How’s it going, Shelby County? It’s Wednesday, Aug. 27, and The Daily Memphian’s suburban reporters want to have a beer with you tonight. We’re hosting a Pints with the Press panel at the Half Shell in Germantown. 

CEO Eric Barnes will moderate the talk with suburban editor Clay Bailey, sports editor David Boyd, Collierville/Germantown reporter Abigail Warren and high-school sports reporter John Varlas. The whole thing is free, and the first round is on us. So, register here.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Ken Steorts, president of Visible Music College, and Sam Garrett, vice president of business strategies, surveyed their new Downtown location back in 2011. (The Daily Memphian file)

The beat drops? Visible Music College’s Downtown campus is up for sale after going into foreclosure. An affiliate of WM Capital Partners bought the building at 200 Madison Ave. for nearly $5 million in a foreclosure sale. Visible, once located in Lakeland, moved Downtown into a former Bank of America branch across from AutoZone Park in 2011. Records show the college is in quite a bit of debt.

State Sen. Brent Taylor (left) and state Rep. John Gillespie (right) want an audit of Memphis Police Department crime statistics. (The Daily Memphian file)

Lawmakers call for crime stat audit: The stats show crime in Memphis is down, but state Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, are questioning whether it’s actually down or just creative reporting by the Memphis Police Department. And now, they’re asking the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to audit the MPD’s crime stats. Taylor admitted he’s seen no evidence of crimes being misclassified by the MPD but that he “had several individuals reach out to me and said that that may be going on.” The local request for an audit comes amid federal scrutiny of crime stats in Washington, D.C.

The beginning of the new school year was assessed at the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 26. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Missing teachers, tech issues: The biggest hiccups at Memphis-Shelby County Schools so far this year have been teacher vacancies and laptop problems, according to a report card on how the school year is going so far. There are still more than 120 open teaching positions left to fill, but MSCS has made some progress with vacancies since the start of school. Only about half of school leaders surveyed said students’ laptops were working on day one. But despite all of that, most parents surveyed had good things to say about their kids’ first day of school.

The Tennessee Supreme Court briefly halted the pending demotions of more than 100 MPD second lieutenants. (George Walker IV/AP file)

MPD has to stop demotions: At least for now. The state Supreme Court ordered the Memphis Police Department to temporarily stop demotions of 100 second lieutenants. The City of Memphis originally created the new lieutenant rank to avoid a Department of Justice consent decree, but it did so without the Memphis Police Association’s consent. And that’s led to a longstanding legal battle between the city and the union.

QUOTED

“XAI isn’t giving the schools a gift. ... It’s part of a bigger scheme to hide how they’re ... disrupting the futures of the young people who go to those schools.”

— Jasmine Bernard, junior at University High School
Bernard is part of a group of students protesting xAI’s offer to help repair four schools near its data center in Southwest Memphis. Bernard admits MSCS needs the money for repairs but says taking money from xAI comes with a moral and environmental cost. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen will be named to the 2025 Memphis Sports Hall of Fame. (Alan Spearman/AP file)

Grindfather’s gold star: Former Memphis Grizzlies star Tony Allen already has a retired jersey hanging in FedExForum, and he’s in the state Sports Hall of Fame. But come October, he’ll finally be honored in the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame. Allen tops the list of 2025 honorees, which was announced Tuesday. Here’s a look at who else made the list. 

“‘Jaws’ is so patient, so rooted in character and place, so comparatively non-reliant on effects,” Chris Herrington writes. (Courtesy Universal Pictures)

Go in the water again: Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” turned 50 this summer, and that means it’s probably been either a very long time — or never — that you’ve seen the OG blockbuster on the big screen. Here’s your chance to see it on a really big one. It’s back in theaters this week for the anniversary, including Paradiso’s IMAX. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington has more on the film’s “three modes of masculinity bound together on a boat” in his weekly movies column. And he previews the remake of a 1989 black comedy by the director of “Austin Powers.” 

Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis threw during the Tigers’ spring game on April 26, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Tigers MVPs: Every well-known player on the Memphis Tigers football team from last season is gone. So, if you’re planning to follow along this season, you’ve got some homework to learn all of these new names and numbers. But our own Frank Bonner II has started that process for you with his predictions on which players will be the most impactful (spoiler: one of them is the new quarterback) and who he expects to be the breakout player of the year. In news of Tigers’ names you do know, longtime, former quarterback Seth Henigan was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hole-y living: If you want prime real estate for the annual St. Jude FedEx Championship, you’re in luck. Michael Lightman Realty Co. bought 11 vacant acres near TPC Southwind to expand his already existing 1,400-apartment complex near the golf course. Read more on that plan in Inked, plus news of a Memphis-based tech company that’s expanding after outgrowing its previous office space. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

You’ve no doubt heard, but news broke Tuesday that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. But here’s what you may not know: Memphis International Airport might be psychic.

The @flymemphis account posted this Swift-inspired “MEM Era” meme Monday. Did they know something we didn’t know?

Something to think about! See you again tomorrow!

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