Raise a glass, Memphis. Thursday, Aug. 28, is National Red Wine Day. If you’re feeling classy, you could check out the wine list at the newly opened Dame bar inside Hotel Pontotoc. The manager there is also the Memphis Wine Society founder and president, so it’s probably a nice wine list.

But if you’re like me and not that fancy, here’s my hot tip: Go to Art Bar at Crosstown Arts, and ask for a glass of $3 “chicken wine.” Still tasty but you’ll have money left for bar snacks. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

DeAndre Brown, director of the Shelby County Office of Reentry, has been indicted by a grand jury. (Ziggy Mack/The Daily Memphian file)

County director indicted: DeAndre Brown, director of the Shelby County Office of Reentry, has been charged with theft, computer crime, money laundering and official misconduct related to a nonprofit for ex-offenders that he founded with his wife. Brown spent more than 25 months in prison over past offenses, but he was pardoned by Gov. Bill Lee in 2023. Brown’s county office helps former prisoners reenter society.

Man charged with killing comedian: Tranell Williams has been charged with killing his roommate, Baltimore-based comedian Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, in Southaven. Carroll, 52, was found dead on Aug. 20, after police responded to a shooting on Burton Lane. Carroll has toured with “Friday After Next” star Katt Williams.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner says a new jail will solve a lot of issues, but mental and physical health problems among the inmate population will remain a challenge. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

New jail won’t fix everything: Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner has been making the case for a new jail to replace the aging 201 Poplar for a while. But even he admits it won’t fix everything. Numerous inmates have died in recent years over health issues, and Bonner said “that is not going to change.” Many health issues are preexisting, and he says the jail has no control over the controversial medical-care provider it uses. Besides inmate health though, the jail also has a staffing problem, and Bonner said a modern jail design would actually fix that.

FedEx Corp. is laying off 611 people from FedEx Supply Chain. (Richard Drew/AP file)

FedEx lays off hundreds: More than 600 local FedEx workers may be out of a job by mid-October. FedEx Corp. filed documents with the state Wednesday detailing planned layoffs from its FedEx Supply Chain branch. FedEx said the layoffs are part of a business transition for the supply chain facilities and that it would try to help those affected find other FedEx jobs.

Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey applied to the state to have his suspension lifted, arguing that his pardon meant that his license should be reinstated. (Mark Humphrey/AP file)

License to law: Guess who’s back, back again? Brian Kelsey, the former state senator from Germantown who was convicted of campaign-finance fraud, just got his law license reinstated. That’s after spending only two weeks of a 21-month sentence in prison before being pardoned by President Donald Trump. Kelsey was convicted of fraud after attempts to funnel campaign money from his state legislative seat toward his failed 2016 congressional bid.

QUOTED

“We haven’t reached a consensus with them about ... what we’re going to do with public transportation. They were thinking it was business as usual, and business as usual for them is spending money,” said Memphis City Council attorney Allan Wade about MATA’s CEO search. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

“They have got to have our participation. We haven’t interviewed anybody [for MATA CEO].”

— Allen Wade, Memphis City Council attorney
The Memphis Area Transit Authority was planning to announce two CEO finalists on Wednesday, but the city said not so fast. The search is now being extended to find more candidates, and the city is getting more involved. The Daily Memphian’s Jody Callahan reveals who those two finalists were and digs into MATA’s many setbacks.

THE NICE TO KNOW

A row of townhomes is finished and nearly sold out at the Union Depot mixed-use project on U.S. 70 in Bartlett. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Not another Kroger: In a somewhat surprise move Tuesday, the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down a plan for a Union Depot expansion. And it seems a mystery grocer was the sticking point. Developer Keith Grant wants to expand the existing Union Depot tax-increment-financing district to a 34-acre addition to the mixed-used project. But the plan calls for an unknown grocery store. Grant was mum on which one, and some of the aldermen were worried “it’s another Kroger or a Walmart or something.”

Uncle Herschel remains on the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sign at 9649 East Davies Plantation Road in Lakeland. (Michael Waddell/The Daily Memphian)

Not their Cracker Barrel: The Lakeland Cracker Barrel never saw the very brief (and very unwelcome) rebranding that the chain rolled out last week. And on Wednesday, customers told suburbs reporter Micheal Waddell that’s a good thing. “We think the new logo [stinks], and we weren’t going to stop if it was the new sign,” said Ginger Davis from Millington, who was there eating with a friend. Cracker Barrel tried to modernize their logo with a rollout at some stores on Aug. 18, but it quickly reversed course and brought back the “old-timer” logo this week after a big backlash. 

Customers shopped at the Kroger on South Third Street. (The Daily Memphian file)

Chilling effect of ICE raids: Last week, food writer Ellen Chamberlain wrote about how fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were affecting restaurant owners. When she started working on the story, she assumed the raids would impact kitchen staffing. But she heard restaurateurs were also having a hard time filling dining rooms, because some immigrant customers may be afraid of public spaces. Now, in this week’s Table Talk, Chamberlain uncovers another effect of the ICE raids — fear of being seen in a grocery store — and what’s being done to help. 

“We feel this billion-dollar investment in this community ... really has a potential of being an economic booster for our community moving forward,” said Dr. Reginald Coopwood, Regional One Health’s longtime president and CEO. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Cost of health: Regional One Health’s plan to replace its aging hospital with a new facility on the former Commercial Appeal campus is moving forward, despite rising costs. Inflation has led to a significant price jump, with the total cost at nearly $2 billion. That includes $900 million for a central utility plant, the hospital’s backbone. On Wednesday, Regional One’s longtime president and CEO said he’s hoping a third party can build that part and sell power back to the hospital. He was speaking at the hospital’s board meeting, where he also warned of a “whisper campaign” against Regional One’s fundraising efforts. 

From left to right, new Memphis Tigers Zachary Davis, Dug McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw. (Scott Kinser, Charlie Riedel, Sam Craft/AP file)

Tigers basketball predictions: The Memphis Tigers basketball team has no returnees from last season, so fans aren’t sure what to expect. That’s where the robots come in. Advanced analytics website from BartTorvik.com uses predictive metrics (sorry for all the jargon) to figure where a team may rank. And right now, the site has the Tigers as the No. 2 team in the American Conference and in the top 100 of all NCAA Division I teams in the country. If you want to really nerd out, check out the site’s predictions on the team’s top players. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Slowdown Dry Goods is getting a major head start on Valentine’s Day with this tongue-and-cheek post on Memphis’ romantic hotspots. Check out to see all seven. 

Enjoy your wine, no matter how fancy!

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