Ready to get down to business? It’s Wednesday, Oct. 9, and the University of Memphis is hosting a seminar this morning on ways that local companies can do business with the college.

Speaking of seminars, The Daily Memphian has one coming up. Our annual Developing Memphis panel, scheduled for Oct. 24, will cover the latest big development projects with input from Chance Carlisle (the man behind the newish Hyatt hotels Downtown), Ernest Strickland (president and CEO of Black Chamber of Memphis) and Stephen Townsend (who will talk about the airport modernization project). Get your tickets here.

And while you’re planning ahead, you might want to put your name in to win free tickets to see the Memphis Tigers play North Texas on Saturday, Oct. 19. Our giveaway ends on Oct. 15, so good luck!

THE NEED TO KNOW

“Actually, strange as it might sound, [the FBI move is] going to allow us to increase the number of agents who will be assigned to the Memphis office,” said FBI Director Chris Wray. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP file)

FBI field office leaves for Nashville: Nashville just scored a point in the ongoing battle between Memphis and our state’s capital city. (It’s a battle that Nashville doesn’t even care about, mind you.) The Federal Bureau of Investigation is consolidating its Memphis and Knoxville field offices and moving them to Nashville, and the local office will be downgraded to a “resident agency.” So, what does the move mean for Memphis crime? According to FBI Director Chris Wray, it could actually increase the agency’s presence in Memphis.

Bond resolutions were approved for the $30 million purchase and maintenance of the Sheraton Memphis Downtown hotel. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Word on the bonds: Downtown’s Center City Revenue Finance Corp. approved a slew of bond resolutions for big projects on Tuesday, including the $30 million purchase and maintenance of the Sheraton hotel. Those bonds will be used by the City of Memphis to buy the hotel and pay for its renovation plans. A nonprofit is then expected to buy the hotel at market price. Also approved were bonds of $10 million for AutoZone Park upkeep and $6 million for 100 N. Main’s parking garage renovation. 

View Inc.‘s facility is located at 12380 Kirk Road in Olive Branch. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

This smarts for OB: View Inc., a “smart glass” manufacturer in Olive Branch, has laid off 147 workers. The California-based company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and announced it would go private. That’s after being fined $5 million for illegally discharging wastewater in 2023. What’s smart glass, you ask? It’s glass that can change from clear to tinted, in response to electrical or thermal signals, preventing sunlight or heat into buildings.

MEET MEMPHIS

Ashley McCray will transition to a higher-paying career in manufacturing through a new program funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Moore Technical College and The Goodwill Excel Center. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Ashley McCray has spent her career working in warehouses and driving forklifts, but as a 35-year-old mother of nine, she’s looking to take on a more lucrative job. This summer, McCray completed her high school diploma at The Goodwill Excel Center, a school for adults that offers traditional diplomas at no charge to students. And now McCray is one of about 60 students training in a new program at the Excel Center that will help her move into skilled manufacturing. “This will be my game changer right here,” she said.

THE NICE TO KNOW

FedExForum will offer a hickory-smoked pork-loin baguette, among other new items. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

What to eat at Grizz games: Those of you who spend your lunch breaks sitting in line at Chick-fil-A drive-thrus can now stand in line at Memphis Grizzlies and Tigers games for your favorite fried chicken sammies. Yes, Chick-fil-A has come to FedExForum, and the NIMBY folks can’t even complain about the traffic. (But if you’re at one of four Sunday Grizz games this season, you’re out of luck, sorry.) Also new to FedExForum this season: A kiosk from local taco chain Taco-N-Ganas and some new gourmet items from the forum’s in-house concession vendors. And if you’re one of the discerning soda drinkers who passed the Pepsi Challenge back in the day, you’ll certainly notice a big change in the soft drink selection. In non-food-related Grizzlies news, some NBA sports experts think the team has pretty decent playoff chances this year. 

Memphis Coach Ryan Silverfield directed his team before the start of a Sept. 14, game against Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida. (Colin Hackley/AP file)

Come heck or high water? If you’re a betting man or woman, here’s something to put money on. The Memphis Tigers football game that was planned for Friday in Tampa against USF has been rescheduled to Saturday over concerns about Hurricane Milton, which is expected to hit Tampa late today or early Thursday. That said, the AAC and both teams will reassess after the storm passes. (Considering that Milton is a Category 5 storm at the time of this writing and that people who live in its path have been ordered to evacuate, my money would be on no football, but what do I know?) In other Tigers news, South Carolina Gamecocks Coach Dawn Staley talks about why she’s excited for her team to play in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic next week. 

”Saturday Night” tracks producer Lorne Michaels and his troupe of young comedians and writers as they prepare for the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 11, 1975. (Courtesy Sony Pictures)

Saturday night’s alright for watching: Don’t have weekend plans yet? Old-school “Saturday Night Live” fans might want to spend their Saturday night watching, well, “Saturday Night,” the new film set in the hours before the first-ever 1975 SNL broadcast. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington says your interest in the movie might depend on your affection for Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, John Belushi and the OG crew. Of course, you can always wait for that one to come out on streaming, but this weekend could be your only chance for a while to catch a “sly and funny and frightening” Alfred Hitchcock classic on the big screen.

Age is but a number: The planned age-restricted apartments for seniors at Arlington’s Providence Place development will now be open to renters of all ages. That’s after the town’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved removing the restriction on Monday, but developers still plan to offer incentives to seniors and veterans. Though the apartments are moving along, Providence Place’s planned hotel hit a bit of a roadblock after Ford announced a production delay for BlueOval City. In other Arlington news, the suburb’s existing Town Hall will soon double in size because plans to build a whole new Town Hall are taking too long.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Looking for a way to help Hurricane Helene victims? Area law enforcement offices are collecting supplies.

Happy hump day, and we’ll meet back here as the sun is coming up on Thursday.

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