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Welcome to Monday, Memphis. It’s Sept. 29, and some personnel from the 13 federal agencies being sent here as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force could arrive today. That’s the plan that involves the National Guard deployment.
Also, Richard Smith, son of late FedEx founder Fred Smith, is expected to be seated on FedEx’s board of directors. The move should help Smith protect his family’s interest in the Memphis-based shipping giant.
And the Memphis Botanic Garden will break ground on a new entry courtyard, which means visitors will be using an alternate entrance for a while. For more on what’s to come, check out This Week in Memphis.
THE NEED TO KNOW
 Memphis City Council member Myron Lowery, with wife Mary, accepted a Bobby Dunavant Public Servant Award during a Rotary Club East luncheon at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn in 2012. (The Daily Memphian file)
Myron Lowery dies: Former Memphis City Council member Myron Lowery, who famously fist-bumped the Dalai Lama in Tom Lee Park, has died. He was 78. Lowery, a former TV news reporter and anchor, was elected to the Memphis City Council in 1991, where he became the body’s longest-serving Black member. He briefly served as Memphis mayor after former Mayor Willie Herenton resigned.
 Marchers traveled from Juvenile Court to City Hall Saturday as part of a protest of the National Guard deployment. (Greg Campbell/The Daily Memphian)
Guard won’t make arrests: Gov. Bill Lee said on Friday that he’s not declaring a state of emergency over Memphis crime and that the National Guard he’s deploying here won’t be armed or make arrests. But the Memphis Safe Task Force, which involves the guard deployment, includes 13 other federal agencies, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol. And Lee says he’s sending about 300 troopers, and he expects the task force to make “hundreds” of arrests. As for where those arrested will go, it seems maybe not the overcrowded 201 Poplar. On Saturday, about 130 people marched in opposition to the National Guard deployment, and one activist explained why the governor sending outside “help” can spell “harassment” for some Memphians.
 Tributes adorned a memorial for four teenage girls who were killed in a yogurt shop in 1991 in Austin, Texas. On Sept. 26, police named Robert Brashers as a suspect. (Paul J. Weber/AP)
Texas murder case tied to Memphis rape: Robert Eugene Brashers, who killed himself in 1999, was recently named a suspect in the 1991 murder of four teen girls in a Texas yogurt shop. And the DNA that may have solved that case also tied Brashers to the rape of a 14-year-old Memphis girl in 1997.
Cops kill man in Parkway Village: Memphis police officers shot and killed 34-year-old Vontorian Anthony Saturday night, after he allegedly pointed a gun at officers. The Memphis Police Department was responding to a call about a man shooting a gun into the air in Parkway Village. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.
QUOTED
“I believe C students rule the world. We decided to lean into that ... demographic and it has served us well.”
— LeMoyne-College President Chris Davis
Almost every local college and university is experiencing enrollment declines this year — except LeMoyne-Owen. Davis said that’s because they’re specifically going after local students with average grades, rather than aiming for the valedictorians. Meanwhile, Christian Brothers University lost a third of its student population between 2024 and 2025, which is due to the “enrollment cliff” and immigration hurdles.
THE NICE TO KNOW
 Ja Morant (center, back) met players from Nike’s Rise Academy in Shenzen, China. (Jnie Williams/Catch12 Media)
Great Ja-ll of China: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant may have the best “how I spent my summer vacation” story. Nike sent him on a four-week tour of Asia to build hype for the new Ja 3 sneakers. Along the way, Morant learned a lion dance in China, got stuck in a typhoon in Shanghai and got chased by a fan in Manila. The trip also had its share of complications, like plane trouble during a 10-hour flight to China. But even that made for a fun story when the emergency stop in Alaska led to Morant and his uncle accidentally crashing a funeral. (No worries; the family let them stay and hang out.) In other Morant news, the star has decided he’ll negotiate his next contract without an agent.
 To understand why the lights may be on on one side of a street but not on the other requires a look at Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s complicated distribution system. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Lust for power: We’ve all been there: A little wind rolls through, and the power goes out. But when you look across the street, you see your neighbor’s lights are still on. And then you curse Memphis Light, Gas and Water, because surely, they must have something against you. In today’s Ask the Memphian, The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman talked to some people at MLGW about how the utility’s distribution system actually works.
 Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis ran against Florida Atlantic in the Tigers’ American Conference opener Saturday night in Boca Raton, Florida. (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)
Late-game surge: The Memphis Tigers football team turned it up to 11 in the fourth quarter Saturday with a 55-26 victory over Florida Atlantic. The Tigers held only a five-point lead with 10:20 to go in the fourth but then pulled away with 31 more points. Running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. rushed for a career-high 204 yards with three touchdowns. In other football news, Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Alcorn State in the Southern Heritage Classic. And in more Tigers news, our own Parth Upadhyaya offers some predictions about the basketball team’s rotation.
 The Dame’s goat-cheese spread is hand-mashed with red pepper flakes, topped with honey and served in a cast-iron cocotte. (Ellen Chamberlain/The Daily Memphian)
It’s the GOAT: The Dame, the basement bar in the new Hotel Pontotoc, offers an expansive wine and cocktail list, but you’ll need a snack while you sip. And The Daily Memphian’s Ellen Chamberlain says the goat-cheese spread, topped with honey and served with crostini, is a “must-try.” She also shares a hot tip on how to get drink discounts, but you’ll have to act fast. In other food news, there’s a new upscale taqueria in Bartlett.
 For now, the future of a physical Delta Groove space in Memphis remains uncertain. (Courtesy Delta Groove Yoga)
Delta Groove’s savasana: Overton Square yoga studio Delta Groove said its last “namaste” on Sunday after 12 years in business. Co-owner Olivia Rokotnitz said the business never really recovered from the pandemic, and rising rent and operating expenses meant the studio was no longer sustainable. As for what’s next, Rokotnitz plans to continue teaching online, and co-owner Valentine Leonard will offer some outdoor classes. But any future studio space is up in the air.
THIS WEEK’S WEATHER
We’re looking at warm days and cool nights all week long. This is where fall layers come in.
Have a great day!
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