Bonjour, Memphis. It’s Monday, July 14 — Bastille Day — so excuse me while I munch on a baguette and sip cafe au lait. Maintenant, passons aux actualités! (That’s French for “Let’s get into the news!”)

THE NEED TO KNOW

In April, the Wolf River experienced its fourth-highest crest on record in Germantown, inundating several parts of that city as well as areas of Memphis. (Courtesy Ryan Hall)

Could Memphis flood like Central Texas? The short answer is “very probably not.” Rains in Central Texas earlier this month dumped 20 inches of rain, and the flooding claimed more than 120 lives. So, after that crazy flash flooding we had back in April, you have to wonder, could that happen here? In the latest Ask the Memphian, reporter Jody Callahan talked to a National Weather Service hydrologist about how our terrain and soil could save us from a Texas-sized tragedy.

A crowd remembers Jarmond “Mond” Johnson during the Climb for Mond memorial event at Memphis Rox on Sunday. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

For Mond: Memphis Rox climbing gym in Soulsville reopened Sunday, exactly two weeks after employee Jarmond Johnson and another man were fatally shot there. The gym held a ceremonial climb for “Mond,” as everyone called him. Tom Shadyac, the film director and producer who founded the gym, said that, at first, they didn’t know if they would stay open after the double shooting. “But Mond’s spirit said to me very clearly … if you close Rox, you’re going to murder me twice,’” said Shadyac. Before the ceremony, Shadyac called for a moment of silence in Mond’s honor, and nature responded back in a big way. 

The circa-1917 Old Daisy, now known formally as the Historical Daisy, has become a symbol of the skirmish for control of the Beale Street Entertainment District. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Messy history of the Old Daisy: On July 22, the Memphis City Council will vote on a deal that would allow the Beale Street Development Corporation to lease the Old Daisy from the city for 50 years. It could mean the Old Daisy, which is currently used as an event rental space and outdoor bar, would become an interpretive center focused on the history of Beale Street. The Old Daisy opened in 1913 as a movie theater, and it served as a stop on the Chitlin' Circuit, a network of venues that hosted Black performers during the Jim Crow era. But the theater’s rich and storied history is also filled with drama. Our history buff Bill Dries shares how the Old Daisy was the centerstage for the messy history of Beale Street control.

QUOTED

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant addressed several of the team’s offseason moves at the Las Vegas Summer League game Saturday night. (Wes Hale/The Daily Memphian file)

“It was best for both sides. Des is going to a very talented Orlando team ... What we got back in veteran guards, I feel like that is big-time for us.”

— Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies
Morant made an appearance at the team’s Las Vegas Summer League game on Saturday night (which they won), and he addressed a number of topics, including his initial shock over the Demond Bane trade to the Orlando Magic and what it means for the team.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Quincy Wilson, 17, celebrated after winning the men’s Pro 400-meter run at the Ed Murphey Classic Saturday. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Record swap: Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s record-setting attempt in the 400 meters was supposed to be the highlight of this weekend’s Ed Murphey Classic. But she came down with a fever and had to sit out. Instead, 17-year-old Quincy Wilson stole the show. Wilson set a new American and world under-18 record in the 400 meters Saturday. The run was also a big PR for him and the fastest ever run in the state of Tennessee. In other Ed Murphey Classic news, pole vaulters got high on Beale Street Friday night. 

At Eggxactly, barbecue meets breakfast with the smoked turkey omelet. (Ellen Chamberlain/The Daily Memphian)

Where there’s smoke: The most popular menu item at Whitehaven’s Eggxactly Breakfast & Deli was the “most delightfully tasty and puzzling thing” food writer Ellen Chamberlain has ever had for breakfast. It’s a smoked turkey omelet stuffed with veggies, cheese and turkey that’s been smoked for “a day or so,” according to the chef. Chamberlain sings the praises of barbecue flavors for breakfast. 

The nearly 200-year-old Davies Manor in Bartlett has been open as a museum for 50 years. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

This old house: Davies Manor, a former Bartlett plantation, celebrated its 50th anniversary as a museum this past weekend. The home dates back to the early 1830s, and it’s considered the oldest still-existing home in Shelby County. It’s often the scene of weddings and big parties, but they also give tours and share the plantation’s complicated history. Included in that tour is a room devoted to the stories of the 22 enslaved people who once lived at Davies Manor. Also on the tour: a historical artifact that usually grosses kids out.

The Orpheum’s Mending Hearts program allows children who have lost a parent to explore creativity through performing arts and community-building activities. A new initiative from Commercial Advisors will fund the program. (Courtesy Orpheum Theatre Group)

Art of the sale: Where do the arts and real estate intersect? In Memphis, apparently. Real estate company Cushman and Wakefield | Commercial Advisors has launched an initiative to commit $35,000 annually for programming at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Orpheum Theatre. Those funds will be used to expand and continue art programs for kids who have lost a parent or have experienced trauma or stress.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

It’s gonna be a scorcher. 

Au revoir!

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