Good morning, Memphis. It’s Thursday, Sept. 5, and Collierville may be getting caffeinated. The suburb’s Planning Commission will consider a proposal for the Memphis area’s first Dutch Bros coffee chain today.

Down in Victorian Village, the neighborhood CDC is asking for public input on how to better utilize the area’s football-field-sized city park. They’re hosting a meeting tonight with music and drinks. You could go to that, or you could put on some soft pants and curl up on the couch for “Fight Night,” the new Craig Brewer-produced Peacock TV series with Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson and Taraji P. Henson. Pass the popcorn.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Memphis Tigers assistant coach Rick Stansbury won’t return for the 2024-25 basketball season. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Black Tuesday: Whew, it’s been a week for the Memphis Tigers basketball program. Following Tuesday’s news that Coach Penny Hardaway made major changes to his coaching staff, we learned on Wednesday that an anonymous letter was sent to the NCAA alleging widespread rules violations by the Tigers team. Among those: paying someone else to do players’ homework and big payouts for player commitments. It’s not clear if the allegations are tied to Hardaway’s decision to let go of coaching staffers Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, Jamie Rosser and Demetrius Dyson. Our own Geoff Calkins thinks the firings are pretty dramatic and dubbed the day they were let go as “Black Tuesday.” But turnover seems to be common on Hardaway’s staff, and we’ve got a look at everyone who’s ever worked under him and what happened to them. In other not-so-great Tigers news, University of Memphis athletic director Ed Scott is getting worried about football ticket sales. But here’s a very non-sportsy U of M bright spot: The school took in more than $100 million in research awards last year.

A proposal of more than $15 million for jail repairs will go before the Shelby County Commission on Monday. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Jail SOS: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is asking for more than $15 million for “emergency” repairs at the jail. That includes funds for repairing or replacing more than 630 jail doors, HVAC systems, a walk-in freezer and more. The proposal was brought to the Shelby County Commission’s committee session on Wednesday, and it’ll go up for a vote in Monday’s full commission meeting. The SCSO wants the money to come from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds that were supposed to go to a new county Mental Health Safety and Justice Center. But Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has another idea that might not fly with the sheriff’s office.

Up or down? More defendants were rearrested for crimes after the implementation of Shelby County’s 2023 Standing Bail Order, according to a new, third-party report by the University of Memphis. The rearrest rate increased from a little over 14% before the order to 16% after it was fully implemented, according to the U of M data. That’s contrary to what was reported last fall by General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson and Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall. In criminal-justice news on the other side of the jail bars, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is getting a big boost of federal funding for crime victims. 

Memphis City Council chair J.B. Smiley couldn’t be reached Wednesday afternoon for comment on why the City Court clerk referendum item was not included on the November ballot. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Ballot questions you’ll definitely be voting on: Much ado has been made about the gun-control referendums that may not make it on the November ballot. But what ballot questions will be included? So far, the Memphis City Council has submitted three referendums related to mayoral and council candidates and council members’ pay. Another expected ballot question over whether the office of City Court clerk should be an elected position appears to be M.I.A. 

QUOTED

Chef Jackson Kramer died on Monday, Sept. 1, at age 44. (The Daily Memphian file)

“ [Jackson Kramer] was an influencer before TikTok, a culinary leader and an inspiration to many young talents ...”

—Stephen Hassinger, former restaurateur
Hassinger and other friends and colleagues remembered chef and restaurateur Jackson Kramer, who died on Monday at age 44 after four cancer battles. Kramer became the chef at Interim at age 28 and later went on to open Bounty on Broad in 2014.

THE NICE TO KNOW

“It’s going to be a destination place. Fayette County is very proud of it,” said Fayette County Mayor Rhea “Skip” Taylor of the coming-soon Buc-ee’s. (David Zalubowski/AP file)

Countdown to kolaches: You may be able to buy Buc-ee’s famous jalapeno kolaches and Beaver Nuggets around these parts sometime in 2026, if all goes according to plan. Buc-ee’s completed acquisition of the land for its new Fayette County location last Friday, and construction is expected to begin by the end of the year. Here’s a look at where the project stands and where it’s going.

Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II reacted during an NBA summer league game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 10. (Rick Bowmer/AP file)

Worst foot forward: Memphis Grizzlies second-year wing GG Jackson was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise tragic season earlier this year. But we’ll have to wait at least a month after the new season starts to see any Jackson action. He’ll need surgery for the foot fracture he sustained while practicing in late August, and on Wednesday, the Grizzlies announced a possible recovery timeline.

The Shelby County Health Department could bring air monitoring back to South Memphis. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Clearing the air: A long-gone South Memphis air-monitoring station could be coming back. The Shelby County Health Department received funding and approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to bring back the station in the 38109 ZIP code, which deals with pollution from the Valero Refinery, Tennessee Valley Authority’s Allen plant and xAI. And in related news, Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks pressed the health department on Wednesday over xAI’s lack of a permit for its natural-gas turbines, and Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor gave the most definitive answer yet.

Patrick Carney, left, and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys will perform a DJ set at WYXR’s Raised By Sound festival. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP file)

Keys on the turntables: WYXR’s third annual Raised by Sound festival on Dec. 7 will include a DJ set from The Black Keys. The full lineup was released on Wednesday, after the initial news dropped in July that Spaceman and John Coxon of English rock band Spiritualized will headline the fest with a live score to Memphis artist William Eggleston’s “Stranded in Canton.”

Issac Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, and David Porter co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a 1966 hit for soul duo Sam and Dave for Memphis-based Stax Records. (Paul Warner/AP file)

Hold on, he’s not coming: Isaac Hayes and David Porter wrote, “Don’t you ever be sad. Lean on me when the times are bad,” in the 1966 Sam and Dave soul hit, “Hold On, I’m Coming.” But former President Donald Trump will have to lean on another song for his reelection campaign. A federal judge in Atlanta ruled Tuesday that Trump must stop using the song while Hayes’ family pursues a lawsuit over its use on the campaign trail.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Remember the season finale of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when Will is left all alone in the mansion when his family leaves for the East Coast? Well, that’s Penny Hardaway now.

Alright, I’m off to clear my plans for “Fight Night.” Have a good one!

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