Howdy, Memphis. It’s Tuesday, July 22, and the Memphis City Council could take a vote today on the Old Daisy’s future. The former movie theater on Beale Street, which is currently used as an event venue, has been tied up in the messy history of Beale Street control for years.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Yahoo Sports reported that University of Memphis president Bill Hardgrave “has spent at least 14 months visiting with the presidents and top athletic administrators of many Big 12 schools in individual, on-campus meetings.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Big nope from Big 12: The University of Memphis wants to be in the cool-kids club, but the cool kids don’t want them. The school reportedly offered $200 million over the next five years for entry into the Big 12 athletic conference. And the Big 12 reportedly said no. One anonymous “Big 12 administrator” said Memphis was vetted and turned down when the conference expanded in 2021, so “what’s changed now?” Well, our own Geoff Calkins says a lot of things have changed, including a multi-million dollar renovation of the football stadium. For now, the Tigers remain in the American Athletic Conference. And as of Monday, it’s got a new name and a new mascot.

“Today’s award by the Office of Head Start ensures 2,920 children will have access to a safe, high-quality early childhood education,” Porter-Leath President Sean Lee said in a statement. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Fresh start for Head Start: Early childhood education group Porter-Leath will be taking over the county’s Head Start program, after the feds gave the organization $30 million in pre-K funds. Memphis-Shelby County Schools previously ran the program, but the grant was forced up for bid in 2024 after Head Start officials documented violations that included physical violence against students.

University of Memphis basketball player Sincere Parker (middle) and his attorney Arthur Horne appeared in Judge Greg Gilbert’s courtroom on Monday, July 21. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Parker plans to fight: New Memphis Tigers guard Sincere Parker made his first court appearance Monday, after a weekend arrest for an alleged domestic-violence situation. Parker was charged with aggravated assault and vandalism, after he reportedly hit his girlfriend and broke her phone. Parker’s lawyer Arthur Horne said there’s another side to the story and that Parker plans to fight the charges. As for his future with the Tigers basketball team, that’s in the air right now. 

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr., left, arrived at the Odell Horton Federal Building with his parents on Monday. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

It’s a date: Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. better clear his Google calendar for Jan. 20, 2026. That’s the date he was given Monday for his trial on bribery and tax-evasion charges. Ford was indicted earlier this year for allegedly accepting kickbacks from government grants to three local nonprofits. And with a January date looming, Ford’s attorney has his work cut out for him.

QUOTED

“I can’t give my son the rest of what I wanted to give him. The least of what I can do is give him justice,” said Chantrel Bernhart, mother of slain football player Corey Adams at a press conference Monday. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

“My son is not a bad child. He lived for football. ... My son dreamed of going to the NFL.”

— Chantrel Bernhart, mother of Corey Adams
Adams, an 18-year-old Ole Miss football player, was killed in Cordova Saturday during a shooting at a pool party. More than 40 shell casings were found at the scene, and four others were wounded. No arrests have been made, and on Monday, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office pleaded for people to come forward with information.

THE NICE TO KNOW

The City of Memphis allocated $80 million from the State of Tennessee to start renovations on FedExForum. (The Daily Memphian file)

Don’t hold your breath: We may not get an answer this summer as to whether the Memphis Grizzlies will stay in Memphis after 2029. Lease negotiations between the team and Memphis and Shelby County are ongoing, but Memphis Mayor Paul Young said they’re also slow-going. Meanwhile, the wheels are already turning on renovations for FedExForum.

Martin Luther King, Jr. walked across the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968, one day before he was assassinated. (Charles Kelly/AP file)

Trump releases MLK files: President Donald Trump’s administration has released FBI surveillance records of Martin Luther King Jr., two years before they were supposed to be unsealed. It’s a move that King’s family and civil-rights leaders oppose. The family has maintained that the FBI illegally surveilled King to “discredit, dismantle and destroy” his reputation. The Rev. Al Sharpton called Trump’s move a “desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the [Jeffrey] Epstein files.”

Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath guarded Denver Nuggets center PJ Hall in a game on Monday, Feb. 10, in Denver. (David Zalubowski/AP file)

Big news of the Summer: Memphis Grizzlies wrapped up NBA Summer League with a win on Sunday, but the bigger news (literally) was the addition of big man PJ Hall, who reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the team. Hall is expected to serve as a “break-in-case-of-emergency big man” since Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to miss the start of the season as they recover from surgeries. Hall and rookie Javon Small now take up two of the Grizzlies’ three available two-way spots, so will draft pick Jahmai Mashack be next?

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

You no doubt know this by now, but last week, Andy Byron, the now-former CEO of tech company Astronomer, was caught embracing the company’s HR head Kristin Cabot on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert. 

That image went viral over the weekend, quickly becoming the meme of summer. The Memphis Redbirds even got in on the fun. 

Have a great day, and keep your private business off the kiss cams.

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