Are you up and at ’em, Shelby County? Because it’s Monday, Oct. 23, so let’s go! The Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen will vote on the nomination of Mike Fisher for the suburb’s new police chief today. If approved, he’ll replace retired Chief Richard Hall.

And in Collierville, the BMA will consider a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) incentive for Campbell Clinic, which wants to move its current Collierville office to a new building at the northwest corner of Poplar Avenue and Bailey Station Road.

Plan for the rest of the week ahead with our new This Week in Memphis feature.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Police officers extended crime scene tape around the perimeter of an active shooter situation near the University of Memphis on May 2. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Who is responsible for the ‘crime crisis’? In a series of focus groups financed by The Daily Memphian, a majority of participants said they believed Memphis is in a “crime crisis” influenced by parenting, poverty and personal responsibility. Trust Marketing conducted the study of 75 people, broken into groups by neighborhood. The Frayser/Raleigh group had the highest number of participants who said they had been victims of crime. And members in the East Memphis/Hickory Hill and Whitehaven/Westwood/Airport groups said parenting was the number one contributor to crime. But other participants thought the onus for reducing crime fell to the city mayor. You can read more of the study’s results here.

Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams reacted to a foul call during a game against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 13, 2022, in Washington. (Jess Rapfogel/AP file)

Oh no, Steve-O: Memphis Grizzlies fans let out a collective groan and probably a few naughty words on Sunday when news dropped that center Steven Adams will undergo season-ending PCL surgery. Just weeks ago, the Grizzlies said they’d planned to slowly ramp Adams back up this season, after he’d sat out almost half of last season with a knee issue. Now the Grizzlies have to figure out how to fill the big man’s spot, and there are a number of options. (But no one can fill your spot in our hearts, Steve-O.) In other Grizzlies news, it’s looking like Ziaire Williams will fill the fifth starter position. Up until Friday night’s last preseason game with the Milwaukee Bucks (which the Grizz lost, 124-116), who would fill that starter spot was still anyone’s guess. But Williams played a particularly impressive game.

Memphis Mayor-elect Paul Young gave his victory speech at Minglewood Hall on Oct. 5. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

The path to mayor: On Oct. 5, Memphis voters — or, well, a little more than 24,000 of them — elected Paul Young as the next mayor of Memphis. But the race to mayor began way back in May 2022, when the Memphis City Council proposed a charter amendment that would have extended the current two-term limit for the mayor. That failed, but had it passed, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was planning to run again (remember that?). The Daily Memphian’s Bill Dries (and our digital desk team) have compiled a giant timeline of all the key highlights in the race for city government’s top spot.

Council members JB Smiley Jr. (left) and Chase Carlisle (right) recently appeared on “Behind The Headlines.” (From left to right: Patrick Lantrip/Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

More stadium money? Memphis City Council member Chase Carlisle said the city needs to ask the state for additional stadium funds beyond the $350 million already granted. The council formally accepted the state funds last week, but on WKNO’s “Behind the Headlines,” Carlisle suggested “returning to the state” to get more money to renovate FedExForum and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. He also said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s plan to demolish the Mid-South Coliseum to build a new soccer stadium is “100% off the table.” Council member JB Smiley Jr. joined Calisle on the program; he said he’s hoping the council will have a more collaborative relationship with new Mayor Paul Young than it currently has with Strickland.

