Is it hot enough for you, Memphis? Because if you thought Monday was bad, just wait until we reach “feels like 108” this afternoon. It’s Tuesday, June 25, and the temps won’t be the only hot topic today. The Memphis City Council is set to take a final vote on the city budget, which could come with a compromise on the city property-tax hike and a rise in vehicle-registration fees.

It should be nice and cool inside Temple Israel tonight for the screening of “Memphis 13,” a documentary on the 13 first-grade students who helped pioneer integration of Memphis City Schools in 1961. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Shelby County Judge Jennifer Fitzgerald issued a warrant for Demarion Tackett’s arrest last Friday. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)

Warrant issued for teen in watermelon man death: Demarion Tackett, the 16-year-old being tried as an adult over the death of watermelon vendor John Materna, is wanted for missing a court date while out on bond. Tackett was released on bond back in March, two months after he was transferred to the adult system for allegedly killing Materna during a May 2023 robbery. Prosecutors wanted his bond revoked because social media posts show he may be in possession of drugs and firearms, but Tackett failed to appear for a bond hearing last Friday.

“This was a career criminal,” DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle II said at a press conference about the multi-agency manhunt for Joshua Zimmerman. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Zimmerman’s lengthy rap sheet: Joshua Zimmerman, the man who escaped a DeSoto County Courthouse earlier this month and remains at-large, is a fugitive in three states. Mississippi, where he’s accused of attempted murder, armed robbery and other charges in DeSoto County, is the latest state. But he’s also wanted in Connecticut for skipping parole. And he’s on the run for an alleged murder of a woman in Houston, Texas, in 2023. In that case, Zimmerman allegedly killed Keyanna Shantall Mercer at a Red Carpet Inn, about 10 days after checking into the hotel with her.

Here comes the sun: The City of Memphis plans to build a $25 million solar panel system next to the T.E. Maxson Wastewater Treatment Facility in southwest Memphis. The Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County approved the solar panel project on Monday. It will be constructed at the city’s Environmental and Resource Technology (EARTH) Complex and produce 7.5 megawatts of energy to power the wastewater plant, creating a net-zero system for Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s largest power consumer. And turns out the project isn’t just good for Mother Earth; it’ll impact how much we all pay in sewer fees.

Advocates gathered for a rally in Nashville to oppose a series of bills that target the LGBTQ community on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (Jonathan Mattise/AP file)

High court takes on state’s gender-affirming care ban: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal from the Biden administration seeking to block state bans on gender-affirming care for minors. The appeal involves Tennessee’s law restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors, which was passed last year. That’s after a federal appeals court in Cincinnati allowed Tennessee’s law (and a similar one in Kentucky) to take effect after they had been blocked by lower courts. 

QUOTED

“It is dangerous to be pregnant here.”

—Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi
Coffield said Tennessee is in “a state of crisis” two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. After that decision, Tennessee’s abortion ban went into effect. And since then Coffield said more than 10,000 women have left the state to seek abortions elsewhere.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Adam Clay played pickleball on Friday, June 21, at Life Time Fitness in Collierville. Clay has lost 100 pounds playing pickleball. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

The pickleball diet: Want to lose weight and have fun at the same time? Pickleball 901 founder Adam Clay has just the thing. Clay, who weighed 363 pounds just over a year ago, lost 100 pounds playing pickleball. But there’s a catch: The game became a stand-in for his evening beer. So, fewer beers, more pickleball. Got it. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins talked to Clay about what his life was like before his weight loss and how it’s improved since.

Union Depot’s first live/work building is under construction. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Bartlett’s Belly: Bartlett’s $162 million Union Depot mixed-use project has its first commercial tenant: Belly Acres. Yep, the former Overton Square, family-friendly burger joint is planning to open a new 5,500-square-foot space at the old Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home site by 2026. It’ll be located on the ground floor of The Westerly, one of Union Depot’s live/work buildings. “We wanted it to be kid-friendly. We didn’t want a restaurant that would be bar-heavy with a bunch of alcohol,” said Barry Maynard, Gill Properties senior vice president.

Making the grade: A greater number of Memphis-Shelby County Schools students reached proficiency on state tests in the wake of the pandemic, according to new results released by the state’s Department of Education on Monday. More students exceeded pre-pandemic reading proficiency in grades 3-8, though fewer students in those grades are proficient in math now than prior to the pandemic. You can see a breakdown of test scores by race and MSCS scores compared with state scores.

Ja Morant smiled while campers practiced during his inaugural basketball camp on Saturday, June 22. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Because he’s happy: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has had his share of tribulations in the past year: the NBA suspension that cost him 25 games, the shoulder injury that ruined the rest of his (and the Grizzlies’) 2023-24 season. And he’s been public about his mental struggles. But The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill saw a different side of Morant this past weekend: He was happy. Morant was smiling ear to ear as he coached kids at his basketball camp at the Memphis Sports and Events Center. Hill explains why that should give us hope. And in other Grizz news, our own Chris Herrington sorts through rumors as the team preps for the start of the NBA Draft on Wednesday.

University of Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway smiled during a game against Lane College on Sunday, October 29, 2023. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

On Penny’s mom: Memphis Tigers basketball Coach Penny Hardaway shared on Instagram Monday that his mom, Fae Hardaway, is in “complete remission” from throat cancer that she’s been battling for years. Just last week, on a radio show, Hardaway talked about the challenges of caring for his sick mother while also coaching the Tigers.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Yes, folks, it’ll be this hot today.

Maybe ask for extra tortillas with your Taco Tuesday lunch.

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