Good morning, and happy National Chili Dog Day. Maybe you’ve heard this one before, but just in case you’ve missed it, here’s the only song you need for a day devoted to America’s messiest dog. You’re welcome, but also, I apologize for the earworm.

July 31 is also National Avocado Day, and you could make Chef Wally Joe’s Shrimp Toast, which is topped with avocado. Or, you could save yourself the effort and go mash some avo on a thick slice of sourdough, sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning and call it a day. Maybe add some quartered cherry tomatoes if you’re feeling extra.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Chantrel Bernhart, right, mother of Ole Miss football player Corey Adams, spoke during a press conference on July 21 over her son’s death. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Football player’s death still a mystery: Earlier this month, Ole Miss football player Corey Adams was killed and four others were wounded in a shooting near a pool party in Cordova. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has yet to make an arrest. Calvin Wooten, the owner and resident of the home where the pool party was held, remains perplexed as to what caused the shooting. He said his son threw the pool party to make some extra cash, and “nothing happened” to warrant someone to “come through shooting like that.” 

“Students should want to remain in their neighborhoods,” said Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Drawing new school lines: Roderick Richmond, interim superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, has divided the district’s schools into five regions. Four of those are based on location, and each of those quadrants will have its own regional superintendent. The fifth is reserved for the district’s lowest-performing schools, so those schools are located across the city. The approach differs from that of former Superintendent Marie Feagins, who divided schools by state letter grade. Here’s a look at how Richmond divided the schools and why. In other MSCS news, students are going to have to part with their cell phones this year. 

Several families of inmates have filed federal wrongful death lawsuits against Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and other jail leadership. (Courtesy Shelby County Sheriff’s Office file)

Suing the sheriff: More than 60 people have died in custody of the Shelby County Jail since 2019, a stat that far outweighs inmate deaths in other major Tennessee counties. The reasons for those deaths have been varied, but in some cases, families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and other jail leadership. Here’s a look at where several of those suits stand, including the case of an inmate who was killed by a cellmate on the day he was supposed to be released.

Houston High hasn’t seen major updates since it was built in 1989. (The Daily Memphian file)

Money talks: The Germantown Municipal School District recently asked the City of Germantown for $100 million to fix up Houston High, which hasn’t seen many updates since it opened in 1989. Instead, the city offered up one-tenth of that request. But city leaders are also trying other things. This week, a subcommittee met to figure out how Germantown could change its financial policies so it could borrow more money to put toward a Houston High renovation. 

MEET MEMPHIS

Todd Ondra (right) with Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams (left). (Courtesy City of Olive Branch)

Todd Ondra, the recently retired chief operations officer of Olive Branch, brought a touch of FedEx to the North Mississippi city’s government. Before his three years in the OB’s administration, Ondra spent nearly 40 years at FedEx Express, where he was vice president of Global Security Operations. And he tried to bring some of FedEx’s corporate mindset to his government job. “When you get all the departments together working together, then you have a kind of a train that you can’t stop,” Ondra said. Now that Ondra’s train has finally pulled into the station, he plans to spend more time with family.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Tom Lee’s house at 923 N. Mansfield St. is owned by the Klondike Smokey City Community Development Corp. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian)

This old house: You might not even notice the modest, boarded-up home at 923 N. Mansfield St. when passing through North Memphis. But it used to house a hero. And soon, it’ll tell his story. The Klondike Smokey City Community Development Corp. has secured money to restore Tom Lee’s house, which it plans to turn into a cultural center dedicated to Lee’s story and that of the surrounding Klondike neighborhood. If you want to read more about Lee’s heroics, our own Bill Dries put together an exhaustive history for the 100th anniversary of Lee saving 32 people from drowning in the Mississippi River. 

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane sat on the bench during a playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, April 26. (George Walker IV/AP file)

Hot mail: Memphis Grizzlies reporter Chris Herrington’s inbox (er, DM box) is overflowing with questions, so much so that he’s got a three-part Mid-Summer Grizzlies Mailbag. In part one, Herrington wades into the FedExForum lease waters and offers a chill take on why you probably shouldn’t worry that the Grizzlies could leave Memphis. He also analyzes the aftermath of the Desmond Bane trade and offers some bonus summer movie recs.

Runners left the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus for a 465-mile run from Memphis to Peoria, Illinois, on July 30. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Will run for St. Jude: Running 26.2 miles to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital this December? Try 465 miles instead. About 200 runners set off on the St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run, which stretches from Downtown Memphis to Peoria, Illinois, on Wednesday. Technically, it’s a relay, so individual runners aren’t running a full 465 miles. But they’re still running a really long way. And this year, they’re finding inspiration from a nine-year-old patient who just had a bone tumor removed.

Fresh avocados were ready to go into avocado-lime Mempops at its central kitchen. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Summer sweets: When you walk outside at 8 a.m., and the humidity is so high that it feels like a sauna, well, be grateful for a free sauna session. People pay good money for those. But then, treat yourself to an avocado-lime Mempop and eat it inside — where there’s A/C. You deserve it. The Daily Memphian’s Ellen Chamberlain offers a few of her own sweet summer survival strategies in this week’s Table Talk. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Here’s the good news: The Memphis Grizzlies are playing our old friend Desmond Bane and the Orlando Magic in Europe two times in January.

But the bad news: The two mid-January dates — one in Berlin and another in London — mean there will be no Martin Luther King Day game in Memphis next year. 

Enjoy your chili dogs and avocado toast today! See you tomorrow.

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