Welcome to a brand new day, Shelby County. It’s Thursday, May 9, and the Land Use Control Board will consider a new Marriott hotel near Ikea in Cordova. Also on the agenda is a request for a drive-thru at the Whataburger proposed for Union Avenue in Midtown, but it’s looking like that case may be held.

Oh, and if you’re reading this early and live in parts of North Mississippi, including Marshall, Benton, Tippah and Tunica counties, you’re still under a tornado watch until 10 a.m. DeSoto County is not included in that watch.

THE NEED TO KNOW

A mounted Memphis police officer spoke with a Beale Street visitor on Saturday, May 4. (Aarron Fleming/The Daily Memphian)

When security leaves Beale: Beale Street security is that friend who can’t hang until 5 a.m. and tabs out early. Recent shootings on Beale are highlighting possible security lapses in the district. For example, the guards were not present during an April 27 shooting outside of Tin Roof. On Friday and Saturday nights, private guards take cover fees, check IDs and screen patrons through metal detectors. But those guards, hired by the Downtown Memphis Commission, often stop before every Beale Street bar is closed. Once the security leaves, Memphis police officers and guards hired by certain clubs are stationed around Beale, but they’re not screening for weapons.

A FedEx plane bumped in on the underside of its nose after the back wheels touched down in Turkey on Wednesday. (Screenshot)

Mayday for FedEx: A FedEx Boeing 767 plane, based out of Memphis, was forced to land without its front landing gear in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday. Sparks flew as the plane skidded to a halt, but the pilots were able to crawl to safety from the cockpit window. The cause for the crash is under investigation, but one longtime aviation consultant said, “Airplanes break; qualified pilots land them. That’s exactly what happened.” In other national news of a Memphis-based, Fortune 500 company, analysts are saying International Paper is unlikely to sell for $42 a share to Brazil-based Suzano for several reasons.

Robert Howard

Former cop indicted in 2021 killing: Former Memphis police officer Patric Ferguson was federally indicted on Wednesday for alleging kidnapping and killing Robert Howard in 2021. Howard’s family believed the killing was motivated by jealousy, because Howard was in a relationship with another officer whom Ferguson worked with at Tillman Station in Binghampton. Another man, Joshua M. Rogers, was also indicted Wednesday for allegedly helping Ferguson dispose of Howard’s body in the Wolf River and destroying evidence.

MEET MEMPHIS

Rob Carter

Rob Carter, longtime FedEx Corp. chief information officer, wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. But in college, he was a bit overwhelmed with the chemistry and biology requirements. So, he decided to try his hand at computers. That was in the late 1970s, when computer tech was very new and very different than it is today. He started his career at FedEx (then Federal Express) 24 years ago, before the company even had a website. Now Carter, who has been critical to the company’s tech strategy — from its web interface to automated sorting to touchless scanning — is preparing to retire this June.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Former Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital patient Broderick Webster, 6, middle, helped cut a ribbon during a grand opening ceremony of the hospital’s new critical care expansion on Wednesday, May 8. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

All heart: Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital unveiled its $95 million, 128,000-square-foot expansion on Wednesday, the largest project at the hospital since the current building opened in 2010. The expansion added four floors to the west side of the building, a new cardiovascular intensive care unit, additional beds in the neonatal intensive care area and more beds in the post-anesthesia care unit. 

Charmeal Neely Alexander, the great-niece of Tom Lee, spoke at Beale Street Landing on May 8. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Hero of the day: Wednesday, May 8, marked the 99th anniversary of Tom Lee rescuing 32 people from a capsized boat on the Mississippi River. So, a small group gathered at Beale Street Landing to raise a toast to Lee — the namesake of the nearby Tom Lee Park — and celebrate the winners of Memphis River Parks Partnership’s annual Lee-themed poetry contest. (Not familiar with Lee? Our resident history buff Bill Dries offers a lesson on his life and his legacy.) This year marked the first that MRPP also included an adult poetry contest, and the winner may be a familiar name for longtime Memphis Daily News fans.

“I’ve seen tailgate parties. I’ve seen illegal drug use. I’ve seen urination,” Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Southaven is having none of it: Southaven just made its new nuisance ordinance even stricter. The city’s Board of Aldermen voted this week to amend the rule designed to crack down on loud and unruly gatherings at residential and commercial properties to include any location where two violent or felonious drug events have occurred during a two-year period. Under the ordinance, the city can fine owners of “nuisance properties” up to $1,000. 

Penny Hardaway, left, and Reece Beekman, right (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file, Michael Caterina/AP file)

Penny’s two cents worth: Memphis Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway is staying busy in the off-season. When he’s not building next season’s basketball team, the former NBA superstar has been helping to mold a potential future star: Virginia’s Reece Beekman. The 6-foot-3 point guard is in Memphis training under Hardaway ahead of next month’s NBA Draft.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING ABOUT US

Just yesterday, I shared a link to last week’s Forbes article on Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s thoughts on arts and culture. And Memphis is back in Forbes this week with a review of the first-ever Riverbeat Music Festival.

Enjoy your Thursday. See you on Friday.

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