Are you ready for March Madness, Memphis? It’s Friday, March 6, and Memphis basketball may have been underwhelming this season, but at least one local team has made it to the Big Dance: the Rhodes College men’s basketball team. They play Roanoke in the Division III NCAA tournament today. Tonight, you can get a first taste of Filipino bar Kuyu, which opens on South Main Street.

The weekend is going to be bananas as the traveling Banana Ball Championship League hosts two games at AutoZone Park. (Hope you like line dancing.) And there are no less than three cook-offs for a cause: a chili cookoff for Peabody Elementary, the Tennessee Equality Project’s gumbo contest and Soupstock to benefit food-justice efforts. You’ll find more on those events and other things to do here.

As for basketball, the Memphis Grizzlies play the Los Angeles Clippers here Saturday — still without Ja Morant. The Memphis Tigers men’s team has their final game of the season against Tulane Sunday, and it’s probably an understatement to say a lot is riding on this game.

And finally, Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, which means I’ll soon be going to bed when the sun is still up.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The Memphis Safe Task Force, which includes the National Guard, began patrolling the city in October 2025. (George Walker IV/AP file)

Is Memphis crime a ‘grave emergency’? And what does “grave emergency” even mean? Those questions will decide whether Gov. Bill Lee legally deployed the National Guard to Memphis. Last fall, a judge ruled Lee had exceeded his authority in sending the guard here, but withdrawal of troops has been put on hold as the case plays out in an appeals court. There was a hearing in the case Thursday, where lawyers on both sides argued over the meaning of “grave emergency.” 

Ikea’s Cordova location will close on May 3. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Ikea layoffs: When Ikea closes, more than 100 people may be out of a job. The Cordova location of the big-box store best known for minimalist furniture that requires maximal effort to assemble is set to close on May 3. Ikea said it hoped to retain as many employees as possible by transitioning them to other locations.

“I have no biases against foreign languages. I look at what’s important for each individual student,” said Robert Eby, state Board of Education chair. (Martin B. Cherry/Nashville Banner)

Hablas español? Students in Tennessee can continue to get a leg up on their Duolingo XP now that the state Board of Education has opted to preserve its two-credit, world-language requirement. Board chair Robert Eby tried last year to reduce it down to one credit, saying he wanted students to have more flexibility to study other things. That was met by a lot of pushback from students and teachers. In somewhat-related education news, a bill that would require schools to track students’ immigration status moved ahead this week in the state House.

DeAndre Brown (left) and Vinessa Brown are charged with multiple felony financial crimes. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Ex-county director may be federally charged: DeAndre Brown, the former head of the Shelby County Office of Re-entry, and his wife Vinessa Brown are already facing state charges for allegedly misusing grant funds. And now the feds could go after them, too. That was revealed Thursday during a court hearing for the Browns, who are accused of misusing grant funds from their nonprofit for Memphis Grizzlies tickets, travel and other personal expenses. Federal charges would likely drag the state case out for quite a while.

QUOTED

“We are failing American kids by engaging in things like this that sow division, that don’t recognize the humanity of other Tennesseans for what?” said Rep. Gabby Salinas, D-Memphis. (George Walker IV/AP file)

“We are the Tennessee government. ... and we’re letting a foreign country influence us.”

— Rep. Gabby Salinas, D-Memphis
Salinas was speaking out against a House bill that requests the state swap “Judea” and “Samaria” for “West Bank” in any official documents regarding the Middle Eastern region. Emotions ran high during a House committee discussion that even brought out former college basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Tigers guard Dug McDaniel led with 25 points in the loss to the South Florida Bulls at FedExForum on March 5. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Final home loss: It’s probably no surprise at this point, but the Memphis Tigers lost their home-game finale Thursday against South Florida, 96-89. It was their seventh straight loss, which marks the first time that’s happened since an eight-game losing streak in the early 1990s under Coach Larry Finch. As usual, fouls haunted the Tigers, and lengthy scoring droughts didn’t help either.

Brookhaven Pub & Grill will be renovated to add a new indoor-outdoor area in its former game room. (Courtesy Brookhaven Pub & Grill)

Raising the roof: Or, well, the ceiling. Brookhaven Pub & Grill is undergoing renovations that include raising the 1950s-era building’s low ceilings. They’re also creating a new indoor-outdoor multi-use room, with sliding glass doors that open onto the patio. But no worries, sports fans, the renovations will be timed between the end of basketball and the start of football. Read more on that in Food Files, plus news of what’s next for the former Café Keough space Downtown. In more food news, Cook Out has started renovations on the old Midtown Back Yard Burger. And a popular fast-food chain that’s served billions wants to serve even more people in Collierville. 

A rendering shows the proposed Lone Sailor statue Millington is planning. (Courtesy City of Millington)

Sailing into Millington: There are 19 Lone Sailor statues across the world, and Millington wants the 20th. The city is pushing for its own replica of the original Lone Sailor statue, which was unveiled in 1987 as part of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. The monument would pay tribute to Millington’s large military population since the city has been home to a Naval station since 1942. There’s a fundraising campaign underway now. 

The Waffle Shop’s fish pudding, more like a flaky fish casserole, is served with homemade coleslaw, roasted potatoes and cornbread sticks. (Jennifer Chandler/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Retro eats: As a kid, I loved pouring through my mom’s old 1960s cookbooks with colorful photos of savory items suspended in Jell-O and odd-sounding recipes for things like tuna mousse. The pages of those books come alive once a year at The Waffle Shop at Calvary Episcopal Church, and that time is now. Food writer Jennifer Chandler raves about the fish pudding and says her friends like the tomato aspic, both of which you can try for just $15. 

Brezay performed during the final Run the City school tour date at Southwind High School on Friday, Feb. 27. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Fit for the tunnel: The Memphis Grizzlies may have lost most of their fashion mavens: Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, Jitty (hey, that Cordelia’s Market sweatshirt was a look, OK?). But that doesn’t mean us fans have to lose our sense of style. Local designer and hip-hop artist Brezay is set to release both a clothing drop in collaboration with the Memphis Grizzlies and her debut album on Saturday. And local designer Prep Curry is hosting a fashion show this Sunday for his new line of Grizz-inspired clothing.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Remember yesterday morning when we shared this clip of former Memphis Grizzly Marcus Smart calling us ugly. Well, you don’t mess with Memphis fans, sir. 

Don’t take any negativity from anyone this weekend, ya hear? And don’t forget to spring forward!

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