Happy hump day, Shelby County. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 20, and a former Downtown taco shop could soon be serving tonics — as in, gin and tonics. The Center City Development Corp. will consider a grant today for Midtown’s Tonica to open a second location.

The Shelby County Commission’s committees are meeting, too, and you can expect more talk about a shift of Memphis-Shelby County School board elections. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Manny Arora, Hernandez Govan’s attorney, spoke to jurors on Monday Aug. 18. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Turkey lurkey: Could a turkey emoji prove Hernadez Govan wasn’t the mastermind in the killing of rapper Young Dolph? His lawyer thinks it could help. On Tuesday, as Govan’s trial over the 2021 killing continued, prosecutors tried to use cell phone records to tie Govan to the plot to kill Dolph. But Govan’s lawyer, Manny Arora, used that same evidence — including an emoji — to suggest that someone else played a larger role in Dolph’s death. Also on Tuesday, Angela Arnold, the girlfriend of accused shooter Cornelius Smith, testified that she drove Smith to a meeting with Govan at a local car wash after the shooting.

Belly Acres has reportedly been evicted from its location in the Regalia Shopping Center. (Ellen Chamberlain/The Daily Memphian)

Belly up? As of Tuesday, TVs were on and condiment racks graced every table inside the East Memphis Belly Acres. But no one was home, and an eviction notice was taped to the restaurant’s window. The issue seems to stem from a dispute with the property’s landlord.

“The goal is to prosecute all of the [blight] cases in Chancery Court,” council member Rhonda Logan said. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian file)

Blight fight: The Memphis City Council is changing Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s plan to spend $900,000 on an “integrity policing” task force into a plan to clean up blight across the city. The funds are coming from more than $2 million in interest on federal American Rescue Plan Act money. And on Tuesday, council members discussed how to use that money to prosecute blight cases in Shelby County Chancery Court, which they believe will go faster than the traditional Environmental Court. In other council news, members approved a final vote on a plan to use 25% of the tax revenue collected from xAI to benefit the Boxtown and Whitehaven neighborhoods near the data centers. 

This photo of Ford’s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant at BlueOval City shows the final assembly section of the building. (Courtesy Walbridge)

Not a full charge: Production at BlueOval City is starting to feel like the opening of a new restaurant or the release of a writers’ strike-era TV show; it keeps getting delayed. On Tuesday, BlueOval SK, the battery manufacturer for BlueOval City, announced it would delay production at its battery plant until 2027. That followed Ford Motor Co.’s announcement earlier this month of a delay in production of its electric pickups. 

QUOTED

Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies mascot, greeted fans during the Grizzlies’ annual open practice Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at FedExForum. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

“There are things that both the Grizzlies and Memphians can do to make certain this saga ends the way everyone wants.”

— Geoff Calkins, Daily Memphian columnist
As we reported on Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies still haven’t signed a lease to stay here beyond 2029. But lease talks and FedExForum renovation deals are underway. And The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins is here to both reassure us and offer some advice for how fans — and city leaders — can help.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Puzzol Creative cofounder Keith Edwards talked with the staff and creators of Game Nite Lounge. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Stepping up their game: It’s all fun and games until you run out of space. That’s what Puzzol Creative, the team behind Amuse Adventure Museum, Memphis Escape Rooms and the new Game Nite Lounge, recently learned when they outgrew their office space off Covington Pike. “When we were building all of the tables and the podiums for Game Night Lounge, we literally were stacking them in people’s offices,” said Keith Edwards, Puzzol’s COO. In this week’s Inked, we’ve got the news on Puzzol’s new, bigger digs, plus an update on new townhomes coming to Cooper-Young.

Late addition? Summer workouts for the Memphis Tigers basketball team are over, but the Tigers could still add a new player with a really cool name. Columbia University transfer forward Arop Arop is stopping by the U of M Friday for an official visit. If Arop commits, he’ll fill the 15th and final scholarship spot on the Tigers’ 2025-26 roster. The start of basketball season is still a couple months away, but football starts next week. And we’ve got a look at the team’s new offensive line.

“Honey Don’t!” stars Margaret Qualley. (Courtesy Focus Features)

Honey, do go see ‘Highest 2 Lowest’: The highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far, worldwide, is coming to Memphis this weekend. “Ne Zha II” is an animated Chinese martial arts film about dragon clans and celestial forces. And while that’s blockbusting in lots of places, movie buff Chris Herrington isn’t that interested. But he does offer some alternatives, including director Ethan Coen’s (as in the Coen Brothers) “Honey, Don’t!” and Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” Herrington also ranks his favorite Lee films from, well, highest to lowest. If you want my movie rec, skip all of that, and go to a sing-along screening of “K-Pop Demon Hunters” at a local Malco this week.

Justin Rose chipped a shot onto the green during the third day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on Aug. 9. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Don’t fore-get: Go ahead and save the date, golf fans, because you’ll be sweating again next August. The PGA released its tournament schedule on Tuesday, and the FedEx St. Jude Championship will be back. Here’s the full list of tour stops.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

In case you’re wondering what season we’re in ...

Things should cool off a bit by the weekend. Until then, be careful out there.

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