Democracy is in the air today, Shelby County. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 16, and it’s the first day you can cast your vote for U.S. president and a slew of local offices and city referendums. You can find all the deets in our early voting guide.

Also today, Downtown’s Center City Development Corp. will vote on the transfer of the Sheraton hotel’s title as part of the City of Memphis’ plan to buy the aging hotel for $30 million. Tonight, former Memphis Grizzly Zach Randolph, late Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White and several other sports stars will be inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame.

THE NEED TO KNOW

A previous Memphis Area Transit Authority Board board approved route cuts and layoffs in August. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

All aboard: All nine of Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s appointees to the Memphis Area Transit Authority board were approved by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday, just days after Young sacked the previous board. Now, Young says MATA’s first order of business should be finding a way to avoid the bus route cuts and layoffs the previous MATA board approved in August. In other City Council news, Memphis is one step closer to buying Downtown’s Sheraton hotel after council members agreed to allow Young to ask the state to make the hotel a public-use facility in the Downtown Tourism Development Zone. That means the hotel will be able to receive funds from Downtown sales taxes. And council members also rejected a Frayser construction landfill that owners have been seeking to expand since 2018.

Ty Coleman

Suspended MAS director still on payroll: Ty Coleman, the Memphis Animal Services director who was suspended in June, is still making his annual salary of $120,000 a year. Coleman is under investigation after a dog named Lulu died from being left outside, apparently with no food or water, on a brutally hot summer day. Memphis Chief Administrative Officer Antonio Adams told a Memphis City Council committee on Tuesday that both the city and state are investigating MAS and that the city can’t make a personnel decision while the state probe is underway. But one City Council member advised the city to “get Ty Coleman off our payroll as soon and as quick as possible.” The shelter is now being run by an interim head, who provided some updates on the current state of MAS.

Desmond Mills, left, pleaded guilty to using excessive force against Tyre Nichols and conspiring to cover up the beating after the fact. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Ex-cop in Nichols case asks for delay: Desmond Mills Jr., one of the two former Memphis police officers who pleaded guilty for their roles in Tyre Nichols’ death, wants his federal sentencing delayed from next month until early 2025. That ask follows requests for acquittals from Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith, two other officers convicted in Nichols’ death.

Jeff Abeln

Collierville police brass dies: Jeff Abeln, Collierville’s assistant police chief and one of its longest-tenured officers, died Monday at St. Francis Hospital. Abeln spent 37 years with the Collierville Police Department, starting out in 1987 as a patrol officer. He also served on a number of town boards and worked with the Special Olympics. In other Collierville news, the county’s only remaining Carrabba’s Italian Grill has been fined for serving beer to an underaged customer. And in more suburban news, city employees in Millington are about to get some of the largest raises in the suburb’s history — especially police and fire employees.

QUOTED

From left to right: Nicole Rugayo, Andy Berg, Melissa Latil and Ben Aviotti were in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival and award ceremony. Bob Pease, far right, is president of the Brewer’s Association. (Courtesy Wiseacre Brewing Co.)

“It’s easier to get into Harvard than it is to win a medal at [the] Great American Beer Festival.”

— Kellan Bartosch, Wiseacre Brewing Co. co-owner
But win a medal Wiseacre did. The Memphis brewery took the prestigious beer fest’s top prize for their Sky Dog premium lager. Sky Dog was first released at the Mempho Music Festival in 2023, and it uses corn as an adjunct, similar to Mexican lagers. Fans of tomato juice mixed with beer will be glad to know that a new version is launching soon.

THE NICE TO KNOW

University of Memphis teammates Colby Rogers (left) and P.J. Haggerty (right) applied pressure to North Carolina guard Seth Trimble (middle) on Oct. 15. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

They came, they hooped, we lost: The Memphis Tigers men’s and women’s basketball teams were no match for the North Carolina men’s Tar Heels and the South Carolina women’s Gamecocks in the first-ever Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic on Tuesday. The men’s team lost 84-76, but Coach Penny Hardaway (and our own Parth Upadhyaya) were taking notes. And a few things stood out about this new-look Tigers team. The Tiger women lost 106-63, but Coach Alex Simmons recognized that the Gamecocks, currently the No. 1 women’s team, play “at a level that literally nobody in the country plays at.” But no matter which teams won or lost, it was a big win for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which gets all the proceeds from ticket sales. And our own Geoff Calkins says the games were also a chance for fans to “surrender their hearts once again” to Tigers basketball.

Cordova High automotive teacher Brian Sneed received a $50,000 prize on Tuesday, recognizing excellence in skilled-trades education. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Tools for schools: Cordova High School automotive teacher Brian Sneed got a big surprise (literally and figuratively) on Tuesday when he was presented with a big check for $50,000 from Harbor Freight. Sneed, who has taught at Cordova High since 2011, was chosen for the tool shop’s teaching prize because the school auto shop fixes cars for community members at reduced rates. His wife, Cristy Sneed, knew about the prize weeks ago, and she went above and — well, outdoors — to make sure her husband didn’t find out.

Best Wash opened in the 5,000-square-foot building formerly occupied by Regions Bank at 3558 S. Mendenhall Road. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

The best-washed plans: They say nothing good happens after midnight, but what about clean clothes? Best Wash Laundromats, a St. Louis-based laundromat company, is planning to open a dozen or more 24/7 locations around the Greater Memphis area. The company recently opened its first spot here in an old Regions Bank on South Mendenhall Road. We’ve got more on Best Wash’s plans in Inked, plus some news about a sensory-friendly gym designed for kids on the autism spectrum. 

Hugh Jackman will play Neil Diamond tribute artist Mike Sardina in a new Craig Brewer film. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP file)

Brewer’s next song: Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer is writing and directing an upcoming feature film on Mike and Claire Sardina, a real-life tribute-artist couple who performed Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline songs in Milwaukee. The film, “Song Sung Blue,” stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire, who were also depicted in a Greg Kohs documentary film that inspired the new movie. In other movie news, we’ve got a first look at this year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival line-up. It’ll be headlined by “Nickel Boys,” the story of two Black teenagers at a Florida reform school based off the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. You’ll have to wait until next month to catch those films, but our resident movie buff Chris Herrington has a look at movies you can watch this weekend, including a Mel Brooks horror-comedy classic, in his weekly film round-up.

Kris Ruaro (left) and Eric Makapugay of Mak Ro are releasing their debut album this weekend. (Jamie Harmon)

Ready for their debuts: Memphis singer-songwriter Marcella Simien will release her debut solo album this Friday. Simien played every instrument and wrote all but one song on “To Bend to the Will of a Dream That’s Being Fulfilled,” which she says was inspired by her family’s Louisiana Creole heritage. And speaking of debut album releases, Memphis R&B/soul duo Mak Ro has one coming out on Friday, too.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

The Memphis Grizzlies just signed point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. to a standard contract, which fills the roster hole left behind by Derrick Rose’s retirement last month. The move adds some needed point guard depth behind star Ja Morant. 

Alrighty, I’m heading out to celebrate my birthday! Chris Herrington will be waking up with you tomorrow, and I’ll see you Friday morning. 

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