Good morning, Memphis! Sept. 17 marks the Daily Memphian’s sixth birthday, and we wanted to take a moment out of the busy news cycle to celebrate! Six years later, we’re the largest newsroom in the region — and one of the largest nonprofit local newsrooms in the country. And we couldn’t be prouder.

Through it all, readers like you have kept us going and made it all possible. That inspires us every day to keep producing stories that matter — stories that you depend on.

Even if you’re already a paid subscriber, will you help us celebrate our birthday by supporting our truly local, independent and nonprofit journalism today with a donation?

Besides the fact that it’s our sixth birthday (yay, us!), Downtown’s Center City Revenue Finance Corp. will consider property-tax incentives today for the renovation of a Main Street Mall building and for new apartments near the Crosstown Mound. And tonight, Rhodes College kicks off its Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival. Don’t speak French? No worries; the films will have English subtitles.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Flanked by his attorneys, former Memphis police officer Emmitt Martin walked into the Odell Horton Federal Building on Aug. 23, when he took a plea deal ahead of the federal trial. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Ex-cop takes the stand in Nichols trial: Emmitt Martin III, one of two former Memphis police officers who accepted a plea deal before the federal trial over Tyre Nichols’ death, took the stand on Monday. Martin testified that his actions and the actions of the other officers charged in Nichols’ death were not in line with Memphis Police Department policy, and he admitted that he’d exaggerated when he claimed Nichols was about to speed off after a traffic stop for a misdemeanor offense. Earlier in the day Monday, the defense continued its questioning of Memphis police trainer Larnce Wright, after more than three hours of questioning Friday. 

Police officers blocked off the intersection of Frayser Boulevard and Adair Drive, about a block north of where Memphis police say officers initiated the traffic stop of a stolen car. (Laura Testino/The Daily Memphian)

Two police shootings in one day: A Memphis police officer shot and killed a man who was allegedly fleeing arrest in Frayser on Monday, and now the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. According to police, two men were running away from officers who’d attempted to stop a car that was stolen during an armed carjacking. And one man allegedly fired at the police before an officer fired back. Meanwhile in Olive Branch, a man was killed by an Olive Branch Police Department’s SWAT team officer on Monday. According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant when the person “presented a weapon towards the officers” and officers fired back. 

Railgarten shooting suspect back in jail: Detawn Gunn, who is accused of injuring four people in a shooting over a parking space outside Railgarten, was taken into custody on Monday. Gunn was arrested after the shooting on Aug. 21, but he was released on his own recognizance days later by Shelby County Judge Bill Anderson. That led the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office to file an emergency order to reverse the judge’s decision. 

U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz was confirmed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Puttin’ in the Ritz: U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz was confirmed on Monday as the newest federal appeals court judge for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Senate voted 48-46 for the confirmation, though Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators — Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty — voted against Ritz. Blackburn was among the Republican senators who questioned Ritz about an ethics complaint against him and for promoting a prosecutor who was under investigation for alleged unethical conduct. Ritz’s margin was closer than the Senate votes confirming two other federal judges last week.

QUOTED

Mike Cody was among the handful of attorneys at Burch Porter & Johnson who represented Martin Luther King in court. (The Daily Memphian file)

“Mike [Cody] was a lion, not just in courage and strength, but in his views and values.”

— Bill Craddock, friend of Mike Cody
Cody, who practiced law at Burch Porter & Johnson since 1961, died on Sunday at age 88. Much of his work centered on racial reconciliation, including in the case regarding Martin Luther King’s final march in Memphis. And he served as a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, as a state’s Attorney General, as a Memphis City Council member and in many other positions. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

University of Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan rushed for a first down during a Sept. 30, 2023, game against Boise State, a Pac-12 team. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Pac men? The Pac-12 needs to add at least two more football programs to maintain full-fledged conference status, and rumor has it the conference is interested in the Memphis Tigers. Plenty of Tigers fans would love to see the team leave the American Athletic Conference, but is the Pac-12 — a power league in name only — the place to go? That depends on whom you ask. Our own Tim Buckley gives more reasons than the number of teams in the Pac-12 as to why the Tigers should stay in the AAC. But Geoff Calkins begs to differ. 

100 N. Main developers plan to purchase the two-acre property from the Downtown Mobility Authority for $4.5 million. (The Daily Memphian file)

Faster, cheaper: It’s not often that you hear of a development deal happening more quickly and for less money than originally planned. But that may be the case for the purchase of 100 N. Main. The development team had intended to purchase the property in two $5 million phases: one for the northern half, containing the tower, and one for the southern half with the parking lot, dog park and historic buildings facing Main Street. A new plan would put both halves into the team’s hands at once for less than half the original cost. But there’s a flip side: The redevelopment project will now cost millions more than originally planned, partially due to the rise of material and labor prices.

Eight-time Grammy Award-winning country-swing band Asleep at the Wheel will play BPACC for the first ticketed performance of the season on Oct. 12. (Courtesy BPACC)

Seger, Sinatra and Prince: No, they didn’t walk into a bar. But tribute bands that play their music will be walking onto the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center stage this season. The BPACC 2024-25 season lineup dropped on Monday, and it’s heavy on cover bands with Seger System: The Bob Seger Tribute, Brian Duprey Sings Sinatra and The Purple Xperience: Tribute to Prince, among others. See the full lineup here.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

People are still talking about last Saturday’s Memphis Tigers win over FSU, y’all. The win put the Tigers in a solid position to chase a spot in the College Football Playoff. Whether or not you’re a football fan, it’s still nice to see the Memphis pride.

Happy birthday us! Now we’re off to blow out some candles. Don’t forget about our anniversary donation campaign. And thanks!

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