Hi there, Memphis. It’s Thursday, July 10, and the Land Use Control Board will consider a plan for a 7Brew coffee drive-thru location near the Wolfchase mall.

And here’s a head’s up for you: As a Daily Memphian subscriber, you get an early-access invitation to a new event we’re launching called The Roundtable. The first one will feature our Metro team — that’s the reporters who cover city and county government, courts and other hard news — on Thursday, July 24, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Reserve your spot here.

THE NEED TO KNOW

There will be no Hy-Vee for Bartlett, but a new mixed-use development is on the horizon. (Jean Pieri/Pioneer Press via AP file)

Hy-Void: If you were anxiously awaiting the area’s first Hy-Vee grocery store, well, too bad, so sad. The much-anticipated Hy-Vee planned for Bartlett is officially off the table after being stalled for months. Plans were paused in February following the company’s acquisition of a grocery chain in northwest Indiana. And now, a new, mixed-use project is in the works for that site. It won’t bring a grocery chain, but it will add something Mayor David Parsons said is needed on the residential side.

The new riverboat operations site will improve visitor flow to Downtown Memphis and protect the historic cobblestone river landing. (Jim Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Between a rock and a boat place: Memphis’ historic cobblestone landing looks really cool, but have you tried walking on that thing? Good luck not turning an ankle. But soon, boat passengers will have a smoother step as the city relocates riverboat operations about half a mile upstream, closer to the Bass Pro Pyramid. The plan, which was approved by Downtown’s Design Review Board Wednesday, will protect both the 19th century cobblestones — which will essentially be “retired” — and your feet.

This house in The Lakes of Forest Hill has been the site of some wild parties. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian)

Party’s over: The Town of Collierville got its wish for an injunction against Rodney Williams, the owner of a Mayfield Road home where eight people were arrested at a house party in late May. Williams owns the home, but it was also listed on Airbnb (a no-no in Collierville), so it’s not clear if he organized the party. The injunction means Williams can’t rent the place out on Airbnb or have big parties.

QUOTED

“We have a wide tent, and everybody is welcome into that tent,” Ike Anand, the new president and CEO of ALSAC, said. (Courtesy ALSAC)

“Whether you are … conservative or liberal .. everybody agrees that we need to save innocent children.”

— Ike Anand, president and CEO of ALSAC
Earlier this week, Anand was named to the top job at ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In an exclusive Q&A, Anand said he’s not too worried about federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration. That’s because most of St. Jude’s support comes from ALSAC’s donors. See what else he said here.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis State Tiger players Baskerville Holmes, Dewayne Bailey, and William Bedford (50) celebrated after winning the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship at Dallas, March 23, 1985. (Bill Belknap/AP file)

Standing in the Hall of Fame: Former Memphis Tiger and Melrose High basketball star William Bedford is getting his flowers. The key player on the Tigers' 1984-85 Final Four team will be named to the American Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 next month.

Karanja A. Ajanaku

Remembering Karanja A. Ajanaku: The Tri-State Defender announced the death of its former associate publisher and editor Karanja A. Ajanaku on Tuesday. Ajanaku had recently been hospitalized with liver cancer. Back in 1977, long before taking the helm at the city’s Black newspaper, Ajanaku got his start at The Commercial Appeal as a fresh-out-of-college metro reporter named Leroy Williams Jr. (The name change came in 1986.) In a piece on Wednesday, former CA colleague Otis Sanford remembered his friend and shared a wild story of an exclusive interview Ajanaku got during a hostage situation.

A visitor observes Calida Rawles' “Thy Name We Praise” at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. (Courtesy Yobreeyze & Kam Darko Visuals/Memphis Brooks Museum of Art)

The art of dining: Chef Kelly English was so moved by the work of hyper-realist painter Calida Rawles, whose work is on view at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, that he created a four-course meal to complement Rawles’ work. The dinner is set for Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Brooks, and it draws inspiration from six Black women chefs who helped to pioneer American cuisine. Read more about that in Table Talk.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) reacted after winning the game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, April 18, in Memphis. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

How the Grizz stack up in the West: It seems like the Memphis Grizzlies roster is mostly set for the upcoming season. With those players in mind, could a 2026 championship title even be possible? Seems far-fetched. Even general manager Zach Kleiman is talking like this could be more of a building year than a winning year. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington explains why, and he looks at how other teams in the West are faring at this point in the offseason. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT 

This is absolutely not true, but it’s funny. Slowdown Dry Goods occasionally posts Onion-esque headlines for faux Memphis stories. 

Having been to Cooper’s a number of times now, I can say it’s a vast improvement over Cafe Ole. Same owner, new concept. 

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