Hi, Memphis. Today is Wednesday, Aug. 7, and Memphis rapper Gangsta Boo would have been 45 today. The first female member of Three 6 Mafia died of an accidental overdose on New Year’s Day in 2023. La Chat, the group’s second female member, will host a heavenly birthday party at Growlers tonight.

In other news, Germantown Municipal School District students are back in class today. And the Shelby County Commission will meet for its biweekly committee sessions. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

The city’s new comprehensive riverfront plan brings a new tenant to Mud Island’s River Terrace restaurant. (The Daily Memphian file)

From the riverfront to Liberty Park (and beyond): You might one day be able to walk from Downtown’s Crump Park, the small park south of the “old bridge,” all the way to Mud Island’s Greenbelt Park. Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s administration gave the Memphis City Council a preview Tuesday of a new plan that extends the riverfront walking path and reopens the long-closed River Terrace restaurant on Mud Island. In other council news, members approved three new leases for Liberty Park, including one for a laser tag, bowling and axe-throwing facility. And Young told the council that the city has hired a firm to perform a forensic audit of the Memphis Area Transit Authority that could result in reducing and combining bus routes. Plus, the city’s interim operating and financial officers were officially appointed, and Joann Massey was approved as president of the Economic Development Growth Engine, but she can’t take on the role just yet.

Elon Musk could sell xAI’s greywater plant to the City of Memphis once it is complete. (Susan Walsh/AP file)

Greywater plant for sale: Elon Musk’s xAI could start construction on a new greywater plant to cool its supercomputer as soon as next week, pending permits. And that plant could also be used to cool the Tennessee Valley Authority’s operations, as well as two other large industrial users, if they’re interested. Musk’s company would also be prepared to sell its greywater plant to the City of Memphis at a low cost. (But what is “cheap” to a billionaire?)

Memphis Police officer Bobby Fields remains at Regional One Health in “very serious condition” after the Aug. 2 collision at Mississippi and Danny Thomas boulevards that took the lives of officer Demetrice Johnson and motorist Rantavious Johnson. (Aarron Fleming/The Daily Memphian)

Injured MPD officer identified: The Memphis Police Department revealed that Bobby Fields was the other officer involved in an early morning crash on Friday that killed officer Demetrice Johnson. Fields remains in “very serious condition,” according to a Memphis City Council resolution read on Tuesday. Gunshot victim Rantavious Johnson, 22, was also identified as the motorist killed in the two-car crash. Johnson had been shot several blocks away and was driving the other car that collided with the police car. 

QUOTED

“To do what Dwight did, you’d have to have ... a personality to be able to get along with peasants and kings.”

— Jack Sammons, general chairman of the FedEx St. Jude Championship
Sammons and others remembered Dwight Drinkard, the longtime director of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Drinkard died of kidney failure on Aug. 5, at age 76. He’s credited with bringing the golf tournament “into the big time,” according to Sammons. And he also pumped new life into St. Jude’s Memphis Marathon and Overton Park Junior Open.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Taylor Knibb, left, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey and Seth Rider, right, of the United States, posed during a medal ceremony for the mixed-relay triathlon at the Olympics on Monday, Aug. 5, in Paris. (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Silver linings: Germantown triathlete Seth Rider has been officially working toward his Olympic dream since he was 16. But even before that, his parents were schlepping him to practices and sporting events. All of that paid off on Monday when he earned a silver medal with Team USA in the Olympic mixed-relay triathlon. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins talked to Seth’s mom, Mary Rider, about his dedication to the sport and his viral-internet moment after he told national media that he was preparing to swim the dirty Seine River by not washing his hands. (Turns out Seth Rider has jokes.) In other Olympic news, Sam Kendricks of Oxford, Mississippi, earned a silver medal in the Olympic pole-vaulting competition on Monday.

The concept for a Bartlett mixed-use project with a Loflin Yard-type business passed its first hurdle on Monday, Aug. 5. (The Daily Memphian file)

Ramble On rambles on: A Loflin Yard-style entertainment venue is one step closer for Bartlett, after the suburb’s Planning Commission unanimously approved a mixed-use plan that includes residential homes and a bar called Ramble On Summer. The venue from Loflin managing partner Mason Jambon would feature live music, food, cornhole and volleyball, among other family-friendly activities. “I prefer for it to be more like you’re at somebody’s farm. That’s what I’m shooting for,” Jambon said. Sounds idyllic, but some neighbors have concerns. 

Back Yard Burgers operated at 2110 West Street in Germantown from 1994 until it closed in January 2023. (Beth Gooch/The Daily Memphian)

Pizza to burgers to burritos: A building on West Street in Germantown that was originally built as a Pizza Hut could be replaced with a new Chipotle Mexican Grill. The spot was more recently a Back Yard Burgers until it closed in January 2023. Chipotle wants to construct a new building, and they’re asking for a few exceptions to city rules. 

Greg Rubin during the Memphis Tigers spring scrimmage at Centennial High School on April 2, 2022, in Franklin, Tennessee. (Courtesy Harrison McClary)

The other football guy: You hear a lot about Memphis Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan, but what about defensive back Greg Rubin? Henigan and Rubin, both true freshmen from three years ago, are among the most seasoned vets in the Memphis locker room heading into the 2024 season. And they’re both now entering their senior years with Memphis being the AAC preseason favorite for the first time in league history. The Daily Memphian’s Frank Bonner II offers a look at how Rubin switching from cornerback to safety last year helped him come out of shell. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Hip-hop artist Pitbull bought the naming rights to Florida International Stadium, so it’ll soon be renamed — you guessed it — Pitbull Stadium. That led Memphis X user Devin Walker to ask which Memphis rapper should buy naming rights to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. My money is on GloRilla for Glo Bowl.

Have a great Wednesday!

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