What’s up, Memphis? It’s Tuesday, Aug. 5, and the Memphis City Council will consider a new “integrity policing” program. It’s a response to the Department of Justice’s scathing report on discrimination by Memphis police officers.

And in other police news, it’s National Night Out. And that means local law enforcement officers will be eating lots of snacks meeting and greeting with residents at neighborhood parties and potlucks all over the county. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

The city spent more than $8,000 on hotel rooms, food and meeting space at Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid. (Neil Strebig/The Daily Memphian file)

Got receipts: Memphis Mayor Paul Young and a handful of city leaders held an overnight retreat at Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid last month. And that means you, the taxpayer, footed the $18,000-plus bill. The overnight executive retreat included a training session from Consilience Group, and that alone cost $10,000. The rest of the money was spent on meeting space, food, hotel rooms and — wait for it — bowling shoes at Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl. Here’s a breakdown of what everything cost.

Phillip “Doom” Haynes

Remembering Doom: Memphis Tigers basketball legend Phillip “Doom” Haynes died of a heart attack on Sunday. He was 63. Haynes played for Memphis State for four seasons from 1980 to 1984, and he was instrumental in reviving the Tigers’ program under Coach Dana Kirk. The Los Angeles Clippers went on to select Haynes in the 1984 NBA Draft. His daughter, Kimberly Haynes, remembers her dad as a “people person” who loved to talk. 

The site of the former Duke Energy plant at 2875 Stanton Road in Southaven. (The Daily Memphian file)

More xAI, more pollution: Last week, xAI got approval from Mississippi to operate natural-gas turbines without a permit for up to a year for its second Whitehaven xAI site, just across the state border. That’s the same thing it did with unpermitted temporary turbines at xAI’s original Southwest Memphis site, which caused lots of controversy. The turbines at the new site would provide temporary power as xAI readies the former Duke Energy plant in Southaven as a permanent power source for its second data center. And when that energy plant is online, air modeling submitted by xAI’s consultants shows that it could be the second-largest emitter of nitrogen oxides in DeSoto County.

MEET MEMPHIS

Memphis Tigers running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. during football practice on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

University of Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. is both a football player and an artist. When he’s not running the ball down the field for the Tigers, Desrosiers is making rap music under the name Holidae. And his teammates are big fans. Quarterback Arrington Maiden even recites the lyrics to Desrosiers’ songs during practice. Desrosiers, who gets his pregame inspiration from emo rappers like Rod Wave (he likes “being in my feels”), says he’ll stick to football as his primary focus.

THE NICE TO KNOW

The new Memphis Golf History Walkway at Overton Park 9 recognizes donors and honors West Tennessee golf history. (Drew Hill/The Daily Memphian)

Golf walk: Memphis golf history is now set in stone. The Overton Park 9’s new golf-history walkway was finished last month, and it features bricks honoring donors who made the course possible, as well as local golf history highlights. Among them, there’s President Gerald Ford’s hole-in-one at Memphis’ Colonial Country Club in 1977 and every past winner of the Overton Park Junior Open. Local golfer Parks Dixon has a special fondness for one brick honoring a man who played a major role in the creation of the Overton Park Conservancy.

Kate Bond Middle School students were greeted by Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond during the first day of class on Monday, Aug. 4. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Back in class: About 100,000 Memphis-Shelby County Schools students returned to class on Monday, and The Daily Memphian’s Laura Testino popped by a few classrooms to see how things were going. She met Willie Perry, a third grader at Belle Forest Community School, who said he was “nervous” to be at a new school but “excited” to learn about “dividing and multiplying.” She also peeped in on a classroom of fifth graders at Whitehaven Elementary School, where the teacher had students guessing his age. 

The salmon dish at Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen comes with sauteed spinach, mushrooms and fresh peas atop a red wine sauce and garnished with fried, finely julienned potatoes. (Ellen Chamberlain/The Daily Memphian)

What to order at Andrew Michael: One might assume pasta is the thing to order at a fancy Italian restaurant like Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen. But food writer Ellen Chamberlain says don’t skip the salmon. The fish dish is served with spinach, fresh peas and fried, julienned potatoes over a red wine sauce. And since you’re eating red wine, you might as well be drinking it, too; Chamberlain offers the perfect pairing. 

Not on top: The Memphis Tigers didn’t crack the Top 25 in the USA preseason coaches’ poll, which was released Monday. But don’t let that stress you, Tigers football fans: The Top 25 teams were mostly all power conference teams, with one exception. And the Tigers’ American Conference rivals came in right around the Tigers’ ranking in No. 34. See the Top 25 here. In other sports news, The Daily Memphian’s Tim Buckley looks at D.C.’s influence in college sports.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Ja Morant just wrapped up his international “Make Them Watch” tour with Nike. Along the way, he met with fans and local basketball players in Georgia and New York before heading to China, Tokyo and Manila. 

See you bright and early!

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