Brrrr, Memphis. Is it cold enough for you yet? It’s Monday, Jan. 6, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools students are back in class today after winter break. And speaking of MSCS, the district’s beleaguered superintendent is expected to issue a written response today to school board members over their claims that she’s mishandled finances. 

The Arlington Board of Mayor and Aldermen will meet today, and the next step in Town Hall improvements is on the agenda. Tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies play the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum, and here’s hoping they have better luck than they did all weekend.

For more on what’s coming, check out This Week in Memphis.

THE NEED TO KNOW

“I think it’s important that Downtown feels safe, that the rest of the city feels safe, because it impacts the psyche of Memphians,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Crime by the numbers: Crime is trending down in Memphis, and the city’s murder rate — 39.8 murders per 100,000 people — is the lowest it’s been since before the pandemic. But that rate is still quite a bit higher than the murder rate from a decade ago, when the city had a larger population. Memphis has lost about 8% of its people since then, so we’re a smaller city now but one with a murder rate that’s higher than it was as a larger city. Plus, aggravated assaults, while also down, haven’t decreased that much. The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman digs into the numbers and compares them with crime rates from peer cities.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins called claims against her “meritless” during comments to the board at its Dec. 17 meeting. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Inside the Feagins allegations: Some Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members are accusing Superintendent Marie Feagins of poor communication around the district’s finances, and they say that’s the reason she’s facing possible termination by the board later this month. Feagins has called the claims “meritless,” but she’s expected to issue a formal written response today. The Daily Memphian dug into the three claims made against Feagins, which include issues around overtime pay, a check donation and a grant application. In related news, the Shelby County Commission is expected to take up a “no confidence” vote on the MSCS board this week, after hearing “hundreds of complaints and calls for concern from citizens over the abrupt efforts to fire Dr. Feagins.” They may also hold up county funds for a new Frayser high school over the board’s actions against Feagins.

RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, can file a new, amended civil rights complaint related to Nichols’ January 2023 death. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Nichols civil suit and the DOJ report: A judge ruled on Friday that attorneys for Tyre Nichols’ estate and mother can file an amended civil rights complaint related to Nichols’ 2023 death at the hands of Memphis police officers. The attorneys and Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, say the recent U.S. Department of Justice investigation, which found that Memphis police officers discriminate against Black residents and use punishment against suspects who run, should be included in their civil lawsuit against the City of Memphis. The judge also reset the trial for a new date.

MEET MEMPHIS

Abbi Nichols and her mother, Traci Nichols, recently opened Abbikadabbi’s Baking Co. at 6727 Snowden Lane in Southaven. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Opening a bakery just before Christmas sounds like a crazy idea, but that didn’t stop Abbi Nichols from doing just that in Southaven earlier this month. Nichols already had a successful baking business, prepping anywhere between 500 to 800 cookies a week, plus customized birthday and wedding cakes, in her mom’s kitchen. But she opened the brick-and-mortar Abbikadabbi’s Baking in early December to fulfill a childhood dream. And business has been gangbusters ever since. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis guard PJ Haggerty had a lot to celebrate in Memphis' win against North Texas on Sunday, Jan. 5, including 27 points that featured a big late-game 3-pointer. (Nikki Boertman/AP)

Tigers men win (but barely): The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team eked out a 68-64 win against North Texas on Sunday afternoon, but that was despite a slow start from Coach Penny Hardaway’s team that exposed some of their biggest flaws. Among those: more than double the number of turnovers versus assists. But there were bright spots, too, like a rainbow of a shot from guard PJ Haggerty. Were you there at FedExForum to see it? If not, our own Geoff Calkins thinks you should probably resolve to get better about going to games, or at least just going Downtown to eat out and do other life-affirming stuff. (As someone who regularly gets out Downtown, I couldn’t agree more. Seriously, come on down; there is so much fun to be had.) In more basketball news, the women’s team had worse luck against North Texas at home on Saturday.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your loyalty and support over the past decade. We hope you’ll visit us Downtown, where the Kooky Canuck spirit lives on stronger than ever,” said owner Shawn Danko. (Submitted)

Kooky closure: Cordova residents itching to do the Humonga Kookamonga Challenge at Kooky Canuck will have to drive Downtown for that. The home of the 12-pound burger has closed its Cordova spot after 10 years, but the Downtown location on Second Street remains open. In other food news, our own Jennifer Chandler sings the praises of Mad Grocer’s Reuben sandwich, but based on her review, you might want to BYO thick napkin.

Memphis Hash House Harriers hosts several scavenger hunt-style runs per month. (Courtesy Memphis Hash House Harriers)

Born to run? Maybe you’ve resolved to get in shape for 2025, and there’s probably no more affordable way to get started than with running. All you need is a good pair of shoes; no pricy gym memberships or equipment required. But where to start? Guest writer Christin Yates profiled several Memphis running groups in this article, including Breakaway Running’s group runs (which end with beer, if you’re thirsty), Downtown Beer Runners (also beer) and Memphis Hash House Harriers, which, full disclosure, is the running group that I call home. That one is among thousands of hash groups across the globe, known as the “drinking club with a running problem,” so you know, we drink beer, too. (Sensing a theme here?)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane defended Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield during a game on Saturday, Jan. 4, in San Francisco. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP)

You lose some: The Memphis Grizzlies had a rough weekend. On Friday, the Grizzlies fell to the Sacramento Kings, 138-133, in the first game back from injury for Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Jake LaRavia. The bears simply had too many turnovers, but at least Sacramento native and Grizz rookie Jaylen Wells had a good night. He scored a career-high 30 points. On Saturday, the Golden State Warriors got revenge from that whoopin’ the Grizzlies gave them back in December. The Warriors won 121-113 in a game where Jaren Jackson Jr. was simply no match for Golden State wing Andrew Wiggins.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

Heavy snow from the winter storm that’s moving into the Mid-Atlantic is missing Memphis. But we’re still getting the arctic chill, and that means you might see some icy patches this morning — and maybe even a teensy bit of snow.

As for the rest of the week, our friends at MemphisWeather.net say it’s going to get much better. And Friday could bring the white stuff. If that makes you nervous about frozen pipes, you’re not alone. 

Alright, you’re all caught up! See you later.

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