Here we go again, Memphis. It’s Monday, Oct. 13, and fall break starts today for all students in Shelby County. Fall break didn’t exist when I was a kid, and I’m still a little bitter about it. But have fun, kids! Go play in some leaves.

It’s also the start of the first-ever LGBTQ Business Week in Memphis, and that means locally owned coffee shops, bars, salons, tattoo parlors and other businesses are offering discounts and specials through Saturday.

For more on what’s ahead, check out This Week in Memphis.

THE NEED TO KNOW

National Guard troops and Memphis Police walked Downtown around the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and Riverside Drive on Friday, Oct. 10. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Frozen in place: Some Memphis immigrants, whether they’re documented or not, are afraid to leave their homes due the increase in ICE agents here with the Memphis Safe Task Force, says a local immigration advocate. The task force has brought dozens of ICE agents to the city, and they appear to be accompanying other law-enforcement agencies on their patrols. One immigrant-rights advocate shared a chilling story about a Hispanic woman who had her driver’s license seized by ICE agents on Wednesday. But at least one local group is working to get the word out about where ICE has been spotted around town.

Early Monday, Oct. 6, banned book displays at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library were quickly dismantled. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian file)

Banned books displays banned: Last week was National Banned Books Week, and local library branches had planned to display banned books to educate the public about censorship. But those displays were quickly removed earlier this week as Memphis Public Libraries attempts to navigate political waters. The City of Memphis says it’s complying with new state and federal law DEI laws, and library employees were directed to get pre-approval for book displays and library signs. And the DEI changes to library programming have been going on since the summer, with required name changes to Pride events and programming around Black culture.

Devaron Taylor, 19, pleaded guilty to his role in the death of Memphis police officer Joseph McKinney in April 2024. (Aarron Fleming/The Daily Memphian)

Teen sentenced over cop’s death: Devaron Taylor was sentenced to 18 years for his role in the April 12, 2024, death of Memphis police officer Joseph “Rusty” McKinney. Taylor pleaded guilty to facilitation of second-degree murder and other charges following the incident. McKinney and several other officers were shot after they approached teens Taylor and Jaylen Lobley sleeping in a stolen car. A letter from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office gives additional details about what led to the shooting and its aftermath. McKinney’s family and friends spoke in court Friday and decried the local criminal justice system for not sentencing Taylor to more time.

The 1946 Bauhaus-style house built by Maxwell McCall Millstead is for sale eight years after its current owner restored it to its original appearance. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Bauhaus for sale: You’ve no doubt driven past the curvy house on a hill at 3590 Thomas St. in Frayser and thought, “That’s a cool-looking house.” Now, that rare Bauhaus-style home can be yours. Owner Dana Gabrion is selling the 1946 structure, which is one of only three homes in the city designed in the Bauhaus style, an early 20th century school of design characterized by clean lines, geometric forms and minimalism. 

Why your coffee may cost more: Fancy coffee drinks were never cheap in the first place. But at some local shops, your $6 latte may cost closer to $7. President Donald Trump imposed a tariff of up to 50% on Brazilian coffee imports, and that’s the country’s biggest supplier. And some shops, like French Truck Coffee, are passing that on to customers with a new surcharge. The tariffs have also greatly impacted farmers in the Mid-South, who are now paying more for imported supplies and dealing with reduced demand for products by foreign buyers.

QUOTED

Striking sanitation workers and their supporters are flanked by bayonet-wielding National Guard troops during a march on City Hall on March 29, 1968. (Charlie Kelly/ AP file)

“It was traumatic, dramatic and ... our city has been on a 50-plus year road to ... find our way since then.”

— Russ Wigginton, National Civil Rights Museum president
The National Guard is here now, but it’s not the first time. The guard was also deployed to Memphis in 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, in 1978 during strikes by police and firefighters and in 2020 during the pandemic. Wigginton and others who remember the 1968 and 1978 deployments reflect on the experience then and how this time might be different.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Legend has it that a deformed boogeyman haunts Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. (Holly Whitfield/The Daily Memphian file)

Legend of the Pig Man: If you grew up in Memphis, you’ve probably heard the warnings about the Pig Man at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. Don’t talk back, or the Pig Man will get you. Don’t go make out with your date in the woods, or the Pig Man will get you. And so on. You may have even driven over to the colloquially named Pig Man Bridge and flashed your headlights three times hoping for a glimpse. But who was this (likely fictional) boogeyman? Our own Jody Callahan uncovers the legend in his latest Halloween-themed Ask the Memphian. (If you buy the Frayser Bauhaus, beware; you’re less than 10 miles away from Pig Man’s haunt.)

FedEx’s “The New Power Move” campaign makes fun of office power moves. (Jim Weber/AP file)

Power moves: You know the old boss power moves — flashy watches, long pauses, fashionably late entrances to important meetings. FedEx is making fun of those and more in its new ad campaign. New commercials launched last month during NFL football games. “It was a lot of fun to … poke a little bit of fun at those outdated office power moves … and show how FedEx and what we offer is really the new power move,” said Jenny Robertson, FedEx communications head, as she flashed her Rolex. (Kidding, that last part didn’t happen.) Watch the ads here.

The cake roll comes with sausage, a scrambled egg sheet and everything cream cheese rolled in rice and nori. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian file)

Sushi for breakfast: If that doesn’t sound appealing, stay with me now. Midtown’s Kitchen Laurel serves a roll for breakfast, but there’s no fish. Instead, sausage, egg and cream cheese are rolled up with rice and nori and dipped in pancake batter before being flash fried and cut into sushi-like bites. You might want to skip the soy sauce, but maple syrup would be perfect. The Daily Memphian’s Ellen Chamberlain recommends the cake roll (as its called), but be sure to save room, because she suggests a side dish you won’t’ want to miss.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo, left, instructed guard Javon Small (10) during the game against the Atlanta Hawks, Saturday, Oct. 11, at FedExForum. (Nikki Boertman/AP)

Best loss yet: The Memphis Grizzlies have yet to win a preseason game, but their 122-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday featured some grit and showed some growth. The team trailed by double digits for most of the game, but rookie Cedric Coward led a rally to a two-point deficit late in the fourth quarter. I was at the game Saturday, and the crowd went wild after Coward nailed a back-to-back poster dunk and a 3-pointer. Speaking of Coward, Grizz reporter Chris Herrington looks at the role he’ll play this season in an analysis piece.

India Kiki rang a bell to demonstrate hoodoo rituals Saturday on the opening day of Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum on Beale Street. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Power of hoodoo: The Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum opened on the third floor of A. Schwab’s Saturday. The museum features exhibits of hoodoo pharmacy items, a section on hoodoo and the blues and displays of items used in the spiritual practice, such as snakeskin, candles and a railroad spike. Not even sure what hoodoo is? Several practitioners offered explanations at the museum’s opening.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

Hope you haven’t packed up your shorts just yet. 

Now, go flex some office power moves today.

.....