Are you ready to kick, push into the weekend, friends? It’s Friday, June 21 — Go Skateboarding Day. And you can celebrate with LaterSkaters Memphis at the Raleigh Springs Skate Park. This local nonprofit helps underprivileged kids access skateboarding equipment, and they’re pushing for more public skate parks across the city. Also today, former MUS standout Harrison Williams will compete in the Olympic decathlon trials. (Go Harrison!)

Tonight, the stage adaptation of 1980s working-woman revenge comedy “9 to 5” opens at the Harrell Theatre in Collierville. Or you can celebrate Swedish Midsommar with a buffet at Ikea. (As far as we know, there will be no May Queen Dance, as depicted in the 2019 “Midsommar” horror film.)

Saturday brings dogs in drag at Moxy’s annual Puppy Pride event, and Cohen Brothers classics (yes, man, even “The Big Lebowski”) will screen at the Time Warp Drive-in. And on Sunday, you can sample your way around the city’s tastiest bites at the Craft Food & Wine Festival. For more weekend fun, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Lisa Sloan’s Toyota Venza after it was rammed by a Dodge Charger allegedly driven by Cordero Ragland. (Courtesy Leslie Holland)

60th delay in drag-racing case: The family of Lisa Sloan will have to wait, yet again, for justice in her 2021 death. Sloan was critically injured in February 2017 after Cordero Ragland allegedly struck her car on Poplar Avenue while drag racing. Ragland was charged with aggravated assault, reckless driving and other charges, and Sloan died of her injuries four years later in 2021. But Ragland’s court case has been postponed 60 times now. The latest delay came on Thursday when an apparent clerical error led Judge Lee Coffee to reset that day’s hearing to July 30. And such delays are all too common in the local criminal justice system.

“It did not take long for us to uncover a conspiracy to cover up and suppress certain evidence regarding the escape of Joshua Zimmerman,” said DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton. (Courtesy DeSoto County District Attorney’s office)

Escaped inmate evidence deleted? DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton claims a county official deleted video surveillance from his office’s server that depicted inmate Joshua Zimmerman’s escape. Zimmerman escaped through a fault in the design of the Hernando courthouse on Friday, June 14, according to DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle. Barton said a grand jury will investigate Zimmerman’s escape, the safety of the county’s courthouses and the alleged tampering of state’s evidence. Barton declined to comment on whether Tuggle was a target of the investigation, but he’s been critical of the sheriff in recent days.

Collierville cop decertified, loses new job: Former Collierville Police officer DeMario Pree was decertified on Thursday by the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. And now he’s out of a job at the Olive Branch Police Department, too. Pree resigned from the Collierville department in March because there was disciplinary action pending against him. He was sworn in with the Olive Branch force two weeks ago.

MEET MEMPHIS

Folk’s Folly General Manager Diane Kauker with the limited-edition DK40 cocktail, which celebrated Kauker’s 40 years working at the restaurant. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Diane Kauker has spent her entire career at Folk’s Folly. She started there as a hostess in 1984 while a student at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis). But she quickly learned she could make more money as a bartender, so she spent a few years making cocktails before she was promoted as the assistant general manager. In 2004, Kauker took over as Folk’s Folly’s GM. “[Kauker] can do anything in this restaurant because she’s basically worked in all the positions as she’s come up through the years,” said Lauren Robinson, CEO of Folk’s Folly. And Folk’s Folly is more than a job for Kauker; it’s also a family affair.

THE NICE TO KNOW

University of Memphis guard Joe Cooper reacted to a bucket during a Feb. 25 game against FAU. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Not living the dream: Memphis Tigers walk-on Joe Cooper won’t be returning to the basketball team next season, which he said wasn’t “really my choice.” Cooper only appeared in six games last season, and he describes his time as a Tiger as “kinda heartbreaking” and “the worst experience I’ve ever experienced.” In an exclusive interview with our own Parth Upadhyaya, Cooper recounted a season where he felt alienated by other teammates and Coach Penny Hardaway. Despite that, Memphis native Cooper felt a loyalty to the Tigers and missed this year’s transfer portal deadline while he awaited news that never came.

Sisters and co-owners Kristen and Lindsey Archer say they will keep their Archd online store open. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Closing on Main: Archd owners Kristen and Lindsey Archer are closing their Downtown brick-and-mortar gift shop, but they’ll continue selling their handcrafted wood and marble art online. The Archers opened the shop on Monroe Avenue in September as part of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open on Main program, which provides free rent for a year at vacant storefronts on and around Main Street. The Archers said foot traffic to the store was low due to the shop’s location. But they’ll be open through July with sales and special tickets half-off events.

Cookie Plug, launched in 2019, offers 12 signature cookie flavors that are freshly baked on-site daily. (Courtesy Cookie Plug)

Chicken, cookies and Chipotle: We know how some of y’all love a chain restaurant, so get ready, because Raising Cane’s is coming to Memphis. Last month, we announced the chicken-finger chain was opening its first area location in Southaven. And now, in Food Files, we’ve got news of a second spot coming to Germantown Parkway. Plus, Saddle Creek is getting a hip-hop-inspired cookie chain and the build-you-own burrito shop that’s been in the news lately over a viral TikTok trend. In this week’s $10 Deal, food writer Joshua Carlucci tells us of a Mediterranean restaurant with pretty tagine pots and even prettier food.

Tom Hardy, left, and Austin Butler star in “The Bikeriders.” The film includes music from Memphis band Lucero. (Focus Features via AP)

Motoring in Memphis: “Bikeriders,” a new film starring “Elvis” actor Austin Butler, premieres in Memphis theaters today. And it’s got deep Memphis connections. The film is based on a 1968 book by photojournalist Danny Lyon which features black-and-white photos of himself embedded with a Chicago-area motorcycle gang. But Memphis music fans may recognize the movie’s name from somewhere else: A 2005 Lucero song also called “Bikeriders.” And it was that song, which sketches the relationship between two characters from Lyon’s book, that inspired the film’s director, Jeff Nichols, to make the movie. Nichols, as it turns out, is the younger brother of Lucero frontman Ben Nichols. 

Parents, students and community members attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Memphis Merit Charter School at its new K-6 campus in Parkway Village, on Wednesday, June 19. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Groceries to grades: A long-vacant former Kroger in Parkway Village is getting a new life as a charter school. Memphis Merit Academy celebrated the opening of its new campus in the old Kroger at American Way in Parkway Village on Juneteenth. The school was previously located two miles east of the new site, but it needed a bigger space. So, Memphis Merit bought the entire shopping center surrounding the former Kroger. And the school has big plans for the rest of the property.

GOT GAME?

Holiday Deli & Ham’s beloved Papa’s Pimento Cheese for sale at Memphis-area Krogers. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Holiday Deli & Ham and sister restaurant Pimentos Kitchen are long gone, but they’re still “spread”-ing the love with Papa’s Pimento Cheese. You can find two versions of the spread at area grocery stores, or you can just lick the screen after you put together this week’s Jigsaw.

Juneteenth was Wednesday. Though it’s only been a federal holiday since 2021, Memphians have been celebrating Juneteenth for 30 years. You can re-live the local celebrations through clues in this week’s Crossword.

An Oscar-winning filmmaker, a broadcasting pioneer and a renowned civil rights attorney walk into a bar … Okay, well, that probably won’t happen. But they will walk onto the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in October to accept their National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Awards. Until then, you can learn more in this week’s Word Search.

Skate on, Memphis! And have a rad weekend. 

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