It was exactly a year ago that we were able to hire a full-time reporter, Keely Brewer, to cover environmental issues.

This week, Memphis Italian Festival has all the carbs, fries are paired with wine at Railgarten and Grind City gets hoppy and sour.

As late as the spring of 2022, a letter was filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, indicating a plan to build a Hard Rock Hotel at 326 Beale St.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a world-class new home for Memphis’ art collection,” the museum’s executive director said. “Right now, Memphis is known for music, barbecue and the Grizzlies. In 2026, it will also be known for its history, present and future, as a world-class, visual arts destination.”

Related story:

In advance of today’s groundbreaking, Brooks raises $135M for Downtown museum

“The astonishing thing about this campaign is that the first $100 million was raised without a rendering or a clear visual of what the new museum will look like.”

Related story:

Brooks Museum breaks ground on new site Downtown

Although enforcement of the state’s Adult Entertainment Act is under a temporary restraining order until June 6, organizers of this year’s Memphis Pride Festival say they’ve made some changes to the entertainment to ensure performers’ safety.

Another Memphis in May International Festival is in the books, and most of the Daily Memphian readers who responded to a social media poll were happy with the return to the river.

Folk singers who have lived around the country will take the Hernando’s Hide-A-Way stage, local hip hop and R&B acts will perform in a Green Room showcase and Drake comes home to the FedExForum.

Downtown Memphis has a new rooftop party series and a crystal skull may or may not be involved. 

With a steady hand and a brush tipped with black durable paint, Suzanne Cox is updating and clarifying some of Hernando’s historic street signs.

Runners power along the Mississippi for the Great American River Run as this year’s Memphis in May crosses the finish line. 

An Arlington High sports journalist kick-started his college career with a scholarship awarded last week at the Annual Sports Emmy Awards.

Tina Turner’s story bares some similarities to another closer-to-home Tennessee artist: Elvis Presley. But while Presley was given his crown early, Turner fought for hers over decades.

Of the 19 flavors of Lay’s we tried, I could only score two of them as pretty good. And a few of them were, for lack of a better word, revolting.

Kevin joined Eric Barnes on The Sidebar to talk about how MoSH – which includes The Pink Palace, the Lichterman Nature Center and other facilities – weathered COVID as well as new developments at the museum. 

This week, celebrate Southern soul food at Slave Haven, learn to skate at the River Garden and catch an Academy Award winner at Comeback Coffee.

Patients will have the opportunity to host their own radio and TV shows, play games, watch live musical performances and interview celebrity guests. 

Memphis in May wraps up this weekend with the Great American River Run. We’ve got tips for runners in the half-marathon, 10K or 5K races, plus tricks to up your spectator game.

Her life became the basis for a film, a Broadway musical co-written and produced by Memphian Katori Hall, and an HBO documentary in 2021 that she called her public farewell.

This year’s Grand Champion is the first rib team to win Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in more than 20 years.

The works of McLean Fahnestock, Khara Woods, Tangela Mathis and Carl Fox feature a variety of media and themes, from video art and abstract painting to mixed-media installations and immersive dreamscapes.

Over the next six weeks, garden enthusiasts will be able to visit hundreds of gardens at businesses, homes and organizations throughout the Memphis area.

This week, take a “mammoth” hike at Shelby Farms, meet the musicians buried at Elmwood and explore a revamped South City during MEMFix.

The exhibit features the beauty and intricacy of a unique style of painting that combines elements of Chinese calligraphy with Western abstraction.

The project is expected to take two years and will change much of the museum’s campus on Downtown’s Mulberry Street.