Strickland signs mask ordinance
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has signed the ordinance that requires masks or face coverings inside public places within the city.
City Council, County Commission return to in-person meetings after 4th
The Shelby County Commission is planning to install plexiglass barriers when it returns to its chambers next month. The Memphis City Council is making arrangements to find a new temporary meeting place. Its City Hall chambers are still undergoing a renovation that began before the pandemic.
High jobless rate persists in Memphis
Nearly one in four Memphis area workers filed for unemployment benefits at some point since March 15, data shows. As businesses reopened double-digit unemployment rates continued in May.
Outdoor dining around town
Jennifer Biggs and Chris Herrington catch up after Chris’s family vacation and talk about patios and porches for outdoor dining around town.
Rhodes to spend extra $2M on COVID-19 this year, partners with Baptist for testing
As part of the package, Baptist will provide a virtual clinic to help people on campus who test positive know what care they need and when it is safe to return to the public sphere.
U of M announces three athletes, one staff member test positive for coronavirus
Memphis announced Thursday that three student athletes and a staff member have tested positive for COVID-19.
Shelby County coronavirus cases rise by 294, deaths by 9
Those 294 new cases come from 2,963 tests, a 9.9% positivity rate.
Orgel presses ahead with $32M Snuff District permit, but no office space yet
Despite the pandemic, the development team files for a building permit to put the first 107 apartment units, community center and fitness center in the historic buildings of the Snuff District. But, the documents do not yet mention plans for office space.
Strickland outlines MPD changes including seeking subpoena power for CLERB
The press conference comes after a month of private discussions with community and religious leaders and a move toward police reforms by the Memphis City Council as well as the Shelby County Commission.
Grizzlies Insider: Face masks; facing the FedExForum deal; a familiar face returns
It's true the Grizzlies' FedExForum lease has an 'early termination' provision, but they can't mask their affection for Memphis.
Businesses say it’s easier to close than work short-handed when an employee gets COVID
Josh Hammond at Buster's and other business owners, trying to do the right thing, aren’t entirely sure what the parameters are when employees test positive.
‘Black Lives Matter’ painted on sidewalks near former Forrest statue site
Activists have painted Black Lives Matter on sidewalks surrounding the site where the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest stood for decades before it was removed in 2017.
Sanford: Mask or no mask? Politics – and gender – inform the decision
A study released this month found that men are less likely to wear masks in public than women. 'Men more than women agree that wearing a face covering is shameful, not cool, a sign of weakness, and a stigma,' one of the study’s authors said.
Metro
PILOTs and compromise on military hardware limits top commission agenda
The Monday County Commission meeting includes a possible six-month moratorium on new PILOTs. And there is a compromise with Sheriff Floyd Bonner that would rewrite the ordinance requiring him to get approval from the commission to acquire surplus military hardware from the federal government.
Metro Has Tennessee’s response been good? Depends who you ask
Business
Demolition starts on Summer Ave. for $9M health-crisis facility
Demolition has started to clear space for Alliance Healthcare Service’s $9 million-plus development in an economically distressed area of Summer Avenue.
Metro Petland returning shopfront puppy sales to Memphis
Sports
Memphis basketball: Penny Hardaway sees ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’
The past two games indicate some of the bigger problems might be resolved. Now it’s time to get to the details.
Sports Former LeMoyne-Owen basketball coach Jerry C. Johnson dies
Food
We have a new food Facebook group; Table Talk has a place for you
Our new Table Talk Facebook group is ready for you to join so we can start dishing about good food and drink we’ve enjoyed and what’s still to come.
Suburbs
Hair growth business rooted in Bartlett
In 2016, Aqila Augusta founded Edge Entity, a Black-owned company specializing in hair growth products for women and men. In the five years since, she’s established a Bartlett storefront, located at 2958 Elmore Park Rd., and turned a kitchen experiment into a multimillion dollar business with customers from all over the world.
Neighborhoods
UTHSC widens opioid study to add focus in Frayser
With feet on the ground and money for Uber rides, researchers hope to stop barriers that keep Black people out of treatment.
Arts & Culture
Ardent Studios hosting live virtual concert
In.Live will stream the “Coming Together,” organized by former Big Star drummer Jody Stephens of Ardent. Performers will also include Keith Sykes and musicians from bands such as Cheap Trick, The Posies and Wilco.
Opinion
Opinion: Pandemic makes need for school choice clear
‘The point is not to determine the merits of public education versus private education. Why can’t we champion both?’
Podcasts
McGowen on COVID vaccine: ‘Send us as much as you can’
On “Behind The Headlines,” Doug McGowen, the city’s chief operating officer, and Dr. Jon McCullers of UTHSC said multiple plans to vaccinate more than 600,000 people in Shelby County are ready to be used and adjusted to roll with the circumstances.