Happy Memorial Day weekend, Shelby County! Cue Alice Cooper, because it’s Friday, May 24, and that means school is out for summer for Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Collierville Schools students. 

Memphis in May International’s annual Great American River Run half-marathon (and 10K and 5K) snakes through Downtown bright and early on Saturday morning. And that evening, Crosstown Arts will open two new group art exhibitions — “Mane” and “Hidden Gems.” Over at the UrbanArt Commission, there’s another group art exhibition to close out Asian American and Pacific Islanders Month. 

On Sunday afternoon, the Memphis Showboats will play the DC Defenders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and let’s just send these Showboats all of our good vibes, mkay? (They’re 1-7 right now.) In the evening, you can close out the month with that time-honored Memphis tradition, the Sunset Symphony at the Overton Park Shell. For more weekend ideas, check out The To-Do List.

Monday is Memorial Day, and there are number of ways to honor fallen veterans with events in Bartlett, Millington, Olive Branch and at Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The plan by the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences could start directing millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester. (Jae C. Hong/AP file)

Memphis to the minor league: There’s big news in college sports this morning, and it’s bad news for the University of Memphis. The NCAA and Power 5 teams have signed off on a plan that allows the schools to directly pay student-athletes, making college sports more like pro sports. The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in damages to past and current athletes to settle a host of antitrust claims, and each school in the Power 5 will be allowed to share up to roughly $20 million per year with athletes. So, where does that leave Memphis? In the dark, if you ask our own Geoff Calkins. He tells us why the decision could be “disastrous” for a program that won’t be able to keep up with Power 5 schools that can offer athletes far more money, essentially relegating the Memphis Tigers to the minor leagues. 

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is investigating the company that tried to force Graceland into a foreclosure sale this week. (Mark Humphrey/AP file)

Suspicious minds: The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is saying, “You come for Graceland, and we’re coming for you.” Okay, not really. But state Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is now investigating Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC, the company that tried to sell Graceland. Naussany filed a debt claim against Graceland 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, and on Wednesday, a Shelby County judge blocked the mansion’s foreclosure sale. And then Naussany agreed to drop its effort to sell the Presley mansion.

A proposed mixed-use project near FedExForum would include a 191-room, 15-story hotel with a guitar-shaped rooftop pool. (Courtesy Downtown Memphis Hotel Development Group Inc.)

Want to swim in a guitar-shaped pool? You might be able to if a new, proposed mixed-use development near FedExForum comes to fruition. A group of Memphis-area developers under the name Blues Note Hotel Development Group LLC are eyeing a lot near the arena for a 191-room, luxury hotel with a guitar-shaped rooftop pool, a 65-unit condo complex, retail, a restaurant and bar and a parking garage. They’re also planning to build a smaller boutique hotel next door to the project.

QUOTED

“All of these school systems that come out and say, ... ‘We are not going to have any armed teachers in our schools’ — please stop saying that. ”

— state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads
Taylor implored local school leaders not to come out publicly against a new law that allows teachers to carry concealed firearms. So far, Memphis-Shelby County Schools and several suburban districts have stated teachers won’t be allowed to carry on campus. But Taylor said the law could act as a crime deterrent, whether or not guns are actually allowed. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

The Uptown location will be the first stand-alone Chick-fil-A near Downtown. (zz/STRF/STAR MAX/IPx)

Uptown Chick: Uptown is one step closer to getting a Chick-fil-A. (And that means the A.W. Willis Avenue/Thomas Street intersection is probably one step closer to a daily lunch-rush traffic jam.) Chick-fil-A’s architect recently filed a construction permit to build a new chicken chain on the northwest corner of that intersection. In other food news, Shelby County-based Villa Castrioti is planning a third location in Nashville. And this week, food writer Joshua Carlucci tells you how to cool off this summer with an icy, made-in-Memphis treat for less than $10. 

Rob VanGorden

Do Mor Advertisin: Longtime Archer CEO Russ Williams is stepping down after 23 years at the ad agency, and Dallas-based ad executive Rob VanGorden will take his place. VanGorden previously worked at ad agency The Richards Group in Dallas, and he’s been involved with a number of campaigns you’ll recognize, including Chick-fil-A’s “Eat Mor Chikin” and Motel 6’s “We’ll leave the light on for you.” As for Williams, he’s not leaving Archer.

Jobs for vets: A new program is pairing Memphis-area veterans with careers in fields ranging from health care to construction to distribution. The partnership between the Greater Memphis Chamber and Houston-based NextOp will recruit, train and place 1,000 veterans over the next five years. “In the same manner that they devoted their lives to serving our nation, it is imperative that we commit to providing the best training services to our veterans,” said Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber. 

GOT GAME?

Members of I Only Smoke When I Drink celebrated their third-place award in the poultry category during SmokeSlam on Friday, May 17. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

The SmokeSlam BBQ Festival is up in smoke for the year, but “Thnks fr th Mmrs” though. Re-live the good times with our weekly Jigsaw puzzle using a photo from intern Benjamin Naylor.

If that’s not enough barbecue nostalgia for you, try this week’s Crossword with hints from our stories about the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and SmokeSlam.

We’ve got a “banger” of a Word Search for you with words inspired by a new pickleball facility coming to Southaven’s Top of the ’Sipp.

Happy Memorial Day! The Early Word will be taking Monday off. But I’ll return on Tuesday, so see ya then.

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