Happy hump day, Memphians. Today is Sept. 21, and the Shelby County Commission holds its full meeting today.

This afternoon, the EDGE Board will discuss the new C-PACER program, which allows developers financing for eco-friendly projects. You can read all about that program in Neil Strebig’s handy C-PACER guide.

Want to win tickets to this Saturday’s Memphis Tigers football game against North Texas? Sign up here for our ticket giveaway.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Alicia Franklin has filed a lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department for failing to adequately investigate her 2021 rape case. (Ben Wheeler/The Daily Memphian)

Rape victim sues MPD: Alicia Franklin, who was allegedly raped in 2021 by the same man accused of killing Eliza Fletcher, has filed a lawsuit accusing the Memphis Police Department of negligence for failing to adequately investigate her case. Cleotha Henderson was arraigned for that September 2021 rape last week, after an 11-month delay in testing Franklin’s rape kit. Franklin’s suit contends police could have prevented Fletcher’s abduction and murder if they had taken Franklin’s assault more seriously. In an interview with The Daily Memphian on Sunday, Franklin said the MPD missed steps that could have brought closure to her case sooner. “I was just an average Black girl in the city of Memphis, you know,” said Franklin. “I just think it wasn’t a priority.” Franklin’s attorneys filed a second lawsuit on Tuesday against the apartment complex where the alleged rape occurred. 

Paula Raiford poses for a portrait in her Downtown Memphis club, Paula & Raiford’s Disco, June 10, 2021. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)

Paula Raiford arrested: The owner of Paula & Raiford’s Disco was charged with misdemeanor assault last Thursday. Although few details are known about the case, a representative from the Downtown disco said Paula Raiford was actually the victim in the alleged assault. 

Who started the fire? The Memphis Fire Department suspects arson may be the cause behind a series of eight fires in a neighborhood on the eastern side of Coro Lake, near the Mississippi state line. All of the fires, which have been occurring since June, have been at vacant properties and are happening at roughly the same time of day. “If someone in that community sees something that they think is suspicious or deemed as suspicious, let us know,” said Lt. Hunter Smith, the MFD’s public information officer.

MEET MEMPHIS

Memphis gamer Katie “PikaChulita” Robinson was named a 2022 Doritos Solid Black Changemaker. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Katie Robinson, a local gamer who goes by the name “PikaChulita,” started playing video games as a kid in Kansas City, Missouri, when her parents and grandparents would reward good grades with “whatever video game I wanted.” For eight years now, she’s been creating content for Twitch, the interactive live-streaming service for gamers, and has more than 1.4 million views. Robinson, who now lives in South Memphis, works to make gaming safer for marginalized individuals and was recently recognized as a 2022 Doritos Solid Black Changemaker. “The face of gaming itself is cis white male-dominated. We’re still trying to unpack it and change that,” Robinson said.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Ivory Closet owner Jennifer Hall Burris is selling her Overton Square clothing store and moving to Georgia. (Daily Memphian file)

Clothing store for sale: Jennifer Hall Burris, who owns Ivory Closet in Overton Square, has announced that she’s selling her clothing store with more than two years left on the lease. Burris said she and her husband are likely relocating to Georgia after his employer, Delta Air Lines, asked him to be closer to its airline hub in Atlanta, and Burris also cited the recent uptick in crime as a catalyst for the move. In his Inked column, The Daily Memphian’s Neil Strebig has more on that story and some news about a possible new patio coming to Dory restaurant.

Volunteers mingle at a voter registration event held by the Shelby County Voter Alliance and Memphis Artists for Change in Jesse Turner Park in South Memphis on Sept. 20. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Swerving the purge: A group of volunteers with Memphis Artists for Change and the Shelby County Voter Alliance canvassed ZIP codes on Tuesday with the highest amount of voter purge. Voters are purged from the rolls for not voting in the last two consecutive federal general elections, an unreported change of address, a move outside the county or a conviction for certain felonies. But even if the groups are successful in registering more voters, getting those people to the polls in the next election may still be a challenge if past voter turnout is any indication.

From left to right, optometry students Katy Miller and Emily Meredith research and create lensware at the Southern College of Optometry in Midtown. (Ziggy Mack/ Special to The Daily Memphian)

Better to see you with: The Eye Center at the Southern College of Optometry is launching a $3 million renovation that includes redesigned pediatric and teen primary care suites, a new optometric surgical care suite and updated equipment in its exam rooms, among other improvements. The news comes as the center celebrates 20 years of providing free vision care made possible through private grants and donations. “We track, very carefully, the amount of uncompensated care we provide, and over the last two decades that figure ranged anywhere from about $750,000 to $1.6 million,” said Dr. James Venable of the Southern College of Optometry.

Aiming for No. 1: The Greater Memphis area’s medical device industry added nearly 2,000 jobs and grew its economic output by $1.4 billion between 2015 and 2022, according to a new report presented at a medical conference on Tuesday. The medical device industry has a $4.1 billion yearly impact on the local economy, and the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council, which presented the report, wants to grow that even more. “The Memphis region is currently the second largest in the United States for medical devices. Well, I say, ‘Why not aim to be number one?’” said Jodie Gilmore, chair of the council. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Roseanne Cash shared this image of her father, Johnny Cash, with the future King Charles III on Twitter earlier this week with an invitation to caption the photo. My favorite: “Johnny Cash and the guy formally known as Prince.”

I hope you have a royally amazing day, and I’ll see you soon.

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