The third day of the state criminal trial for three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols began Wednesday, April 30.

Clayborn Temple fire probe is underway, college students get visas back (for now) and the Ostrander show will go on.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board approved a resolution supporting private school vouchers, directed the superintendent to have local leaders weigh in on a facilities plan and did not censure board member Towanna Murphy for ethics violations.

Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. joins what could be a large field of contenders in the Democratic primary to succeed Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.

The initial Trump administration visa-revocation policy and its reversal have created confusion for international students and their attorneys. 

In a case that has parallels to the Ezekiel Kelly shootings in 2022, a man who shot at five people, wounding three, during a 25-minute rampage Saturday afternoon has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.

Firefighters will investigate the cause of the blaze but will also need to determine if any additional parts of the structure need to come down.

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The second day of the state criminal trial for the three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols began Tuesday morning, April 29.

Tyre Nichols’ mom takes the stand, some MSCS buildings are in bad shape, and you can leave your Halloween skeletons up all year in Germantown. 

The Daily Memphian reviewed public records that illuminate the needs for Memphis-Shelby County Schools facilities. The assessments found about $40 million in immediate needs for the district, and some $1.38 billion in estimated upgrades.

The city can feel like it’s in crisis. The country can feel like it’s in crisis. And Monday, we all woke up to the news that Clayborn Temple had burned down.

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Landmark Clayborn Temple total loss after pre-dawn fire

Local Democrats set a May 31 date to pick a chair, Patricia Possel is the newest Shelby County election commissioner and Congressman Steve Cohen says revoking student visas is causing problems on Memphis college campuses.

The expansion will add 21,000 square feet of space, including a new pre-K facility and renovations to the existing school, including two playgrounds, two STEM labs, an updated dining hall and a chapel.

Josh Poag and a group of Memphis investors purchased the mall at 4465 Poplar Ave. in 2023 for $18.3 million and spent the last year envisioning Oak Court’s future.

During her first time ever on the stand, RowVaughn Wells describes the night her son, Tyre Nichols, was beaten by former Memphis police officers. “He hugged me and said, ‘I’ll see you later.’”

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Opening statements end in Tyre Nichols trial

“The facts here are a tragedy … but a tragedy does not mean a homicide,” said Michael Stengel, who represents one of the former police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols. 

“They were five Memphis police officers who were frustrated, mad and who let adrenaline overcome them,” said Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman, lead prosecutor on the case.

Here are some observations from the state courtroom, the federal trial in September 2024 and the case overall.

“If history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned,” said NCRM President Russ Wigginton.

Gun violence is plaguing Memphis, an xAI meeting gets heated and Lakeland used to be a lot more fun.

In spite of the divisive legislation that may crop up in rows from January to April every year, Tennessee lawmakers actually agree on more than one may realize.

Robert Hodges, otherwise known as Prince Mongo from the planet Zambodia, has irked as many Memphians as he’s charmed throughout the years. But in an odd quirk of fate, he may well have changed Memphis history.

Also happening this week: The University of Tennessee Athletics’ department brings its “Big Orange Caravan” to Memphis.

The two victims, both students and football players at Booker T. Washington High School, have been identified. 

After four months of argument, compromise, bickering and squabble, the 2025 Tennessee General Assembly concluded April 22.