Good morning, Memphis. It’s Monday, April 15 — Tax Day — and that either means nothing to you (because you were on top of things and got your taxes done early) or it means you’re scrambling to file those returns at the last minute. If you fall into the latter camp, know that you can file for free with the IRS as part of its 12-state pilot program, which is available in Tennessee. (I wish someone had told me that before I shelled out the big bucks for TurboTax.)

For a look ahead, check out This Week in Memphis.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Officer Joseph McKinney, 26, was shot to death on Friday, April 12, in the line of duty. (Courtesy Memphis Police Association)

Officer, suspect killed in shootout: Memphis police officer Joseph “Rusty” McKinney, 26, was killed on Friday morning during a shootout with two suspects after officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call near Horn Lake Road and Charter Avenue. Two other officers were also shot (but survived their injuries), and one of those suspects, Jaylen Lobley, 18, is dead. Lobley had been arrested on gun charges in early March, and his bail was lowered significantly before he was released on his own recognizance two days later. State and local leaders reacted to McKinney’s death on Friday.

Cleotha Abston appeared in court for his trial in Judge Lee Coffee’s courtroom on Tuesday, April 9. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Abston’s verdict on rape charge: Cleotha Abston was found guilty on Friday of aggravated rape for his 2021 assault on Alicia Franklin. He was also found guilty on gun charges and aggravated kidnapping. Franklin reported to police that Abston raped her at gunpoint on Sept. 21, 2021, after they had met on a dating site. Abston is also charged in the death of Memphis runner Eliza Fletcher. Abston’s legal team was disappointed in the verdict and claimed evidence on Franklin’s phone could have helped their case.

Juvie visits resume: In-person visitation will resume as early as next week for detainees at the county’s new juvenile detention center. Visits hadn’t been allowed at the Youth Justice and Education Center, and a coalition of advocacy groups earlier this month sent a letter to Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. with concerns. That letter also addressed a lack of education opportunities and outdoor recreation time for detainees. Outdated COVID-19 policies were part of the problem with in-person visits, and a Shelby County Commissioner is also working on a resolution to end them.

Jackson Quinn, foreground, placed a bottle containing a PFAS water sample into a rotator April 10 at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati. (Joshua A. Bickel/AP file)

Goodbye forever, chemicals: The federal government is finally regulating “forever chemicals” in drinking water, and that means Memphis Light, Gas and Water will have to test the water here and, if necessary, pay for clean-up costs. PFAS, better known as “forever chemicals,” are found in all kinds of things, from non-stick cookware to paints, and they stick around in water supplies for a long time. Some states have regulated the toxic chemicals, but others, like Tennessee, have not. Fortunately for MLGW, federal funds may be available for the cleanup.

QUOTED

The Benjamin Hooks Center for Social Change’s new space inside Wilder Tower was unveiled last week. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

“Memphis has so many missed opportunities. What we’re here to do is see if we can stop missing those ...”

— Daphene McFerren, executive director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Center for Social Change
The Hooks Center unveiled its new space in Wilder Tower at the University of Memphis on Friday. The center manages documentary production, research, policy collaboration and public events, such as last week’s 70-year retrospective of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

THE NICE TO KNOW

“The purpose of this foundation is to try to create continuity not only for WLOK, but also for its related entities,” said WLOK owner Art Gilliam. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

WLOK is forever: The city’s first Black-owned radio station, along with its Stone Soul Picnic and Black Film Festival, will carry on long after its owner, Art Gilliam, is gone. That’s thanks to WLOK’s long-standing nonprofit foundation, which was recently expanded. Gilliam, the first Black reporter at The Commercial Appeal and the first Black on-air reporter and anchor at WMC-TV, purchased WLOK in 1977. He will continue to run the gospel station as a for-profit business until he retires and turns it over to the foundation. 

Tommy’s Burger California Style owners Misael and Anai Alvarado (left to right) are planning for a possible April 21 opening in Bartlett. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Burgers and breakfast and pizza and pasta: The local owners behind Tommy’s Burger California Style are opening a second location in Bartlett with a focus on, well, burgers but also breakfast items, like eggs, pancakes and French toast. But unlike the East Memphis Tommy’s location, you won’t find Mexican food options in the Bartlett spot. And in Midtown, the Overton Park Shell has partnered with food truck Pizza Dis Pasta Dat to be its year-round food provider. That means you won’t have to wait for an outdoor music show at the Shell to sample owner Keedran Franklin’s pizzas, pastas and giant stuffed meatballs. As the first permanent food truck at the Shell, Pizza Dis Pasta Dat is open four days a week, event or not. 

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, right, talked with forward GG Jackson II in the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, April 14, in Memphis. (Brandon Dill/AP)

Fitting end to a wayward season: Perhaps it’s not fair that the injury-stricken, hardship-player-packed Memphis Grizzlies team was paired with the defending champion Denver Nuggets for the last game of the season. But that’s how it ended on Sunday, with an unsurprising 126-111 Grizz loss. But GG Jackson poured in a career-high 44 points, and Jake LaRavia reminded fans why he’s still here with impressive play as well. The game was quite the contrast from Friday’s much more entertaining loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In that game, the Lakers pulled out with a 123-120 win, but LaRavia and a team of ad hoc players kept LeBron James and Co. on their toes. That game also brought a shot clock error that no one noticed until the next day. Oh well. Here’s to a healthier team and a much better season next year!

Wichita State guard Colby Rogers aimed from the free throw line during a basketball game against Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Jan. 18, in Boca Raton, Florida. (Marta Lavandier/AP file)

In other sports news … Colby Rogers, a former shooting guard for Wichita State, committed to the 2024-25 Memphis Tigers basketball team over the weekend. He said his decision to commit was influenced by a chance to work with former NBA star/Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway: “I looked at it like, ‘That’s an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest who ever touched a basketball.’” And in football news, the Memphis Showboats lost, 33-14, to the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday. The teams traded scores for much of the first half, but the Stallions pulled away in the second.

The Relax Inn near Canada Road and Interstate 40 is one of two motels the City of Lakeland acquired with plans to demolish. (Michael Waddell/The Daily Memphian file)

No vacancy: Lakeland is cracking down on future hotel projects. The city recently took over and demolished a crime-riddled Econo Lodge, and the same is happening soon with Lakeland’s Relax Inn. Now, the Lakeland Municipal Planning and Design Review Commission is working to change zoning and permitting rules for hotels, and they’re cracking down on motel-style buildings that allow room access from the outside. 

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

It’s finally warm enough to break out the tank tops and flip flops this week. But we could be in for some wet weather on Tuesday.

Enjoy this warm and sunny day — after you get those taxes done, of course.

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