MEET MEMPHIS

Rhodes College President Jennifer Collins accepted the job in December 2021, but she was finally installed on Saturday. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Rhodes College’s 21st president, Jennifer Collins, was officially installed on Saturday, even though she’s worked in the top role for over a year. The ceremony was held up to coincide with the school’s 175th anniversary. Collins has an impressive resume: Yale for undergrad, Harvard for law school (where she was classmates with President Barack Obama), an early career as an assistant U.S. Attorney, dean of Southern Methodist University’s law school. But she’s also a down-to-earth Swiftie who loves culture and good food. “Not being an academic in a traditional sense, she’s had jobs; she’s managed a family in a two-profession household. She’s very relatable, very real,” said Anne Gaudet Beard, Collins’ chief of staff.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Bill Rhodes, right, longtime AutoZone CEO, who held the position for nearly two decades, honored AutoZone founder Pitt Hyde, left, during a surprise party on Sunday, Oct. 22. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Multi-million dollar surprise: Past and present AutoZone employees honored company founder J.R. “Pitt” Hyde on Sunday with a surprise $7 million donation to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (or, well, soon-to-be Memphis Art Museum). The donation will be added to the $20 million that Hyde and his wife, Barbara Hyde, have committed to the museum’s new Downtown space. So, how much of a surprise was it? Hyde thought he was going to the roof of AutoZone’s Memphis headquarters to film an interview on Sunday; instead, he was greeted by a who’s who of past and present AutoZone employees with a giant check. 

Memphis River Parks Partnership will wait to replace Vice & Virtue. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

Empty cup: Well, that didn’t last long; Vice & Virtue Coffee closed its Tom Lee Park space in early October, just over month since the redesigned park’s reopening on Sept. 2. But what will replace it is still up in the air. George Abbott with Memphis River Parks Partnership said Vice & Virtue “just wasn’t the right business for that space.” Abbott said MRPP is still deciding whether to bring in another outside vendor or run something there themselves, but whatever happens, coffee will be involved.

Amelia Gene’s Proper Bites, from front to back, include Blackberry Oyster, Kaluga Caviar Beignet, Foie Gras Macaron and Lemon Arancini. (Courtesy DCA)

Good genes: New fine-dining concept Amelia Gene’s opened on Sunday in the former Ellis & Sons Machine Shop. The restaurant’s interior designer converted the previously masculine space with feminine elements in a nod to the eatery’s namesake, Amelia Gene Carlisle. As for the food, Amelia Gene’s offers a cheese course served with house-baked breads from local baker Cherie Canelas. “After you’re done with your dinner, you’re thinking about dessert, but then you see this cheese cart roll up that has six to 10 options on it with in-house-made baguettes,” said executive chef Nate Henssler. In other food news, a sports bar and hot wing spot — complete with an entertainment zone with stadium seating and a rentable TV — is opening soon near the intersection of Stage and Appling roads. Also, Belly Acres, which closed its Overton Square location over crime concerns in September, is expanding with a new spot in Southaven and new menu items in East Memphis.

Memphis Tigers running back Sutton Smith ran with the ball during Saturday’s 45-21 victory over the UAB Blazers. (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)

Bones about it: The Memphis Tigers football team will bring back its rack-of-ribs trophy after Saturday’s 45-21 win over UAB in the “Battle of the Bones” rivalry in Birmingham. After allowing UAB to gain 332 yards in the first half, the Memphis defense held the Blazers to 49 second-half yards to earn the victory in the first game between the two teams since 2012. The Tigers’ defense forced four turnovers, a comeback after the team’s loss to Tulane earlier this month. Next up, the Tigers take on North Texas in a game to be played in Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan’s hometown. In news about the other kind of football, the Tigers’ women’s soccer team finished their 2023 campaign undefeated at home after a 4-0 win over the Temple Owls on Sunday. But Memphis’ pro soccer team, 901 FC, didn’t have it so good on Saturday; the team fell to Louisville on penalties in the USL playoff opener at AutoZone Park on Saturday.

Stephen Lynch demonstrates a ninja challenge game at Amuse on Walnut Grove Road on Oct. 18. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

For your amusement: Looking for something different to do next weekend? The new, all-ages Adventure Museum, also known as Amuse, offers 35 games and activities that incorporate obstacle course-style challenges with puzzle-solving and interactive games. The museum was founded by Keith Edwards, Mallory Lynch and Steven Lynch, the trio that opened Memphis Escape Room in 2015.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

It’s not boot and sweater weather yet, and I am 100% here for that. But I’m sure this is disappointing news for fall lovers.

Alright, I’m off to pick out a short-sleeved shirt for the day. Let’s do this again tomorrow.

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