Good morning on this Good Friday, March 29. It’s opening day for the Memphis Redbirds; they’ll play the Charlotte Knights in an afternoon game that starts with a pregame party on the AutoZone Park plaza. Get there early, and you might score a free Redbirds blanket. Tonight, new art gallery Memphis Art Salon opens in Minglewood Hall.

On Saturday morning, there’s an Easter egg hunt on the Dixon Gallery and Gardens lawn. And in the evening, the Memphis Grizzlies play the Orlando Magic in an away game. Sunday is Easter, but that won’t stop the Memphis Showboats from kicking off their season with an away game against the Houston Roughnecks. For more weekend fun, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Mayor Paul Young spoke at Youth Villages’ Breakthrough conference on community violence on Tuesday, March 26. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Mayor Young accosted: Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s security team pepper-sprayed a man at Folk’s Folly on Monday night after the mayor was accosted. In a statement, the City of Memphis said Young was leaving dinner when the man grabbed him and tried to force his way into the mayor’s vehicle. Court records show that James Banks, 36, was arrested at Folk’s Folly Monday night on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Pretextual traffic stops are no longer banned after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law on Thursday. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian file)

Law nullifies Memphis’ traffic stop ban: Gov. Bill Lee signed into law on Thursday a bill that prevents local jurisdictions from banning pretextual traffic stops. Last year, the Memphis City Council passed a ban on such stops for expired tags, broken headlights and other minor issues after Tyre Nichols was beaten by Memphis police following a stop. The ordinance was not binding on the MPD, but rather it asked and directed the department not to make pretextual traffic stops. 

Priscilla Presley attended a press conference announcing the new J.W. and Kathy Gibson Center of Memphis Music in the former Hard Rock location at Second Avenue and Beale Street on Thursday, March 28. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Rock on: The Hard Rock Cafe, which closed last summer, will soon be home to more rock (and soul) history. The 24-year-old Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum is moving down the street from its current location next to FedExForum into the space at 126 Beale St. The building, which will be called the J.W. and Kathy Gibson Center of Memphis Music, will also house a center for live performances, workshops and rehearsal space for musicians. The Memphis Music Hall of Fame, which maintains a separate entrance on Second Street, will remain in the building. Priscilla Presley, who spoke at the press conference on the move Thursday, called the intersection of Beale and Second streets “hallowed ground.” And, in fact, the old Hard Rock building has quite the storied history with an Elvis Presley tie-in.

Hernandez Govan appeared in Judge Lee Coffee’s courtroom on July 13, 2023. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Young Dolph suspect’s bond conditions are amended … but we can’t tell you what they were amended to. That’s because the new conditions for Hernandez Govan, a suspect in the killing of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, are sealed. Govan’s attorney said the court “more or less has us under a gag order,” due to “safety concerns.” Govan was requesting a curfew so he could seek employment during the day, and his initial bond came with limitations.

QUOTED

Memphis Mayor Paul Young held a press conference on Thursday, March 28, with fellow Black mayors after a two-day convention discussing crime prevention. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

“When you go to a community meeting and someone tells you their car has just been broken into, it’s not comforting.”

— Memphis Mayor Paul Young
On Thursday, Young said, while crime is trending down in Memphis, some people still don’t feel safe. He was the host of a two-day Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime held here on Wednesday and Thursday, during which mayors from 11 states, plus Memphis, shared their thoughts on crime and how their cities are working to reduce it.

THE NICE TO KNOW

The Vietnamese and Chinese Sen Trang Restaurant is having its grand opening on Friday, March 29, in the old Pho Binh building at 1615 Madison Ave. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

Pho Binh is back — kind of! Sen Trang Restaurant is opening today in the old Pho Binh space on Madison Avenue, and owner Quyen Nguyen is carrying on the beloved Midtown institution’s 20-year legacy with many of the same recipes. (Fingers crossed that Pho Binh’s lemongrass tofu is on the menu and tastes exactly the same.) Learn more about that, and the opening date for the new Rock’n Dough Pizza in Orleans Station, in Food Files. And in this week’s $10 Deal, food writer Joshua Carlucci has a hot tip on a healthy sandwich that won’t break the bank.

“I would say this: I’m 100% confident that a solution will be found,” said Craig Unger, president and general manager of the Redbirds, of AutoZone Park’s needed repairs. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Going to bat for AutoZone Park: It’s opening day for the Memphis Redbirds, but not all is well at AutoZone Park. While the 24-year-old ball park’s bones are good, many of the facility’s systems, like the HVAC, the lights and the pipes, are “breaking down on a constant basis,” according to Craig Unger, president and general manager of the Redbirds. And all of that big stadium money that’s made headlines lately is designated for FedExForum and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. So, what does that mean for the future of baseball in Memphis? Unger says he’s been in talks with the city.

Joye Lee-McNelis (in a file photo) coached her 1000th game on Saturday against Murray State. (Courtesy University of Southern Mississippi)

Cancer can’t keep her down: Former Memphis Tigers women’s basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis is now the coach for Southern Miss women’s team. And she has stage-four lung cancer. But that didn’t stop her from guiding her team to an overtime victory in the women’s NIT last weekend. In fact, cancer’s never stopped her from almost anything. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017, and she was right back to coaching two weeks after surgery, because in her words, “What would I do at home?” The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins shares Lee-McNelis’ story of perseverance against all odds.

University of Memphis running back Blake Watson ran agility drills for NFL scouts at the school’s Pro Day on March 28. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Pro material: Memphis Tigers running back Blake Watson made an impressive showing in front of NFL reps from all 32 teams at the University of Memphis’ Pro Day. Watson, the Tigers’ best NFL Draft prospect, was one of 13 players who participated, and he absolutely killed it at the 40-yard dash and hit personal records in his vertical jump and long jump. In other Tigers football news, we’ve got the deets on the team’s annual spring game planned for April 20.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Poplar Avenue traffic in Midtown and Downtown isn’t bad, but once you get east of Highland Street, this is about right.

Have a great weekend, and hoppy Easter!

.....