Hi, friends! It’s Thursday, Nov. 17, and one year ago today, Memphis rapper Young Dolph (a.k.a. Adolph Thornton Jr.) was gunned down at Makeda’s Cookies on Airways Boulevard. Just last week, the man who allegedly put a hit out on Thornton was arrested, and he had a lengthy criminal history.

On a less solemn note, Graceland will flip the switch on its holiday lights this evening, kicking off a weekend of Christmas festivities in Whitehaven. If you ask me, holiday lights have no business being turned on before Thanksgiving, but I guess nobody asked me. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Redevelopment of 100 N. Main is set to begin in 2024. (Neil Strebig/The Daily Memphian file)

Timeline for 100 N. Main project: The city’s tallest building, 100 N. Main, will finally get its makeover in 2024. Developers for the 100 N. Main project released a timeline for the redevelopment on Wednesday. Once complete, 100 N. Main will be home to apartments, condos, hotel rooms, office space and restaurants on the bottom floor and roof (though how to access the roof could be an issue). In other totally unrelated development news, feminine hygiene products company Honey Pot is moving to a DHL warehouse in Southeast Memphis, after the EDGE board approved a $4.8 million tax incentive on Wednesday.

Harry Zepatos Jr. (left) and his wife Karan. Zepatos died on Wednesday at age 68. (Courtesy Kelcie Zepatos)

In memoriam: Arcade Restaurant owner Harry Zepatos Jr., who took over his family’s restaurant in 2002, died of Alzheimer’s disease on Wednesday at age 68. Before Zepatos took over, the Arcade had operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for more than 80 years, but Zepatos decided to start closing at 3 p.m. “He wanted to spend time with his family and his wife and watch the sunset. That’s what he always told us,” said Kelcie Zepatos, his daughter-in-law, who now runs the cafe with her husband. The Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Biggs offers a look back on Harry Zepatos Jr.’s life and legacy. Speaking of obits, Geoff Calkins remembers three Memphis men who made the city better. 

Instead of Carrefour at The Gateway, the planned redevelopment of Carrefour is now called The Standard Germantown. (Submitted)

New name for Carrefour (again): Carrefour at Kirby Woods developers submitted a new plan and yet another name for the redevelopment of the site at Poplar Avenue and Kirby Parkway. They had originally planned to call the mixed-use project Carrefour at The Gateway, but now they’re going with The Standard Germantown (possibly inspired by comments from a Germantown alderman). The new plan is the third version since 2018, and it adds luxury condominiums and includes some changes to the existing northwest corner of the site, where Petra Cafe and Swanky’s Taco Shop are now.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis speaks during a press conference announcing Connect Memphis, a public safety initiative that provides a new way to communicate and combat crime. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

‘Virtual policing’: A new Memphis Police Department program, called Connect Memphis, allows businesses and residents to share their exterior surveillance footage with law enforcement during times of emergency. The program was announced on Wednesday, and 15 cameras, including ones at the Downtown locations of Central BBQ and Wiseacre Brewing Co., are already registered. “Think about it as virtual policing. We may not have a police officer in every corner, but we may have a camera,” said MPD Deputy Chief of Information Systems Joe Oakley.

KIPP Memphis Collegiate High is one of the seven charter schools on the list for possible charter renovation. (The Daily Memphian file)

Cut class? Seven charter schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district could have their charters revoked after the Tennessee Department of Education named them priority schools. Priority schools are either in the bottom 5% of schools across the state for academic performance or had a graduation rate of less than 67% during the most recent school year. Some of the schools on the list, however, appeared to be doing better now, and at least one MSCS board member questioned why they were being recommended for revocation.

QUOTED

“[The arrival of the Memphis Showboats] advances our cause that we need to update this stadium, because one of the purposes of updating the stadium [is] that we can do more events.”

— Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland
Strickland believes the reincarnation of the United States Football League’s Memphis Showboats could help boost the city’s bid to secure $350 million in state funding for his sports venue enhancement plan. The plan includes updates to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the FedExForum, AutoZone Park and a new soccer stadium.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Buddy Nemenz sang to a small crowd at Silky O’Sullivan’s on St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Diving right in: Beale Street staple Silky O’ Sullivan’s, best known for its goats and massive diver bucket cocktails, is getting new owners. Silky’s manager of the last 15 years David Hooper and his wife Anna Cade, who has held several leadership positions at Huey’s, will assume ownership on Dec. 1. Longtime owner Joellyn Sullivan isn’t retiring completely though; she’ll continue to be involved in the company’s promotions, including their biggest event of the year.

Ashton Hardaway drives the ball up the court as fellow California Basketball Club teammate Bronny James follows during the Mid-South Classic game against the Platform Basketball Club on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Family matters: Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway’s son, Ashton, committed to play for the team in its class of 2023 in the final day of the early signing period. “I’d say [he’s] one of the top three shooters in the country in his class, if not No. 1 … He has a gift,” Hardaway said. Sure, those are the words of a proud dad, but the three-star forward recently scored well at the Mid-South Basketball Classic in Collierville. In other Tigers sports news, Smyrna High School linebacker and four-star running back Arion Carter has de-committed from the Memphis Tigers football team.

Martavius Jones will serve as the Memphis City Council chair for the next year after being elected on Tuesday. (The Daily Mempian file)

Jones, Smiley keep council roles: Current Memphis City Council chair Martavius Jones and council vice chairman JB Smiley Jr. will retain their roles next year. Council members elected Jones and Smiley at the end of Tuesday’s council session. Jones became chairman and Smiley vice chair this past August when former council chair Jamita Swearengen resigned from her seat following her election as Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk.

The Exxon northeast of Germantown Road and Wolf River Boulevard was fined for a gambling violation. The gas station had coin-operated machines that resembled slot machines. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian)

No dice: Two Germantown convenience stores were fined $1,000 after an undercover investigation found the stores to be in violation of gambling rules. Germantown has a city ordinance that bans gambling in places where beer is sold, and both stores had Torch’s No Chance Games machines, which are essentially coin-operated slot machines. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

The Memphis Grizzlies have only played one game since Desmond Bane began what should be a two-week recovery for a toe sprain. But the loss of the team’s best 3-point shooter is already being felt; the Grizzlies lost that game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill details why Bane’s absence may be felt more than that of Jaren Jackson Jr., who just returned after months of recovery from a stress fracture. 

On that note, I’m gonna toe now (I mean, go now!). I will see you one more time this week tomorrow morning. 

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