Happy Water Wednesday, Memphis. It’s Oct. 30, and yes, that’s a real thing today. Protect Our Aquifer is hosting its quarterly happy hour at Wiseacre Brewing Co. And Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and CEO Doug McGowen will be discussing the Memphis Sand Aquifer, xAI’s water usage and more. But don’t worry: They’ll be serving more than water.

Also tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies have a home game against the Brooklyn Nets, and here’s hoping they’ve fixed that “terrible defense” from Monday’s loss to Chicago. 

And if you’re looking for something Halloween-y to do, you might check out tonight’s screening of the 1922 silent documentary on witchcraft, “Haxan,” at Crosstown Theater. Alex Greene & the Rolling Head Orchestra will perform a live score. You can read more on that and other films coming up this weekend in Chris Herrington’s Memphis Movies This Week column.

THE NEED TO KNOW

“Buc-ee’s is more than just a travel center — it’s an experience,” said West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon.(David Zalubowski/AP file)

Move over, Fayette County: Buc-ee’s is coming to West Memphis. The gas station chain with a cult-like following will open a 74,000-square-foot travel center with more than 120 fueling stations (and all the Beaver Nuggets you can eat) just over the bridge. This essentially means Midtown and Downtown Memphis is getting a Buc-ee’s, right? Now, you can stock up at the West Memphis Walmart, the Walgreen’s liquor store (IFKYK) and Buc-ee’s all in one go. It’ll be the second Buc-ee’s in the Mid-South; the company announced in April that a location was coming soon to Fayette County. 

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s attorney contends the Shelby County Attorney’s office cannot hand off an ouster complaint to outside special counsel. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Who can oust her? That is the question that Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson is still weighing in the ouster case against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert. Corbin-Johnson dismissed the first ouster lawsuit against Halbert, which was made on grounds that she had willfully neglected her duties of office. Now, three months after a second ouster attempt was filed, Corbin-Johnson is still considering what to do. The Shelby County Attorney’s office hired special counsel to bring the lawsuit, due to a conflict. But Halbert’s lawyer says the county can’t hand off an ouster complaint to outside special counsel. The Daily Memphian’s Bill Dries offers an update on the complex and drawn-out case. And in case you need a refresher course on all of the twists and turns, you’ll find a timeline here. 

“We want to make sure we are taking the crime drivers off the streets,” Memphis Police Col. Frank Winston (left) said. Forrest Edwards (right) is the department’s new investigative counsel. (Aarron Fleming/The Daily Memphian)

Off the run: The Memphis Police Department launched a fugitive task force in late September, and it’s already making a dent in outstanding warrants. There were around 24,000 outstanding warrants in Shelby County when the task force began, and they’ve already made 280 arrests. The MPD also hired a new investigative attorney to act as a liaison between the department and the Shelby County District Attorney’s office, helping prosecutors build cases against defendants. 

“The Shelby County Commission’s vote to support the TIFs for Lakeland have had a tremendous impact on reducing blight and crime, creating jobs and collecting sales tax to support Lakeland and Shelby County schools,” Lakeland Mayor Josh Roman said. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

You get a TIF! You get a TIF! The Shelby County Commission approved two new tax-increment-financing districts (TIFs) for Lakeland and Arlington on Monday. TIFs use future property-tax revenue from within approved districts to pay for community improvements, like roads and other infrastructure. The Lakeland Meadows Safety TIF, the suburb’s fourth, could provide approximately $36 million and fund an expansion of Seed Tick Road and a new fire station. The commission also approved Arlington’s first TIF, which will fund roads and other infrastructure for the multimillion-dollar Hawthorne mixed-use project.

MEET MEMPHIS

Sam O’Bryant will be the new CEO of Bridges. (Courtesy Sam O’Bryant)

There’s a bit of nonprofit musical chairs happening in Memphis. Literacy Mid-South’s CEO Sam O’Bryant is leaving to take on the CEO role at Bridges, the Memphis-based youth development organization. That follows Bridges’ current CEO, Dana Wilson, announcing earlier this year that she will step down after 16 years. And Literacy board member John Nichols will step up as an interim leader at Literacy Mid-South. During his time at the literary organization, O’Bryant helped the organization grow from nine full-time employees to 21 and secured millions in funding. But he says he’s most proud of his work starting Tutor901, which provides reading tutors for area elementary schools.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Essensole will open in the former Arrow Creative location at 2535 Broad Ave. (Submitted)

Art and sole: A new sneaker and vintage clothing store called Essensole will open in the former Arrow Creative spot in the Broad Avenue Arts District. Owner Dennis Stewart said he was attracted to Broad Avenue because the neighborhood has high foot traffic. (Of course, a shoe store owner would say that.) Read more about the new shop, including a projected opening date, and other commercial real estate updates in this week’s Inked column. 

“I want to see if we can spark our pace and our activity on the defensive side a lot better with that deep rotation,” said Memphis Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins. (Brandon Dill/AP file)

Deep and flat: The Memphis Grizzlies’ season is still brand new, but one thing so far is certain: The rotation has been as deep and flat as Barry White’s voice with vocal fatigue. In his column this week, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington points out that, after the season’s first week, Desmond Bane was leading the Grizzlies at 28 minutes per game. The only other team leader under 30 minutes per night was Golden State’s Stephen Curry. Herrington said there could be reason to believe the deep and flat rotation was a reaction to a few star players working their way back from injury, but it seems Coach Taylor Jenkins has another reason for the change.

Shaun Kavanaugh of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty to seeking fraudulent reimbursements from FedEx. (Keith Srakocic/AP file)

Florida man vs. FedEx: Here’s a “Florida man” story for you. Shaun Kavanaugh of Orlando pleaded guilty last week to defrauding FedEx of hundreds of thousands in a mail scheme that started nearly a decade ago. For three years, Kavanaugh would allegedly ship packages, claim they were lost and then ask FedEx to reimburse him. In all, Kavanaugh received more than $750,000 from FedEx. In September 2023, a federal grand jury in Memphis indicted a Texas man for a similar scheme.

“A green bank like this one has the power to transform lives by making clean energy affordable and accessible,” said Yasmin Yacoby, deputy chief of staff in the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the U.S. Department of Energy. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Going green: There’s a new bank in town, but it’s dealing in a different kind of “green.” The Memphis Green Bank, announced by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the City of Memphis, on Tuesday will fund home weatherizations and other renewable-energy projects to help make Memphis more climate-resilient. The TVA is providing the start-up cash for the new initiative, which has the backing of President Joe Biden’s administration. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Former Memphis Grizzly Rudy Gay announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday. Gay, 38, last played for the Utah Jazz. He reflected on his long career, which started in Memphis, in this piece in The Players Tribune. 

“One thing about Memphis … those fans, they love to see the players they cheer for out and about town. Like they really want to see you,” wrote Gay. “You can’t be one of those hermit crab-type dudes, the ‘we-never-see-him-anywhere’ types, and be playing in Memphis. It just won’t work.”

Somebody make sure Jay Huff and Yuki Kawamura know this, OK? I need to be seeing them at the Whole Foods.

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