Morning, sunshines. It’s Monday, June 10, and if budgets make you weary, prepare to be bored with today’s civic happenings. The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen will take a final vote on the suburb’s budget today. 

The Memphis City Council meets in a city-budget committee session, too, though final votes won’t come on Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s proposal until the end of the month. Budget adjustments and property taxes are also on the agenda for the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen. (But no worries on those taxes; they’re staying flat.)

For a look at what’s ahead, check out This Week in Memphis.

THE NEED TO KNOW

“I knew we had to impress him and put our best foot forward in that moment,” said Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Ted Townsend of his video conference with Elon Musk in March. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

How the xAI deal got done: Elon Musk’s plan to build his xAI supercomputer in Memphis is the largest economic investment in the city’s history. And in traditional Musk fashion, the details behind how the deal got done are a little, well, unconventional. xAI doesn’t have a communications team, for one, so the Greater Memphis Chamber worked directly with the company’s leadership — and some rules around confidentiality were nearly broken. The Daily Memphian’s Sophia Surrett talked to Greater Memphis Chamber President and CEO Ted Townsend about how they sealed the deal in 90 days. And for any of you who are skeptical of Musk’s plans, because hey, we’ve been burned before (remember Sidney Shlenker?), Geoff Calkins tells why he thinks this deal is great news for the city. 

Shelby County Commissioner Henri E. Brooks (left) sought to sue the state for its role in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society black-market adoption scandal. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Court won’t hear adoption-scandal appeal: The Tennessee Supreme Court won’t hear a civil lawsuit from Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks over her adoption through the infamous Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Brooks recently learned that she was adopted as part of the black-market scandal that stretched from the mid-1920s to the 1950 death of Georgia Tann, who ran the Memphis home. She tried to sue the state for its part in covering up the scandal, but a lower court dismissed the case in January. The state Supreme Court ruled that it will not hear an appeal.

Neighbors played a pickup game at Orange Mound Park on June 7. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Stopping the violence: Back in April, a shooting outside the Douglass Community Center left one teen dead and another injured. And just days later, two people died in a shooting at an Orange Mound Park block party. Both incidents led to enhanced safety measures, like directed Memphis Police Department patrols and more focus on stopping large, unpermitted gatherings. But Kathy Temple, a leader in the Douglass neighborhood, said the onus is also on neighbors; she’s been organizing community meetings to discuss violence solutions since mid-April. “[Police] are doing what they can. Now everybody else gotta do their part,” she said.

Shaun Rhea

Vet charged with killing homeless man: Kurt Loucks, an Army veteran who was honorably discharged over post-traumatic stress disorder, was charged on Friday with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Shaun Rhea. Loucks, armed with a knife, allegedly attacked Rhea, who was homeless and unarmed, with pepper spray early Friday morning Downtown. And then Loucks allegedly went back to his apartment, returned with a gun and shot Rhea. Now, police are investigating whether Loucks has targeted other homeless people in the past. 

QUOTED

“I’m not saying FedEx was slow to react, but could they have done this sooner? Absolutely.”

— Trip Miller, Gullane Capital Partners
On June 1, FedEx Corp. integrated its Ground, Express and Services arms into one operating company. The merger, which moves payroll, marketing, HR, legal services and sales under one umbrella rather than separate companies, attempts to erase $2 billion in annual costs by 2027. Industry experts like Miller say FedEx could have made the move years ago to avoid inefficiencies.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Tone Executive Director Victoria Jones and Development Director Willie McDonald posed in the courtyard of the Orange Mound Tower. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Orange Mound Tower next steps: Arts organizations Tone and Unapologetic have long had a plan to redevelop the Orange Mound Tower into a mixed-use, arts-forward space. But those plans are finally moving along with the project now in its design phase. Architect Germane Barnes turned to his class at the University of Ohio for design ideas, which include a food hall, a collaborative, flexible space for Black-owned businesses, a performing arts stage, a greenhouse and plenty more.

Christopher Reyes (front), Marvin Stockwell, Reuben Brunson and Kathryn Hicks (back, from left) are transforming the old river museum on Mud Island into an “immersive, interactive entertainment experience.” (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Baron Von Opperbean is coming back: If you were lucky enough to explore artist Christopher Reyes’ trippy installation, “Baron Von Opperbean’s Exploratorium of Magic, Science and the Multiverse,” at Off the Wall Arts back in 2020, this will be welcome news. Reyes and a team of artists are planning a new immersive, interactive installation (think St. Louis’ City Museum) at the long-dormant Mud Island Mississippi River Museum. The new version will incorporate a river theme, using the ship replicas already inside the old museum. The project is currently in a fundraising stage, and you can help.

Judy Peiser (in a 2010 photo) spoke with performer Jimmy Crosthwait outside the Center for Southern Folklore. (The Daily Memphian file)

Could Memphis history be lost? The Center for Southern Folklore’s archives, a vast collection of material on the Memphis area’s cultural heritage, are in danger of being lost. Co-founder Judy Peiser stepped away from the organization three years ago, as she dealt with the effects of advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The center’s board has only met once in the last few years, and one volunteer, Mark Hayden, is the only reason the center is still open three days a week. Several organizations, including the University of Memphis, are interested in taking over the archives, but any such decision would have to be made by the center’s barely functioning board.

“You place your order online and say when you want to pick it up. We load it up, and you ride on. You don’t have to get out of your car,” said Miss Crumpy’s Warehouse and Distribution Center owner Freda Crump. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

One-stop shop: Need bleach or degreaser for the kitchen? Or frozen pizzas and aluminum foil? Or, heck, maybe some food item that you can’t find anywhere? Miss Crumpy’s Warehouse and Distribution Center in Whitehaven probably has it or can get it for you. “We’re kind of like a small version of Lit, but online,” said owner Freda Crump. Next up, Crump has a plan to bring groceries to Memphis food deserts. And if the name Crumpy’s sounds familiar, it’s because it is: Crumpy’s Hot Wings is the family business.

In the rezone: The City of Memphis is planning a citywide rezoning update next year, which would be the first wholescale rezoning since the 1950s. The effort would affect every neighborhood and comes five years after the city released its comprehensive Memphis 3.0 plan. That plan, which sought to change how Memphis develops in the city’s third century, eliminates vacant land and industrial sprawl and better connects neighborhoods. 

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

There’s not a chance of rain in sight this week. Get your sunscreen and shades ready.

Have a great one, and we’ll do this again on a sunny Tuesday.

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