Welcome to the weekend, Memphis! Today is Friday, June 6, and even though Juneteenth is more than a week away (June 19), there’s a two-day festival celebrating this federal holiday today and Saturday in Medical District Park. Expect lots of music, a car show, skateboarding lessons and a lot more.

Get your rainbows ready, because Saturday brings the annual Mid-South Pride Parade and Festival to Beale Street. The LGBTQ+ Pride parade kicks off at 11 a.m., and the festival in Robert R. Church Park goes until 5 p.m. Or, for something completely different, watch 20-year-old pro boxer Mike Cook put his undefeated record on the line in a match at Beale Street Landing. 

On Sunday, try the cafe con leche at the first Puerto Rican Coffee Club pop-up at Memphis Whistle. For more weekend ideas, check out the To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyré Nichols, smiled at a press conference Thursday, marking what would have been her son’s 32nd birthday at I Am a Man Plaza. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Nichols suit will go on: The civil lawsuit against the City of Memphis won’t be affected by the recent dismissal of the Department of Justice’s investigation into the Memphis Police Department, according to attorney Ben Crump. Crump said so at a birthday party and community rally for what would have been Nichols’ 32nd birthday on Thursday. The City of Memphis recently said it wants to shield DOJ findings into civil-rights violations by the MPD from the Nichols’ family lawsuit.

“We owe those parents outcomes that we know their kids can accomplish and achieve,” Gov. Bill Lee said in April. “So something needs to be done.” (Mark Humphrey/AP file)

Forensic audit is coming: Earlier this year, in the wake of former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins’ firing, Gov. Bill Lee included $3 million for a forensic audit of the district in his budget. Tennessee state officials are expected to choose a firm by the end of this month, and by mid-July, auditors will be digging into MSCS’ financial records for instances of fraud, waste or abuse. Not much else has been revealed about the scope of the audit, and documents suggest those details could remain secret. But if fraud is found, it seems the public will know.

A FedEx plane passed low over Shelby Drive as it prepared to land at Memphis International Airport. (Jim Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Planes, trains and automobiles: Tennessee congressional leaders don’t agree on much. But at least they’re coming together to make sure you don’t miss your flight. Reps. David Kustoff and Steve Cohen, along with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, have introduced the aptly named “Don’t Miss Your Flight Act” to help airports, like Memphis International Airport, manage traffic. The bill would use federal funds to upgrade road, bridge, tunnel, passenger-rail or transit projects at or within five miles of an airport. (If you still miss your flight after all that, you can’t blame the potholes.)

Meharry Medical College recently acquired this Sanitas Medical Center on North Cleveland Street. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Church health: Meharry Medical College of Nashville, which recently bought four local Sanitas medical clinics, is planning an expansion as part of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church’s redevelopment plan. One of the four new Meharry clinics is on North Cleveland Street, less than a mile from the church. Earlier this week, Mississippi Boulevard announced a $310 million, five-year plan to build a new church, apartments, a hotel, a health and wellness center and more. 

QUOTED

FedEx founder Fred Smith spoke at the American Dream Initiative’s Solutions Summit Thursday. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

“We’re going to have ... a significant drag on the economy until these trade relationships are worked out by the president.”

—Fred Smith, FedEx founder and former CEO
Smith, speaking at a panel at The Peabody on Thursday, said he’s concerned about the economy, due to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Smith called FedEx “the biggest tax collector of tariffs of any entity in America.” And he also offered thoughts on what Memphis needs if it’s going to succeed.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Max’s Sports Bar will double in size. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

To the Max: If you’ve ever tried walking through Downtown’s Max’s Sports Bar on a busy night, well, good luck. The place gets packed, but the tiny, shot-gun-style space is about to double in size. (More room for the Malort shot photo wall, I hope.) We’ve got more on that in Food Files, plus news of second locations for a popular Harbor Town Italian joint and a University-area vegan spot. 

The Hooters location in Downtown Memphis abruptly ceased operations on Wednesday, June 5. (Alan Diaz/AP file)

Do you even give a Hoot? It seems tight tops and shorty shorts don’t sell chicken wings so well these days. The Downtown Hooter’s, which opened in 1990, has closed. That follows last summer’s closure of the Winchester Road location after the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. If you just can’t live without Daytona Beach-style wings and a bottle of Bud Light, no worries: Two other Memphis locations are still open. 

The mixed grill platter at Cedars has chicken kebabs, deeply seasoned kafta and tender steak bites. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

All mixed up: A Lebanese mixed-grill plate is the OG girl dinner. You’ve got kebabs, pita and dips, a salad, some rice and scattering of various pickled veggies, and it all comes together for one satisfying snacky dinner plate. In this week’s $15 Deal, food writer Joshua Carlucci has a tip on the mixed-grill plate at Cedars Restaurant in Cordova. But he says you shouldn’t stop there: There are two more appetizers that can take your girl dinner to the next level.

GOT GAME?

To be successful as a band, everyone’s sound has to fit together like puzzle. And it seems the Central High School jazz band, which claimed first place in the prestigious Essentially Ellington contest, has figured out how to put that puzzle together. Now, can you?

Members of the Central High School Jazz Band stood as the Memphis Mayor Paul Young presented a proclamation making May 29 Central High School Jazz Band Day. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

College baseball fans will have plenty of NCAA games to watch this weekend, but first here’s a game they can actually play: This week’s NCAA baseball-themed Word Search.

See you at the Pride parade! Also, Chris Herrington will be waking up with you on Monday, but I’ll return bright and early Tuesday morning. 

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