How’s it going, Memphis? It’s Wednesday, April 8, and Crosstown Brewing is getting awarded tonight for its mojo. The brewery is among a handful of organizations and people that will be honored during the annual Mojo of Midtown Awards.

Also tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies play the Denver Nuggets, and we need to lose. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

“Interoperability is the key to the success that we’re seeing here,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., about the Memphis Safe Task Force. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP file)

‘Long-term’ solution: U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said Tuesday that he thinks the Memphis Safe Task Force needs to stick around for a while. Speaking at the Memphis Police Department’s Downtown command center, Hagerty said Memphians should expect to see “more presence” from the Task Force. But in response to recent Downtown shootings, he said some crime “depends on the weather.” In other Task Force news, a state bill is moving ahead that would require the Shelby County district attorney’s office to report changes with Task Force charges.

Pooh Shiesty, real name Lontrell Williams Jr., was arrested on federal charges. (Courtesy Zack Wolfe/Atlantic Records)

Shiesty update: Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty’s freedom is on the line today. The rapper has a detention hearing to determine if he’ll be released pending trial on federal kidnapping charges. He, his dad and fellow Memphis rapper Big30 were among eight people netted in an arrest for an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery over a recording contract. Pooh Shiesty’s dad, Lontrell Williams Sr., posted his bond but remains behind bars.

Demetrius Haley (left), Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith (rear) are the three former Memphis police officers charged with fatally beating Tyré Nichols in 2023. (George Walker IV/AP file)

Nichols federal trial update: Lawyers for three ex-Memphis police officers charged in Tyré Nichols’ death may not get the info they want about U.S. District Judge Mark Norris’ recusal from their case. That’s after a U.S. appeals court denied a request in the case this week. Norris allegedly made comments that suggested one of those former cops was involved with a gang. That eventually resulted in a new judge and a new trial, which is still pending.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Roderick Richmond greeted Kate Bond Middle School students on the first day of school last year. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Save the dates: Memphis-Shelby County Schools finally has next school year’s calendar together. The district was a little late this year, but parents can now save the back-to-school date, fall and winter breaks, etc. for the 2026-27 academic year. Starting next year though, the district is pledging to do better — and maybe even plan two calendars at once.

MEET MEMPHIS

Cortney Richardson

Cortney Richardson started wearing suits to school in kindergarten. And when his high school instituted school uniforms of khakis and polos, he requested that he not be required to “dress down.” It worked. That’s the kind of energy Richardson brings to everything, and it eventually landed him a job as CEO of Peer Power, a nonprofit that mentors local students. Richardson started working with Peer Power in its first year in 2004, when he was still a student at East High School. He eventually joined full time as a program director and moved up the ladder from there. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

A Little Diggers sandbox playspace is opening in East Memphis. (Courtesy Little Diggers Playspace Inc.)

New digs: Your kids can play in the sand this summer for much cheaper than a trip to the Bahamas. A local franchise of Little Diggers Playspace, a construction-themed playground with a giant sandbox, is opening in East Memphis. (Good luck getting that sand out of your car later.) Read more on that in Inked, plus news of a new cigar shop in Cooper-Young. And in other real-estate news, an “unleaseable” building in Southeast Memphis is getting all gussied up. 

A rendering of Grind City Amp. (UrbanARCH/Courtesy Grind City Amp)

Amped up: Grind City Brewing’s new amphitheater is opening later this month, and everyone is invited. The grand opening of Grind City Amp is set for April 25 with free music by Memphian musicians, including MonoNeon, Cedric Burnside and Joybomb. But it’s not the first show; that’s a ticketed performance by blues rockers Alabama Shakes and folk artist Mon Rovîa. 

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, dribbled against Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph on Wednesday, May 13, 2015. (Ben Margot/AP file)

From A to Z-Bo: Superstar Kevin Durant once said former Memphis Grizzly Zach Randolph was “the best power forward in the league.” And while that may be debatable, our own Chris Herrington has no doubt he’s the best power forward the Grizzlies have ever had. Z-Bo is No. 2 on his list of the top 25 Grizzlies of all time. But could Randolph have been even better if he’d never torn a ligament in his knee? Herrington plays a game of the what-ifs. In other basketball news, here’s a look at how much money the new Memphis Tigers women’s basketball coach is making.

“You, Me and Tuscany” is a set-in-Italy romantic comedy starring Halle Bailey (left) as a free-spirited American chef and Regé-Jean Page as a reserved British lawyer. (Courtesy Universal Pictures)

Light vs. dark: Rom-com or horror? That’s your choice at the movies this weekend. The biggest film openings include “You, Me and Tuscany,” an adorably named rom-com starring the hot duke from season one of “Bridgerton,” or “Faces of Death,” a riff on the 1978 horror film featuring lifelike (though fake) murders. So, you know, you do you. But if none of that sounds good, the weekend also brings some solid and safe throwback options. In other movie news, Indie Memphis has a new artistic director.

MLGW glow-up: If you need to pay a light bill in Millington, you might want to just do that online. Beginning Monday, the Memphis Light Gas and Water community office on Navy Road will close for renovations, and it’s not reopening until summer.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Recent events have given new meaning to those old Memphis Grizzlies growl towels.

Later, gaters!

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