Police Association’s new counterclaim against the City of Memphis deepens the legal rift between the bargaining unit and the city administration. (George Walker IV/AP)

Police union sues city: The Memphis Police Association sued the City of Memphis last week over the Memphis Police Department’s new second-lieutenant rank. An arbitrator ruled in March that the city had violated an agreement with the police union when it created the new rank, and it ordered the city to restore all newly promoted second lieutenants to their previous ranks. But the city then filed a lawsuit to vacate the arbitrator’s ruling. The new lawsuit from the MPA is a counterclaim to the city’s suit.

Sheriff’s deputies kill suspect: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed James Q. Hampton, 30, near Orange Mound on Friday afternoon as deputies served a narcotics search warrant. According to the SCSO, Hampton was sitting in a vehicle, and he sped toward a team of SWAT deputies, who then opened fire. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting. In other public safety news, three men were shot on Beale Street in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

QUOTED

“We are located in T.O. Fuller State Park, which has its own fascinating history that is important to the city of Memphis and to African American history,” said Anthony Lauricella, manager of Chucalissa. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

“To a certain extent we are able to ... create a picture of how people lived in the recent past just outside the fences of [Chucalissa].”

— Anthony Lauricella, Chucalissa’s archaeological manager
The Chucalissa site in Southwest Memphis, home to the C.H. Nash Museum, is best known for its rich Native American history. But the site’s new archaeological manager is looking into the area’s more recent past as a plantation called Ensley Bottoms. The lives of those formerly enslaved are also being mapped out in Orange Mound within the boundaries of another plantation.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Mochi and Mi’s Margret Tong makes a tropical juice at the Vietnamese pop-up inside the Rio Grande Market on April 22. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

What’s new to eat and drink: JEM restaurant, which stands for “Just Enjoy the Moment,” opened over the weekend in the Edge District, and our own Holly Whitfield enjoyed her moment there while sampling the “eclectic” menu of kimchi arancini (a vegan-friendly risotto) and hamachi crudo (raw fish with pepper jelly and lemon aioli). Read all about it in her New Eats column. In other new food news, Mochi and Mi — from the folks who used to run the Lobster King on Cleveland Street in Midtown — is now serving banh-mi sandwiches, vermicelli bowls and mochi doughnuts at a pop-up inside the Rio Grande Supermercado on Summer Avenue. A permanent Mochi and Mi location is coming soon in Southaven. And in drink-related news, a brother-and-sister team is expanding their Shadow Tequila brand into the Memphis market.

Coach John Calipari answered questions from reporters after being introduced as the Arkansas men’s basketball coach on April 10 in Fayetteville. (Michael Woods/AP)

Could the Tigers take on Coach Cal? Coach Penny Hardaway thinks so. On the The Penny Hardaway Show Sunday night, the Tigers head basketball coach said he’s confident Memphis will be able to schedule a game against the University of Arkansas, now led by former Tigers coach-turned-archnemesis John Calipari, this coming season. Coach Cal turned down requests to play the Tigers in his 15 seasons at Kentucky. Also on Sunday’s show: Tigers forward Nicholas Jourdain made it clear he’ll be back next season. In other Tigers sports news, four former Tigers football players are headed to the NFL (and it sounds like we’re all Denver Broncos fans now). And in more football news, the Memphis Showboats substituted in a new quarterback on Sunday, but that didn’t help their losing streak. 

Construction continued on the cobblestones on the banks of the Mississippi River on April 25. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Cobblestone project back on: A project to preserve the historic cobblestone landing on the Mississippi River bank Downtown is set to resume this summer, seven years after planning work started. The actual work began on the cobblestones in 2020, but several complications have come up along the way, including a record river low in 2023 that led to damage of already-completed portions of the project. Memphis Public Works director Robert Knecht discussed the project and its challenges on “Behind the Headlines.”

Adam Slovis gave a tour of the Snuff District’s second phase of construction. He said “watching it convert to a neighborhood is a worthwhile effort.” (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Up to Snuff: Work on the Snuff District, a 65-acre mixed-use development at the site of an abandoned industrial park in Uptown, is coming along, and by year’s end, the project’s second apartment complex — Harbor Side at Conwood Flats — will be complete. The $205-million development project began in 2016, and the first phase included the Varsity Spirit headquarters, the Conwood Flats apartments and The Kent event space. The Daily Memphian’s Sophia Surrett has an overall look at the project and what comes next.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

April is ending this week, but those showers just keep on coming. On the bright side, our gardens will be happy. 

You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow.

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