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Last week was a busy one for news — and travel. So if you were vacationing, or even just enjoying a slower pace with these cooler summer temperatures, chances are you missed something. Here’s a quick rundown: Rumors that have abounded in Memphis City Hall for years were confirmed last week when The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman reported on an alleged 2022 phishing scam. The City provided a document identifying a single transaction, described as a loss due to “ACH Fraud,” that ended up costing Memphis taxpayers $773,695.45 that year. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy and County Mayor Lee Harris announced changes last week to the information Pretrial Services provides to judicial commissioners. In describing the changes, Mulroy essentially said the commissioners, who are tasked with setting initial bail, would receive more detailed information on a defendant’s criminal history; Harris said it would lead to a “tightening” of the area’s criminal justice system. But Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall said in a statement over the weekend that they have always had access to a defendant’s full criminal history via information Pretrial Services over the phone and through Odyssey, an online platform that holds case records. Marshall added that the changes Mulroy announced “will at best only have a minimal effect on how bonds are set.” President Joe Biden exited the presidential race Sunday (which you probably didn’t miss), but the Tennessee delegation to the Democratic National Convention was the first set of delegates to meet and announce its votes would go to Vice President Kamala Harris. The Daily Memphian’s Bill Dries interviewed Lexie Carter, the chairwoman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, for insight into how that discussion played out. Also, Memphis Mayor Paul Young hired a former New York Police Department patrol chief to be the city’s public safety consultant; Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon is opposed to managing the county’s youth detention facility; campaign spending in races for five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seats neared $150,000 in the weeks before early voting began; and Bill Dries takes readers on a riverwalk down memory lane, with an eye toward future plans for Mud Island’s abandoned museum and amphitheater. — Metro editor Jane Donahoe
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Rumors about the scam abounded in Memphis City Hall for years and earned a passing mention during a Memphis City Council budget hearing this spring.
By Samuel Hardiman
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