Good morning, Memphis! It’s Wednesday, Feb. 5, and there’s plenty of basketball to get you over the hump today.

The No. 17-in-the-country Memphis Tigers men’s team will play Tulsa at FedExForum, and the women’s team has an away match-up with Temple. Plus, the Memphis Grizzlies are up in Canada tonight for a game against the Toronto Raptors.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The discussion over a new road through Shelby Farms Park has been going on for decades. (The Daily Memphian file)

Chamber pushes Shelby Farms Parkway: The Memphis City Council took no position Tuesday on a renewed push for a four-lane Shelby Farms Parkway through a part of Shelby Farms Park. The project was scrapped in 2023 after decades of delays, but the Greater Memphis Chamber is trying to bring it back, citing traffic congestion on Walnut Grove Road. Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s administration said Tuesday that it wasn’t opposed to the project but that its priorities are “on developing the core of the city.” Council member Dr. Jeff Warren said it sounded like the Chamber just wants to see more development on the park’s north end. In other council news, members delayed a vote on a budget amendment that includes the $5 million Memphis Area Transit Authority needs to function. And they said “not so fast” to xAI’s plan to buy 13 acres of land from the City of Memphis for a greywater treatment plant. 

Todd Mastry, former executive director of the Landers Center, was fired in January during a special meeting of the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

DeSoto officials deny racism claims: The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors released a statement on Tuesday denying allegations that some of its members told former Landers Center Executive Director Todd Mastry to stop booking Black artists. Mastry filed a lawsuit last week alleging that certain supervisors told him they didn’t want “those people” coming down from Memphis to see Black artists, like Lil Wayne. Mastry was fired by the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau in January for reasons that weren’t made public.

FedExForum renovations may not be ready for seven years. (The Daily Memphian file) 

Forum reno may take a hot minute: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will be past his basketball prime at the ripe age of 32 by the time FedExForum renovations are done. On Tuesday, Memphis Mayor Paul Young told the Memphis City Council that work on the arena could last until 2032. He outlined the next steps for the $550 million renovation, which is intended to keep the Grizzlies in town. And he’s asking the council to raise the city’s hotel-motel tax to help pay for the update. 

Ezekiel Kelly appeared in Judge James Jones’ courtroom on Monday, March 25. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Ezekiel Kelly will be his own lawyer: The man accused of killing three people and wounding three others in a citywide shooting spree in September 2022 will represent himself in his death-penalty case this summer. A judge granted Kelly’s request last month to serve as his own lawyer, and in a hearing on Tuesday, he told the judge he would need more time to review the evidence against him. Kelly is facing first-degree murder charges, and prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty. On Tuesday, Kelly’s previous attorney Michael Scholl, admitted Kelly’s decision wasn’t the best idea. 

QUOTED

“If we all get access to the same dollars, the rules need to be the same for both teams.”

— Germantown Municipal School District Chairwoman Angela Griffith
Now that Gov. Bill Lee’s private school-voucher plan has passed, suburban school districts in Germantown and Lakeland are pushing for a level playing field since public funds will be used for both private and public schools. The Lakeland School System even plans to ask for a reduction in state-mandated testing.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Carolyn Armmer (left) and Thelma Scott (right) became friends at a Memphis Tigers game. (Courtesy Carolyn Armmer)

Basketball besties: Thelma Scott, a 94-year-old retired teacher, has attended more than 1,100 Memphis Tigers games over the years. Her love for the team started way back in 1948, when she enrolled at then-Memphis State College. Scott has had season tickets for decades, but after her husband and many of her friends died, she wound up sitting alone at games. That’s where Carolyn Armmer, a 71-year-old retired postal worker, comes in. Armmer was working as an usher at FedExForum when she noticed Scott sitting alone. The two got to talking, and well, it was the start of a beautiful friendship that Geoff Calkins tells us about today.

The former Jerry Lee Lewis Cafe & Honky Tonk on Beale Street will be Docks Off 5th. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

Docks Off is on: New York City-based Docks Off 5th will open a location on Beale Street in the former Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe and Honky Tonk. The bar was supposed to have a more Memphis-y name, but a change was made to keep the brand cohesive with the NYC spot. Docks Off 5th will serve seafood and American comfort food (think shrimp and grits, seafood pastas and brunch burgers), as well as cocktails and mocktails.

First Congregational Church is selling two of its three buildings. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

First Congo buildings for sale: First Congregational Church in Cooper-Young has listed two of its three buildings for sale. The 82,000-square-foot complex has always been too large for the church itself, but for years, it leased the extra space to social justice organizations, like the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Revolutions Bicycle Cooperative and other groups. The pandemic changed the space needs for some groups, so the church is opting to sell. Read more on that in Inked, plus the details of a new Germantown retail center.

Jaren Jackson Jr. attended the Zegna show in Milan during Fashion Week in the summer of 2024. (Courtesy David Herrera)

Fashion and mountains: Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. is a vlogger now, as you know if you’ve been following writer Drew Hill’s series on the star’s new YouTube videos. Over the last couple of days, we’ve learned how Jackson’s passion for individualism influenced his film project, and we’ve followed his journey through the Florida Everglades in the back of a pickup truck. Today, in part three, Hill takes us behind the scenes as Jackson navigates the chaos of Fashion Week — in style, of course — and a spontaneous trip to Aspen. And in other film news, Herrington tells us how to watch “I’m Still Here,” the last of the 10 Oscars Best Picture nominees to arrive on Memphis screens.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Mempho released its daily line-up for the Riverbeat Music Festival on Tuesday. If you need me on Friday, May 2, you know where to find me. 

Go Tigers and go Grizz! Now go have a stellar day!

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