Good morning, Memphis! It’s Monday, Oct. 7, and if you haven’t registered to vote yet, you’d better do that today if you want to vote in the Nov. 5 election. Today is the deadline.

It’s also the start of fall break for Memphis-Shelby County Schools students and kids from Collierville and Millington. (If only grown-ups got fall breaks from work, am I right?) And Memphis Grizzlies preseason basketball kicks off today with an away game against the Dallas Mavericks.

For a look at what’s ahead, This Week in Memphis has you covered.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Regional One Health treated 804 gunshot-wound patients through the first six months of 2023, and 767 in the same time frame this year. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Perfect storm for gun violence? In the few years before the pandemic, Regional One Health treated about 1,046 gunshot wound victims a year. But that number was up by an average of nearly 500 people from 2021 to 2023, and we’re on track to hit those numbers again this year. So, what gives? Two trauma-department leaders at Regional One and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital think Tennessee’s relaxed gun laws could be partly to blame; Tennessee became a permitless-carry state in 2021. But they also say the pandemic could have been a complicating factor. We break down the numbers in our first story in a new “Point of Impact” series on gun violence.

Last week, the Memphis City Council approved, on the first of three readings, the city’s purchase of the aging Sheraton hotel. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Risky business: The Memphis City Council gave its initial approval last week to Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s plan to buy the aging Sheraton hotel for $22 million. Young admits there’s some risk in that purchase, but he says that’s outweighed by the current state of the hotel and its role as part of the Renasant Convention Center. Many of the hotel’s rooms are unusable, and the recently remodeled Renasant could benefit from those extra rooms. But risk isn’t new for the Sheraton. It’s had a troubled start since its opening in 1985 as a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza.

Germantown is tightening rules around “pay parties” at homes after two big events at this house on Forest Hill-Irene Road. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian file)

Tweaking the guest list: Last week, Germantown’s Planning Commission unanimously supported a new ordinance that would prohibit “pay parties” in residential homes. That came after the city sought an injunction against a homeowner on Forest Hill-Irene Road, who hosted two large ticketed events earlier this year. The ordinance will allow events, like the Vesta Home Show, that promote ownership of newly built homes. And the Planning Commission also decided to exclude organizations that provide support for private schools. Now, nonprofits could be added to the exceptions, too.

QUOTED

“Nashville has ... 4.8 robots per 1,000 residents ... Memphis is so low right now, it is unmeasurable.”

— Aaron Prather, tech advisor at FedEx
It’s robot week in Memphis. There’s a one-day conference on humanoid robots (the ones that walk on two legs) today at the Renasant Convention Center for experts in robotics, AI companies and others. A separate robot conference is planned Tuesday through Thursday. But Memphis still lags behind peer cities in industrial robot use.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura did the griddy dance at the team’s open practice on Sunday, Oct. 6, at FedExForum. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)

New Grizzlies put their best feet forward: The Memphis Grizzlies held their annual open practice on Sunday at FedExForum, and the rookies entertained by winning the skills contest (Jaylen Wells) and 3-point contest (Zach Edey, along with teammate Luke Kennard). But the real star of the show was Japanese point guard Yuki Kawamura, who won the rookie dance contest with his version of Ja Morant’s “griddy” dance. 

West Tennessee Legal Services attorneys Cole Adams (left) and Garth Carson set up equipment in their new office on Tuesday, Oct. 1. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Tale of two legal-help orgs in one city: West Tennessee Legal Services is setting up shop in what it believes will be a permanent home on Union Avenue in Midtown. The agency offers free legal help with everything from domestic violence and child support to evictions and immigration, and it’s supported by Legal Service Corp., the congressionally funded agency that funds legal aid for income-eligible people. That LSC funding used to go to Memphis Area Legal Services, but MALS lost that funding in June after LSC noted inefficiencies in staffing and closed cases. But MALS isn’t giving up, and it recently hired a new executive director. That means there are now two organizations providing free legal help, but some local attorneys worry that the West Tennessee-based group may not be equipped to handle Memphis’ diverse population.

Estrella Olvera prepared an ice cream cone at the 901 Slushies, Ice Cream and Treats location in Berclair. A second location is opening in Bartlett. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Iceman cometh: Christopher Calix spends his days doing construction on the new Union Depot mixed-use project in Bartlett. But he’s got a sweet side hustle: He’s opening his second 901 Slushies, Ice Cream & Treats (a Michoacán-style ice-cream parlor and ice-pop shop that’ll serve Mexican soda-based slushies, paletas, cookies, cakes and more) in Bartlett Station. It’s one of many new shops in the Stage Road corridor. In other food news, there’s a new deli opening near South Bluffs in the former Big River Market space, and the owners plan to cater to Downtown workers in a rush. (Too bad The Daily Memphian office is no longer just around the corner.) And finally, since pumpkin spice season is fully here, here’s how to make JoJo’s PSL at home.

University of Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway talked to forward Nicholas Jourdain during a Feb. 3 game against Wichita State. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Could this be the Tigers’ year? Now that Memphis is definitely staying in the American Athletic Conference, it’s time to look at how the Tigers basketball team will stack up against its conference foes. The Tigers have never won the AAC regular-season title in Coach Penny Hardaway’s six seasons, and they finished higher than third only one time. But the AAC is looking much weaker now, and our own Parth Upadhyaya thinks this could be the Tigers’ year. Here are his predictions for how the league standings will shake out in 2024-25. Not only has the AAC changed, pretty much the entire Tigers basketball team has, too. The only returning scholarship player is Nicholas Jourdain, but it was clear at the Tigers’ Blue and Gray Showcase this weekend that Jourdain is just happy to be here.

About 80 members of Tennessee Task Force 1 were deployed on Sept. 25 to help with search and rescue in anticipation of Hurriance Helene. (Courtesy Memphis Fire Department)

Hurricane help: Local firefighters from departments across Shelby County deployed to Florida in late September in preparation for Hurricane Helene, which ended up being the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Now, the Tennessee Task Force 1 rescue team is doing targeted searches and welfare checks in the mountainous area of western North Carolina, which saw catastrophic damage from flooding. And though the hurricane damage has left 215 people dead across several states so far, the Tennessee task force has only uplifting rescue stories to share.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

MemphisWeather.net gives this week’s forecast five stars, but I’d give it three for those chilly nights. The rain-free daytime weather in the high 70s looks perfect though.

Have a great start to your week, and don’t forget to register to vote.

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