Morning, Memphis. It’s Friday, July 11, and we’re running into the weekend, because the Ed Murphey Classic starts today. The annual track-and-field event kicks off with pole vaulting on Beale Street. (Just hope the athletes don’t try that after finishing a diver bucket from Silky O’Sullivan’s.) On Saturday, Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will try to break some American and world records.

Today also marks the start of the NBA2K26 Summer League (that’s the league-wide summer contest with all 30 NBA teams). The Memphis Grizzlies will play the Boston Celtics tonight and the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. 

On Sunday, Memphis Rox will reopen, two weeks after a shooting left employee Jarmond Johnson and another man dead. They’ll host a ceremonial community climb in Johnson’s honor. 

For more weekend events, check out The To-Do List. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Top row, left to right: Shuanta Broadway, Lischa T. Brooks, Gary P. Hannah Jr. Middle row, left to right, Lenora Hogan, Carolyn Washington Jackson, Michael Lowe. Bottom row, left to right, F. Kevin Malone, Crystal R. Oliver and Cedric T. Smith. (Courtesy Memphis-Shelby County Schools)

New faces, old faces: Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond has brought on nine new hires for top jobs in the district. Those include several familiar faces whose positions were cut by former Superintendent Marie Feagins. Four of the new appointments, including a Mississippi superintendent and a FedEx exec, appear to be joining the school district for the first time. In other education news, TCAP test scores came back earlier this week. Here’s how the 10 public districts in Shelby County stacked up. 

University of Memphis officials confirmed in a statement released this week that students from Ghana could be dismissed because of the nonpayment. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

U of M may dismiss Ghanaian students: Nearly 200 University of Memphis students from Ghana may not be able to finish their education at the school due to nonpayment by their government. Ghana is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, and its government owes the U of M nearly $4 million in tuition and other fees. The Daily Memphian’s Jody Callahan talked to one student who is affected.

Elon Musk’s xAI data center is located at the former Electrolux plant at 3231 Riverport Road in Southwest Memphis. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daly Memphian file)

Grok on Grok’s antisemitism: On Tuesday, xAI’s chatbot, Grok, praised Adolf Hitler and said some other antisemitic stuff, even referring to itself as “MechaHitler.” The company later deleted the posts and thanked Grok’s users for pointing out the hateful comments, so it could train the bot to be “only truth-seeking.” Needless to say, there was plenty of national backlash over the situation, so The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman asked Grok how its recent behavior might impact xAI’s business. Here’s what Grok had to say. In related news, xAI unveiled the newest edition of the bot, Grok 4, this week, and Elon Musk calls it a “super genius child.”

MEET MEMPHIS

Spice Lyfe, a supercharged line of spice blends, is the brainchild of Memphian Omi Blu. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Omi Blu has been on the Memphis vegan scene for more than two decades: hosting vegan informational sessions, serving meals, organizing vegan fests and selling seasoned popcorn (the best I’ve ever eaten). And the mother of six has a brand-new venture. Blu just launched Spice Lyfe seasoning blends, which incorporate functional foods such as turmeric, kelp powder and cinnamon, so you get flavor and nutrition in one punch. (I spy a Superfood Popcorn Boost in her product line that sounds very similar to her signature Green Goddess popcorn. IYKYK.)

THE NICE TO KNOW

Good Fortune Co.’s small dining room gets packed on weekends. More space is coming. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Slice of Good Fortune: Fans of South Main ramen shop Good Fortune Co. (that’s me!) are in luck. The restaurant, which can get packed on the weekends, is expanding its dining room and kitchen, which the owners say could mean lunch service and takeout are coming. (Big news, since Good Fortune has never offered to-go.) And that’s not all: Once that project is complete, owners Arturo Leighton and Sarah Cai plan to open a pizza shop. The restaurant will serve New York-style pizza, and Leighton says Memphis has the secret sauce — er, water — to make it really good. In other restaurant news, a Germantown Mexican spot is saying adios. 

Memphis Grizzlies Coach Tuomas Iisalo talked with Ja Morant. (Jeff Chiu/AP file)

Getting to know Iisalo: The Memphis Grizzlies are starting their season with a new coach. Sure, Coach Tuomas Iisalo has been around in an assistant role, and he was head coach at the tail end of the season, after Taylor Jenkins was fired. But Iisalo is actually starting the season in the lead now, so what does that mean for the Grizzlies’ playing style? Our own Drew Hill caught up with Iisalo to talk about that. Spoiler: Expect the team’s fast pace to stick around. Iisalo also talked about his coaching revelations, philosophies and his own background playing for the Finnish senior national team. (Turns out Iisalo can dunk.)

For $13.05, the mackerel breakfast plate at Renee’s Sandwich Shop comes with a hefty side of buttery rice, scrambled eggs with cheese and two pieces of toast. (Erica Horton/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Fish for breakfast: This week’s $15 Deal is the kind of food that reminds writer Erica Horton of “old people, blue-collar workers and church.” You know, the kind of simple, no-frills, country food your mom or grandma ate. That’s what you’ll find at Renee’s Sandwich Shop, where you can get a mackerel breakfast plate for less than $15. It comes with fish croquettes, scrambled eggs with cheese, toast and white rice. And Horton has a hot (and sweet) tip for how to eat that rice. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

If you thought the gaudy claw mark design on the Memphis Tigers basketball court made it difficult to watch the game, you’re in luck. The Tigers unveiled a new court design Thursday, and the theme seems to be “less is more.”

It’s definitely a classier court than the one unveiled in 2019 that was, um, a little too risque. 

Have an excellent weekend!

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