Wake up, Memphis. It’s Thursday, March 19, and NFL scouts will be in town today to check out some Memphis Tigers football players on Memphis Pro Day. Good luck, guys!

Over in Lakeland, the Board of Commissioners will discuss a possible new form of government for the suburb. But what that means is a bit of a mystery. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Faculty members from University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s occupational-therapy department resigned over issues with another faculty member. (Courtesy UTHSC)

UTHSC faculty resign: Five of the seven faculty members of the occupational-therapy department at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have quit over the alleged bullying of students by a colleague. UTHSC professor Pamela Yvette Lewis-Kipkulei is accused of mistreating students and threatening bad grades. One of the faculty members who left explained what students were saying about Lewis-Kipkulei and said no actions were taken after complaints were forwarded to the school’s dean.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond won’t be getting a permanent superintendent contract just yet. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Take-backsies: Roderick Richmond, who was offered Memphis-Shelby County School’s permanent superintendent position over a month ago, is the interim superintendent once again. The MSCS board declined to approve a proposed contract for Richmond Wednesday. The looming results of a forensic audit and possibility of a state takeover of the district seemed to guide that decision. It seems MSCS would have been on the hook for a lot of money if the state took over and removed Richmond from the permanent job.

Contenders in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County sheriff are (from left to right) Anthony Buckner, Reginald Hubbard, Ricky Pollard, Michael Pope and Keisha Scott. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian)

Jail broken: The Democratic candidates for Shelby County sheriff all agree on at least one thing: 201 Poplar has some problems. Five candidates on the May 7 primary ballot spoke Tuesday night at an event hosted by the Shelby County Democratic Party. They cited jail deaths, staffing and inmate health care among the issues. The most well-known name among them was Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner, who called for an independent review of jail deaths. See what all the candidates had to say. 

QUOTED

“From somebody who’s a hometown guy that’s fighting for this city — that really wants this city to win — nobody’s hurting more than me,” said Memphis Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway (left) at a press conference. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

“I really will die for this. … I don’t make any excuses for ... what I’ve failed at. But I know I can come back from failure.”

— Memphis Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway
Hardaway delivered an impassioned monologue Wednesday afternoon during a press conference about the University of Memphis’ decision to bring him back for a ninth season. Hardaway acknowledged his worst season ever, saying “nobody’s hurting more than me.” As for what’s next, we may actually see some familiar faces next season.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome shot against the Denver Nuggets on March 18. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Grizzlies get a win: Hey, you can’t lose them all right? The Memphis Grizzlies broke their eight-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 125-118 win over the Denver Nuggets. Yes, that means they beat the Nuggets’ multi-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who had an uncharacteristically bad night with a career-high for turnovers. That was due in part to point guard Ty Jerome’s “clinical” shots. As for the reverse standings, not much has changed for us. 

Musical chairs: U.S. District Judge Brian Lea hasn’t even been on the job for a month. But he’s got his work cut out for him. U.S. District Judge Mark Norris has reassigned 62 cases to Lea, including the federal civil lawsuit against Shelby County for the death of inmate Gershun Freeman. Freeman died at the jail in 2022 after a fight with jail guards, nine of whom have been criminally charged. It’s apparently common for longtime judges to reassign cases to new judges. 

Food writer Ellen Chamberlain put The Lobbyist’s patio on her spring to-do list. (Elly Hazelrig/Courtesy The Lobbyist)

Hello, patio szn: If you ask me, patio season is the most wonderful time of the year. And thanks to warmer temps today and into the weekend, it has arrived. It’s time to gather your besties and plan a leisurely brunch on a spacious patio. I’m going with a dog-friendly one so my little Tater Tot can bask in the sun, too. In today’s Table Talk, food writer and fellow patio lover Ellen Chamberlain shares which patios are topping her wish list this season. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

If you need another reason to hate the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, here you go. Somebody get this man hot tub.

He needs to go on and get outta here with that mess. And on that note, I’m outta here, too. 

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