Ahoy, Memphis! It’s Friday, Sept. 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and if you need some help brushing off your scallywag skills, this here pirate translator should help. On a more local note, it’s also Park(ing) Day, and the Downtown Memphis Commission has transformed parking spaces along Peabody Place into tiny parks.

If you’re a fun guy (or gal!), you’ll find plenty to do at the Memphis Mushroom Festival in Overton Park Saturday. You can also shop for 1980s, ’90s and Y2K treasures at the Totally Rad Vintage Market at the Agricenter. (And yes, that means your early aughts wardrobe counts as oldies.) 

Or, if sports is your thing, there’s apparently a super big deal ball game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Saturday. The Memphis Tigers are playing the Arkansas Razorbacks, and it may be the last time for a long time that you’ll get to see an SEC match-up here. For more fun, see The To-Do List. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

“I have to wait until they get here and they start terrorizing our community before I can talk to you about what challenges to make,” said Memphis City Council member Jerri Green at a press conference on Thursday. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Partisan divide over guard: As to be expected, support for the National Guard deployment in Memphis is deeply divided along party lines. And that was on display Thursday at two competing rallies. At a press conference outside Memphis City Hall, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee revealed it’s weighing a legal challenge to the guard deployment. “We don’t bluff,” said Claire Gardiner of the ACLU chapter. And Memphis City Council member and Democratic primary gubernatorial candidate Jerri Green said she’s had a hard time getting real info from Gov. Bill Lee about how long the guard would be here. Meanwhile, in East Memphis, State Sen. Brent Taylor, admitted he also didn’t know “what the plan is,” and a Republican party vice chair said Democrats were “out of touch.” But Memphis Mayor Paul Young revealed Thursday the closest thing we’ve heard yet to a timeline for when the guard and other feds would arrive. 

For fiscal 2026, FedEx Corp. forecasts a 4% to 6% revenue growth rate year over year. (Keith Srakocic/AP file)

Things are looking up at FedEx: The Memphis-based shipping giant exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for first-quarter earnings, which were released on Thursday. FedEx Corp. reported adjusted earnings per share of $3.83 on sales of $22.2 billion. That’s better than what analysts expected. But it wasn’t all good news: FedEx Freight’s operating results fell due to lower revenue and higher wages.

“I have 36 years of service as an educator, and I’m looking toward retirement,” said Lakeland Commissioner Michele Dial of her decision to run for Shelby County Commission. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Moving on up? If Lakeland Commissioner Michele Dial gets her way, she’ll have to start driving Downtown for commission meetings. Dial, who serves as vice mayor on the Lakeland commission, says she plans to run for the Shelby County Commission’s District 3 seat. That’s currently held by Mick Wright, but he’s term-limited and cannot run again. That news comes on the heels of Lakeland Commissioner Wesley Wright’s announcement that he won’t seek the same District 3 seat. Wesley Wright, who is not related to Mick Wright by the way, had previously declared plans to run for the seat but changed his mind.

QUOTED

“I feel like this is going to be a moment where we show the world, like, yes, you may have this perception, but we’re going to change what you think about our great city,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

“The eyes of the world are on us, and we would be silly to act as if we don’t have an issue with crime.”

— Memphis Mayor Paul Young
Young said Thursday that, even though he disagrees with President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to Memphis, local crime-fighting strategies haven’t done enough. He said hundreds of federal law-enforcement agents, along with the guard, should be in Memphis “within the next two weeks.” He also said the guard would “not be doing any detainment.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

Ramblin’ Joe’s will have its grand opening Sunday, Sept. 21, at its new location at 2956 Sam Cooper Blvd. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

Ramble on: Something new is brewing near the Broad Avenue Arts District. And that something is a new flagship store for Memphis-based coffee chain Ramblin’ Joe’s. The new spot in the Broad Avenue Gateway development, which is on the corner of Sam Cooper and Tillman Street, has a grand opening on Sunday. Owner David Lambert said it’ll be a model for future locations across the country. Read more on that in Food Files, plus a new spot to get your Ocean Water fix.

The second grade students of KIPP Collegiate Academy sang “Happy Birthday” to Memphis Grizzlies center Brandon Clarke on Thursday, Sept. 18. (Drew Hill/The Daily Memphian)

Brandon Clarke gets tackled … by second graders. Yes, that’s right. Our Memphis Grizzlies big man was nearly taken down by about 15 kids from KIPP Collegiate Academy in North Memphis. He was visiting the school to present a $1,500 check to ARISE2Read, a local literacy nonprofit, and the kids gave him a massive group hug. “I had to make sure I was sturdy there for a second,” Clarke said. (Just don’t hurt him, kids. These Grizzlies are made of glass.) Clarke also gave an update on his recent knee surgery and what it means for the upcoming start of the season.

You might get a kick out of this: Memphis is getting its own soccer team again. USL League Two, the pre-professional developmental league for young players, announced Thursday that a new Memphis FC team will start up next season. The team’s ownership group is led by a former Houston High soccer star who went on to play pro Major League Soccer for 13 seasons. The city’s pro soccer team, 901 FC, left after six seasons. In more soccer news, the University of Memphis women’s team extended its unbeaten home streak to 34 games in its home opener against UAB, but it was a draw.

Boba Society Milk Tea & Snack Bar’s garlic noodles are coated in butter, garlic, parsley and parmesan. (Erica Horton/Special to The Daily Memphian)

How to ward off vampires: Spooky szn is right around the corner, so you’ll want to keep this week’s $15 Deal in your back pocket. Boba Society Milk Tea & Snack Bar on Highland Street serves garlic noodles that food writer Erica Horton warns will linger on your breath “for up to a day,” no matter how much mouthwash you throw at it. Garlic breath aside, it wouldn’t be a complete review without a boba rec, and Horton suggests a drink that brings a “welcome layer of sweetness after the savory, buttery noodles.”

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

News got you down? Put this new Hulu docuseries on your weekend watch list. 

Here’s hopin' ye ‘ave an excellent weekend, scallywags! Don’t do anythin' I wouldna do.

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