The expanded set of businesses come as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city increases and follows through on Mayor Jim Strickland's pledge that the city's state of civil emergency he declared this past week would be expanded.

Gerald Jenkins travels the globe as a keyboardist in a soul band. But demand for the music he performed in Memphis' 1990s rap scene led him to put his keys down and pick up the microphone again for a Japanese tour.

Right now, more so than any other time, every smile, laugh and life update from sports heroes go a long way.

Pursuit of God Church and KIPP Memphis Elementary Prep held food drives Friday afternoon and served more than 350 families in North and South Memphis during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I’m working from home. Cleaning the closets. Playing with the dog. Calling my friends. Promising my children that I’ll stay home – or close to it. And learning how to balance the dread of what we don’t know and can’t see with the beauty of just being here.

Construction is expected to start on Oaks Edge in three to four months now that the Health, Educational and Housing Facility Board has approved a tax incentive for the senior-living development in East Memphis.

Maps based on 2018 census data show concentrations of sensitive populations for hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.

The total number of Shelby County cases is up to 42, and the Shelby County Health Department says the increase is "not unexpected because testing has increased, especially by commercial laboratories.” 

•MATA to implement social distancing on buses, trolleys

• Gibson’s Donuts to close temporarily
• Alcohol Commission approves beer with to-go orders

There is no combined count of how many novel coronavirus tests have been performed by the local health department and private hospitals. But the head of the health department says the number of tests isn't as important as the upward climb in those who test positive.

Delayed by the COVID-19 crisis, legislation such as the “constitutional carry” bill allowing people to carry handguns without a permit is expected to revive when lawmakers return to Nashville this summer after a long recess.

Suburban cities and county follow the lead of Memphis and shut down dine-in restaurant service and some other businesses.

SCS cancels mass lunch distribution program for students because a food service worker is one of the newly confirmed cases. 

Dr. Jon McCullers and Dr. Nicholas Hysmith join host Eric Barnes and Bill Dries with The Daily Memphian to discuss local efforts against COVID-19 in the Memphis area and the shortage of testing kits.

Some landlords are waiving April rent to help restaurateurs weather the COVID-19 storm that closed their dining rooms.

A rush to buy guns by residents fearing the COVID-19 impact, coupled with a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation employee testing positive for the virus, has created a backlog with background checks. 

The free event will include headlining performances from Southern Avenue, MonoNeon and Ben Nichols of Lucero.

If mourners can't be part of a funeral while adhering to social distancing, one local professor recommends that people create their own, active way to celebrate and grieve a life.

Customers in local gun stores say concerns about possible looting are making them defensive.

Gov. Bill Lee worked with the state attorney general and comptroller on an executive order to put electronic government meetings rules in place after legislation failed Thursday in the final hours of the General Assembly session

Here is a summary of items from how the city is moving away from the science and medical developments around the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's no playbook for this," Memphis 901 FC/Redbirds owner Peter Freund says of trying to navigate what lies ahead for city's USL soccer team and Triple-A baseball team. 

A Memphis Police Department employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, but MPD officials said they could not legally disclose whether the person is an officer or a civilian. 

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said the impact on the economy from the civil emergency measures is being felt but can't be avoided as the city tries to stop the spread of the virus to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed.

“One of our biggest challenges is that many people don’t believe in the seriousness of this pandemic,” Catholic Bishop David Talley told colleagues in a webinar. “Please believe in what science is saying. This is not the devil. This is what science is telling us.”

Reform advocates say more efforts need to be made to ensure the poor aren't being put at undue risk in jail during the coronavirus threat. Judges say it can be complicated.