Good morning, Memphis! It’s Thursday, May 23, and if there was ever a day to turnip the beets (and carrots and peas and bananas), it’s today — National Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day. Need some ideas to get started? These Teriyaki Quinoa Bowls from our recipe archive are loaded with zucchini, carrots and mango. Or, you can jump in on a challenge I’m doing this week to eat a green salad every single day.

Alright, enough with the health talk; we’ve got a lot of news today, so let’s brocc and roll. Kale, yeah!

THE NEED TO KNOW

A family walked past the gates of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on Dec. 11, 2019. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Little more conversation, little less auction: Turns out Graceland isn’t destined to become the next Bass Pro Shops. A Shelby County judge blocked a potential foreclosure sale of Graceland early Wednesday morning, and then Naussany Investments, the company that filed the debt claim, essentially said, “Oops, our bad.” They emailed a statement Wednesday morning saying they’d drop their effort to have Graceland auctioned off. “There was no harm meant on Ms. [Riley] Keough for her mother’s… mis-habits and mismanaging of money,” read the email. A notice of a foreclosure sale for Graceland was filed earlier this month, alleging the late Lisa Marie Presley failed to repay a loan taken out in 2018 with Graceland as collateral. Her daughter, Riley Keough, filed a lawsuit calling the claim a fraud.

Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis (left), Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins (center) and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner appeared in a video released by MSCS. (Screenshot)

No teachers with guns at MSCS: Parents, if you were worried about the new state law allowing teachers to carry concealed handguns, well, no worries. Memphis-Shelby County Schools said it won’t allow teachers to carry guns on school property. The announcement came during a joint presser with the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. As for the suburban districts, several others seem to be on the same page, too.

In addition to seeking permanent status for Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis, Mayor Paul Young said he will do the same for Interim Chief Operating Officer Antonio Adams and Interim Chief Financial Officer Walter Person. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

If at first you don’t succeed … Memphis Mayor Paul Young is gonna dust himself off and try again with his plan to reappoint C.J. Davis as Memphis police chief. Davis was the chief under Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration, but when Young took her reappointment to the Memphis City Council at the beginning of his term, the request faced an uncertain reception. Young instead made her “interim” chief, but he says he plans to try for the permanent spot again very soon.

Muscle cars passed by the lights on Beale Street while cruising B.B. King Boulevard in Downtown Memphis on May 9, 2020. (Jim Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Drag straight to jail: Drag racing is now a Class E felony in Tennessee, punishable by one to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine. Gov. Bill Lee signed the drag-racing bill, which bumped the crime up from a Class A misdemeanor, into law on Tuesday. But drag racing is a difficult crime to prosecute since police have to catch drivers in the act. Case in point: Memphis police only made three arrests for drag racing in the first three months of this year.

MEET MEMPHIS

Milton Howery III is the new communications vice president at the Downtown Memphis Commission. (Courtesy DMC)

Milton Howery III, who goes by the nickname “Milton Memphis,” is the new vice president of marketing, communications and events at the Downtown Memphis Commission. “I’ve dedicated the majority of my adult life and career to promoting and marketing Memphis — a job I love and feel fortunate to do,” Howery said. That history includes 16 years at Memphis Tourism, including his most recent position as the nonprofit’s vice president of marketing. He also worked as a spokesperson for Bass Pro Shops in 2015 as the shop prepared to reopen in the long-abandoned Pyramid.

THE NICE TO KNOW

“When I was younger, Downtown used to be the place to be ... (100 N. Main) used to be a really popular place,” said Andrea Cox of 4J Contractors and Homes. (Neil Strebig/The Daily Memphian file)

Help wanted for 100 N. Main: Ohio-based Cleveland Construction, the general contractor for 100 N. Main, is looking for subcontractors to help redevelop the city’s tallest tower. The company held an outreach event at Springhill Suites Downtown on Wednesday, and The Daily Memphian’s Sophia Surrett was there. She talked to a couple of job hopefuls from local companies who had fond memories of 100 N. Main’s glory days. When the work is done, 100 N. Main, which closed in 2014, will be reactivated with apartments, a hotel, eateries, retail and a rooftop bar. But if you were hoping the old rotating restaurant would be back in action, you’re out of luck.

The Oliver apartment under construction on Friday May 10. The tower to the left pays homage to the Nylon Net Co. building, which used to stand in the same location. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Oliver twist: Leasing will begin this summer for Downtown’s The Oliver, a new 210-unit apartment building in the long-vacant Nylon Net Co. building. When Carlisle Corp. purchased the historic building, which also once housed wholesale and retail grocer Oliver-Finne Grocery Co., the building was no longer structurally sound. So, it was demolished, and a seven-story apartment building was built in its place. But Carlisle Corp. President Chance Carlisle said they tried to preserve much of the building’s architectural elements, even salvaging some of its bricks for a new use. 

University of Memphis forward David Jones tried to hype up the crowd during the second half of a March 3 game. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Cat chat: The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin sat down for a little coffee klatch to discuss what’s ahead for the Memphis Tigers basketball team next season. On the new-look roster, both seemed optimistic that the 2024-25 recruits look promising, even if they’re not as well-known in college basketball circles as last season’s team. As for whether last season’s star David Jones will make a Tigers comeback or get drafted by the NBA, well, let’s just say the outlook seems better for Tigers fans than Jones himself.

Memphis Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins looked on from the sideline during a game against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 15, in Memphis. (Brandon Dill/AP file)

In the hot seat? In case you’ve missed it, there’s been some discussion in NBA social circles — likely brought on by comments from former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger — about Grizz Coach Taylor Jenkins being in the proverbial “hot seat” after this dismal past season. There’s no real evidence of that, but the team is reshuffling its assistant coaching staff. This week, our own Chris Herrington looks at what went wrong last season and what needs to change to keep Jenkins’ seat nice and cool. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Mempho Presents wasted no time after SmokeSlam and the Riverbeat Music Festival to announce its 2024 Mempho Music Festival lineup on Wednesday. Headliners include Queens of the Stone Age, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB and Cody Jinks. And, as with any music fest line-up, y’all have mixed feelings about it. 

Well, I’m off to eat those greens! I hope you are, too.

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