Hi, early birdies. It’s Thursday, Aug. 29, and the Metal Museum will formally kick off the renovation of the old Memphis College of Art for its new space today. But it’s a private event, so, you know, don’t show up without an invite.

But if you’re feeling left out, you could always enter to win free tickets to the very public football game between the Memphis Tigers and Troy University, set for Saturday, Sept. 7. You’ve got until midnight on Sept. 3 to enter. 

Also, by the time The Early Word goes out tomorrow morning, runners will be wrapping up the third annual Finish Liza’s Run. So, I’m mentioning that now in case you’re interested in running in memory of Eliza Fletcher. That starts at 4:20 a.m. on Friday. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Attorneys for Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert are citing a Donald Trump court decision to dismiss ouster proceedings against her. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian file)

Halbert and Trump: Those are two names you might not expect to see together, but this Wanda Halbert story keeps getting weirder. The attorney for the beleaguered Shelby County clerk is using a Donald Trump case as a defense in the ouster proceedings against her. In July, a Florida federal court decision dismissed charges that the former president illegally kept and refused to return classified documents after he left office. Halbert’s attorney, Darrell O’Neal, said the Trump case showed “a similar concern” to the one used in the second attempt to oust Halbert from office. 

ALSAC purchased 23 of developer Tom Intrator’s blighted properties, including 381 N. Main St., where Precious Cargo once was. (The Daily Memphian file)

St. Jude saves the day: Blighted land once owned by Tom Intrator is now in the hands of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, announced the purchase of 23 of Intrator’s parcels in the Pinch District on Wednesday. The land, which Intrator once promised to develop with buildings as tall as 100 North Main, was the subject of a recent blight lawsuit brought by the Downtown Memphis Commission. 

Two shootings, two different outcomes: Separate shootings this month at Focuz Lounge near Shelby Farms and Midtown’s Railgarten left a total of eight people injured. But the alleged shooters have been treated very differently by the local court system. In the Focuz shooting, Frank Clemons was accused of firing shots outside the lounge, injuring four people. He remains in jail on a $1 million bond. But at Railgarten, Detawn Gunn allegedly left four people injured after a shooting that resulted from a parking space dispute. He was released from jail with no bond at all, and now the Shelby County District Attorney’s office is pushing back on Gunn’s release. Our own Aarron Fleming looks at the very different outcomes and how they happened.

District Attorney General Frederick Agee, left, has called for a criminal investigation into state Sen. Brent Taylor, right. (The Daily Memphian file)

Agee vs. Taylor: Like two plastic Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Frederick Agee (the Republican district attorney for Tennessee’s 28th judicial district) and state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, are at it again. Now, Agee is calling for an investigation into Taylor after the senator posted the Social Security number and birth date of a criminal defendant on X. Taylor said he quickly caught the mistake and replaced the information with a redacted version, but he also claimed the info had “been passed around more than a joint at a Willie Nelson concert” by the time he got to it. Agee and Taylor have also been trading shots about Taylor’s desire to ouster Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy.

QUOTED

“We do have students that simply are still not showing up.”

— Kevin Woods, Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member
Enrollment in Memphis-Shelby County Schools is up from this time last year, but the school system is still missing more than 2,300 students who were expected to attend district schools. Some of those were students were caught up in Achievement School District transitions, but other kids are simply not showing up to class. And that has school officials knocking on doors.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Jermaine Johnson goes by the stage name “FunnyMaine” and is hosting a comedy show to benefit Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. (Courtesy of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital)

Funny story: The new communications head for Memphis-Shelby County Schools is a funny man. Or, FunnyMaine rather. Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson was recently hired as MSCS’ strategic communications officer, but he’s been doing comedy for years. His funny videos about Alabama football draw more than 400,000 views every week, and this Saturday, he’s hosting a local comedy show to benefit Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. But that’s not all: Johnson was once charged with “inciting a riot” in Birmingham over a Confederate statue. The Daily Memphan’s Geoff Calkins offers a look at the man he calls “the most interesting newcomer to Memphis.”

Jennifer Chandler (left), King Jemison (center) and Samuel Hardiman (right) taste-tested new burgers at Tops Bar-B-Q on Poplar. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

These burgers are Tops: On those days when you can’t choose between burgers or barbecue, don’t. Just go to Tops, and request the Fireman or Policeman. No, they won’t call for help. But they will serve you one of two burgers — named in honor of first responders — topped with barbecue or brisket. The Daily Memphian’s food reporter Jennifer Chandler and two of our news crew stopped in for samples, and they’ve all got new favorite Tops orders and a hot tip on how to eat these messy creations.

Businesses can be victims, too: If you own a small business that’s been robbed, burglarized or victimized by crime in other ways, you might be able to get some money for better lighting or landscaping. Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Memphis Police Interim Chief C.J. Davis held a community forum on Wednesday to spread the word on a new program that offers money to businesses to help deter crime. Davis also addressed auto thefts, which are down this year, but it seems car thieves have switched from stealing Kias, Hyundais and Infinities to something a little more high-end.

This is Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore at 7130 Winchester Road. The second store will open Sept. 6 in Collierville. (Courtesy Habitat)

Home improvement: The national headlines are reporting that home-improvement projects are down in this age of high interest rates and low home sales. But when you get inspired after a “Fixer to Fabulous” marathon on HGTV, what’s a gal to do? Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore sells donated household items and building materials at a lower-than-retail price with a goal of raising funds for Habitat projects. And they’re opening a second Memphis-area store in early September. 

Suburbs want juvie: Some of Shelby County’s suburbs want their own juvenile detention center in West Tennessee. Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown have all approved resolutions urging Gov. Bill Lee and state legislators to invest in a new center, and other suburbs will consider similar resolutions this fall. So, where would the new center go? One idea highlighted in the resolutions calls for a feasibility study on the shuttered West Tennessee Federal Detention Center in Mason, Tennessee, which closed in 2021.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

The Memphis Zoo has been working to save the endangered Louisiana pine snake for years, but the zoo just had a big breakthrough that made the snake’s future “a little brighter,” according to Steve Reichling, the zoo’s director of conservation and research.

You can read more Reichling’s mission to save the pine snake in this story from our archives.

Alright, I’m gonna ssss-slither on out of here. See you tomorrow.

.....