Good morning, and happy Cyber Monday, Dec. 2. The online shopping holiday is somehow still a thing, even though Black Friday deals are online, too. Today should be called Finish Your Leftovers Monday, because if you’re still working your way through Thursday’s casseroles, you’re probably ready to eat something — anything — else. 

Want to buy the old Commercial Appeal building on Union Avenue? It’ll be auctioned on Ten-X starting today, and the opening bid is just over $1 million. 

Later this week, on Thursday, Dec. 5, The Daily Memphian will host its annual Commercial Real Estate Seminar. Return-to-office trends and tariffs will be among the discussion topics. You can read more about that in today’s preview story, and then get your tickets here.

THE NEED TO KNOW

De-annexation in Rocky Point and South Cordova was approved by local officials in 2018 and 2019 respectively, before it became official in 2021. (Courtesy Shelby County Government)

Cordova wants out: Some Cordova residents want to break off from Memphis. Talk of de-annexation, which has long been a topic in parts of Cordova, is ramping up as the Shelby County Commission considers a proposal to provide Memphis fire services to the de-annexed areas of Cordova. Some residents in those areas are concerned that’ll mean slower response times, but at the same time, residents in previously annexed areas are saying they want out because the community is in a “downward spiral.” But Memphis City Council member Jerri Green is offering some words of caution.

The rape-kit case began in 2014 when three local women sued the city and Shelby County for allegedly mishandling their rape kits after they were sexually assaulted by the same man. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Daily Memphian file)

City rape-kit lawsuit dismissed: The Tennessee Court of Appeals has dismissed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis for allegedly mishandling rape kits. The suit was brought by three local women in 2014 as the city faced a testing delay of more than 12,000 sexual assault kits. The case has been working its way through the court with various outcomes, but in the latest move, the court ruled that the one remaining plaintiff (the other women dropped the suit) exceeded the statute of limitations.

The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus is located in Downtown Memphis. (Courtesy St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

St. Jude to boost the Memphis skyline: A new, 16-story, 280-foot-tall tower is coming to Downtown. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital filed plans to build its Advanced Research Center II, a 865,000-square-foot facility that will give the organization more space to study care and treatment for children with catastrophic illnesses. The ARC II, as it will be nicknamed, is part of St. Jude’s $12.9 billion strategic plan.

Shelby County Corrections Program Specialist Donna Henderson-Braden (middle) led a parenting class for inmates on Friday, Nov. 22. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Parents in prison: In Tennessee, about one in 10 kids have had at least one parent in prison at some point. The Daily Memphian’s Aarron Fleming talked to Crystal DeBerry, a local mother who was traumatized when her husband went to prison. Now, she runs a nonprofit that helps Memphis families affected by incarceration. Some experts say kids of incarcerated parents are more likely to commit crimes later in life, but DeBerry’s organization is trying to curb that by mentoring kids and offering life-skills training. And other efforts, like parenting classes at Jail East and the Shelby County Corrections Center, are also underway.

QUOTED

“I’d never had that sensation in a plane. We went nose to the sky. And then in the next moment, we stalled, our engines cut off and we just went straight down,” said Pastor Kennon Vaughan of Harvest Church. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

“There is a mix of gratitude and grief every day. I couldn’t be more grateful, and I couldn’t grieve more deeply. ”

— Kennon Vaughan, pastor at Harvest Church in Germantown
In January 2023, Vaughan was the lone survivor of a plane crash that killed four other men, all connected to Harvest Church. Now the church is planning a two-day service in mid-January in the pasture where the plane crashed. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins talked to Vaughan about the crash, his physical recovery and grief he feels over his friends’ deaths.

THE NICE TO KNOW

David Lorrison posed with a picture of Jeff Buckley at the site of his new Airbnb, which is the former house of the musician. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Jeff Buckley’s house lives on: Musician Jeff Buckley moved to Memphis in 1997 to escape fame and fandom. And he lived a relatively quiet life in a Midtown home at 93 N. Rembert St. But he tragically and famously drowned in the Mississippi River on May 29, 1997. Now, the owners of that house on Rembert, developers David Lorrison and Eric Goode, are planning to rent it out as an Airbnb. That news went viral earlier this year, and some fans were on-board while others say Buckley would be “rightly disgusted with this idea.” The owners say they’re just trying to save the home from decay and give fans a chance to pay their respects.

Feast & Graze owner Cristina McCarter, left, and HighP Hour Wellness owner Sierra Rhodes launched joint venture Feast & Graze X HighP Hour Wellness in the Poplar Plaza Shopping Center. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Your new girl dinner spot: Cousins Cristina McCarter and Sierra Rhodes are coming together for Feast & Graze X HighP Hour Wellness, a new build-your-own charcuterie bar with cold-pressed juices, herbal teas and a pick-your-own-tunes vinyl record player in Poplar Plaza. McCarter’s Feast & Graze has been around for years, and she currently operates a cafe inside the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, too. The new space will have a small seating area, and though they won’t serve wine, you can BYOB for a corkage fee. 

Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan prepared to receive the snap during the Tigers game against Tulane, Thursday, Nov. 28, in New Orleans. (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)

Thanksgiving weekend sports recap: While many of us were focused on food and family over the last few days, Memphis athletes had their eyes on the prizes. The Memphis Tigers basketball team fell short though with their first loss of the season to Auburn at the Maui Invitational on Wednesday (but in all fairness, Auburn was just really, really good.) The Tigers football team made up for the basketball’s team loss by finishing with another 10-win season on Thanksgiving as they took down Tulane. And the wins kept coming on Friday as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans for the team’s fifth straight win and its first NBA Cup win in franchise history. Finally, on Sunday night, the Grizzlies came from behind to beat the Indiana Pacers for a perfect 4-0 homestand. 

Beale the Buffalo showed book illustrations as Courtney Blackburn read “Park Pals and The Grand Opening of Starry Nights” to those gathered on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Shelby Farms Park. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

It was a dark and starry night: This year’s opening of Shelby Farms Park’s annual “Starry Nights” lighting installation came with an added bonus for kids. A new children’s book, “Park Pals and the Grand Opening of Starry Nights,” is available for purchase during the drive-thru light show, and kids can look for its characters — Beale and Bella the buffaloes and their all of the furry and feathered friends — hidden inside the lighting sculptures. 

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

Holiday decorations are going up, and sweater weather has arrived as if on cue. It’s not shown in the weekday forecast, but if you’re running the St. Jude Marathon on Saturday, the temps are so far looking cold for the start (30s) and mild (high 40s) by mid-morning. But there’s a tiny chance of cold showers.

I’m going to try and polish off the last of the leftovers today. Let’s meet here again tomorrow.

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