How’s it going, Memphis? It’s Thursday, Feb. 19, and if you’re hoping to get on a county primary ballot for the May 5 election, you’d better get busy. The filing deadline is noon today. 

Tonight, there are two Memphis Tigers games on the road. The men will play South Florida (thoughts and prayers), and the women will play Tulane. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

The current Shelby County property tax rate is $2.69 per $100 of assessed value; residential property is taxed at 25% of that value and commercial properties at 40%. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Property taxes could go down: Those words are probably music to your ears. Shelby County is considering lowering its property tax rate. Then, Memphis and most (but not all) of the county’s suburbs could follow suit. Javier Bailey, chief administrator of the county assessor’s office, told county commissioners Wednesday that the state’s appeals allowance — which compensates for money lost when people successfully appeal their home appraisals — was set too high. And that could apparently create an illegal windfall of tax revenue for the county.

Memphis guard Hasan Abdul Hakim has been dismissed from the program, Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway stated Wednesday. (Brandon Dill/AP file)

Kicked out: Hasan Abdul Hakim is no longer on the Memphis Tigers basketball team. The senior wing was suspended over the weekend for “a violation of team rules,” though it’s not clear what he’s accused of. Coach Penny Hardaway said Wednesday that Hakim had been dismissed from the program but that the athletic department would still provide him “access to treatment and sports medicine resources.” (Whatever that means.) Guard Zach Davis was also suspended over the weekend, but he was reinstated this week.

Inside job: Edward Allen and Deandre Rogers, both members of the Memphis-based Unknown Vice Lords gang, are facing life in prison after a jury convicted them last week of killing one of their own. The two, along with other fellow gang members, murdered the gang’s so-called “supreme elite chief” Ronald Terry and his girlfriend Candid Sanders in 2019. In other criminal-justice news, Sarah Lucas Riedel, who was recently extradited to Memphis to face justice over a murder that happened nearly 20 years ago, has died. Her trial was expected to offer “closure and justice” for a man who was wrongfully convicted of the murder she allegedly helped commit. 

Signs that read “Don’t Let Memphis 3.0 Sell Out Our Neighborhoods” were all over Midtown last year. (Courtesy MidtownMemphis.org)

On the map: The Memphis 3.0 zoning map is ready, and the city wants to know what you think. Memphis 3.0, an overhaul of the city’s development and zoning rules, has been in the works for years, and it’s drawn plenty of opposition from residents who fear the plan will lead to more multi-family developments and absentee landlords. The new map, which renames and reduces zoning districts, is finally ready for public feedback.

QUOTED

Jane Crain (middle) led the effort to get a Safe Haven baby box in Shelby County. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

“Even if one baby is saved ... it’s gonna be all worth it.”

— Jane Crain, Collierville Elementary teacher
Crain spearheaded the effort to get Shelby County’s first Safe Haven Baby Box set up at Fire Station No. 6 in Collierville. The temperature-controlled box allows new parents a safe and legal place to surrender newborn babies they can’t care for.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant handled the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 30, 2025. (Wes Hale/The Daily Memphian file)

Choose your fighter: You can be Ja Morant in a new video game. NBA The Run, a coming-soon NBA-licensed video game, includes the Memphis Grizzlies star as one of 30 All-Star players to choose from. (No word if the video-game Ja calls 12 or drops grenades.) In other Grizz news, it’s time for Chris Herrington to answer your burning Qs in his Grizzlies Mailbag column. Most of the questions this time center on the team’s rebuild and whether Zach Kleiman is the right man for the job. But Herrington also shares some music and movie recs, because why not? 

Bad Timing founder Nicholas Riley (middle) posed with the EDGE board on Wednesday, after the board approved a loan for his store. (Courtesy Beth Wilson with Wilson Public Relations)

Good for Bad Timing: Vintage streetwear store Bad Timing is planning a move, and they just got some big bucks to help. The Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County approved a $25,000 loan to help the company relocate from the Highland Strip to a side street a few blocks away. The EDGE also approved a new sublease that should increase the city’s composting efforts, which in turn, helps West Tennessee farmers. In other business news, Western-apparel company Miller International Inc. is opening a distribution center in Memphis.

Bar Limina owner Josh Conley will create cocktails inspired by Sheet Cake’s art exhibitions. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Cocktails and canvases: Cocktails are art, right? Well, they are now. Bar Limina is teaming up with neighboring Edge District art gallery Sheet Cake to make cocktails inspired by the art on the walls. Bar Limina owner Josh Conley will serve the drinks at gallery shows, starting with the opening for Keiko Gonzalez’s “Indoor Games.” Read what’s on the menu in Table Talk. 

Can you hear me now? Arlington residents may not be asking that anymore. The Arlington Planning Commission unanimously approved a permit this week for a new cell tower that will include service from three major carriers. That was in response to years of complaints from residents about “a very large dead spot right in the middle of the old part of town,” in the words of the town planner.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

In case you were wondering how the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovations will affect your favorite seat ...

Alright, go file those petitions, aspiring politicians!

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