How’s it going, Shelby County? It’s Tuesday, May 13, and Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. is due back in court today on federal bribery and tax-evasion charges. Ford is accused of taking kickbacks from county grants awarded to nonprofits. Today’s court hearing could determine the timeline for Ford’s trial.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Attorney Ben Crump hugged Shaona Garner-White, the mother of Alegend Jones. Jones died while in custody of Youth Villages. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Youth Villages case dropped: The criminal case against four staffers from Youth Villages’ Bartlett campus over the death of a teen girl in November 2023 has been dropped. Alegend Jones died in Youth Villages’ care, and her autopsy showed she likely died from complications of a restraint that staff used against her. The staffers were indicted in October 2024 for aggravated child abuse and facilitation of reckless homicide. But those charges were rescinded two days later. Last week, Youth Villages and Jones’ family said both sides would agree to resolve any disputes about her death.

”I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment regarding my work at GPAC,” outgoing executive director Paul Chandler said in a statement. (Ziggy Mack/Courtesy GPAC)

GPAC head steps down: Paul Chandler, who has served as the executive director of the Germantown Performing Arts Center for 13 years, is stepping down to take a new nonprofit job. During his time at the top, Chandler opened The Grove, GPAC’s outdoor venue, and he’s been credited with making GPAC “the premier jazz-presenting venue in the Mid-South.” Parke Kennedy, GPAC’s development director, will serve in the interim executive director role. 

A massive data breach of PowerSchool left personal and academic information of nearly 500,000 local students and faculty in the hands of a hacker. (The Daily Memphian file)

MSCS sues over hacking incident: Memphis-Shelby County Schools has joined other districts around the country in a lawsuit against PowerSchool, an IT system that stores names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other sensitive student data. PowerSchool paid a ransom after it was hit by hackers last year, but there’s evidence the hackers may not have deleted the data they stole. To make matters more complicated, the MSCS board will consider renewing its contract with PowerSchool later this month.

MEET MEMPHIS

Ashleigh Hayes owns Evolve Pilates. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Ashleigh Hayes was looking for a way to calm her anxiety when she discovered Pilates. The workout’s intentional breathing and focus on body awareness and controlled movements helped so much that Pilates quickly became her passion. Later this week, she’ll open her first studio, Evolve Pilates. Evolve will feature classes using reformers, a bed-frame-like device with springs and straps that help facilitate Pilates moves. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Duke’s Cooper Flagg dunked the ball on Saturday, April 5, in San Antonio. Flagg is heading to the Dallas Mavericks. (Eric Gay/AP file)

Is the NBA lottery rigged? The NBA Draft Lottery was Monday, and it didn’t go so hot for the Memphis Grizzlies. That was to be expected since the Grizzlies winning a play-in tournament and making it to the playoffs affected their lottery standings. But it was also bad news for the Grizz — and every NBA team that’s not the Dallas Mavericks — because No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg from Duke is heading to Dallas. Our own Drew Hill explains why it may seem like the lottery was rigged. In other Grizz news, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington explains what our team can learn from the teams that are still in the playoffs. 

All aboard? Bartlett’s first mixed-use project, Union Depot, might be getting bigger soon. Developer Keith Grant has submitted an application to add on a 34-acre property, which sits across U.S. 70 from the existing Union Depot site. That land, known as the Wiener property, has been up for sale for decades, and its sale to Union Depot is contingent on that permit application. If approved, Grant said he could add between 300 and 400 more households to the massive mixed-use plan. If you live nearby and have thoughts, there’s a neighborhood meeting coming up.

Collierville leaders voted to rezone Mount Trashmore on Monday night. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

New life for Mount Trashmore? The former Shelton Road landfill in Collierville, which locals have lovingly dubbed Mount Trashmore, is one step closer to a new use. The town’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to rezone the property on Monday night. Collierville has expressed interest in purchasing the site in the past, though it’s not clear now if it will go to auction to make that sale possible. Town planner Jaime Groce said rezoning could help prevent the former landfill from being sold to a developer for a subdivision.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

On Monday, our own Geoff Calkins reported on the Central High School jazz band’s first-place win at the prestigious Essentially Ellington band contest in New York City. The students returned to Memphis on Monday and they received quite the welcome at the airport. Click here to see all the pics and some video of their winning performance. Warning: It might make you a little misty on this rainy morning.

Parents and supporters greeted Central High School band members at Memphis International Airport on Monday, May 12. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Hope your day is awesome — and all that jazz.

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