Rise and shine, Memphis. It’s Monday, July 1, National Early Bird Day. Yep, that’s right — a day just for us early risers. If you’re up with The Early Word every day, you already know the beauty of the sunrise and the peaceful solitude of a morning run or walk. But here’s a reminder for all of you later-morning readers (you know who you are): There’s some real magic to mornings, and you’re missing out if you sleep past the sunrise. 

Also today, a slew of new state laws go into effect. Some address meaty topics, like gun ownership or immigration status. But others are just kind of weird, like a new law that makes it a Class C felony to steal someone’s bees. If you mess around with someone’s bees in Tennessee now, you’ll get stung in more ways than one.

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

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins spoke to the media during a hiring event on Tuesday, June 25. The next job fair will be Tuesday, July 2, at East High. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Teacher shortage persists: When Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins laid out her plan to cut over 1,000 positions in the district, her goal was to shift more personnel and resources back into classrooms. The district has a teacher shortage, and Feagins invited those who were losing their jobs to reapply for teaching jobs and new school-based positions leading schools, coaching teachers and helping students graduate. The Daily Memphian analyzed data from a recent MSCS hiring fair and found that most internal candidates were going for the school-based roles and not teaching jobs.

Ty Coleman

MAS director on leave after dog death: Memphis Animal Services Director Ty Coleman has been placed on administrative leave after a dog died when she was left outside in the heat. Lulu, a Rottweiler and pit bull mix who had been surrendered by her owner, was placed in an outdoor play area last Monday morning, when the heat index was 94 degrees. She was found dead in a kennel later that morning. One animal rescue group director said the synthetic turf in the play area can get far, far hotter than the outdoor temps.

FedEx is studying a plan to spin out its freight division as a way to create value for investors. (The Daily Memphian file)

Fate of FedEx Freight? FedEx could potentially spin out its Freight division, allowing shareholders to invest in the freight segment alone. The division, predominantly a less-than-truckload business, carries customer loads on pallets. It’s the biggest moneymaker in FedEx’s portfolio, coming in at an almost 22% margin in FedEx’s positive fourth-quarter earnings report this week. FedEx announced during that earnings call that it was studying major changes in how FedEx Freight fits into its portfolio. Analysts have thoughts on why such a move could be beneficial to the shipping giant.

A petition to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert from office was dismissed in court on June 18. But the effort has been revived.(Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian file)

Legal briefs: The move to oust Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is back on after the Shelby County Attorney’s Office hired outside counsel to continue the proceedings. In mid-June, a judge dismissed an ouster petition against Halbert because Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp, who brought that petition, didn’t have legal standing to do so. In other legal news, a judge has ordered that Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Sheila Renfroe be removed from 28 cases amid allegations of bias from the assistant public defender handling them. And in Shelby County Chancery Court, a judge has ruled that construction can continue on the new Memphis Art Museum Downtown (aka the Brooks Museum) after Friends for Our Riverfront attempted to halt the project. 

QUOTED

Scott Morris and his dog Mimsy sat down for an interview with The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins. (Geoff Calkins/The Daily Memphian)

“In a [health care] system that is broken even for the wealthy, it is a shambles for people who are poor.”

— Scott Morris, founder and former CEO of Church Health
Friday was Morris’ last day as CEO of Church Health, the nonprofit he founded 37 years ago to provide health care for the uninsured. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins talked to Morris about how to fix the broken health care system, the early days of Church Health and gun violence as a public-health crisis.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Maciel's Tortas & Tacos, which serves this birria taco, just opened a new spot in Bartlett. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)

Taco Monday: Why wait until Tuesday for tacos when you can head to the new Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos in Bartlett today? The locally owned taco shop just opened its third location there last week, and a fourth location is coming soon. (So, pass me a fried papa taco, please.) In other food news, authentic Sichuan restaurant Petals of a Peony listened to its Midtown customers, who (naturally) complained about the drive to the Cordova location, so they opened a second one in Overton Square last week. And Cocozza American Italian is expanding east with a second location coming to Yates Road.

David Rosenberg helped his son, Ian, 5, attach a piece of clay to Mike McCarthy’s David Bowie statue at Off the Wall Arts on Sunday, June 30. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Let’s dance: A 10-foot-tall David Bowie statue is coming to Overton Park. And filmmaker and artist Mike McCarthy invited Memphians to help him sculpt the statue on Sunday, the 50-year anniversary of Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” tour performance at the Mid-South Coliseum. Those who attended Sunday’s Glam Rock Picnic at Off the Wall Arts got a chance to add clay to the statue’s steel base. Once complete, “Aladdin Sane Weathervane,” as it’s called, will sit on the lawn of the former Memphis College of Art, which Bowie visited on Feb. 26, 1973.

(From left) Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey showed off their new jerseys at the Memphis Grizzlies press conference introducing their 2024 NBA Draft picks. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Meet the rooks: The Grizzlies introduced the team’s three new rookies on Friday, and it seems Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey all have at least one thing in common: They’ve often been overlooked. Though it’s hard to see how anyone could overlook the giant Edey, who revealed at the press conference that he really likes to eat. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington was there and describes the trio’s choice of introductory ’fits, as well as thoughts on how they’ll fit onto the team. And speaking of Edey, the Toronto native announced he will not be playing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with Canada, which means he could be playing for the Grizzlies in NBA Summer League. In other Summer League news, Memphis Tigers fans may recognize a familiar face on the Grizzlies’ team. And former Tiger Nae’Qwan Tomlin is headed to Cleveland this summer.

Memphis Tigers defensive back Quindell Johnson celebrated after making a play during an NCAA football game against the Navy Midshipmen on Sept. 10, 2022. (Daniel Kucin Jr./AP file)

In the NIL money: It’s a good time to play college sports. Thanks to new-ish name/image/likeness rules, there is reason to believe a number of Memphis Tigers basketball and football players are making six figures. That’s vastly different from the old days when student-athletes got only tuition, books, room and board, while the universities profited off their images. But how does NIL work? That’s been a bit of a mystery for fans, so, in the first of a four-part series that launched Sunday, our own Tim Buckley sat down with a couple former Tigers to discuss how they were paid to essentially have fun. Of course, not every college athlete makes six figures. In part two, Buckley looks into the disparities between where players fall on the lineup and the difference between how much basketball players and football players pull in.

New University of Memphis athletic director Ed Scott spoke at a June 28, press conference announcing his arrival. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Meet Ed Scott (and his kid): The University of Memphis introduced its new athletic director, Ed Scott, in a press conference on Friday. The university’s first Black AD was prepared for the tough questions, including ones about the Memphis Tigers’ place in the age of conference realignment. The job of AD at the U of M is a big one, with potential NCAA penalties coming down around Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility issues. But Scott’s dealt with the fallout of an NCAA investigation before, and he’s also navigated other storms, including student deaths, in past positions. But all seriousness aside, Scott’s five-year-old daughter Tia, who attended the presser in blue-and-white Tiger ears, seems to be the real star of the show.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

Today will be lovely, but don’t get used to it. True summer temps are back in time for your Fourth of July grill-out. And it may rain on your fireworks show. But maybe not!

Well, there’s your worm, Early Birds! Have a good one.

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