Happy birthday, Memphis! It’s Friday, May 22, and Memphis turns 207 today. There’s a free celebration in Tom Lee Park with live music, food trucks and the annual city-county government basketball game. Shelby County should really let Memphis win on its birthday, right? 

Today is also the last day of school for kids in Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Lakeland and Millington, which means summer break is officially on across the county. And since it’s Memorial Day weekend, two annual late May events are happening this weekend: Memphis in May’s Great American River Run (Saturday) and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Sunset Symphony (Sunday). Get more weekend ideas in The To-Do List. 

City and county offices will be closed on Monday for Memorial Day, and you can find ceremonies honoring fallen service members in Bartlett, Olive Branch and at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Protesters crowded outside the Tennessee Capitol Jan. 17, 2022, to protest redistricting that split Nashville into three districts. A judge in the current redistricting case referenced that case. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian file)

Updates on redistricting cases: A federal judge explained on Thursday why he denied an injunction to pause Tennessee’s new congressional map in his case last week — on the same day a similar case was heard in a state court in Nashville. Federal Circuit Judge William Campbell Jr. said the new map, which split Memphis into three districts, did not impact the right to vote, mostly because the state put aside $3 million to help election officials prepare for the changes. That’s different from how a similar case was handled in 2022. Meanwhile, arguments over a separate lawsuit against redistricting were heard Thursday in Davidson County Chancery Court. Plaintiffs in that case are also seeking an injunction. In related news, the Shelby County Election Commission approved the candidates for the new House districts Thursday.

People gathered to oppose the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution ahead of Tony Von Carruthers’ planned execution on Thursday, May 21, in Nashville. (Mark Humphrey/AP)

State calls off execution: The execution of Tony Von Carruthers was halted Thursday after officials struggled to find a vein for an hour. Carruthers was sentenced to death for the 1994 kidnapping and killing of three people in Memphis. His attorneys have said Carruthers suffers from “paranoia and delusions” and have argued he’s incompetent to be executed. The execution being called off bides Carruthers a little more time. 

Another Task Force death: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the second Memphis Safe Task Force-related fatality in a week. Task Force members responded to a call Wednesday of an armed man threatening to harm himself. And for reasons still under investigation, a Homeland Security Investigations agent fired her gun. At press time, the TBI was reporting that it wasn’t clear if the man was killed by gunfire or from self-inflicted stab wounds. The incident follows last week’s fatal shooting of a suspect by a Task Force agent. 

MEET MEMPHIS

Joe Ford, left, has worked as a volunteer pole vaulting coach at Harding Academy. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks. That was the case for Memphian Joe Ford, who took up pole vaulting at age 60. Ford played around with makeshift pole vaulting in his backyard as a kid, but that was it. And then, decades later, he decided he wanted to take up flying through the air again. He’s 75 now, still pole vaulting and about to retire as the volunteer pole vault coach at Harding Academy, where he’s helped out since 2014. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins shares Ford’s story — and his wise words.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Fondue is coming back to Memphis with the return of The Melting Pot. (Credit: Canva)

Dip happens: Fondue is making a comeback in Memphis. The Melting Pot fondue chain, which closed its Memphis location way back in 2014, is set to reopen later this year or early next in the former Pyro’s on Ridgeway Road. Read more on that — and a very eastward expansion for Zio Matto Gelato — in Food Files. And in this week’s $15 Deal, food writer Gracie Driver makes the case for chopped salads at Wild Beet Salad Co.

“Every major celebration of my life and my family was centered here at Tsunami,” owner Ben Smith said. (The Daily Memphian file)

Not one to be tide down: Tsunami owner Ben Smith had his dream job for 28 years, “but it’s time for the next thing,” he said. Smith closed the Cooper-Young seafood staple in February, and now he’s selling the building. Smith plans to travel and “enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor for a while.” With Big Bad Breakfast taking over Mulan’s space and an unknown Asian restaurant opening in Alchemy, the Tsunami building is one of the last restaurant spaces available in Cooper-Young. It comes with some perks, but one thing you won’t get: The fish painting in the dining room.

“It’s the playoffs,” Memphis pitcher David Case said. “I feel like every game is a must-win here.” (Greg Campbell/The Daily Memphian file)

All about that baseball: The Memphis Tigers baseball team just earned two conference victories for the first time in a decade. The team beat UAB, 7-3, in the American Conference Tournament on Thursday, after beating Charlotte on Wednesday. They’ll play No. 1-seed UTSA bright and early this morning.

A new project at Memphis International Airport could provide more parking spaces. (The Daily Memphian file)

Gonna need a bigger garage: Rental-car operators at the airport want more space, and that’ll give us passengers more space, too. On Thursday, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority discussed moving the airport’s rental car area out of the current economy garage and into a new building that would be constructed just west of the garage. That would also free up a lot of potential spots in the garage. The airport board also approved its annual budget on Thursday.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Here’s a feel-good sendoff for the long weekend. Memphis artist Birdcap teamed up with students at Woodrow Wilson Elementary in South Salt Lake, Utah, to bring their drawings to life in a mural.

Have a nice long weekend! And happy grilling! The Early Word will return on Tuesday morning.

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