Rise and grind, Memphis. It’s Thursday, June 13, and the Land Use Control Board has a full slate of big decisions to make. Among the discussion items: a new Cordova-area high school, the proposed Union Avenue Whataburger and a new gas station to replace the old Poplar/Highland Hop-in that burned down in January.

There’s also a ribbon-cutting today for phase five of the South City redevelopment project at the site of the old Foote Homes. The $19 million phase includes a 120-unit senior apartment building with a fitness center and hair salon.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Gov. Bill Lee talked to the media at the end of his tour of Winchester Elementary’s summer program on June 12. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Tennessee didn’t help with xAI: This may come as no surprise, but the Tennessee state government had nothing to do with Memphis netting the xAI supercomputer deal with Elon Musk. Gov. Bill Lee confirmed on Wednesday, during a visit to Memphis, that xAI was one of the few major companies that didn’t engage with the state Economic and Community Development. (Seriously, Memphis may as well be its own city-state, right?) On that visit, Lee also toured Winchester Elementary School, a “summer-learning academy” for third-grade students trying to boost their grades in accordance with the state’s third-grade retention law.

BOLO: Shelby County Corrections Center inmate James Patrick Marshall, who was serving time on theft charges, escaped a morning work detail on Wednesday. He was last seen wearing a gray or white shirt and jeans.

FedEx plans to cut thousands of jobs in Europe to reduce costs. (Mark Humphrey/AP file)

FedEx cuts jobs … in Europe. The Memphis-based shipping giant plans to cut 1,700 to 2,000 workers in Europe and consolidate staff in back-office and commercial functions. The cuts are expected to save FedEx $125 million to $175 million, beginning in fiscal year 2027. FedEx’s international package volume was up in March, when it reported its third-quarter earnings, but priority shipping was down as more customers opted for cheaper shipping fees.

Crime is down: No, really. Contrary to popular perception, crime is trending down in Memphis and Shelby County. The stats show that both city and county crime — even violent crime — was lower in the first half of 2024 compared to the same timeframe in the previous three years. Memphis Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons shared that data on Wednesday at the Collierville Chamber of Commerce’s monthly membership luncheon, where he also offered up ideas at the state level to further crack down on crime. In other news of numbers, just in time for next month’s early voting, there’s an increase of more than 10,000 voters on the rolls versus two years ago. 

MEET MEMPHIS

MaryLynn Mack 

MaryLynn Mack will take over as the Memphis Botanic Garden’s new director on Aug. 19, after longtime director Michael Allen retires. If there’s anyone who knows the botanic-garden business, it’s Mack. She’s currently the chief operating officer of the Los Angeles County-based South Coast Botanic Garden. And before that, she worked in executive roles at Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden. She’s also a past president and current board member of the American Public Gardens Association. And in 2023, President Joe Biden appointed Mack as a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Jerry West, former president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, talked about his team during media day in Memphis, on Oct. 2, 2006. (Mark Humphrey/AP File)

RIP, Mr. Clutch: Three-time NBA Basketball Hall of Famer and former Memphis Grizzlies general manager Jerry West died Wednesday morning at age 86. West worked in the Grizzlies’ front office from 2002 to 2007 and transformed the Grizz into a three-time playoff team. During his time as a player, he was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits, and his silhouette was the inspiration for the NBA logo (hence his other nickname, The Logo). The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins remembers how West gave the new-to-Memphis franchise credibility and “lit the first spark in this city’s NBA love affair.”

Food writer Jennifer Chandler officially joined The Daily Memphian on June 10. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Table Talk returns: Been missing our weekly food coverage round-up? Well, it’s back with our new food reporter Jennifer Chandler at the wheel. This week, she introduces herself as a cookbook author, former restaurateur, food stylist and most importantly, food lover. And she runs through all of the past week’s Daily Memphian food coverage, which, as you may remember, was ripe with restaurant closings. And in that vein, Chandler offers some advice we should all take to heart. 

“I feel like my game just tightened up all around, with my shot, my handles,” former Memphis Tiger DeAndre Williams said about his time playing basketball abroad. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Where is DeAndre Williams now? Well, the former Memphis Tigers basketball star was in Memphis on Wednesday, working on his 3-point shooting with his old coach, Penny Hardaway. He said he’s working to “keep my game up to par and get ready for whatever God’s got in store for me.” The former member of the Tigers 2023 AAC Tournament-winning team just helped win a Taiwanese T1 League title with the Taiwan Beer Leopards earlier this month in his first professional season. The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya talked to Williams about what’s next. And in other Tigers news, an old rivalry between Memphis and Louisville is heating up.

Providence delayed: The $100 million mixed-used Providence Place development planned for Arlington is behind schedule, and developer Benjamin Orgel will tell you why: “I wish I had a great story for you, but unfortunately, the reason we’re about a year behind is because of four letters: M, L, G and W.” The development update on the residential and commercial project was one of several Orgel discussed Wednesday at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

X was filled with condolences for former Memphis Grizzlies GM/NBA Hall-of-Famer Jerry West on Wednesday.

Thanks for everything, Jerry West! And I hope you all have a great day.

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