Cheers to hump day! It’s Wednesday, Aug. 13, National Prosecco Day, and if you’re looking for something to toast with later, here’s a bubbly, summer-y cocktail from our archives.

THE NEED TO KNOW

A state-funded forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools is set to review the three fiscal years when an additional $850 million flooded the district’s coffers. (Photo illustration by Kelsey Bowen/The Daily Memphian)

MSCS audit looks for fraud: The forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools that was approved by Shelby County Commissioners back in February is finally happening. The audit covers three fiscal years, during which time the district was led by several superintendents, and it’s looking for fraud, waste and abuse in contracts, grants, payroll and other financial matters. It was a reaction to the MSCS board’s firing of then-Superintendent Marie Feagins in January. MSCS board members claimed Feagins poorly communicated about the district’s finances, and the auditing firm proposed “special attention” to the claims that were made against her.

The shuttered CoreCivic West Tennessee Detention Facility will become an ICE detention center. (Jody Callahan/The Daily Memphian)

ICE detention center opening nearby: A shuttered prison located just 45 minutes from Memphis will be used to detain immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That’s after leaders in nearby Mason voted in favor of two contracts Tuesday night — one with ICE and another with private-prison company CoreCivic — for a deal that promises to bring 240 jobs and annual payments of at least $200,000 from the prison operator. The meeting was contentious and confusing, and afterward, some members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen didn’t even realize the vote went in ICE’s favor. 

FedEx leader leaves with millions: Former FedEx Corp. exec Sriram Krishnasamy stepped down from his role in mid-July, and the exit terms included a more than $3 million cash payment. Krishnasamy served as the executive vice president, chief transformation officer and chief digital information officer, and he’s staying on in an advisory role until at least Halloween.

The combined 363-room hotel will carry the Hyatt Centric flag. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)

Two become one: Downtown’s neighboring Hyatt Centric and Caption by Hyatt hotels are merging, following a Tuesday approval by the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. The CCRFC also approved a merger of the two payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deals for the hotels. The reason? Caption hasn’t been doing so hot. But once combined, the hotel will operate as a Hyatt Centric with more than 300 total rooms and several shared spaces. 

Ezekiel Kelly appeared in Judge James Jones’ courtroom on Monday, March 25, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Kelly to change his plea: Ezekiel Kelly, the man accused of killing three and wounding three others in a citywide shooting spree in 2022, will now plead guilty, according to his lawyer. Kelly originally pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism, back in 2022. 

MEET MEMPHIS

Competitive eater Brett Healey set a new deep-fried Oreo-eating record at Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint on Wednesday, July 30. (Andy Stevenson/Submitted)

North Carolina resident Brett Healey may not technically be a Memphian anymore. But the former resident is a now Memphis record holder. On a Wednesday night a couple weeks ago, Healey gathered about 30 of his friends at Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint to watch him attempt to eat the most deep-fried Oreos in the restaurant’s local history. And he did — by a long shot. The retired competitive eater downed 38 battered-and-fried Oreos and lived to tell the tale to our food writer Ellen Chamberlain. (Full disclosure: I was among those friends who turned up to watch Healey stuff his face.)

THE NICE TO KNOW

Taylor Swift sang “Our Song” at Itta Bena in 2007 during a photoshoot for Justine Magazine. (Courtesy Grace Peters)

That one time Taylor Swift played Beale: You don’t remember that? That’s because you likely weren’t one of the 10 people there. But Grace Peters was. The “performance,” way back in 2007 when Swift was only 17, was really an impromptu, private session at Itta Bena following a photo shoot for the now-defunct, local teen mag Justine. Peters was just 15, and her dad — the late Beale Street club owner Tommy Peters — invited his daughter to the shoot as a birthday present. Grace Peters recalls that special day and the love she and her dad shared for Swift’s music. 

A rendering shows plans for Memphis University School’s planned arts and sciences building and indoor practice facility. (Courtesy Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development)

For the boys: Memphis University School will break ground tomorrow on the first phase of its $200 million campus improvement project. Coming first is a new, 105,000-square-foot arts-and-sciences center that will offer 14 science labs and an 820-seat auditorium, among other updates. Read more on the MUS expansion in Inked, as well as news of a Michigan-based nail salon that’s coming to Memphis.

“Highest 2 Lowest,” from director Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington (right), opens in wide release this weekend. (Courtesy A24 Films)

When they go high: “High and Low,” a 1963 thriller from Japanese master Akira Kurosawa is getting a fresh redo at the box office this week, and Chris Herrington is here for it. He’s a big fan of the original film, which was set in Tokyo with a plot centering around a middle-aged titan of industry. But the new version, called “Highest 2 Lowest” from director Spike Lee, is set in New York City and stars Denzel Washington as a music mogul. Read why Herrington welcomes this one in Memphis Movies This Week, plus see where to watch “The Big Lebowski” on a really big screen. 

Brendon Lewis is the favorite to become starting quarterback for the Memphis Tigers. (Wes Hale/The Daily Memphian file)

Portal and crystal balls: The NCAA transfer portal is making it hard to predict how good the Memphis Tigers will be this football season. The portal, which offers college athletes the chance to find a school that will pay millions, has created a revolving door that means team rosters look dramatically different every season, as is the case with this season’s Tigers. Right now, preseason predictions for the Tigers football team are all over the place.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Fun fact: The mounds at Chickasaw Heritage Park date back to the Walls phase, when the last Native Americans inhabited Memphis before the Europeans arrived. During the Civil War, those mounds were hollowed out and used for gun emplacements and storage.

But hey, golf is on Memphis’ collective brain this month. Have a great day!

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