Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion

Maxey: 'Your algorithms need to get off my lawn and leave the old man in peace'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 04:00:13 -0500

“There’s a more serious dialogue to be had over the inter-generational bickering so prevalent these days. Largely fueled by social media, generations seem to be increasingly antagonistic toward one another over society’s ills and who’s to blame.”

Opinion: MSCS retains status quo while Houston schools defy the odds

rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov (Mark White) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 04:00:13 -0500

“It’s time for Shelby County government, including the new mayor-elect and county commissioners-elect, to exit their lawsuit against the MSCS oversight board and get to work rebuilding opportunity for Memphis students.”

Opinion: The disparity in public grace extended to different Collierville officials is stark

editor@dailymemphian.com (Jennifer Preston) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:07:56 -0500

“Communities thrive on open, civic dialogue, but our leaders also deserve fairness, basic decency, and residents who debate policy instead of tearing down character.”

Opinion: Other cities have limited data center development. Memphis can, too.

editor@dailymemphian.com (Richard Massey) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:59:01 -0500

“Memphians have been given a false choice: either accept AI data center development without safeguards or be left behind. Memphis must treat clean air, clean water and affordable energy as non-negotiable, as other cities and regions have.”

Opinion: We can have data centers while also protecting Memphis and Memphians

kelly.lomax@dunavant.com (Kelly Lomax) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 04:00:02 -0500

“Some of my neighbors feel unheard, and that is a gap we have to close. But a blanket moratorium fixes none of the problems. It stops new construction jobs and increases in the tax base while leaving the plants already running exactly where they are.”

Opinion: Tackling domestic violence, the hidden part of violent crime

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:15:14 -0500

“Addressing the domestic violence part of our violent crime challenge must involve providing more support for domestic violence victims, more accountability for the perpetrators and efforts to change behavior.”

Calkins: Another day, another cyclist killed by a car. This time, it was 'The Dancing Man.'

gcalkins@dailymemphian.com (Geoff Calkins) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 07:52:51 -0500

Quentin Ratliff, 39, was known in Olive Branch as “The Dancing Man.” He was killed by a car Friday morning. It was the latest tragedy in a brutal week for cyclists across the South.

Memphis Movies This Week: ‘Tony,’ ‘Camp Miasma,’ ‘Fast and Furious’ at 25

cherrington@dailymemphian.com (Chris Herrington) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:27:20 -0500

Film fans can feast this week on a young Anthony Bourdain biopic, the latest feature from the writer-director of “I Saw the TV Glow” and one of Thursday’s three special screenings.

Calkins: He was shot down over Italy. 83 years later, his remains finally found their way home.

gcalkins@dailymemphian.com (Geoff Calkins) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:39:17 -0500

Michael Cianciolo was shot down over Italy in 1943. More than 80 years later, his remains were buried in Memphis with full military honors.

Maxey: 'I’m of Memphis. It’s who I am and what I am.'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:00:10 -0500

“Those who only see the city’s failings — which are real — will never fully understand what we understand and will never fully see what we see. They’ll never understand why some of us don’t give up on it. This is home.”

Echols: 'What would you say is the peak of your life so far?'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:00:10 -0500

“Is the very nature of a peak that there is only one? Does the length of a life have any correlation with the number of peaks it will have?”

Opinion: Mayor Young — Data center investment requires new rules for growth

editor@dailymemphian.com (Paul Young) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:01:14 -0500

“The communities that succeed in this next economy will be the ones capable of supporting major investment while maintaining the trust of the people who call them home.”

Pilgrim: There’s something magical about the fall

npilgrim@dailymemphian.com (Natalie Pilgrim) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“When Ron Maxey declared summer ‘the best season for a reason,’ I couldn’t resist making the case for autumn.”

Echols: Seeing more stars than our eyes could take in

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 04:00:04 -0500

“Awe is evident when your mind has been blown and you are forced to re-think what you knew before.”

Opinion: I wish the rest of America understood what I know about Memphis

morriss@churchhealth.org (G. Scott Morris) — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:23:39 -0500

“It takes living here to know the people. That’s what so many who dismiss Memphis never experience. They see headlines but never hospitality. They hear about violence but never generosity. They know the statistics but not our stories.”

Calkins: Attorney Ted Jones wrote some of the best obits in Memphis. He deserves one of his own.

gcalkins@dailymemphian.com (Geoff Calkins) — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 06:31:10 -0500

Ted Jones took it upon himself to write miniature, elegant obituaries on Facebook, celebrating the lives of attorneys and judges and anyone else he knew in the legal profession who had died. Jones, 67, died July 29.

Opinion: Local government matters, and every vote counts

morriss@churchhealth.org (G. Scott Morris) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 07:58:09 -0500

The men and women elected on Thursday will face some of the most consequential decisions Shelby County has confronted in years.

Echols: Punctuation is a short-term superpower

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 15:47:28 -0500

“I typically write about God in this space, and you may think there’s no way on earth to weave God into a conversation about punctuation – but on that matter, Dear Reader, you would be wrong.”

Maxey: Despite the heat, in summer everything in nature is alive and at its peak.

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“I’ll take every season life sees fit to give me, but I know which way I’ll bend if I have to choose favorites. Give me the season with long days and short pants, warm evenings but cool memories.”

Opinion: The lesson from the World Cup is that Memphis needs to promote more local musicians

editor@dailymemphian.com (Andrew Tawfik) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“Memphis could be at the epicenter of the next music revival, much like Nashville and country music has enjoyed over the last 15 years. Yet so many of the discussions here today focus on promoting the music infrastructure, with very little about musicians themselves.”